6 Tips For a Better Holiday to Spain
Holidays and Trips

A holiday to Spain is so popular for a reason - it’s routine at this point. The country offers incredible weather, culture, and food, and delivers reliably. It’s a safe place to holiday, yet it’s common to get complacent because of this. It can become too routine, and we forget how we can truly get the most out of our Spanish holiday. Below are 6 tips to keep in mind when booking some time off in Spain.

Renting a car

Organising how you will be getting around is an important part of holiday planning. Spain is a large country with, let’s face it, average public transport at best. Of course, if you're heading to Barcelona or Madrid then their metro systems are great. But anywhere else and it wouldn't be wise to rely on buses and such.

ROIG'S car rental at Mallorca airport is one example of how to bring convenience to your holiday. Even if you believe that you can grab an affordable taxi from the airport to the villa or hotel, you won't be able to go on all the day trips that Spain is great for. It's a mountainous country with picturesque villages and hidden beaches - you'll have to find these with a car.

Timing

Whilst some of us aren't flexible with when we can go on holiday, those that are should really consider going against the grain of Spanish summer holidays. Firstly, temperatures are set to hit 40°C in the UK - do we really need to be sun-chasing this summer? Secondly, it's a lot cheaper to head there outside of school holidays.

April, May, September, and October are 4 months where prices are lower for a holiday. On top of this, these are the months the UK has very unreliable weather, where it could be 25°C or it could be 15°C, while Spain has sunny-but-not-unbearable weather.

Head Inland

There are a lot of Brits in Spain, but very rarely do they head to anywhere other than the Spanish South and East coast - or one of the islands. But, heading inland can bring unique holiday experiences, from lowkey authentic dishes to very cheap villages without a single tourist. Your Spanish speaking may be a bit more important here, but you'll get by.

If you are heading to the likes of Mallorca, again, it's worth checking out some of the villages in the mountains that aren't situated right on the beaches.

Stay flexible

The traditional way to book a holiday is to rent a villa or book a hotel for a week or so. One place in which you bring a giant suitcase of stuff to anchor to. However, packing light (i.e. a 40L backpack or under) per person can be a game changer. Not just because it's easier to maneuver around an airport and save costs on checking luggage in, but it means you're less fixed in one spot. Why not divide the week into 2 hotels in different towns? Or an Airbnb villa followed by the convenience of a luxury hotel?

This is a bit more of a challenge with a big family and children, granted. But you have to ask yourself if a 10-day holiday ever got boring towards the end, or if you would have gotten more out of it had you divide your time into two different places.

When and when not to use AirBnB

AirBnB isn’t part of our childhood trips to Spain, so should we switch and start using it? Well, AirBnB can be incredible, but it’s not always better.

Although simplistic, we can consider AirBnB to be more useful when booking with a large family or friends. This is because the cost of a larger place can be split, making it more economical than a hotel. Plus, AirBnB usually takes a smaller commission than travel agencies, which is why booking a whole villa can be cheaper here than through a traditional method (not to mention faster bookings, too).

It’s easy to then become reliant on AirBnB, but that would be a mistake. Hotels have become a little less fashionable, but we need to be reminded of the value they provide. For a couple, a hotel may be cheaper than a private apartment. For the same money, you may get a better-furnished hotel room with daily cleaning services, free tea and coffee, better security, possibly a free breakfast, and a reception that may be very helpful to you - lots of value here.

Decide on priorities when looking at regions

Finally, you really need to refine down what you’re looking to be doing on a day-to-day basis; what are the priorities? If you’re into your culture, you may want to go somewhere with fewer tourists. This means putting more effort into finding smaller named neighborhoods, yet sticking to historical places like Barcelona and Bilbao.

Beach-goers have a lot of choices, so it’s best to think of a second priority instead of sticking with that. Do you also want to be doing water sports? A better alternative to Park Holidays? Perhaps you would like to catch a football game at a legendary stadium, or visit museums in the daytime? Or, consider what kind of foods you enjoy, as cuisines differ from region to region. For sunbathers, you may want to consider being in the north during summer; the south can simply be too hot to sunbathe in.

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