A Dream Vacation: Solo Travel to Spain
When I was around eight years old, my mom went on a “girls’ trip” cruise. She always loved travel, but this is the first one I remember distinctly. When she was gone, she sent back picturesque postcards from all the places she docked at. She wrote letters to my sister and me and left red kiss marks on each postcard. A spark lit up inside me. I wanted to be her when I grew up. Around the same time, I watched Cheetah Girls 2 when they went to Barcelona. That was the birth of my dream trip. The Ultimate Trip. Barcelona, Spain. After I graduated college and got my first “big girl job,” I booked a solo 10-day Spain trip during Act-Up Season (A.K.A., my birthday month.) It was everything I dreamed of and more.
My mom, the travel addict, is also a travel agent! She booked me a trip through her travel agency, Spice of Life World Travel. I often find great deals on trips using Gate 1 Travel, which helped me book incredible deals for this trip and a trip to Costa Rica. A great place to start planning your trip as a solo traveler is the Gate 1 Travel company. They offer many flexible options, with built-in stays, tours, and food, and you can travel solo but still have the safety of a group. I made friends on that trip that I made plans to travel with in the future!
Madrid
I flew overnight. I was very tired after a several-hour flight on a plane in economy, continuously standing up and stepping into the aisle, then reseating myself so the nice older lady on my row could go to the restroom. All the seats were packed close together, making even my 5’4” frame feel cramped. Gate 1 provided the option to schedule a personal driver to pick me up and take me to the hotel, which was a new experience. This was my first time traveling solo, so having a car pick me up like you see in movies was surreal. They had a sign near the airport exit with the Gate 1 logo, and my driver arrived and carried my bags to the car. The sun had just started rising, and I had a great view of Madrid as we got underway. I started chatting with the driver to learn more about the city's history and places to go. I learned that the way to enjoy your evenings in Madrid was through the rooftop bars and restaurants. I learned some of the history of the gates of Madrid and a great view of one we drove around that was undergoing construction or restoration. Then I arrived at the Hotel Riu Plaza Espana, Madrid, Spain. The hotel lobby was stunning, but my room wouldn’t be ready until 3. I was too tired to explore, but I got to people-watch. Many of the other travelers popped in and out, dropping off luggage and wandering off on foot to explore nearby museums. One plus of traveling alone? You aren’t disrupting the group mood by not doing what everyone else does. I sat comfortably in the hotel lobby and ordered some raspberry tea. Then I went to my comfortable room, opened up earlier than expected, and took a much-needed nap.
On my first night in Spain, we ate dinner at a traditional Spanish restaurant. The room we ate in was a little underground, all curved arched doorways and arched rounded ceilings with exposed brick peeking through shiny drywall. I was so surprised by the traditional Spanish meal. Eating as late as 9 pm, with small, shareable platters of cold and hot food, like sliced cheese, cured meats, roasted potatoes, and a plate of roasted veggies for me (the only plant-based eater). Despite everything being decently seasoned, I noticed something at the meal that continued the whole trip. There was absolutely no spiciness (I love spicy). None. But it was different and pretty good.
Another thing I did in Madrid was museum visits. I visited Museo del Prado on an absolutely mind-blowing tour. One of the best ways to begin to understand the culture in a foreign country is going to a museum with centuries of art historically made in that country. The Art was phenomenal and revealing. I spent an entire morning and afternoon there and took a long, beautiful scenic walk back to my hotel. I have taken several years of Spanish on and off since elementary school, but I found that when put on the spot, I struggled to speak it. I had my service off because I was international, so I followed instructions given to me by word of mouth, and I reached a point where I was like… “Uh Oh”. As a directionally challenged American with little to no Spanish in Spain, and a paper map (which I must admit was 0 help due to my map illiteracy) I couldn’t help but be concerned. So I stopped in at the only familiar place on that street, Taco Bell. To calm down and cool off, I ordered a small burrito using a kiosk and sat down. I connected to (thank goodness) WIFI. While I was waiting, someone called me up to ask about my meal, it was all in Spanish. “You ordered this burrito, but you said no meat. What else do you want on it?” and like it was natural, I responded in Spanish, “Yes, I would like beans, no meat, and can I get guac?” Like it was nothing. What does it say about me that the only spoken Spanish I could remember on the trip was food related? In all the other interactions I had, I understood about 75% and responded very eloquently with English or a blank face (which I think made people think I couldn’t understand a single word.)
We were in Madrid for two days. I went to the rooftop restaurant because, when in Rome, right? One thing I noticed about Spain was the love of meat. Many of the menus had very few vegetarian meal options on the menu. I had a lot of grilled veggies and potatoes. Additionally, the first night, I realized I had brought the wrong plug converter. Spain uses the two-round pronged plug (I think it is referred to as the EU plug?), but I brought a three-pronged universal converter. A classic “first time in Europe” mistake.
Planning a Trip? You can do Travel shopping using this link!
Stop in Toledo (Not Ohio)
On the road southeast to Valencia, we stopped off in Toledo. Our tour bus stopped outside the gate, and we had to explore on foot. It was a predominately pedestrian city, apparently. An old Roman-built city, with very few buildings with actual A.C. Everywhere you turned, you saw cobblestone roads, hills with scenic views, and adorable, local small businesses. We toured the stunning city, learning about the historically Jewish city, with lovely arches over the walking streets, stone buildings, and sharp turns. The tour guide warned us to keep up because of the small paths and the tight turns, but we still lost someone during our tour. Toledo felt like fresh air. I would love to go back to study more of its history.
Planning a Trip? You can do Travel shopping using this link!
Valencia
Our tour guides compared Valencia’s temperate climate to California. It is Spain’s vacation destination. Something I found fascinating was the fact that many stores were closed. The month of August is vacation season for the city of Valencia; many families close up shop and travel for the whole month. Despite this, there were many places still open. Near our hotel, me and some new travel friends toured the aquarium. It was so hot and large that I thought my feet would ache for days. We also toured the “Old City,” which was pedestrian streets, large squares, old stunning stone buildings, and more. It was on this city tour it got so hot and sunny that I bought a sunhat. I saw a gorgeous huge rubber tree that made me wish my house plant collection would flourish like it was. I loved the oblong, shiny leaves. There were palm trees everywhere, a river that ran through the city, and plenty of awkward stuttering Spanish-speaking attempts (on my part, obviously). On our tour, I finally experienced tapas culture. The vegetarian options were delicious! Yet again, I failed in my quest to find something spicy to eat. I found Valencia to be so much fun, at this point in the trip I made some new friends and we tour the aquarium and hunted for cute food places together.
Planning a Trip? You can do Travel shopping using this link!
Barcelona
On the way to Barcelona (the focus of my dream vacation), we stopped at two places. First, we stopped at an adorable beach town where I saw more shirtless (braless) women than I have ever seen in my life. The particular beach we went to was packed. We didn’t linger long. We stopped and enjoyed some great sandwiches and dessert.
The second stop was a family-owned wine vineyard. It had such rich history, and I learned so many fascinating things about European wine making. I personally don’t drink, but they had alcohol-removed wine that we could taste that was phenomenal (that and sparkling water are habits I took back with me to the States). We loaded up after the wine tasting and drove further up to Barcelona.
Barcelona was intense and beautiful, but I also was terrified of getting pickpocketed. I was warned that it wasn’t just a common occurrence in Barcelona; it was an art. Surprisingly, despite it being elevated to an art form there, I noticed many locals carried tote bags and pouches with open tops. I managed not to get robbed, so that was great. I was ecstatic to be there. To be in Barcelona. So far on this trip, I was “getting by” (using that term very loosely) on the academic Spanish I had in my repertoire. In Barcelona, my luck ran out. Most road signs and people I interacted with spoke Catalan, not Spanish. There were also plenty of English speakers, but interactions beyond the basics I found to be difficult. There are several differences in the hotels in Spain that I had to adjust to when I visited. To turn on the power, I had to leave the room key in a slot by the door. I also would have to plug in the phone for it to be functional. So when the front desk called all of our rooms for a wake-up call? Yeah, I slept straight through because the phone never rang. I missed what I am sure was an amazing tour of the Sagrada Familia (still under construction) and much more. But instead, I read a book, ordered room service, and basked in the view from my king-sized bed I kept all to myself. (Another plus of traveling alone.) I did a lot in Barcelona; I saw a light and water show, learned that the drivers are absolutely crazy, and the native New Yorkers I made friends with on the trip had no qualms about jaywalking—terrifying. I went shopping and found a bag that was admittedly pricey but a perfect birthday gift for myself. I went to a late night (when in Rome, again) delicious pasta dinner with friends at a rooftop restaurant and made plans to see them and travel with them again.
Then on the day of my birthday, I went on a chocolate tour and learned that, yes, chocolate artists famous for making chocolate for 200 years do do it better. On the tour, I made a friend with someone going to school in Chicago. Three hours drive away from me back home in Indianapolis, but I met her in Barcelona, Spain, 4428 miles away from Indianapolis. After the tour, we planned to return (to our separate stays), nap, and rest our pallets after a very rich chocolate tour. I had a total main character moment, effortlessly flagging down a taxi, and, while climbing in, yelling out my Instagram for my new friend to hear so we could meet up later, then asking in practiced Spanish to go to the Catalonia Barcelona Plaza. Then we met up for lunch and wandered the city, looking at shops. The most exciting part of travel for me is noticing the contrast in the streets, the stores, the fashion, and the locals' conversations. I wandered through several Barcelona neighborhoods (still not getting pickpocketed!).
Planning a Trip? You can do Travel shopping using this link!
Although I failed to get a video of me singing “strut” from the cheetah girls while model walking through the streets of Barcelona, this trip was one for the books. I loved traveling with Gate 1, which provides structure and safety in numbers, but also flexibility and freedom as you wander foreign cities. I will always seek out a solo travel experience every once in awhile as it helps you gain confidence in yourself, get to know your self and delve into your surreal current moment facing new sites. I encourage you if you haven’t to do the same.