Lost in Scotland

Here is an excerpt from a blog maintained by a friend of mine, Paul Iancono. It concerns 4 clients of his who experienced difficulties whilst on holiday in Scotland and how those of us who care about visitors will try to help them overcome their difficulties

“Thursday, August 22, 2013
Just Had THE BEST Testimonial From a Client!
“Imagine this. It is approaching midnight. You and 3 buddies are in Scotland, thousands of miles from home. Roughly 8 hours earlier your rental car blew a tire in the middle of nowhere. It took AA (the Scotch equivalent of AAA) about 4 hours to show up with a tow truck. They are towing you for several hours toward the Glasgow airport, in the exact opposite direction of the small town where you have reserved rooms for the night. There is no chance you can make those reservations. You have been scrambling for hours to try to find a place near the Glasgow airport to sleep, but the world’s largest arts festival happens to be going on in Scotland and there isn’t a room to be had within a hundred miles at any price. You have resigned yourself to the painful reality that you and your buddies will be sleeping in your car by the side of the road near the Glasgow airport. if you think I am making this up, you are wrong. It happened to me and my friends last week.

“How can this story possibly have anything vaguely like a happy ending? Here’s the answer. We had booked our Scotland vacation through Paul Iacono at Journeys Beyond the Ordinary (http://www.journeysbeyondtheordinary.com). He did a terrific job planning and booking our itinerary, but we assumed that would be the only role he played. When we got into the jam I describe, we called Paul to seek his help. After confirming that there were absolutely no rooms to be found anywhere, Paul called a personal friend of his, Bill Hill, a resident of nearby Edinburg, to ask a favor. Could 4 complete strangers show up at his doorstep sometime between midnight and 1 AM, and find a place to lay their heads for the night. Bill, himself a world class tour guide in Scotland and a true gentleman, tells Paul he would be happy to help. We get directions to Bill’s home and when we show up, we are welcomed as old friends. We all enjoy a delicious glass of some of Scotland’s finest whiskey and then place our heads down on the beds Bill so generously provided.

“I have run a very large company, where we prided ourselves in customer service, but I can assure you that we NEVER went to the incredible lengths that Paul went to to help us. I don’t often write testimonials, because more often that not, they are not warranted, but this situation is the exception. We will always be indebted to Paul and Bill for their assistance in our time of need. I give both of them an unqualified recommendation and encourage you to consider using Paul’s services when planning your next trip and, if you find yourself in Scotland, you most certainly want to use Bill Hill (http://www.edinburghtourguide.co.uk) as your personal tour guide of Edinburgh.

“Thanks again Paul!”

Stephen Friedman
Atlanta, GA.
Posted by Journeys Beyond the Ordinary at 10:43 AM”

Glad to have helped