The realities of business travel in Scotland

Collaborative Post | For many people, business travel is just a part of life. It’s one of those essential things that companies need to manage in order to network and ultimately be successful. 

Traveling to most parts of the world is a pleasant experience. But what about Scotland? How does it compare to other locations? 

That’s the subject of this post. It looks at some of the realities of business travel to the country. It explores how it can be quite different and what to expect if you’re planning meetings in places like Edinburgh, Glasgow, or Aberdeen. 

Photo by Pixabay

The transport links are very reliable

The first thing to note is that the transport links are very reliable. Generally speaking, getting around Scotland is fairly easy, even if you don’t have a private vehicle, because the country’s government prioritises it. 

As a business traveller, you’ll start by arriving at one of the main hubs, usually a train station or an airport. Here you can find places to keep any luggage, like Radical Storage Edinburgh, before taking buses and trams to your destination. 

Getting from A to B is usually pretty simple if you are inside a city. However, going across the country is far more challenging, just because of the nature of Scottish roads and the distances between locations. You’ll want to plan ahead and make sure that buses go to your desired destination. ​

The food is 'hearty'

Second, you’ll want to remember that the food in Scotland is best described as “hearty” not fancy. Yes, you can find swanky, Michelin-star restaurants in places like Edinburgh, but it is the exception, not the norm. 

As such, you’ll want to plan if you’re entertaining clients or renting out a venue. Think carefully about the most suitable setting for people you’ll entertain. 

Business lunches aren’t the same as they might be in a place like London or even a northern English city like Newcastle. There are substantial differences here, which are sometimes surprising. 

Photo by Anna Urlapova, Pexels

Daylight hours can be long or short

Another thing to note about business travel to Scotland is that daylight hours can be highly variable depending on the time of year, far more than in other parts of the UK. During the summer, the light doesn’t fade until late into the evening, and it arrives again early in the morning, so you’ll want blackout curtains. Meanwhile, during the winter, you might only get a few hours of sunlight, especially in the darkest months like December and January. It can be surprising, for instance, how dark it remains until, say, 9 pm. 

Therefore, plan what you do around the realities of daylight hours. Think about the best times to meet people and whether you want to be indoors or stay outside. It’s very much a variable matter. ​

Tech is spotty outside the cities

It’s also worth noting that Scotland is a primarily rural country. It has cities, yes, but once you get out of these, you are in the wilderness. The vast majority of the country is undeveloped, which many people find surprising when they arrive. 

Scotland still has quite a substantial population compared to say, outer Mongolia. But as a Western nation, the number of inhabitants for the area of land is small. 

Because of this, there are only a few roads connecting cities, and these tend to be surprisingly small. The country does have proper highways, but these only go to the major cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. They don’t extend throughout the physical area of the land, so that’s something to bear in mind. 

The country is also mountainous so getting a signal and internet can be a struggle. If you’re going to a far-flung location, don’t assume you’ll be able to access your emails. Sometimes the internet and even mains electricity are not available. ​

Networking happens in pubs

When travelling for business in Scotland, you’ll notice that most networking happens in pubs. Many deals are struck over drams of whiskey. 

Nobody is saying that drinking is essential in Scotland, but closing a deal over a pint is a common practice in the country, with most professionals enjoying alcohol during the day, which may seem strange to American business people. 

The Scottish accent can be challenging

Finally, accents in Scotland can be thick and strong. Edinburgh’s lilt is gentler than the Glaswegian brogue, but you will find that accents can be quite different from one location to another. The more you go outside of the cities, the harder you may find the accents to understand, so you may want to acclimate yourself before you travel. 


Disclaimer: this is a collaborative post.