Haggis Adventures

The tour price covers transportation on our sexy buses and an even sexier tour guide to lead the way!  We also reserve all accommodation whilst on tour so a bed is guaranteed. Accommodation should be paid for on arrival at each hostel. Hostel prices are approximately £14 - £18 per night.

Travelling is all about choice. Unlike others we do not operate a restrictive kitty system, if you want to spend your budget differently to the next guy, that’s cool with us. We don’t believe in treating people like sheep and recognise everyone has their own likes and dislikes. Why pay for a meal you don’t want or entry to an attraction that’s not for you? With Haggis Adventures accommodation, meals and entrance fees are not included in the tour price allowing you to keep your options open. This means you can buy your own food to suit your tastes or miss out an attraction: it’s your choice!

We always take full payment before the day of departure. This is because we need to secure your place so other passengers are not turned away! Depending on availability, we might be able reserve your place until a few weeks before your tour so that you can check with friends or pay for your connecting travel.

We keep extra costs to a minimum – there maybe a couple of entry fees into various attractions, but these are usually £3 - £8 and are always optional.

Food can really be as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be.  All the hostels have self-catering and some of the hostels offer excellent meal for £5 - £7.  There is also plenty of opportunity to eat out at local pubs, cafes and restaurants.

Ideally you should budget £25 - £30 per day if you stay in a hostel and eat at cafes or the pub. There are always the fabulous British pubs to tempt you in for a pint or two after a day on the road! A pint of beer costs around £2.60, a wee dram of malt whisky in Scotland would be about £2.

Unlike others, we are not tied exclusively to any hostel chain, so are free to select the very best hostels. We choose places packed full of character, everything from rustic cottages and farms to castles and country houses. We only use top quality independent and Youth Hostel Association hostels, mostly 3 and 4 stars. We guarantee dorm bed accommodation on all our tours. All the hostels we use have great facilities, provide free linen, (you don't need a sleeping bag), have top quality self-catering kitchens, security, laundry facilities and comply with the most stringent safety regulations.

Some of the hostels we use have private (double/twin) rooms but these are limited and dependent on availability.
 
All accommodation requests need to be made to us direct and before the departure date (the longer notice the better). Please let us know your booking reference, date of travel, tour type, room preference and name at least 7 days before your departure.

Please be aware that private room requests are not generally available on HAGGiS Britain tours.

A sleeping bag is not required as all hostels provide linen but it is a good idea to bring a towel although some hostels do rent them.

Some hostels accept credit cards but it is always best to bring some cash with you in case they don’t. Your guide will always make sure cash points are visited before arriving at these locations.

You can book your Edinburgh accommodation through our website by clicking here.  For London hostels, drop us a line and we'll send you our pick of the local accommodations.

Tours departing from London:  check in is at 07.15am at the HAGGiS/Busabout office and leave at 7.30am.  Tours usually get back in to London at 6pm although this is dependent on weather and the infamous London traffic so if you're leaving the city that night, give yourself plenty of time to get your connecting transport.

Tours leaving from Edinburgh:  check in is between 08.15am and 08.30am at the HAGGiS Office and depart at 8.45am sharp (except the Loch Ness 1 Day Tour which will check-in at 08.00am and depart at 08.15am). Tours usually return to Edinburgh at about 5.30pm (except the Loch Ness Hunter which will get back at about 8pm).  Return times are approximate (depending on roads and weather conditions) so if you're leaving Edinburgh that night, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to make your connection.

To make sure we make the most of our day we only pick up and return to the HAGGiS office.  Other companies provide this service but it means your day is compromised running around the city.  Most hostels are only a short distance from the office.  Likewise, the bus and train station are a few minutes walk from our office and the airport has frequent and cheap transport from the city centre.

As we are the leading youth travel tour operator in Scotland, the majority of our passengers are in the 18 - 35 age bracket and the style of tour reflects this. The minimum age on all tours is 17.  For day tours the minimum age is 13 but an adult must accompany them. There is no maximum age. As long as you are reasonably fit and have a good sense of fun, we are sure you will have a fantastic time!

As much time as possible! The aim of our tours is to get you out and about and to actually experience the country you’re in. We’ll take you for walks, to explore castles, explain local myths and legends and tell you about our often turbulent history.

Whilst we regularly get couples and friends travelling together, every tour has a number of people travelling on their own and from the first day onwards you’ll have made a whole bunch of new friends!

Occasionally we do have more than one departure each day so it is not guaranteed that you will be on the same bus if bookings are made separately. This can however be easily arranged by contacting us at least 48 hours prior to your departure date. Just call or email us with people’s names, booking references and the tour they are on – we’ll do the rest.

Each passenger is allowed one standard piece of baggage, carried in the cargo area of the coach, up to a maximum weight of 15 kg. This weight should cover a standard 60 litre backpack or a medium holdall or suitcase. You will not be entitled to transport baggage in excess of this allowance and you may be asked to leave excess baggage behind in secure storage. In addition a standard daypack may be carried on the coach, containing the essentials you require for the day, provided it can fit in the luggage rack or under your seat.

No, we do not have luggage storage facilities but facilities may be available at your hostel.  Edinburgh Waverley and London Victoria train stations also have secure storage facilities.

Other companies tend to keep seats aside on tours for ‘hop on hop off’ passengers to join a day or two later but this can seriously affect the dynamic of a group who have already bonded. We know what makes a great tour, and that is a group of travellers sharing an awesome time together. 

Tipping:  Tipping is not compulsory. If you'd like to recognise great service then please feel free to do so.  100% of tips are retained by our team - not the company.  [We are often asked 'How much?' - around £1 / day on average - but feel free to tip as little, as much or not at all, as you feel appropriate.]