Glasgow, Scotland

While I was at university, I began trying out my travel wings. I lived in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and it was the perfect starting point for a variety of adventures because of the access I had to budget airlines to get around Europe. 

But one of the things I always dreamed of doing was of taking a ship from Ireland to Scotland and so I planned a trip for my roommates, a friend and I to visit Scotland. 

Because this was early on in my travels, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing and didn’t realize just how long the trip by boat would take. Not to mention the hours in buses. 

The result? Because of poor planning, we only had a couple of hours to spend in the city before we had to make the trip back home.

Thankfully, my roommates and friend were pretty good humoured about it. They didn’t give me too hard a time.

The good thing about it, too, was all the time on boats and buses gave me the opportunity to really up my “Fight the Landlord” game skills. An entertaining Chinese card game, if you haven’t heard of it.

To top things off, when we finally arrived in Glasgow, the sun was fading from view and it had started to rain. But it didn’t damper our spirits. We rushed around the city, enjoying the food, the shops and one another’s company before hurrying back to the bus stop. 

I bought a piece of art that I still have in my kitchen and I look at it fondly each time I pass it by. It reminds me how far I’ve come as a world traveler and I can’t help but laugh to myself at some of the misadventures I’ve had.

While this particular adventure didn’t turn out the way we hoped, I did get to spend some time in Scotland (the views on the buses and boats were rather scenic) and pass the day with my friends. I learnt a valuable lesson about travel planning and looking back, I wouldn’t change the experience one bit (although my friend and roommates might – ha!).

What about you?

Have you had any misadventures? I’d love for you to share them in the comments!