Traveling out of the US, Vacation tips?

[ChaosUnlimited 559]

I'm traveling to Scotland for a couple weeks this summer. We are going with a tour group to several locations, Breakfast and dinner are provided. I have looked up the types of foods there, so I think I should be able to find something to eat at meals, but would love to hear tips from anyone who has traveled and had to find/bring their own Snacks. I plan to bring some Protein Bars but have limited space to be able to pack a lot. I tend to eat small amounts throughout the day so will have to find snacks between meals.

[sillykitty 10,705]

I'd just plan to purchase Protein Snacks while you're there. I agree, you don't want to take a lot of space. Also meat and dairy product can't be brought into the UK. Now, there is a good chance you could get away with it, but you risk having some not inexpensive food getting confiscated and thrown out. Also, I love going to grocery store in other countries, so this give you a good excuse.

Have fun in Scotland, I'm going in August!

[Frustr8 7,886]

And please tell me where you went and how it was when you both return from your🚩 Scottish holidays, I have ancestors buried there and it will be like I went too!🇬🇧

[ChaosUnlimited 559]

@sillykitty Are you going in August for the Military Tattoo? I would have loved to go to see that!

So do you think the whey Protein would count as dairy? I didn't even think of that, hopefully it wouldn't since it is in a different form. I was planning to pack some individual Protein Powder packets and protein bars just in case I can't find what I need right away, I'll have a few handy.

We are doing a tour, so going to several locations for a few days each. We're starting out in Glasgow so I should be able to go shopping there, but from what my mom says of the itinerary we're going to be fairly busy most days.

We're actually leaving tomorrow, I'm so excited!

@Frustr8 I will try to post the fun details when I get back!

[sillykitty 10,705]

I think you're pretty safe with Protein powders and bars. You may not be comfortable with this, but I wouldn't declare it. That way you'd have to get pulled for a random customs inspection, and the inspector would have to disallow the whey. So the risk would be almost nil.

I've never been on a tour, but I assume you get some free time in the evenings? You could pop into a grocery store then. Or if not, then I assume you might make some convenience store restroom stops, there is guaranteed to be at least nuts available.

I won't be there for Tattoo. I will be there for the Edinburgh Fringe. But we only have 1 night in Edinburgh, so not going to be able to experience much of it.

Where all does your tour go?

[ChaosUnlimited 559]

We're flying in to Glasgow, then going to a place near Kyle of Lochalsh, then Inverness, and then to Edinburgh where we fly home from. Things on the tour include several castles: Doune, Stirling, Eilean Donan, Dunvegan, Urquhart, and Brodie. We'll be going to a visitor center for a 3D show, Isle of Skye, a Lochness cruise, a steam train ride, a whiskey tasting, and visiting a sheep dog farm and the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Those are the highlights, there is some free time with suggestions for what to do in each town, so it appears we will be pretty busy. My parents booked this trip. They typically like to have every minute of their vacation specified on an itinerary. Two weeks of constant movement from experience to experience. I hope it will be fun, but if I booked the trip I would have done less touristy stuff and more of just soaking in the local culture.

[GreenTealael 24,866]

When I was in Europe, I shopped in the local markets for nuts , yogurt , cheese, tea, etc..

[rockyday 6]

Bear in mind that Britain is completely different to the rest of Europe 😊
I recommend you find a shop called Holland and Barrett, they’re everywhere over here and do a great selection of Protein Bars and powders, as well as low carb meals and Snacks. There’s at least one in pretty much every city so shouldn’t be hard to find one!

[GreenTealael 24,866]

Also the "pharmacies" seem to sell mostly self care products in Europe, but you can find Protein supplements and Vitamins

I recommend eating cheese, clotted milk, fruit, and maybe start Probiotics before the trip to create an Iron gut...have fun

VSG2017 HW 249 SW 238 CW 169

[ChaosUnlimited 559]

Thank you all for the advice, I was able to find plenty of things to eat pretty much anywhere I went. I hardly had to dig in to my stash of Protein bars. Europe seems to be more health conscious than the US, while there were decadent and rich foods everywhere, there were always healthy alternatives offered as well. Not sure if this was because we were in a lot of tourist type areas or not.

Some advice for people who are traveling far enough to have meal service on a plane - request a gluten free diet. The meals are so much better and healthier, I got chicken, vegetables and salad for dinner when others had chicken, Pasta and bread, and for breakfast I got a fruit and cheese plate when others were served a croissant.

[sillykitty 10,705]

Glad you had an easy time eating healthily!

IME, Europe and a lot of the world is "farm to table", only you don't have to pay the inflated prices for it, like you do in the US.

What airline did you fly? In general special order meals tend to be a bit sad, again, IME.

[ChaosUnlimited 559]

I had made the comment to my mom that salads seem so much fresher while in Europe, you can tell they don't get it out of a bag, lol.

I flew on United. It wasn't gourmet for sure, but the gluten free meal did seem better than the regular one to me. I was hungry though so anything I could eat was looking pretty good. I was thankful I didn't get served a croissant for Breakfast because I wouldn't have been able to eat it.