We only spent one day in Edinburgh, but it was a great big-city Scotland experience! Edinburgh is the country’s capital and a tourism hotspot with countless shops, restaurants, and parks filled with people having picnics. Since we only had one day, I wasn’t sure what things to do in Edinburgh, but our British friends had some fun plans for us. Here are some highlights and suggestions for planning your own visit to Edinburgh, Scotland!
With multiple UK locations and two Edinburgh locations, this next-level mixology bar should be on your bucket list. We went to their new location on George Street on their opening weekend for brunch and had fantastic service. We got one breakfast dish and three magical cocktails for £30 each (about $40). The food portions were generous, and we tried the entire brunch drink menu between the four of us!
My favorites: the “Color-Changing One” with Ketel One vodka and the “Pop Notch” made with cherry gin and topped with a bubble for you to pop! Check out my Instagram post to see videos of our drinks. Reservations are highly recommended. Again, this was one of our favorite things to do in Edinburgh, and we hope to go to another one of their locations eventually!
Next up on things to do: Victoria Street in Old Town!
Go to Victoria Street for fun shops galore! We walked uphill for about 10 minutes to get here, which is right outside Edinburgh Castle. J.K. Rowling wrote part of the Harry Potter series in Edinburgh, and Diagon Alley is said to have been inspired by this street! There are a multitude of Harry Potter souvenir stores here, along with other witchy and artistic stores, such as Museum Context (pictured).
Victoria Street was completed in 1834, so be aware that the road is cobblestone and might be a deciding factor if you have a stroller, wheelchair, etc. It’s a bit of a trek, but it’s worth it if you’re going to Edinburgh Castle already. There are a LOT of things to do here!
Dinner suggestion in Edinburgh:
For dinner, my lovely friend Tim made our reservations at The Dome, a gorgeous restaurant on George Street. Complete with MULTIPLE chandeliers and professional sommeliers, the atmosphere was elegant, and the waitstaff gracefully whisked around the ballroom serving patrons. Reservations are highly recommended. I enjoyed pesto pappardelle, buttered bread, and a Chardonnay glass! Their dessert menu looked tasty, but we were too full after our entrees to try any. The Dome is a bit pricey, but it’s definitely worth going for dinner if you have it in the budget.
Other locations that we enjoyed: LUSH (chain store and spa, amazing bath bombs) and Princes Street Gardens (in front of Edinburgh Castle, has a pretty fountain and was filled with picnics, children playing, birds, and flowers). For more details on planning a trip to Edinburgh, hop over to another great blog Everything Edinburgh! If you’re deciding on ideas for Edinburgh, this blog is the place to go.
Thanks for catching up! Next stop: Loch Ness and Drumnadrochit 🙂
If you missed the last stop in Crieff, click here!
When I started travel nursing, I commuted weekly from my home in Illinois to my Airbnb in Indianapolis. I got a great carry-on suitcase for Christmas from my mom, and I found that it was FANTASTIC for packing clothes for my nursing contracts!
Because this was the only suitcase I owned and I couldn’t afford the matching larger version, I started traveling with a carry-on for my vacations too. I’ve considered buying a larger suitcase for longer trips and likely will need to eventually, but a carry-on bag can be plenty of space if you pack right!
Our suitcases are packed and ready to go!
Why bring a carry-on?
Have you ever checked a bag and waited an hour for it to arrive in baggage claim after your destination? It’s happened to me. Have you ever had an item break in your checked bag? It’s happened to me. Have you ever had your baggage get lost? To be fair, that one hasn’t happened to me, but probably because I avoid checking a bag at all costs!
I like to only use a carry-on whenever possible for multiple reasons. It prevents me from getting stuck in long baggage check lines on arrival, reducing the time I have to be in the airport. When I’m coming off a work shift and sleeping during the day before a late flight, even 15 extra minutes of sleep feels heavenly!
Both suitcases are small enough to fit on the airport scale together
Bringing a carry-on keeps all of your belongings near you at all times. There are no “middlemen” managing your valuables, and your risk of losing your suitcase is significantly decreased.
Smaller suitcases are easier to navigate within the airport and at your destination. Smoothly wheeling your carry-on up to a hotel is much easier than dragging a huge suitcase up to the check-in counter. Carry-ons are lighter than large suitcases, which is ideal for me because I have chronic back problems.
Plus my suitcase matches my hair, which I love!
Not checking a suitcase means more freedom when you arrive at your destination. On our recent trip to Las Vegas, we were hit by bright LED screens and slot machines as soon as we walked off the plane. We were so excited to start exploring and get to our hotel! Unfortunately, we checked both of our suitcases because they had full-size liquids, and we had to stand for over an hour in baggage claim before our bags finally showed up. Not fun.
That leads me to the con of not checking a bag: limitations with what you can pack. All liquids in a carry-on must follow the 3-1-1 rule. Liquids must be 3.4 ounces or less, fit in 1 quart-sized bag, and each passenger may only have one bag of liquids. If you check your suitcase, no matter its size, it does NOT have to follow the 3-1-1 guidelines. This rule was created in 2006 after terrorists in Britain tried to sneak liquid explosives onto an airplane. For this reason, if you expect to have a large number of liquids or cannot put your shampoo/conditioner into smaller bottles, you may have to check your baggage under the plane. Traveling with a carry-on is a great time to utilize those complimentary toiletries many hotels provide!
My tip: Walmart has cheap containers in their hygiene section that follow the 3-1-1 rule! They also have travel-sized deodorant, toothpaste, and mouthwash.
TSA’s 3-1-1 rule
Keep reading below for my tried-and-tested suggestions for packing a carry-on!
Do you really need that extra jacket?
The answer is no; you don’t. Bring a jacket if you expect to be cold, but unless you’re visiting the middle of nowhere, you can always find a Walmart somewhere! Extra “just in case” clothing quickly adds up and can fill your suitcase with items you won’t ever use. My mama taught me to count how many pairs of socks, underwear, etc that I would need on my trip and add one of each. That rule hasn’t failed me yet!
Avoid bulky items
Light summer dresses that don’t wrinkle easily are my go-to on vacation. Leggings and soft t-shirts also roll relatively small and can fit in empty suitcase crevices. Wear your bulkiest shoes to the airport so they don’t limit your carry-on space or add weight! If you really want to bring those thigh-high boots, you better be willing to wear them on the plane. The airport is NOT the place to care about style! I usually wear sneakers on the plane and pack a pair of lightweight neutral flats to go with all of my dresses. If you pay close attention to my trip photos, you’ll see many pairs of repeated shoes! That is okay with me 😊 If you ended up bringing that extra jacket, wear it on your flight instead of using your suitcase space.
Unfortunately, avoiding bulky is difficult during winter or when visiting somewhere cold. Warm clothes are naturally larger than summer outfits, so you might need a bigger suitcase in this instance. If you still need to bring a carry-on, avoid sweaters; these take up a lot of space and you can’t discreetly wear them multiple times in one trip. That brings me to my next point!
Bring clothing that you can wear more than once
A good pair of jeans or a pair of black leggings are your friend here. No one will notice or care that you wore the same pair of jeans 2-3 days or layered a hoodie over the tank top that you wore yesterday. However, if you wear a patterned dress or brightly-colored heels in pictures, people on social media will definitely notice! Within reason, try to bring clothing pieces that are neutral or can become multiple outfits. You’ll thank yourself later for the extra souvenir space you saved in your suitcase!
How I organize everything to roll and pack
Utilize the outside pockets of your suitcase
Yes, those are there for a reason! My husband and I usually store socks, underwear, and other soft items in the exterior pockets or interior “tops” of our suitcases. They serve as a cushion for the rest of our items, and we harmlessly squish them into tight places. If our suitcases get thrown into the trunk of our car or underneath the airplane, none of our belongings will be affected.
My tip: Once you arrive at your destination, use the exterior pockets for dirty clothes. Doing this will keep your dirty clothes separate, and you won’t have to worry about them getting wrinkled! Once we get home, I just unzip the pockets and dump our clothes straight into the washer.
Last but not least: Roll your clothing!
Most travelers know this by now, but you should not fold your clothes. Folding causes creases and does not maximize your suitcase space. Roll your clothing! It doesn’t have to be perfect; good rolling skills come with practice. If you don’t know how, click here for a great YouTube demonstration.
My absolute favorite way to fly is on Southwest Airlines using my flight points. Southwest has more comfortable seats than my preferred budget airline, Spirit. Both airlines have good customer service and pristine plane interiors. However, Southwest has more leg space than budget flights, and the seats even recline slightly! Each passenger also gets one carry-on and one checked bag included with their flight cost, saving you from surprise extra fees at checkout. If I’m taking a flight longer than two hours, I skip Spirit and book with Southwest. Here are a couple of my tips for flying Southwest!
CHASE Southwest Credit Card
When I started travel nursing, a friend introduced me to Chase’s Southwest Airlines credit card. No, this is not sponsored; this card is worth the hype! You can use it on any purchases in your daily life to earn 1 Southwest flight point per dollar spent. Certain purchase types, like partnered hotels, rental cars, and Southwest flight tickets, earn you double the points! I put all my monthly bills or large purchases onto this card and immediately pay them off. This practice keeps my credit usage in my ideal range, yet it wins me MANY free flight points. We usually fly for free using these points once every 3-6 months round-trip. When I first applied for the card, I got 50,000 flight points translated into two round-trip tickets just for signing up. Unlike Spirit’s point program, Southwest Rapid Rewards points never expire.
Tips for Getting Better Seats
The only aspect of flying Southwest that I don’t like is that you can’t pick your own seat. Southwest requires you to check into your flight 24 hours in advance to be sorted into groups A, B, and C. You can check in online or via the Southwest app. How high you rank depends on how fast you check in! On gate arrival, you board in order of the group and ticket number. It’s essentially an open seating policy; once it’s your turn to get on the plane, it’s a free-for-all to pick a seat! This unique boarding process can baffle infrequent fliers, and it is easy to end up in group C if you don’t know what you’re doing. Finding nearby seats for companions or small children can be difficult if you board last.
You can pay a high premium for A-list boarding as a business professional, or anyone can pay an extra $20 per ticket for automatic check-in. We have ended up scrambling for seats in group C, so we always purchase the automatic check-in! We’re usually placed in the middle of group A, giving us plenty of seat options. If you get stuck in group C, keep in mind that they will let you check your carry-on for free because space is tight by the time you finally get on the plane! We love flying Southwest when we can pick great seats without stress. I would highly recommend trying the $20 automatic check-in upgrade.
Which airline do you usually fly through? Should we try Delta or American Airlines? What cost-saving tips do you have for flying? Leave a comment below!
People frequently ask me how I fly so often and how I keep it cheap. I don’t know if I could ever consider flying “cheap,” but I do use some specific tools to keep costs down! These include utilizing the Hopper app to pick my flights and booking through Spirit Airlines.
(Disclaimer: This article is not sponsored, paid, or intended to be interpreted as advertisement in any way.)
The Hopper App
My favorite tool for purchasing flights is an app called Hopper. This app allows you to input tentative flight dates into their scheduler, giving you a report of prices for each airline for those dates. Hopper’s most useful function, however, is that it predicts whether your flight might be cheaper to purchase at a later date and can tell you exactly when to buy them for the best deal. I usually input my trip dates into the app early in the planning process, and it will give me update notifications about once per week. I always wait until I can get the best deal, especially if I’m taking a short flight and can wait until the last minute to book it.
The Hopper app also provides a color-coded calendar to show you the cheapest days of the week on average to fly. Tuesdays and Wednesdays tend to have the lowest prices, and many airlines send discounts to their email list specifically for Tuesday and Wednesday flights. Hopper provides the price calendar for flights, hotel bookings, and car rentals. Note: The app also offers to “freeze” the price that a vendor gives you even if you aren’t ready to book yet, but that comes with extra charges from Hopper. I haven’t used that service yet.
Fun fact: Hopper plants four trees with Eden Reforestation Project for every booking made through the app!
Skyler and Colton on recent flight to Florida
Spirit Airlines
My favorite affordable airline is Spirit. Spirit lets you “build your own flight” and pay only for exactly what you need. I have never had a Spirit flight delayed or canceled (knock on wood), and they tend to have the cheapest options if you don’t need a checked bag or carry-on. This option is perfect for short flights to visit my family out-of-state, so consider this when you know you’ll have laundry access after you arrive.
Tip: Pay the extra fee to sit in the emergency access seats! The emergency seats have much more legroom than the standard option! Passengers sitting in the emergency row must be at least 15 years old, able to read and understand English, not under the influence of alcohol or drugs (no in-flight drinks!), and be able to lift the door handle to open the emergency exit. If you meet these criteria, emergency access seats by the window are the way to go! We have tried the upgraded front-row seats that Spirit advertises but felt like they weren’t worth the money. They only offer more arm wiggle room than emergency row and standard seats; the cushions are not more comfortable, and the seats still do not lean back.
To become a traveler, a nurse has to work at least 1-2 years in their chosen specialty and grow confident in their ability to work independently. Travel nurses take short-term contracts (often around 12 weeks long) and jump straight into short-staffed units with little to no orientation. This is a difficult transition no matter how experienced you are. I’ve been travel nursing for over a year and have narrowed down five major lessons that travel nursing has taught me!
1. Not everyone travels with the same priorities.
I work with many people who are only there for the famous “travel nurse” paycheck. They clock in, do their job (usually very well!), and clock out. They aren’t interested in making too many friends because they travel home to their families every moment they’re off work. The other side of the spectrum travels to experience new things and meet new people. They are the friendly nurses that might talk your ear off while you’re charting and always want to make plans on your off weekends. If it’s possible to fall in the middle, that’s where I find myself! I love new experiences, exploration, and adventures in a new city, but I will hit up those extra shifts for the paycheck!
2. We are not all single in our 20s.
While I partially fit that stereotype, many travelers are career nurses with 10+ years in their specialty. A surprising number of travelers I’ve met have spouses, loved ones, kids, and jobs back home. These nurses are the ones I admire the most! For them, these contracts are a means to an end. While traveling is not for everyone, it can help people from a wide variety of backgrounds reach their financial goals.
3. Our contracts are not legally binding.
Agencies actually call them “work agreements.” Hospitals constantly drop our pay, float us to other units in their hospital, and end our contracts on a dime. Unfortunately, travel nurses are frequently blocked from that hospital system if they leave their contracts early. According to experienced long-term travelers, these practices were unheard of pre-COVID. Traveler forums are filled with uproar about these practices, but legal action is slow and inefficient. This is one of the downsides of traveling.
4. Housing is hard.
Safe, affordable housing can be tough to find. Most of us use Furnished Finder, a website specifically designed for healthcare travelers to find short-term furnished accommodations without extra fees. I’ve been fortunate enough to find suitable housing at each of my contract locations. Still, many other nurses are not so lucky! Some nurses lose deposits to scammers or end up in some pretty crazy housing situations if they aren’t careful.
5. Traveling can make you an incredible nurse.
Functioning in new environments every few months can teach you endlessly valuable skills, improve your critical thinking, and broaden your knowledge of specialty care. My abilities have blossomed over the past year of traveling. I never could have become the nurse I am today if I had stayed at one location my entire career! Travel nursing teaches you to think on your feet, stand up for yourself, and help you broaden your clinical approach past simple protocols.
While it’s not feasible for everyone, I believe that travel nursing has valuable lessons to teach every nurse. To read more about my nursing specialty, click here! If you are a nurse and have been peripherally following the travel nursing world, keep an eye on this blog for practical help to get started!
