Unless you’ve been sleeping under a rock, you probably know that people are obsessed with “The Traitors,” the Peacock reality game show that pits celebrities against each other as a group of “faithfuls” tries to weed out the lying “traitors.”
It’s full of deception, smart gameplay, physically and mentally taxing challenges to win cash and some true characters, including a group of beloved (and infamous) reality TV stars from shows like “Survivor” and “Big Brother,” as well as an incredible array of Bravo personalities from “The Real Housewives” franchises and “Shahs of Sunset.” Not to mention, Pilot Pete from “The Bachelor” is also part of the cast.
But the surprise star of the show isn’t a person at all. It’s host Alan Cumming’s native Scotland, which makes sense considering the game is set in the majestic and beautiful (if not ominous) Ardross Castle near Inverness.
To put it in perspective, U.S. searches for “flights to Scotland” jumped 159% the day after the premiere of “The Traitors” Season Two aired Jan. 12, according to Places to Travel. (To make it personal, my own fiance asked if we should swap our already planned honeymoon to France with a trip to Scotland halfway through the first episode.)
Searches around “Ardross Castle” jumped 4,500% compared to the last five years, Places to Travel discovered.
To understand if a “Traitors”-themed trip to Scotland is as sweet as it sounds (well, without the “murder” and “banishment” but hopefully with the breakfast spread) TPG went straight to the source, “The Traitors” Season One and Season Two star Kate Chastain, who you might also recognize from “Below Deck,” to find out.
Related: Crew from ‘Below Deck Down Under’ shares travel tips ahead of new season
“Scotland feels like you are in a movie,” Chastain told TPG. “I mean, the fog that rolls in feels like a production, but it’s natural. And just the castles and the sheep dotting along the verdant, rolling hills; it’s quite picturesque, and it feels very magnificent.”
For Chastain, filming in a Scottish castle was a stark contrast to living on the high seas on a yacht. “Well,” she explained, “they’re both quite nice, if I must be honest,” before adding that one of the biggest changes for her was the country’s abundance of trees. “You know, I’ve seen enough palm trees and beaches to last a lifetime, which sounds very spoiled. Scotland was such a lovely change of scenery.”
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It was also a way to “show off my sweater and jacket collection because that was never something I got to do on ‘Below Deck,'” she said. And it’s true; the fashion game on “The Traitors” is almost as good as the lying.
If you find yourself planning a trip to Scotland (for a reality game show or not), Chastain wants folks to remember that “the weather can really change on a dime” and that “when you’re picking out your outfit, a sweater might be great in the morning, but then by the afternoon, the sun is out and you are running through a scavenger hunt sweating.”
Whether she’s serving wealthy guests on a yacht charter or avoiding “the [surprises] around every corner” of Ardross Castle, Chastain is always taking in her surroundings.
“A huge highlight to both television shows that I’ve done is getting to experience the culture of the locations that we film in. Scotland’s culture is just so strong, and it’s not something I necessarily would have been able to experience had I not done ‘The Traitors,’ Chastain said. “And to have Alan Cumming as the host, who is Scottish himself, [was] such a privilege.”
Luckily for us, “The Traitors” has already been renewed for a third season.
How to have your own Scotland experience (kind of) like ‘The Traitors’
Though we can’t all head to Scotland and be hosted by Alan Cumming, there are plenty of ways to visit Scotland on a trip inspired by “The Traitors.”
Unfortunately, Ardross Castle isn’t open to the public except for certain conditions like filming a TV show or hosting a private event like a wedding (hopefully my fiance doesn’t read this), but there are plenty of castles you can visit or stay in.
You can even do it on points. In Scotland, World of Hyatt members can book a stay at Crossbasket Castle, not far from Glasgow. There, guests can stay in one of nine stately rooms or suites and nosily meander around the wood-paneled library or lush grounds as they wait to overhear something scandalous. Just act fast to snag a stay here from 17,000 World of Hyatt points per night, as Small Luxury Hotels of the World will soon break ties with Hyatt and start a new partnership with Hilton.
Another SLH option bookable (for now) through World of Hyatt is Inverlochy Castle, about a two-hour drive from the show’s filming location. Available starting at 25,000 points per night, this castle hotel has charming rooms, rowboats on the loch, a billiards room and a handful of restaurants where you can dramatically meet your fellow travelers one by one.
Hilton Honors loyalists might be excited to hear that the DoubleTree by Hilton Dunblane Hydro, roughly an hour northwest of Edinburgh, feels much more like a grand manor worthy of “The Traitors” than any other DoubleTree you’ve ever seen before. Rates start around $100 or 40,000 points per night — and you’ll even get a cookie during your stay.
But if you’d rather be the king or queen of your own castle (or, at least, a good chunk of it), Airbnb has plenty. In Dunblane, you can rent an apartment in Kilbryde Castle starting at $155 per night, while an apartment in the manor house of an 1889 Victorian mansion starts at just $145 per night.
Related: How to earn cash back or points when booking Airbnbs, Vrbo rentals, hostels and more
If Scotland’s not in the cards and you just want to stay in any castle, you can always search the “Castles Category” on Airbnb to find what’s available to rent around the world.
Or, if you’d rather just have a casual tour of one (probably because you’re afraid of being banished or haunted by the ghosts of “Traitors” past), Balmoral Castle, the British royal family’s Scottish estate, will open to the public from March 23 to Aug. 11.
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