Y’all, today is the day!!! I am flying to Scotland! My heritage is mostly Scottish and visiting has been on the top of my bucket list for as long as I can remember. I am taking my first Ryanair flight from Dublin to Edinburgh. I am a seasoned traveler in the states, my previous job required 75% travel so I am not naive when it comes to airports, but flying between two countries in Europe is new to me. In my new go with the flow attitude I didn’t check the full restrictions on my luggage. I am traveling with a backpack and an international carry on. Which are inline with the size restrictions but I was unaware that they also have weight restrictions. When I arrive at the airport I head over to Ryanair and weigh my bag, it is 4 Kilos overweight. I ask an employee if I need to check my bag and they direct me to a supervisor who decides to charge me €40 for being overweight but I still get to carry it on the plane! For future reference I will keep my mouth shut and take my chances if they catch me. Their website says it’s more expensive if you have to weigh it at the gate which is why I checked but I’ll gamble on that on my next trip.
Next I head to security, this travel day isn’t improving, I am informed that all my liquids must fit in a one liter bag (close to the same size as a quart size bag). I am used to traveling with as many liquids as I can as long as they are under 3 oz. So now I am opening my bags and pulling out my liquids. I am able to fit them into two different liter bags and push one through with my luggage and one through with my backpack. The agents are none the wiser and I am finally through security.
I have always wanted to walk the tarmac to get onto a plane. It makes me think of old Hollywood or Jackie O. walking down the steps of the plane waving to everyone. Checking off another bucket list item because that is how we board the plane! It is not as eventful and classy as it seems in the movies. People move slowly, it starts to rain on us, and I have to lug my bags up the stairs. I have heard that Ryanair is basically a bus that flys. I now see the comparison, but happy to be going to Scotland on a cheap flight!
Once I land in Scotland I am sad to find out I will not be receiving a passport stamp since I am flying in from Ireland however, on a positive note, I do not have to go through customs. Once again I cannot get my e-sim card, Airlo, to work over the airport Wi-Fi. I needed a different sim card for my days in the UK. It has been a rough day and it is starting to rain. I will once again splurge on a taxi but I am going to use this week to understand public transit and international travel. Luckily, before I left Ireland I took a screenshot of my Airbnb in Edinburgh.
After an exhausting day of travel and since it is raining, I decided to just stay in tonight and relax. Excited to start tomorrow off in what I know will be one of my favorite destinations.
Goodnight readers!
Today’s Helpful Tips
My international carry on – fits the size requirements and be cognizant of the weight restrictions.
The airport will give you a one liter bag for security but if you want to be prepared I recommend ordering a liter travel bag to prepack. One on my wishlist are the 4PC Airport Security Liquids Bags from Amazon.
Take a picture of your accommodations before traveling to the next country. This way if your e-sim isn’t working you can still get to your place. Once on Wi-Fi I was able to get my e-sim to work. I purchased Airlo United Kingdom for Scotland and London.
