Planning a trip to Scotland can feel overwhelming- for a small country, there is just so much to see, do and experience. There is also so much information out there to wade through- from guidebooks and the internet, to travel agents, travel bloggers, and strangers on the internet- everyone seems to have an idea about what the ideal Scotland vacation looks like. You know your travel style best- so is it just better to book the whole thing yourself?
A question I’m asked regularly is: ”Should I use a travel agent to book my trip to Scotland? Or should I do it myself?”
As a former travel agent, experienced world traveller, and now, a travel blogger and travel planner living in Scotland, I believe I’m qualified to answer this question!
As you may have guessed, there is no ‘one fits all’ solution for everyone- but I’m going to break down the pros and cons for each method of travel planning so you can decide which is best for you.
This is the third article in my Planning A Trip to Scotland series. To read the first article in the series, click here. To receive all the articles in this series by email, you can sign up here.
Booking through a travel agent
Pros
Someone else does everything for you
If you lack time to research and book your trip, going through a travel agent may be more convenient for you. Or if you’re technically challenged, booking through a travel agent can be a less stressful experience than doing it all yourself.
Travel agents may find cheaper deals for you
Sometimes travel agents can find you cheaper deals on flights, particularly if you’re having a stopover on the way to Scotland. It’s always a good idea to shop around whenever you get a price- some travel agents will insist the price they’re giving you is the cheapest, but as a former travel agent myself, you don’t have time to shop around and find the best price for your customers.
Cons
They may not be a Scotland travel expert
When I worked as a travel agent, I sold hundreds of holidays to places I’d never been before. It’s really hard to give advice about how to have an amazing trip to a destination you’ve not experienced before- but as a travel agent, you have to take every booking and act like the expert to every destination, when this is impossible!
It’s also important to note how many times your travel agent has been to Scotland. Just one visit doesn’t make you an expert on Scotland; I’ve been travelling Scotland extensively for 5 years and while I’ve visited 90% of the country, there are still places I’m yet to visit!
However, because I live in Scotland and travel on a regular basis, I keep up to speed with any changes in the tourism industry- and things change all the time. Unless you live here, it’s hard to keep up.
It’s usually more expensive
As I mentioned before, I used to work as a travel agent, and from my experience- it’s usually more expensive to book through a travel agent than it is to book your own holiday.
Travel agents often charge hidden fees- they have the ability to edit prices on their quoting software, and the company I worked for actively encouraged us to add a secret 10% (on average) service fee. Some travel agents added more- we actually could choose how much to secretly charge! When a customer would ask if we charge a fee, we were told to lie and say we earned commission from the bookings.
This was one of the reasons I left my job as a travel agent, because I didn’t agree with this method and believed service fees should be transparent. Not all travel agents operate in this way, but if you do decide to use a travel agent, do a quick search online to see what the prices are if you were to book yourself.
You have less control over your trip
Because all your bookings are via a third party, if you need to make any changes, travel agents may charge a fee for doing so. It makes sense- they’re doing the work for you, but if you’re on a budget this may not suit you.
Any changes to your booking also have to go through your travel agent, which can take longer than if you were to do it yourself.
Travel agents can only book experiences for you with companies they have an affiliation with
Travel agents tend to only have partnerships with bigger tour and accommodation providers, and many of the smaller tour companies in Scotland will not have a partnership with travel agencies. This means you may miss out on some pretty unique experiences (and supporting the local economy in Scotland).
Some of the best experiences in Scotland are with local tour guides, bed and breakfast owners, and other local tourism providers. If you book your own trip, you will have a bigger variety of places the choose from.
Planning your own trip to Scotland
Pros
You can plan the trip you want
If you want something done right, do it yourself: you know yourself best, and you know what you want for your experience!
It can work out cheaper
Traditionally booking your own trip will be cheaper than going through a travel agent, because they often charge a fee to plan your holiday (which is often hidden).
You can use flight price comparison software such as Skyscanner to find the best deals on flights, and search various websites such as Booking.com, Expedia, or Hotels.com to find the best price for the accommodation you want to book. Generally, it will be cheaper to book your holiday this way.
You can book through any provider
You’re not limited to booking tours, accommodations and experiences that travel agents have an affiliation with- you can book through any provider in Scotland!
This means you can book any of the local tour guides, bed and breakfasts, and experiences you like. In my opinion, booking more local experiences is the way to go when visiting Scotland- there really isn’t anything else quite like Scottish hospitality!
There are some really unique experiences you can try in Scotland- from visiting a Highland Cattle farm to staying in a castle, or going on a private tour with a local.
Did you know that we provide private driving tours in Scotland? We can organise a bespoke day trip or multi-day tour departing from Edinburgh for you. Visit our website Kiwi and Haggis Tours for more information.
Planning a holiday is fun
I don’t know about you, but I love dreaming and planning my holidays- it’s sometimes more fun than going on the trip itself!
Cons
It takes time to research and plan your trip
Planning and booking your own trip does take quite a bit of time- it can also be stressful planning a trip to Scotland if you’ve never visited before! Answers to questions such as the best airline to book, how to find accommodation, where to go and what to see can be tricky to find for even the savviest traveller.
Trying to sort through the information given by various guidebooks and on the internet is time-consuming, plus, the information you’re accessing may be outdated or unreliable.
This is why I created Planning A Trip To Scotland course, where I walk you through planning your trip to Scotland step-by-step. I’ve poured over five years of experience travelling Scotland into this workshop, and it covers everything from creating your itinerary to the best places to book every aspect of your Scotland trip!
The best way to plan your Scotland trip
While booking your holiday through a travel agent may be more convenient, I think planning your own trip to Scotland is the way to go. This way you can plan the perfect trip for you. No one knows your travel style better than you, and there are lots of tools you can use to help you plan.
Below I’ve listed some free and paid resources I’ve created to help you plan the perfect trip to Scotland.
Resources for planning your Scotland trip
I highly recommend you go through and read all of the blog posts I’ve recommended below. This will give you an excellent overview of how to plan a trip to Scotland as well as some inspiration to help you get started:
- The Ultimate Guide To Planning A Trip To Scotland – start with this blog post.
- When is the best time to visit Scotland? – I give a month-by-month analysis on what you can expect when visiting, as well as tips for my favourite times to visit.
- Where to visit in Scotland – the regions in Scotland you can visit and the things you can do there.
- Packing for a trip to Scotland – I cover what to pack for each season and my personal favourite clothing and travel gadgets.
- 50 Scotland Travel Tips – a super handy blog post that will save you lots of time and research!
- A guide to driving in Scotland for the first time – my husband wrote this hilarious guide to driving in Scotland- it’s definitely one of the least boring articles on driving out there!
- 10 must-sees in Scotland – the experiences that you shouldn’t miss when visiting Scotland.
- A guide to the weather in Scotland – another important article, where I debunk a few Scottish weather myths and tell you what you can really expect from the weather.
More helpful posts:
- Prettiest villages in Scotland – if you’re looking for inspiration on cute, traditional Scottish villages to visit, I’ve created a list of my favourites!
- The best pubs in Scotland – these are my favourite pubs in Scotland, including some hidden gems you won’t find in the guidebooks!
- 20 secret places in Scotland – a roundup of my favourite places in Scotland that are off the beaten path.
- Common questions about visiting Scotland answered – many questions you have about planning your trip will be answered here!
- Books about Scotland to read before you visit – a mix of my favourite fiction, history, and guidebooks about Scotland.
The Ultimate Scotland Travel Planning Bundle
I created the Ultimate Scotland Travel Planning Bundle as a shortcut to planning your Scotland trip; it provides you with lots of helpful information, including the best places to book different aspects of your trip, a planner that walks you through planning your trip, and cheat sheets that include restaurant recommendations, food and drink recommendations, and much more.
The Ultimate Scotland Travel Planning Bundle includes:
- The Beginners Guide to Planning A Trip To Scotland eBook
- 70+ page Ultimate Scotland Travel Planner
- Scotland Must-See Travel Planners
Planning A Trip To Scotland course
The Planning A Trip To Scotland course contains pretty much everything I know about visiting Scotland.
I created it with Lonely Planet Scotland author and travel blogger Kay from The Chaotic Scot; together there’s nothing we don’t know about planning a trip to Scotland!
This course is perfect if you want to plan your own trip. The course features 70+ videos covering every aspect of creating your itinerary and booking your trip. I personally love our step-by-step tutorials, where we show you exactly where and how to book your Scotland trip.
This is the third article in my Planning A Trip to Scotland series. Be sure to read the next article in the series, A Guide To Scotland’s Weather, or sign up here to have the whole series emailed to you.
MY BEST TRAVEL TIPS FOR SCOTLAND
Here is a list of travel resources that I always use that save me time and money. For more tips check out my ultimate guide on planning a trip to Scotland.
💜 Planning: If you’re on a budget I highly recommend grabbing my Ultimate Scotland Travel Planning Bundle. It includes an ebook, digital travel planner, and cheat sheets for planning your trip.
💜 Planning a Trip to Scotland Course: If you are looking for help to plan your trip from start to finish, my Planning A Trip To Scotland course is my absolute best resource for creating your itinerary! It includes 70+ videos about every aspect of planning a trip to Scotland.
💜 Booking flights: I use Skyscanner when researching and booking my flights as I find them to have the best deals. I also use Google Flights to compare flights I’ve found on Skyscanner. I always book direct with the airline.
💜 Accommodation: I use Booking.com when booking my accommodation in Scotland. I also have a list of my recommended accommodation in Scotland here.
💜 Travel insurance: I always recommend booking travel insurance for any trip you take. Personally, I use CoverMore– I used to sell this insurance when I was a travel agent and dealt with claims on behalf of my customers frequently and they were really easy to deal with. World Nomads is also another high-quality insurance provider I recommend.
💜 Tours and Activities: I use GetYourGuide whenever I can to book tours and activities. I also recommend purchasing the Explorer Pass if you plan on visiting a few attractions.
💜 Transport: When hiring a car in the UK I always use Celtic Legend. You can save 10% off your car rental by using the referral code WAYFARINGKIWI when you ask for a quote. For train times and bookings I use Scotrail (Scotland’s main network) and I also compare prices with Trainline. For bus travel, I use Megabus for cheap fares.
💜 What to pack: The weather is changeable in Scotland and you can sometimes have four seasons in one day! I’ve written this comprehensive packing list for Scotland that will tell you everything you need to pack, whether you’re travelling from abroad or living locally and you’re planning a day trip to Scotland.
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