Our Approach to Travel Spending

Before you start reading our expenses, I want to explain our spending style so you can better compare this to how you like to travel.

While we may not typically fit the budget traveller stereotype of opting for hostels and overnight buses, we do like to be frugal in certain areas, giving us the freedom to indulge in others. 

Our itineraries typically revolve around free or cheaper activities, but we love splurging on those ‘bucket list’ experiences. Rather than simply booking paid attractions on a whim we like to do a bit of research to see if they align with our interests and budget. Just because it’s on a ‘Things you must do’ list, it doesn’t mean you have to do it!

Another thing we do limit our spending on is dining out, particularly in pricer destinations like Scotland. We prefer to purchase groceries and reserve the times we eat out to experience local cuisines.

However, one thing we typically do differently from other budget travellers is our approach to accommodation. Whether we’re at home or travelling, we prioritise quality sleep. We will happily pay more for comfortable accommodation so we can relax after a long day and get a good night’s rest.

Our 9-day Scotland itinerary

When planning our trip our goal was to experience Scotland’s different regions and landscapes without feeling rushed. Although we were limited with time, we opted to spend longer in certain locations so we could better explore. This was our itinerary:

Glasgow – 1 night

Fort William – 2 nights

Isle of Skye – 2 nights

Isle of Lewis – 2 nights

Inverness – 1 night

Alyth – 1 night 

Note: This itinerary and budget cover only the road trip portion of our time in Scotland. We additionally spent 3 nights in Edinburgh at the end.

Transport

Car Hire

We hired our rental car through Arnold Clark. Their pricing was competitive with positive reviews, and we were happy with our experience. We hired the car in England for a drop-off in Edinburgh. They have dealerships across Scotland so you can easily book to pick up your car at all of the major airports and cities.

We opted for the small automatic option and received a Hyundai i20 – which was ideal for the 2 of us and our luggage. The size was also perfect for the narrow roads (and there were a lot of them!). We did see a lot of other tourists in larger cars struggling on some of the roads.

The daily rental cost was £53.58, totalling £482.22 for the nine days.

This also includes an additional one-way fee, as we were returning the car to a different location.

Fuel

During our time in Scotland, we refilled the car’s tank five times, totalling £134.07

We made a point to refuel in larger towns whenever possible, as fuel prices tended to be cheaper compared to those in villages.

Ferry

For our journey to the Isle of Lewis and Harris, we bought tickets for the CalMac ferry. We did the route from Uig to Tarbert then returned to the mainland from Stornoway to Ullapool.

Our booking included passages for two adults and one car, for £123.80

Parking

When driving around Scotland, it’s important to also consider parking expenses. Our parking costs varied between locations, totalling £17;

• Balmoral Castle: £5
  
• Overnight parking near our hotel in Glasgow city: £5
  
• Old Man of Storr: £5
  
• Fairy Glen: £2

Accommodation

Throughout our road trip, we stayed in a mixture of Airbnbs, hotels and bed and breakfasts. Whenever possible, we opted for accommodations with cooking facilities to reduce our reliance on dining out. While these options tended to be pricier, the money saved from avoiding multiple daily restaurant meals certainly outweighed the expenses.

In total, our accommodation was £867 for 9 nights, averaging £96 per night. While this was more expensive compared to other countries we’ve explored, it’s worth noting that we visited remote and tourist-heavy areas, where higher prices are expected.

Whenever breakfast was available with an additional charge, we always opted out as it worked out cheaper to purchase items from a grocery store.

Here is a list of the places we stayed in Scotland that we found perfect for a couple:

Glasgow – Premier Inn, Pacific Quay

Fort William – The Hayloft Airbnb

Isle of Skye – Papillon Bed and Breakfast Airbnb

Stornoway, Isle of Lewis – ‘Seaforth’ Airbnb

Dingwall (Near Inverness) – The Birches

Alyth – Tigh Na Leigh

Tip: It’s essential to book accommodation well ahead of time. We started booking three months before our trip and still noticed limited availability in certain areas of Scotland (particularly Fort William and on the Isle of Skye).

Food

Dining out

As i mentioned earlier, we mostly saved the times we dined out as opportunities to try the local cuisine.

To immerse ourselves in Scottish culture, we enjoyed:

• Fish and Chips (once at a restaurant and a second time at a local chippery)
• Haggis and black pudding
• Scottish tablet from a gift shop
• Beers at a Scottish pub
• Scones and coffee at a cafe

Overall, we spent £91.30 on dining out.

Groceries

We made groceries a priority to save on expenses, preparing most of our meals at our accommodation and keeping snacks handy for lunches and hikes. 

When possible, we also opted for budget-friendly supermarkets like Aldi, Lidl, and Tesco.
Before visiting the Isle of Skye, we planned meals for our two-night stay and bought supplies at Aldi, this helped us avoid the more expensive options from the local supermarket there.

In total, our grocery expenses during our time in Scotland amounted to £52.98.

Tip: We also found that having a utensil set was really useful while we were out during the day.

Activities

Throughout our road trip, we did multiple activities, many of which were either free or only required parking fees. Here are the activities we did pay for and thoroughly enjoyed:

(Bostadh) Iron Age House – £10

Gearrannan Blackhouse Village – £7.80

Gin tasting at Lindore’s Abbey Distillery – £31.50

Midhope Castle (Outlander filming location) – £12

Total amount spent on activities: £61.30

Do you need cash when visiting Scotland?

During our time in Scotland, we primarily used our credit and debit cards. Card payments were accepted at the shops, restaurants and tourist attractions we visited. While we did carry some cash as a precaution, we only found it necessary at a cafe where their system wasn’t working, and when paying for the Iron Age House admission (cash was the easiest payment method for our guide).

Total Scotland road trip costs

In total, our 9-day Scotland road trip during September cost us £1,829.67.

Please keep in mind that this amount reflects our personal experience, and your expenses may vary depending on your travel preferences and the time of year you choose to visit. Nevertheless, I hope this breakdown helps you plan and budget for your own Scottish road trip.