Tartan and Teacups

20/09/2026

I still see travelers worrying about how many pounds they should order from their bank before a UK trip. My answer is usually: far fewer than you think.

Cards and contactless payments are widely used throughout the UK, and in London you can even use contactless payment for much of your public transportation. I personally prefer traveling with cards and keeping a modest amount of cash available rather than carrying hundreds of pounds around.

Before leaving home, check whether your card charges foreign transaction fees and make sure you have a backup payment method stored separately. If you do need cash, use an ATM and remember our other rule: if you're offered the ATM's conversion into dollars, I generally decline that conversion and withdraw in local currency.

You don't need to arrive carrying your vacation budget in an envelope.

💷 Save this for your UK trip. Are you Team Mostly Card or Team Cash?

20/09/2026

20/09/2026

Tomb of Robert the Bruce – Dunfermline Abbey

Robert the Bruce, Scotland’s most celebrated king, is buried here beneath a carved stone slab. After leading Scotland to victory at Bannockburn in 1314, he became a symbol of independence and national identity. His heart rests separately at Melrose Abbey...a medieval tradition for revered rulers.

20/09/2026

Behind Holyrood Palace lie the haunting ruins of Holyrood Abbey. Founded in 1128, it once hosted coronations and royal weddings. Now roofless, it frames the sky like a memory frozen in stone.
📍Edinburgh, Scotland

20/09/2026

There's a reason aurora hunting has taken over travel wishlists. Watching the sky move in curtains of green and violet is the kind of thing that genuinely stops you in your tracks.

But catching it takes preparation. Here's the complete guide to doing it right.

Read more in the comments.

20/09/2026

I didn’t design this retreat around how much Scotland we could fit into nine days.

I designed it around how I wanted those nine days to feel.

Unhurried mornings. Time outside in places that make everything else feel very far away. Books and stories. Beautiful meals around the table. Castles, Highland landscapes and days spent exploring without racing toward the next thing on an itinerary.

And enough breathing room to actually enjoy where you are.

We’ll spend nine nights in just three places: Blair Atholl, Inverness and the Isle of Skye. For part of the retreat, we’ll be staying together in beautiful country homes rather than packing up and changing hotels every night.

Because this isn’t a trip about seeing as much of Scotland as humanly possible.

It’s about being in Scotland.

Reading when you want to read. Lingering over another cup of tea. Going out to explore and knowing you don’t have to cram five more things into the afternoon just because they’re nearby.

And maybe, for once, not being the person responsible for figuring everything out.

You can come completely on your own. In fact, that’s exactly how many women join my trips. Or bring the friend you’ve been saying “Scotland someday” with for years.

If you’ve been running on empty for longer than you’d like to admit, maybe 2027 is the year you give yourself something back.

Comment 2027 and I’ll send you the details on the Scotland retreat plus all four of my 2027 adventures.

19/09/2026

Traveling after dark, on purpose, to experience a destination completely differently.

Dark sky reserves, moonlit ruins, after-hours museum access, stargazing sites where you can actually see the Milky Way. Noctourism is growing fast and the British Isles are perfectly positioned for it.

Here's where to start.

Read more in the comments.

19/09/2026

If you're used to American hotels, particularly outside major cities, your first London or Edinburgh hotel room may be a bit of a surprise.

Older British buildings weren't designed around two enormous rolling suitcases, a king-size bed and enough floor space to practice yoga. Rooms can be compact, elevators can be tiny and some historic properties may not have an elevator at all.

That doesn't automatically mean you've booked a bad hotel. It's one of the tradeoffs that can come with staying in older buildings right in the middle of a historic city.

This is also one of the many reasons I'm increasingly enthusiastic about packing lighter. Dragging a giant suitcase up a narrow staircase has a remarkable ability to change your packing philosophy.

🧳 What's the smallest hotel room you've ever stayed in? Save this for the friend packing 17 outfits for London.

19/09/2026

Ceiling – Thistle Chapel, St. Giles Cathedral

The Thistle Chapel is a hidden jewel inside St. Giles, reserved for the Order of the Thistle, Scotland’s highest chivalric order. Its ceiling brims with intricate carvings: angels, saints, and heraldic symbols honoring knights of the realm. It feels like a secret society brought to life in stone and wood.