Thinking about Budget travel to Scotland In January
Nov 11, 2017, 10:08 am
#1
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Thinking about Budget travel to Scotland In January
Fares and crowds are lowest in January to Scotland from the USA so I was wondering what people thought about budget travel from ATL to EDI. Flights seem to be on Virgin Atlantic stopping in LHR and returning on Flybe. I am not talking about the hacker fares either that take 35 to 41 hours to get to EDI but one can get a fare for about $638PP.
Now i know January is the coldest month in Scotland and it is rainy a good bit of the time but we figure we could bundle up, not face the crowds and get by on a really low budget if we went in January.
Would love to read some thoughts because I have never seen ATL-EDI flights so low as I am this January 2018. We would then rent a car on our way out of EDI after seeing it and go see as much of Scotland as we can in 7 or 14 days.
Now i know January is the coldest month in Scotland and it is rainy a good bit of the time but we figure we could bundle up, not face the crowds and get by on a really low budget if we went in January.
Would love to read some thoughts because I have never seen ATL-EDI flights so low as I am this January 2018. We would then rent a car on our way out of EDI after seeing it and go see as much of Scotland as we can in 7 or 14 days.
Nov 11, 2017, 10:50 am
#2
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My one suggestion would be to look at alternative airports. ATL is an expensive hub, and even though you are not looking at a DL fare, other carriers tend to have higher fares as well.
Also consider LCCs like Norwegian, WOW and Icelandair, though you may need to use my one suggestion above
Also consider LCCs like Norwegian, WOW and Icelandair, though you may need to use my one suggestion above
Nov 11, 2017, 2:42 pm
#3
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That's not bad at all.
We did a more complicated deal over Christmas and New year's last year, but still ended up spending around $450 for all flights (some delta, some budget airlines) + the cost of a hotel in DCA. We technically saved a few $, but we spent a lot of time in airports which wasn't fun. Your flight sounds much better to me. On the flip side, we were able to spend time throughout Ireland, Scotland and then a few days in London which was nice in it's own way.
We did a more complicated deal over Christmas and New year's last year, but still ended up spending around $450 for all flights (some delta, some budget airlines) + the cost of a hotel in DCA. We technically saved a few $, but we spent a lot of time in airports which wasn't fun. Your flight sounds much better to me. On the flip side, we were able to spend time throughout Ireland, Scotland and then a few days in London which was nice in it's own way.
Nov 19, 2017, 6:03 am
#4
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Having done a lot of off-season travel for budget reasons, I'd also encourage you to grab this trip.
The one thing in the minus column you don't mention is hours of daylight. EDI of course a fair piece north of ATL. I looked up Jan 19 for you via www.wunderground.com. 10'14" for ATL and 8'1" for EDI.
Not a reason for not doing the trip though. Just a reason for planning which activities when.
The first time you hear that lovely Scottish burr, you'll know you did the right thing. When a baker hands you an authentic scone in a "wee bag" you'll be even more sure.
I've no idea what your travel plans are, but I do like to hunt down AirBNB places for foreign stays. It really adds to the authentic experience. I can remember all those places at which I stayed (both the good and the occasionally challenging). Standard hotels are pretty much a blur.
Scotland does have a lot of B&Bs also, and I'd take those over hotels. With the car you can reach the more remote ones, and they may well be less expensive also.
I always urge people going to a new destination to go to their local library first and bring home an arm full of travel books. Even novels and historical novels. Anything set in the area. One finds all sorts of little tidbits of information, and the actual trip has more depth. Maybe even buy your favorite to take along, although since this is a budget forum I can admit I've sometimes just taken a library book. The only drawback of that savings is I can't write in it and dog-ear pages. While I usually end up getting Lonely Planet (for the maps and detail), there are lots of other excellent ones.
The one thing in the minus column you don't mention is hours of daylight. EDI of course a fair piece north of ATL. I looked up Jan 19 for you via www.wunderground.com. 10'14" for ATL and 8'1" for EDI.
Not a reason for not doing the trip though. Just a reason for planning which activities when.
The first time you hear that lovely Scottish burr, you'll know you did the right thing. When a baker hands you an authentic scone in a "wee bag" you'll be even more sure.
I've no idea what your travel plans are, but I do like to hunt down AirBNB places for foreign stays. It really adds to the authentic experience. I can remember all those places at which I stayed (both the good and the occasionally challenging). Standard hotels are pretty much a blur.
Scotland does have a lot of B&Bs also, and I'd take those over hotels. With the car you can reach the more remote ones, and they may well be less expensive also.
I always urge people going to a new destination to go to their local library first and bring home an arm full of travel books. Even novels and historical novels. Anything set in the area. One finds all sorts of little tidbits of information, and the actual trip has more depth. Maybe even buy your favorite to take along, although since this is a budget forum I can admit I've sometimes just taken a library book. The only drawback of that savings is I can't write in it and dog-ear pages. While I usually end up getting Lonely Planet (for the maps and detail), there are lots of other excellent ones.
Nov 20, 2017, 5:26 am
#5
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www.theflightdeal.com today has spring dates ATL-Glasgow for $499. About an hour's drive from EDI.
Nov 22, 2017, 12:59 pm
#6
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I'd go for it if I were you. I like Scotland in winter (and I don't even drink whisky to warm me up). A few things come to mind:
Some sights, such as castles, have reduced winter hours. The biggies such as Edinburgh and Stirling Castles just close an hour or two early, but others outside of cities may have shorter hours or increased closing days. Still, you can find plenty to do and see.
Though the Gulf Stream means that Scotland is a good deal warmer than one would expect based purely on its latitude, be prepared for some damp, cold, biting winds. And rain.
Edinburgh in very early January will still have some Hogmanay visitors. Glasgow in the second half of January has the wonderful Celtic Connections music festival, which attracts visitors to the city.
Some B&Bs not in major cities will be closed in January.
You'll miss out on the colors of the heather and broom. It may well be grey in the weather--but I find that has an attraction of its own.
Some sights, such as castles, have reduced winter hours. The biggies such as Edinburgh and Stirling Castles just close an hour or two early, but others outside of cities may have shorter hours or increased closing days. Still, you can find plenty to do and see.
Though the Gulf Stream means that Scotland is a good deal warmer than one would expect based purely on its latitude, be prepared for some damp, cold, biting winds. And rain.
Edinburgh in very early January will still have some Hogmanay visitors. Glasgow in the second half of January has the wonderful Celtic Connections music festival, which attracts visitors to the city.
Some B&Bs not in major cities will be closed in January.
You'll miss out on the colors of the heather and broom. It may well be grey in the weather--but I find that has an attraction of its own.
Last edited by Giggleswick; Nov 22, 2017 at 1:10 pm
Nov 25, 2017, 10:07 am
#7
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Well, I have mixed feelings about Scotland in January. There are a lot of minuses and I can't really think of many pluses other than a lower airfare. At the same time, I agree that anytime you visit somewhere is better than not visiting somewhere at all.
For off-season travel to Scotland I would suggest looking at April. It happens to be the month with the least rain in the year for Scotland and while it isn't going to be very warm, the days will be a bit longer, things will be blooming, people and places will be waking up (so to speak) and overall it should be better than in January.
For off-season travel to Scotland I would suggest looking at April. It happens to be the month with the least rain in the year for Scotland and while it isn't going to be very warm, the days will be a bit longer, things will be blooming, people and places will be waking up (so to speak) and overall it should be better than in January.