My first trip to Scotland in 1998. In fact, this was my first trip outside the USA. Coincidentally, flew TATL on BA in Y, my first experience there as well. I think this was a result of a booking through USAirways when BA and US had a much closer relationship although I might be wrong and it could have been a codeshare with AA. Keep in mind, I knew nothing about such things in those days. I remember being very much impressed by the BA service in comparison with my domestic airline experiences, however, and this served as the basis for my decision to return to BA when I discovered FT a couple of years ago and dedicated myself to doing more international travel.

Seventeen glorious days of wandering around Scotland, starting in St. Andrews, then to Edinburgh for a long weekend (I've often thought that my impression of Scotland might have been quite different if my long weekend had instead been in the much less walkable Glasgow), and then heading north and west, driving on the right side of a car for the first time (no accidents!), playing golf at many of the great links courses, visiting castles and whisky distilleries in between rounds of golf, and seeing the spectacular sights along the coastlines.

I had a memorable evening at a pub in Dornoch when I overheard a discussion at the bar with some locals and ended up contributing a name that someone had forgotten during the conversation (I'd done a bit of reading before my trip that unexpectedly paid off). The fact that I knew something that the average American probably wouldn't have known got me a few drinks bought at the bar and made me realize that folks appreciate it when you show a little bit of interest in your surroundings instead of acting as if everything should be just as it is back home.

It was a trip that greatly exceeded all the almost impossible expectations I had placed on it and set the stage for my later travels, now gratefully taken in CW with upgrades from WT+, with a planned big return to Scotland in 2014 with my TATL in First.