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I have been so thankful that I have been able to travel throughout my life. This summer’s bucket-list trip was to Northern England and the Highlands of Scotland. Let me preface this by saying that I am a relatively savvy and experienced traveler and have done my fair share of international travel over the last three years while on a GLP-1 medication like Zepbound.
My confidence was soaring. I packed my pens. I have learned from past travel mistakes of over-eating and under-eating. My preparation was top-notch, from my itinerary planning, logistics, supplies, and jet lag recovery time. Not only did I do a great job, but I also failed spectacularly. Oh dear friends that are reading this, I do not wish to dissuade you from experiencing amazing travel while on a GLP-1.
Let’s laugh at the good, the bad, and the oh so ugly, so you can learn from my mistakes!
From Manchester, England to Northern Scotland
I flew into Manchester to spend the first few days adjusting to jet lag and getting acclimated to England, visiting family and my dear friend, Peter. My injection day is Sunday, and I traveled with my pens successfully in my carry-on luggage, which arrived safe and sound. Like so many people, I get plane side effects after a long flight. Bloating and constipation can only be accentuated when combining a long-haul flight with a GLP-1 medication. I knew that some of the very helpful supplements to counteract constipation are not as readily available over the counter in the U.K., so I brought my own supplies. My first win! My injection day came with ease and I kept enjoying my visit.
Then we began the 7-hour drive up through Scotland to our rental in Inverness, Scotland. A beautiful and rather uneventful drive passing castles, sheep farms, and the occasional service station and rest area, every road trip requires. Inverness is a lovely Scottish city with great people, great pubs, and restaurants serving the local, authentic flavors. After the drive, we decided to celebrate at a traditional Scottish pub. I felt great, adventurous, and enjoyed an appetizer of a scotch egg. I indulged in traditional fish and chips and even got bold and tried haggis. Haggis! I still don’t know what was in it and I really don’t want to know. It was both delicious and revolting, but I am glad I tried it. Vacation is about experiences, new and exciting!
Loch Ness and the Sounds of a Mysterious Monster
The next morning, I was on the hunt for Nessie, the famous Loch Ness Monster. The scenery, the natural beauty, and the historic mystery of Nessie was a story I chased since my childhood. Suddenly, a rumble. I stayed on my hike, enjoying the splendor of Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle. The mist was rising off the lake, and it was traditionally Scottish picturesque. Suddenly, that previous rumble progressed to a loud and urgent, raging gastrointestinal distress signal. It was loud and alerted other sightseers that perhaps there was a Nessie sighting! My friend Peter asked why my face had gone the color of the fog rolling over the mountains. I explained the situation.
Urquhart Castle is not like Downton Abbey. It is a site with the historic ruins of a castle with no facilities in sight. Thankfully, I did remember there was a sign in the parking lot for “services”. A 15-minute walk back to the parking turned into a 5-minute speed walk, and a 4-minute sprint! The facilities were rustic at best, but I made it. It was only a single-use service area, and I can only say the other visitors that morning must have great stories to tell. They may not have spotted Nessie, but the sounds that I contributed reverberated across the loch and echoed between the mountains on the other side as if Nessie was finally making a new appearance.
Two Great Lessons Learned
I learned two great lessons at Loch Ness. First, always travel in a more remote location with a pocketful of tissues and extra easily carryable supplies. Winning! I was prepared! Lesson two, however, was to NOT take some constipation relief supplements without knowing all of the logistics of where you will be the next morning! I left a gift with the other visitors of Loch Ness. Maybe not a Nessie sighting, but the echoing and haunting sounds of a monster that may or may not be fictional.
The Journey to the Isle of Skye and Glencoe
The next day was the 150-mile journey to the Isle of Skye. I had completed the cycle caused by constipation and was confident the haggis and constipation supplements had left my GLP-1 infused body. A stunning drive past Eilean Donan Castle, over the Skye Bridge, and onto the island. Breathtaking views of waterfalls, mountains, volcanic rock formations, cliffs, and more waterfalls. The landscape is otherworldly as you navigate the single-lane roads and spectacular views.
Glencoe is picturesque in its own manner. Stunning mountain peaks, with valleys filled with more sheep and highland cows than people. You can imagine yourself in the James Bond movie Skyfall. The clean pure air, unparalleled beauty, and splendor of the Scottish Highlands were a life experience no GLP-1 drug was preventing me from seeing. If anything, three years and 90 pounds lost, allowed me to fully experience the Scottish Highlands and I am forever grateful.
Both Loch Ness and to the Isle of Skye handed me their own version of the same lesson. On the boat cruise across Loch Ness, I sat with a cup of tea and a scone I had no intention of finishing. I watched everyone around me polish off their snacks while I quietly wondered if the guide would think I was rude for barely touching mine. On Skye, I stood at the base of the Quiraing, one of the most dramatic hikes I have ever attempted, and realized I had not eaten enough that morning to safely make the climb. Two completely different settings. The same medication doing the same quiet work in the background of every single moment. Lesson learned here. Eat appropriately to fuel your body! Pack a protein bar!
Why This Happens
Traveling with a medication that needs refrigeration and a strict weekly schedule adds a layer of planning that healthy, non-medicated travelers never think about. It sounds simple until you are actually standing in a stone service cottage with no cell service, regretting your side effect pre-management routine.
The real challenge is remembering that your medication now lives in the same category as your passport and your phone charger. It has to be with you, not just packed somewhere in your luggage and forgotten the moment you get distracted by a castle.
Appetite suppression adds another wrinkle once you are actually eating your way through Scotland. Traditional Highland food is hearty by design. Stews, meat pies, oatcakes with cheese, and portions built for farmers who spent all day outside in the cold. Your appetite on tirzepatide or semaglutide has no interest in farmer sized portions. You will order the full breakfast at a bed and breakfast, take four bites, and watch the host quietly wonder if something is wrong with the food. Nothing is wrong. Your stomach just made an executive decision without consulting your fork.
Why Nobody Talks About This
Nobody warns you about the emotional side of eating less in a place built entirely around big, warm, comforting meals. Scottish hospitality runs on food. A full plate is how people say welcome. Leaving half of it behind can feel like you are rejecting someone’s kindness, even when you know that is not true and even when the host could not care less.
There is also the quiet embarrassment of explaining, again, why you are not drinking much whisky on a whisky trip. GLP-1 medications and alcohol are not exactly best friends. Slower digestion combined with a distillery tour and a generous pour can turn a pleasant afternoon into a rough one fast. Saying no to a dram at the Talisker distillery on Skye, standing right there on the water with the smell of peat smoke in the air, takes a kind of social courage that nobody prepares you for. You start to feel like the person who showed up to a party and refused the cake.
And then there is the hiking. The Highlands practically dare you to climb something. Munros, glens, ridgelines that look like they were designed to humble you. The trails around Loch Ness are gentle by comparison, mostly flat paths along the water where the medication barely crosses your mind. Skye is a different animal entirely. The Quiraing and the Old Man of Storr climb fast and hard over uneven ground, and weight loss makes those climbs more possible than they have been in years, which is a genuine gift. But it also means your energy needs are shifting in real time while your appetite is quieter than usual. Nobody tells you that the hardest part of a Highland hike on a GLP-1 medication is remembering to eat enough before you start, not after.
Practical Takeaways
Keep your medication with you at all times. Do not store it in checked luggage, and not left behind in a rental cottage while you chase a view. A small insulated pouch with a couple of ice packs handles most of a day trip just fine.
- Call ahead to your accommodation and ask about proper refrigerator access. Most Highland cottages and bed and breakfasts have small fridges that work perfectly well once you explain what you need and why.
- Pack protein forward snacks for hikes. Nuts, jerky, hard cheese, and protein bars travel well and do not need refrigeration. A hungry stomach on a Munro is not the adventure you signed up for.
- Tell your travel companions what is going on before the trip starts. A quick conversation about smaller portions and skipped drinks saves everyone from awkward moments at the dinner table later.
- If you know time zones will shift your usual injection day, adjust gradually over a day or two rather than making a dramatic jump. Your body handles small shifts far better than sudden ones.
- And give yourself permission to order the small plate. Scottish menus are not always built for smaller appetites, but most places will happily split a dish or bring a smaller portion if you simply ask.
Emotional Validation and Closing Reflection
There is something strange and wonderful about standing on the deck of a boat crossing Loch Ness, or catching your breath halfway up the Quiraing on Skye after a climb you never could have managed three years ago, looking out over water and rock that have not changed in a thousand years while your own body keeps changing every single week.
You are allowed to leave food on the plate. You are allowed to skip the whisky tasting or take one small sip and mean it. Moreso, you are allowed to need a cooler bag and a backup plan and a moment of panic on a single track road outside Glencoe.
None of that makes you less of a traveler. It makes you a traveler who is finally present enough to notice the fog on the mountains instead of just thinking about the next meal. That trade is worth every awkward conversation with a well meaning host and every mile you drive back for a forgotten pen.
The Highlands do not care what you eat or how much of it. They were there long before GLP-1 medications existed and they will be there long after. All they ask is that you show up, breathe the cold air, and let yourself enjoy the view. Everything else works itself out. I have decided however, next time I am going to skip the haggis.
Travel safe, live your best life, and Love Your Journey!
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