This morning we are packing and getting the house ready for another trip. Eighteen months ago, Michael called me from work with a plan. He found tickets to a distillery trip into the Highlands of Scotland on the Belmond Royal Scotsman in July 2026. One room left, what did I think? It was nice of him to call, because of course, I said yes. And now we are only a few days away.

Trip preparation has looked different this time than any we have ever done, or any I hope to do again. One Caesar salad at the El Presidente International Hotel in Cozumel cost me four and a half weeks, hours in emergency departments, immediate care clinics and doctor’s offices, fifteen pounds of lost weight, and several very scary health days. I am still recovering from them. Cyclosporiasis is real, and it is nothing to mess with. Four days into the antibiotic treatment, I had a frightening reaction and had to stop it altogether, which sent us searching for another way through.

I spent a good week telling Michael I was worried about going and didn’t want him to miss this opportunity. I suggested a travel partner to take my place. Each suggestion got the same response, another glass of Pedialyte and a reminder that I would be well enough to travel when the time came.

So here we are, a few days out. My energy is limited, but my suitcase and travel bag are both packed. We stopped the mail, notified Verizon of our trip, and handled everything else international travel requires.

Michael came to me this morning and reminded me that this trip is about the two of us. The train, the distillery stops, the plans, they all matter, but the time together is what makes the trip. We will move at whatever speed I can manage. If that means watching the Highlands roll by from a train window, or making it only from the hotel to a coffee shop or a pub, we will still call it time well spent.

The Royal Scotsman and the Highlands of Scotland are waiting. We hope you will travel along with us again. Slàinte.