My family (husband, son 20 and daughter 18 yrs old) live in San Diego Ca. We’re leaving for Scotland this August for a birthday celebration Our plans are to leave one week earlier to travel to a European country prior to our final destination in Scotland Any suggestions?
Where do you want to go? I could suggest a whole load of countries likewise everybody else but it would be futile without further information from you.
What are your interests? What do want out of your trip? What do the kids want? What's your budget? What's your travelling style? What are your limitations? Likes and dislikes? And so on.....
I have traveled in some parts of Europe but my family has not, so I want them to experience(some tourist spots and some not so tourist places) at least one of the neighboring countries in the short time we have. Our budget for the trip prior to Scotland is $20,000. Answer to some of your other questions is we’re open to suggestions.
Belgium and the Netherlands are liked assorted chocolates in a pretty box. Lots of History, Art and Architecture, great food and beer, and a variety of scenery in a compact area.
Since you're not wedded to any particular destination, a good way to get a feel for where you may want to go is to watch videos. Rick's are here: https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show
Another way to get ideas is to see who flies where from a particular airport. To do this, look at the airport's Wikipedia page. I don't know where in Scotland the birthday celebration is. Remember that while Edinburgh and Glasgow have the largest airports in Scotland, they don't have the only ones. If you'll be in northern Scotland, look at Aberdeen or Inverness airports too. Similarly, if you'll be in southern Scotland, it's not too far to Manchester, which is the third-busiest airport in the UK, with flights to all kinds of places.