I will be taking the Best of Scotland tour soon and wondering if the buses have onboard USB chargers? I’d prefer to not bring my power backup. Thanks.
Posted by
West Michigan
867 posts
FWIW. they did on our Ireland tour.
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
9574 posts
It likely is very hit or miss, they contract locally for buses, maybe even different companies from tour to tour, so it depends on the bus, it's age, and to be honest, whether the ports even work (they can get damaged easily). A small power bank might be prudent, rather than a big brick, just in case. Of course it depends how much you will be on your phone, if you have service, and the condition of your phone battery.
Posted by
SE Pennsylvania
3387 posts
Agree with Paul, it's not a given.
I a!ways bring a very small power bank--just enough to top off my phone.
Posted by
West Michigan
867 posts
Like Paul said, hit or miss. Our 2026 Irish tour had wifi on the bus, our 2024 tour did not.
For battery packs, I used to bring a fairly large one, hardly ever used it, now I bring a very small one, also never use it.
Posted by
Salem, Oregon, USA
4348 posts
As noted there is no way to know ahead of time if the bus will have any workable charging equipment. On my most recent Turkey tour the bus did have USB ports but most of them didn't work or were so low power there wasn't a point in trying to charge from them. If you don't want to bring a "big" power backup, consider a smaller charger like this one, it is lightweight and small enough to carry in my day bag. https://a.co/d/05VqxaJK
Posted by
Central Florida
99 posts
When on The Best of Scotland in 2024, buses had USB outlets. When moving between hotels had access to personal item bag and charger. On day trips used my smaller day trip bag for water, snacks and charger (charger never used).
Posted by
OP
7 posts
Thank you for the feedback and the link. Just ordered and arrived tomorrow!! Only 9 days until i leave..very excited. Thanks again, you’re a great community ♡
Posted by
West Virginia
262 posts
The bus we were on for the 13 day Scotland tour in June had only USB-C outlets. I have an iPhone 13, so my USB-A charging cord wouldn't work. No charging for me on the bus, so I used my power bank.
Posted by
Maryland, USA
175 posts
On your flights, keep your power bank in your personal (underseat) item. We flew British Airways in May (for 2 RS tours) and in the safety briefing they emphasized that those should not be in the overhead bin. It was the first time I recall hearing that as part of the spiel (the last time I had flown anywhere was 2 years ago).
We were on the RS Heart of Ireland and Heart of Scotland, and I don’t think either bus had USB connections.