An Amazing Trip of Little Bummers

(This has been sitting in drafts since 2023.....so here it is with a few edits.)

I describe this trip like an appetizer platter at a restaurant. You get a tasting of everything, so next time you know where to spend all your time. Back in September (of 2023) one of my best friends, Nina, and I traveled London, Ireland, and Scotland in 10 days. I am SO grateful for this trip, and we had a blast. But we both admit to this being a "trip of little bummers"...

Here is our tale.

The Flight:

We had a three row to just the two of us, which seemed great until we discovered we couldn't raise the armrests due to upholding the "structural integrity of the plane" You don't realize how much those arm rests constrict you until you're unable to move them for 10 hours.

London:

So fun to get to do a double decker bus tour, experience a London market, find delicious fudge, ride a boat, and see two West End shows! Little bummer: missing the last entrance time for the Cathedral by 10 mins and also getting stuck on top of the double decker bus in the rain.

The First Hostel:

It was a lovely all female hostel with a safe vibe. But we stayed in a shoebox with two roommates who asked for the fan to be turned off at night. (that was rough)

Ireland:

Landing at the hostel here Nina discovered she had lost her wallet. The hostel was nice, spacious, and we had friendly roommates whom we went to a traditional Irish pub with one night! The 12 hour tour bus to the Obama Service Station, Cliffs of Moher and Galway was nice but our time in Galway was shortened due to people not understanding what "be back at this time" meant at our other two stops. And oh my goodness the SAD facts shared about Ireland's history were a real downer. The highlight here was by far the Vintage Tea Tour! Afternoon tea and treats on an old 1960s bus decked out to the perfect aesthetics - with FUN facts about Dublin along the way.

Scotland:

In Edinburg we experienced our largest hostel night in a 10 person dorm where when we arrived at around 11pm, only 2 other girls were in bed. The night involved the door opening and closing just a multitude of times. Up early to catch the train to Inverness, we enjoyed the views as we entered the Scottish highlands. Our drive to Isle of Skye included many potholes, speed changes, and the time just kept increasing. But it was worth it. Our Airbnb at the tip of the Isle was ADORABLE and the perfect place to rest before a full day of exploring.

Kilt rock was beautiful. Driving the isle was just other worldly. Little bummer: no puffins. The fairy glen was magical. Climbing to the top of a rock tower and seeing the view - insane. And very proud of Nina for making the trek with me! Though we never got to pet a sheep or highland cow, we did watch them sassy walk across the road!! Little bummer here...we (I) popped both left tires! Delayed our day by about 2hours and we missed the castle. But we didn't let it dim our spirits and journeyed to the Nest Point Light House for a gorgeous view. The drive back to our Airbnb included a lovely sunset and view of the castle from afar. The next morning we missed the Fairy Pools (truly means another trip to the Isle of Skye is necessary) and instead toured the castle as intended. Returning the car was so easy (seriously the nicest rental car people in the world highly recommend - discovercars.com and book Enterprise Inverness Airport) Little bummer: We had a very long wait before the train departed as we didn't want to miss it or rush the driving but everything went smoothly so there was a lot of time to kill. The train ride, when it came time, was a bite of respite. I read for almost the entire 3.5 hours. I have no idea the last time I had the attention span or un-interruption of responsibility to read for 3 hours straight. It was also around this point that Nina and I started to notice a sickness I liked to call an allergy taking over both our bodies.

Edinburg:

The church hostel was such a fun vibe. A private room was great as we were both exhausted. But it did feel like people were paid to stomp up and down the stairs outside our room all night long. We enjoyed a little Scottish breakfast before hoping a bus to the airport, to discover our first flight delay of the trip...2 hours. Our latest little bummer.

London Round 2:

After an overpriced train ride from the airport to the city, we walked uphill in the pouring rain to our hostel where we gathered ourselves before rushing off to see SIX. We snagged food very quickly (from Pret our establishment of choice on this trip - made me miss Paris) on the way, took the tube in the wrong direction, and walk/jogged to the theater. But it was SO worth it. Just such a fun and well done show, I'd see it over and over to see how each actress plays her queen.

Our last morning in London greeted us with sunshine, a tour of Kensington Palace, and traditional fish and chips! The rain did come out again making our trip to the hostel to grab our luggage quiet the journey of jumping over puddles, but we made it there and then finally to the airport.

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The trip has been lovely and exhausting. A break from reality and exhausting. Love my travel buddy and true friend Nina. Can't wait for Greece in 8-10 years!!!!!!!!!!

(lol I also ran out of storage on this free account so no photos? :( head over to my instagram @rachsuperstarr to see all the trip highlights)

~ Be You

Rachel