Hey all! This weekend two friends and I traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland and let me tell you it was an experience! Here’s a quick recap of the weekend and what I learned.

#1 Book the hostel! ( at least once)

A lot of people I’ve been talking to are less than eager to book a hostel for their weekend trips now that Airbnb is so widespread. So I was a bit weary when it came to booking a bed in a dorm room at a hostel in Edinburgh – but it turned out great! My friends and I stayed at Castle Rock Hostel and we couldn’t have asked for a better location – we were directly under Edinburgh Castle. There was no way we could have found a hotel room or an Airbnb with a better location – especially not at the price we were paying. With our booking, we each got our own locker which meant we didn’t have to lug our backpacks across town. We also were able to book a girls only dorm which really made me feel more comfortable. The hostel also offered breakfast for a little over a pound, free printing (for boarding passes), free coffee and hot chocolate and even had movie nights and a music lounge! The hostel was staffed 24/7 and the staff was very friendly and helpful! The one downside to staying in the hostel was that by the time we arrived in Edinburgh a little after midnight Friday our entire room was a sleep and lights were out which made unpacking a bit difficult. But overall I’d definitely recommend the experience!

#2 Walking tours are fun and sometimes free!

Walking tours are a great way to get know a new city! My friends and I even found a company that offers a few free tours everyday so of course we booked the ghost tour for Saturday night! It was so fun and creepy and a very unique look at the somewhat dark history of Edinburgh. Our tour guide was a great story teller and it made me wish we had booked another tour for the day.

#3 Museums to the rescue!

Scotland is known for its dreary weather so on Sunday when the rain became a bit much for us we stopped by the National Museum of Edinburgh. Admission was free and even the bag check was cheap. Going into it, my friends and I didn’t expect much but boy were we surprised. We ending up spending 2.5 hours just wondering through the museum. My friend drove a Formula 1 race car (simulation), I made a hot air balloon fly and we got to see some royal dresses. The whole museum was way more interactive than most American ones and it was the perfect way to start our second morning after a day full of walking (23,000 steps to be exact).

#4 Read your boarding pass than read it again

Mistakes happen. They are sometimes inevitable, other times they are avoidable. This weekend we made a pretty stressful one. Because my friends and I are traveling with non-EU passports our airline (Ryanair) requires an additional security check – that we somehow missed. This resulted in us freaking out as they called final boarding and lucking out that a supervisor was present to override the security check. It was less than an ideal way to end our trip so make sure when you’re travelling that you really look at your boarding pass!