Awesome Things to Do in Edinburgh & Beyond

Over the next few weeks, you're going to be seeing a lot of posts about my time in Scotland and England, both of which I highly recommend visiting. Our time in Edinburgh was short but full, and I can't wait to go again and explore more of the country. 

For now, I wanted to give a quick preview of what we did that was sponsored by the lovely people of Visit Scotland, and then you can look forward to more in-depth posts on each.

Royal Yacht Brittania

North of the city center is Leith. Surrounded by water, this is a gorgeous little area that also houses the yacht that used to be a holiday sailing yacht for the Royal family. They would travel the world and host dignitaries by throwing lavish dinner parties. They would also work on their holidays (or, at least the Queen did) and had set schedules. They even had a smaller boat to use for excursions. 

The crew would take detailed notes on where they had been, and the Royal family would choose where they wanted to wake up the next morning. This is fantastic a look into how the Royals lived before other forms of transportation became easier and more luxurious. It was really like a mini floating palace.

Camera Obscura

Over 100 years ago, a female optician created this awesome way to use mirrors and light to view things on the ground from a tower. Sort of like a low-tech security camera. The original inverted bowl is still located at the top of Camera Obscura, but now the four floors below it are dedicated to weird and cool optical illusions. The entire place is interactive and each floor has a theme. If you follow me on Instagram, you saw a lot of pics already, including my time in the Vortex Tunnel.

 

Edinburgh Castle

Wherever you are in the city, the castle is almost sure to be visible. Set high up on a hill (a hill you must climb), the castle is a dramatic backdrop, but also an interesting bit of Edinburgh history. You can walk through dungeons and see the Crown Jewels all in the same visit. You'll see everything in between too, so wear your walking shoes. 

If you're worried about missing anything, because there's a lot, don't worry, because you get an audio guide. There are also amazing views of the city from the castle walls.

National Mining Museum

We probably wouldn't have seen this hidden gem if we weren't going to a wedding up the road, but I'm so glad I looked at what was nearby before I left. This two-story museum tells you all about the mining industry and the treatment of the workers. 

I'll be honest, the biggest reason I wanted to visit is because tours are run by ex-miners, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I learned. I have even more respect for those that mine and was able to ask a lot of questions since our group was so small.

The Palace at Holyrood House

We all expected Holyrood to be similar to the castle tour, but we were very wrong. Because the palace was quite small (in comparison), it was much easier to navigate (you also get an audio guide) and take in. It only takes about an hour to tour, and you can't take pictures inside, so it moves along quickly and you can focus your full attention on all the details. It's a lovely little glimpse into how the Royals live now, and a fun juxtaposition to the Brittania.

Scotch Whisky Experience 

I love whisky, and whiskey, and scotch. This short tour takes you on a journey from how the whisky is made to your glass. There's a bit of reading, a short barrel ride, a video that tells you about the different regions of Scotland that produces the different flavors of whisky, a tasting room, and The Whisky Vault. 

There are over 3,000 unique, unopened bottles in the vault. This is where you will taste your whisky and learn to do it properly. If you aren't a whisky drinker, but still interested in the process, they're happy to just bring you an Irn-Bru (a local carbonated drink that smells like orange soda, but has an indescribable flavor). Eric thought it tasted like bubblegum. I did not. Four of the five of us that tried it were not that into it, but it's fun to try.

I'll be bringing you more on these and the other places I visited in Edinburgh in the four days I had to explore. We packed quite a bit in, so stay tuned, especially if Edinburgh is on your travel wish list.

Have you ever been to Scotland?

Disclaimer: The activities in this post were gifted to me by VisitScotland, but all were things I was planning to visit, and all opinions are my own.

How To Travel with a Halloween Costume

We travel every fall, which means a lot of times we're able to get in on Halloween parties/activities. Sometimes we even go places where costumes are required (or more fun), like our trip to Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania last year, where we spent two days enjoying a Harry Potter festival and an evening of magic at Philly's science museum. We packed our regular clothes and then things we wanted for cosplay/costumes, and still went carry-on only.

Photo by Abby Savage on Unsplash

So, if you're thinking of traveling where you'll need/want to bring a costume, there are a few rules to follow. I try to bring clothing that will work with accessories to create a new look. That way you don't have to pack too much extra to make a costume work.

Here are some of our costumes that would work (or have worked) for travel:

A few years ago I had a Fantastic Beasts birthday party, where I dressed as an owl, but this dress was so well made, I could leave off the cape and wear it out as a regular dress. If you have a similar costume or an outfit that can be transformed into something else, maybe with a set of ears and a tail, then this is a winner.

One of our Halloween parties saw Eric and his friend dress as red shirts from Star Trek. Alex decided his was an engineer, but this is an easy costume to pull off, with only a shirt needed, which is super easy to pack.

I have a lot of costumes, one of which was this mime. The top was terrible and too small, so I replaced it with a striped shirt I already had, which is a staple of my travel wardrobe, because it's loose and goes well with a lot of things. This means I'd only have to bring suspenders and this thin beret and scarf. Works for guys as well. 

Sorry for this terrible bathroom selfie, but it was the only way I could get my whole outfit at the time. I purchased this fun Hogwarts school hat at Chestnut Hill's Harry Potter festival, got this great cape-like cardigan that I wear on the plane and as an extra layer elsewhere. With a funky blue top, it completed my Ravenclaw look for a Night of Magic.

We also dressed up for the Harry Potter fest when we went to Chestnut Hill, and we packed robes that were quite thin, since we don't travel with or own licensed robes. Eric chose a black graduation robe for his, attached a bunch of buttons, and added a Cedric Diggory shirt to be the ultimate Hufflepuff. I ironed on some Gryffindor patches and sparkly stripes to mine and then added a number and the name Bell to my robe, so could cosplay as Katie Bell of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. I got a lot of compliments on it. 

This isn't, technically, us. LOL! Our friends came to a Halloween party as Waldo and Waldo. This is a popular costume at theme parks and it's super easy to put together. If you purchase a good quality shirt, you can wear that outside of your Halloween event.

We go to a lot of Disney parks and every few trips we hit up the Halloween party. It's always warm, even in California, so it can be challenging to come up with easy ideas that aren't hot to wear. One year we went as an ice cream man and a crazy baseball fan. We've also gone as Wayne and Garth from Wayne's World, safari goers, a pilot and a German girl in lederhosen. Next year we'll be headed back to Walt Disney World, and I'll be coming up with two more packable costumes. 

Stay tuned for more Halloween travel ideas, including where to go and what to do to take advantage of the season.

Have you ever traveled during the Halloween season?

Combating Jet Lag

It's happened to us all and jet lag can really ruin a trip, especially when you have limited time. My first trip to the UK, I was not prepared at all for the 8-hour time change and jet lag set in on day 3 and I slept for something like 17 hours. I missed half a day in Paris and had to skip a second day in Disneyland Paris, since we were only in town for 3 days. I vowed to never let that happen again, so I learned how to sleep and eat and recover from a long flight.

Adjust your schedule

The best thing you can do to not get jet lag is to get on your new schedule as quickly as possible. If you're going from work to plane to destination, like I usually do, this can be more tricky, but I like to figure out what the time in my destination is, and then sleep on the plane as soon as I can to adjust my internal clock. 

If your flight is on a different schedule than your destination, figure out the time difference and figure out what you'd be doing if you were already there. If it's time to sleep, then sleep, but if it's not, make yourself stay awake as much as possible. I take a quick nap, but occupy myself reading, watching a movie, playing a game or coming up with new post ideas (maybe you journal instead). If you are traveling with someone, break out a card game and make them play with you. In other words, keep your brain busy.

On this next trip to Edinburgh, we'll be flying from 6:30pm, which means it's technically the wee hours of the morning in the UK. We arrive at noon in London, so my plan is to get comfortable on the plane, take my allergy pill and possibly drink a packet of Dream Water right before dinner service, and then eat and close my eyes. I'll be bringing my own snacks and drinks, so I don't need to be awake for the drink cart. If I can sleep for at least 6 hours, that means I'll be awake early enough to be on a new day schedule and also get my breakfast on board. Not only does sleeping help you rest up for  your destination, but it also helps your body fight off germs. 

After we arrive in London Heathrow, we should be able to grab a quick lunch after customs, then we'll head to Luton Airport to get our flight to Edinburgh, which leaves at 7pm. (We originally had a flight from Heathrow to Edinburgh through British Airways, but the BA pilots are striking on some days and our flight was cancelled.) This means we will also be able to sit down to a light dinner before our flight, get to Edinburgh, meet up with everyone at our Airbnb and go to sleep, so we're ready to get bright and early the next day for a full day of sightseeing. 

Luckily, travel days make me tired, so getting to sleep in a real bed should make it easy for me to just conk right out. The point is, if I'm awake around 8 or 9am, land at noon, and go to sleep around 10 or 11pm, that will easily set me up for success for the rest of my trip. You may not get a lot of sleep before your first day of vacation, but not sleeping in is key to me, because it'll make sure you're exhausted early in the evening, making you head to bed early and resetting your body's schedule. 

Stay hydrated and eat light

Staying hydrated is always important, but make sure you drink as much water as possible on the day before, the day after, and during your flight. Being dehydrated saps your energy, and that can easily lead to jet lag or sickness, neither of which is good. If you get tired of water, add a flavor packet to your bottle of water or ask for tomato juice on your flight, which gives you extra veggies, plus the altitude changes the taste to your body, so if you don't think tomato juice sounds too yummy, you'll find it more tolerable at 30,000ft.

Avoid the water on flights, unless they give you a bottle that is sealed, since the water on planes all come from the same water tanks, which are notoriously hard to clean and are known to harbor bacteria in a good majority of them. This means, coffee, tea and ice are pretty suspect. If you see flight attendants pouring water from a water bottle into cups for passengers, assume that those have been filled up onboard. In fact, many resources suggest you shouldn't even wash your hands in the bathroom and should instead just use antibacterial wipes or hand sanitizer.

Another thing that can help you sleep well when you need to sleep is by eating light meals that are also healthy. I tend to try to eat veggie-packed meals up to a week before my trip, as well as lighter meats if I have any. I skip too many carbs and opt for chicken or fish. This is especially important on your travel day, plus those days on either side of it, because you don't need carbs for sitting. You'll want to eat meals that aren't too heavy, which rob you of good sleep, and give you extra vitamins as well. 

Skip alcohol

I know a lot of people like to get a drink on the plane or at the bar before their flight, but that's not always conducive to a good travel experience. It might be fine for short flights, but when you're traveling long distance, alcohol can dehydrate you and disrupt your sleep pattern. It robs you of good REM sleep, which you need in order to feel rested. I would suggest skipping alcohol for the same time period that you're drinking extra water and eating extra well.

Use an light sleep aid

If you know you need a bit of a push sleeping on the plane, or at your destination, using a sleep aid is nothing to be ashamed of. I use Dream Water (as I linked above), but you can also take melatonin or use lavender oil to invoke sleepiness. I have a great pillow spray, which you could spray very lightly on your travel pillow or a scarf, probably before you leave home, so the smell has a chance to dissipate a little bit before you board the plane, because if the smell is too strong, everyone around you will hate you, especially people like me who have allergies. It also comes in a roll-on bottle. 

Now you have the knowledge and tools to get your best sleep and get on your new schedule as quickly as possible, so don't worry about losing time when you get on your vacation. You just have to figure out where you're going! 

Have you ever had a terrible trip because of bad jet lag?

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