My name is Elliott Bertrand. I'm a Theatre Stage Management major at the University of Central Florida. I went on the Summer in Scotland program in June 2024. I chose CIS Abroad because of the abundance of different programs and the consistent support from staff, both pre-departure and on-site.
When planning your day trip, the first step is to figure out where you want to go. As a rule of thumb, try to limit yourself to 2-3 big attractions or stops in one day. Any more than that may leave you feeling rushed and unable to enjoy each thing to the fullest.
The most important thing to consider when planning any trip is your budget. How much money will you be spending? Answering this question will give you a foundation for planning your day trip. Be sure to budget in the local currency that you will be spending in to avoid any confusion. Here’s an example of a budget for an Edinburgh day trip:
For this day trip, I ate breakfast at home and ate lunch and dinner in the city. I also left some wiggle room for any snacks or drinks along the way.
Public transportation is a great and cost-efficient way to get around. In the UK, you can get almost anywhere by train. In larger cities like Edinburgh, bus transportation is everywhere, making it your best option for cost-efficient travel. Walking is another great option for getting around.
As you can see in this example, both of the things I wanted to do in Edinburgh were free admission. If something you want to visit isn’t free, make sure to ask about a student discount when buying your ticket. You’ll be surprised at how much this can save you when adding up your spending.
Make sure to account for shopping in your budget as well. In a city like Edinburgh, there are many little shops everywhere that have hidden gems you’ll want to take home with you.
Now that you have your budget, it’s time to plan your itinerary. Do some research to find the opening hours and locations of each stop. Be sure to allow enough time to fully experience and appreciate each place—I like to go with an hour minimum for each stop, but you can adjust this to your preferences.
While this may seem like overplanning, it’s important to have a guide for your day. Otherwise, you may miss out on something you wanted to do. Think of your itinerary as a guide for your day, not the rule. Take your time enjoying each place but be aware of your ideal schedule.
Now you’re well equipped to go off and plan your own successful day trip! No matter what, remember that this is supposed to be fun—if you find yourself getting stressed by the process, take a break and come back to it later. If you return and you find yourself still being stressed by a certain thing, maybe it’s time to take it off the list (at least for that day). Good luck and have fun exploring the abundance of things your host country has to offer!