Oh oh

How many ways are there to pay for the bus? Cash; not on some. Card, at entry, at a kiosk, or there’s tap on tap off; you scan your visa when you get on, and again when you get off. The bus company computer works out what you owe and charges automatically. Last but not least, there’s the day pass, which is useful when you’re sightseeing. Oh, and don’t forget to claim the over-60 discount. It helps the budget.

Speaking of the budget, who cares if it gets blown once in a while? I looked at the sleeping pods on the Lerwick to Aberdeen 12-hour ferry crossing and upgraded to an ensuite cabin. The pods are basically short-stretching lazyboys. Twelve hours in that and I’d be shattered. I watched TV in my cabin, had a good night’s sleep, and freshened with a shower before facing the day; worth every penny. Though I did have trouble with my door key card.

Door keys come in many forms, even actual keys occasionally. The cards work sometimes, but not if they’ve been near a cellphone. Hold you breath, feed the card in with all fingers and toes crossed, and pray for the click that tells you you’re in.

I’ve learned to grab the chance to do laundry when the opportunity arises, but not at any cost. One place wanted 15 pound (30 dollars) to do 3 changes of clothes. Another cost 7 pound. I’ve learned to hang washing anywhere possible to save on drying costs, including off the shower rose. In Glasgow the only option for washing was a roadside laundromat which had no attendant and was just a row of machines. Clearly some in Glasgow felt sorry for me and came to keep me company while I waited the half hour.

A hostel is a hostel, right? Ummm, no. There’s the fully-kitchened, lounge hostel, and then there’s the other kind where the only ‘facility’ is a kettle at reception.

‘Wifi available’ doesn’t mean you can use it. One huge frustration has been the poor quality of internet, especially in hostels. All the guests congregate in hot spots, making internet conversation impossible. Lacking wifi, getting lost is so much easier when there’s no access to street maps online.

And it’s important to have a handle on where you are. I took a taxi to an event, for the grand cost of 6 pounds 90. Later I got a taxi back. Imagine my surprise to find myself hooping away from the city on the motorway, and the meter happily clicking past the 14 pound mark. I was assured this was the way. It wasn’t until I showed the driver that I had the earlier receipt that he turned off the meter and turned back into the city. We came to an amicable agreement about the cost. To be fair, I did get to see places I’d not been!

But you know what, most people are amazing, and really willing to be helpful; Glasgow puts it most succinctly, with signs plastered everywhere that say ‘The people make Glasgow.’