Going to Spain in June!

"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
01/18/2018 at 10:47 • Filed to: None

My girlfriend and I are planning another European adventure this year (We did Norway and Italy in 2016). As of this morning, we just booked flights from LAX to Barcelona, Spain. We got a screaming deal of $169 for a direct flight on Iberia. For context, this is an 11 hour 30 minute flight and I have definitely paid more to fly from NJ to CA (a 5 hour domestic flight). Our goal is to spend a few days there before taking a cheap (sub $50) flight to London for the Wimbeldon tennis tournament. No idea how/when we are returning home yet but that is later’s problem. It will certainly cost more but we are waiting on some deals to pop up for early July.

Anyways, now comes time to plan the actual trip. We plan to spend some time in Barcelona of course and then also venture out to explore the countryside via a rental car. I really want to find a Turo equivalent there to rent something better than a shitty diesel hatchback but cheap Euro rentals can be fun in their own way. So if anyone has been to Spain and driven around a bit, what are cool places to go drive around?

A Spanish car would be most appropriate for the journey!

DISCUSSION (48)

adamftw > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/18/2018 at 11:13

Damn, thats a seriously good airfare price. I’m looking to France/Amsterdam in August, prices are nowhere near that.

For Sweden > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/18/2018 at 11:16

Is it an Iberia ticket on Iberia, or an Iberia ticket on Level?

vondon302 > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/18/2018 at 11:17

That’s a screaming deal. Barcelona is great the only day trip we did was to the monastery in the hills with the black Madonna in it (I forget the name) Highly recommend that. Also had our driver drive the old F1 course above town do that to, and oh man the food!

I so want to book a trip this year but garage addition comes first.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > For Sweden
01/18/2018 at 11:24

Uhh an Iberia ticket on Level. Why, is that a bad thing? lol.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > vondon302
01/18/2018 at 11:25

What is Spanish cuisine like anyways? I keep wanting to think its Mexican but fancier but that seems racist lol.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > adamftw
01/18/2018 at 11:27

Well we were solely trying to plan a trip to London. Google flights explore destinations option is always the way to go. Just pick the cheapest place to go from your home to anywhere in Europe. Usually you have to wait a while for a sale of some sort. Then you can easily make a 3-5 day “layover” and then take a cheap regional flight to your final destination. Returning home is trickier and will undoubtedly cost more but a similar approach can work with patience.

WilliamsSW > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/18/2018 at 11:28

I think it’s just a no frills thing - everything is extra. $169 is still a screaming deal though.

WilliamsSW > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/18/2018 at 11:29

Nah - very different, but delicious. Depends on where you’re at - lots of seafood by the coast and the interior is known for beef. Great steaks. Paella, tapas etc.

For Sweden > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/18/2018 at 11:31

What WilliamsSW said

vondon302 > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/18/2018 at 11:35

Tapas

Kinja'd!!!

Just go to a tapas bar and pick out what looks good. Small plates and cheap

WilliamsSW > vondon302
01/18/2018 at 11:39

All of that looks delicious, and I’m sure it is.

RPM esq. > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/18/2018 at 11:50

Delicious and not remotely like Mexican food. Why would it be? Lots of cured meats (the Spanish and Catalonians love cured ham, jamon Iberico, so much that their national soccer team famously flew hundreds of pounds of it to South Africa for the World Cup there) and cheese, excellent grilled seafood near the coast (such as in Barcelona). Best wine of your life for like 10 euros a bottle even in restaurants. They eat dinner incredibly late, so get ready that.

CaptDale - is secretly British > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/18/2018 at 11:50

Nice, sounds like fun!

adamftw > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/18/2018 at 11:51

I’ll have to check this out, thanks man.

RPM esq. > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/18/2018 at 11:58

Make sure you don’t refer to it as Spain while you’re in Catalonia.

I don’t think you’re going to find a Turo equivalent—I’ve tried. But if you do let me know! At least you can easily rent something we don’t get here.

From Barcelona, you can drive to Montserrat, where there’s a cool monastery on a mountainside, or to Figueres for the crazy Salvador Dali museum, or northwest into wine country. But Barcelona is awesome and you may not want to leave town.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > WilliamsSW
01/18/2018 at 11:58

Ahh yeah it seems fine! You had me worried for a second that it would be like Spirit Air or Ryan Air. Those are another level of “budget” flying. This one is more of the equivalent of Norwegian which I flew on last time. Perfectly adequate for a flight, everything I need and nothing I do not need.

Found a comprehensive review:

https://thepointsguy.com/2017/06/level-a330-economy-flight-review/

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > RPM esq.
01/18/2018 at 12:03

Well our current plan is 5 nights in Spain so I can’t really imagine spending the entire time in one place. I enjoy just going for a drive anyways so it would be nice to do a road trip for a day or two out of that portion of the trip. Somewhere into wine country or up the coast more than likely.

WilliamsSW > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/18/2018 at 12:30

That review makes it sound pretty decent - I’m sure they’ve fixed the boarding glitches by now. 30 inch pitch isn’t awesome for such a long flight, but Spirit is somewhere in the 26-28 inch range (I think), I would NOT be able to survive that.

lone_liberal > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/18/2018 at 12:31

I spent a couple of years in Spain but that was Andalusia (the south) and it was a lifetime ago. The food is fantastic and if you want nightlife the party can go on ‘till 7am.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > WilliamsSW
01/18/2018 at 12:35

I’ve survived a Spirit flight, it was pretty terrible though lol. The worst part were that the seat cushions were just not comfortable. I ended up sitting on the pillow I brought to make it livable. Plus I had a middle seat so it was extra uncomfortable for the 5 hour cross country flight. I would not do that again.

I think 12 hours of flying is going to suck no matter what the circumstances. So at least it will have plenty of entertainment and its even cheaper than the Spirit flight! That is what is really making me laugh. That I paid more to fly on the shittiest airline in the world (I have never flown Ryan Air though) to go less than half the distance.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > lone_liberal
01/18/2018 at 12:36

Being up late for me has been anything past 10pm lol. Im sure it will be odd to me eating dinner at that time instead. At least that means places will be REALLY empty in the morning since I doubt most people wake up before noon if that is the case.

WilliamsSW > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/18/2018 at 12:39

Yeah, I have a hard and fast rule about not flying certain airlines (Allegiant and Spirit top that list, Ryanair too).

I’m in my late 40's with some back issues, and I’ve flown on plenty of very long flights in both coach and business. Love business, but I’ve survived coach flights from Europe back to Chicago, and back and forth to Buenos Aires - BA to JFK was something like 11+ hours overnight.

This is a bargain - and Spain is awesome, there’s so much to see and do there!

lone_liberal > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/18/2018 at 12:41

It’s a little different than you expect, or at least it was when and where I was at, since they start work and then take a couple of hours for siesta and then go back and work fairly late. The late dinners were because of that and because of the heat as most Spanish homes weren’t air conditioned and it would get well over 100F in summer.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > WilliamsSW
01/18/2018 at 12:55

I’m still a spring chicken so I’ve got plenty of torture left in me to save a few bucks lol. But yeah I have learned that Spirit airlines is not worth it for sure. It was surprising that the Greyhound bus I took to get to the airport for Spirit was actually quite comfortable in comparison, I slept the whole time comfortably and didnt get mugged/murdered in my sleep!

Surprisingly I decided to ignore this problem again though since I book a flight on allegiant for next weekend for a ski trip. Granted, its only a 1hr 30 min flight so how bad could it be? But I will find out soon enough if it’s going to be rough or not.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > lone_liberal
01/18/2018 at 12:59

The whole lack of air conditioning thing in Europe seems insane to me. But that’s because most of the continent sees much milder summers. I am just used to back in NJ having to keep the AC on from June through August, never turning it off once. Sure I set it to like 85 when Im at work but its absolutely necessary in order to sleep comfortably any night in the summer time.

Now at least in California its dry so I can comfotably do anything in the 80s indoors no problem without needing AC. Its nice to have on 100+ days but not absolutely necessary like in humid places.

DipodomysDeserti > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/18/2018 at 13:04

Catalan cuisine is different from Spanish cuisine which is different from Mexican cuisine. Tapas and paella are my two favorite things to eat in Barcelona.

RPM esq. > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/18/2018 at 13:10

If you want to go overnight and see a bit of France, Marseille is like five hours away up the coast. Valencia is only three hours in the other direction, and considers itself the home of paella and all other forms of Spanish Mediterranean food.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > DipodomysDeserti
01/18/2018 at 13:35

Sounds exciting, I like food of all sorts. Especially when its affordable! Although European portion sizing leaves something to be desired, theres at least always room to try something else too.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > RPM esq.
01/18/2018 at 13:36

Yup, I saw those and thought that could be really good options. Thanks!

rockingthe2 > lone_liberal
01/18/2018 at 15:49

Andalucia and Malaga are awesome. Zoo Dee castillar in Malaga is awesome. As is the aquarium in Valencia.

rockingthe2 > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/18/2018 at 15:50

Most places open between 7 and 9, close after lunch for siesta, then open around 6 or so.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > rockingthe2
01/18/2018 at 16:00

How serious is siesta time? That seems like an absurd but awesome concept lol.

DipodomysDeserti > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/18/2018 at 16:31

Food in Barcelona is pricey, but it is generally pretty good. Jist make sure you’re eating at the Catalan owned joints and not the Russian/English owned ones.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > DipodomysDeserti
01/18/2018 at 16:48

Haha the russian food places in Europe always make me laugh. But by pricey, do you mean by US standards or by European standards? I assume it will be like Italy where the touristy places in Rome were similar to eating in NY or SF but go off the beaten path a bit and then it was really cheap and authentic.

rockingthe2 > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/18/2018 at 17:47

in barcalona ? Probably not too bad. Anywhere else and you will go hungry if you arent careful.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > rockingthe2
01/18/2018 at 18:26

Haha true, especially with being whacked out of time zone jet lag, I definitely will want to eat at random hours. So yeah I have to keep that in mind if I get hungry midday.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/18/2018 at 20:54

barcelona is bueatiful. I have to return. One suggestion is get the rental with insurance. we were visiting our exchange students family and riding with them and someone tapped our hosts car. “aren’t you going to exchange info?” “we don’t bother for minor stuff like that”

His Stigness > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/19/2018 at 01:08

Try as I might I couldn’t find a clip of Vince Vaughn saying Barcelona wrong. Damn it.

DipodomysDeserti > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/19/2018 at 09:37

Pricey by US standards. Middle of the road to cheaper by Euro standards. Cheaper than London but pricier than Prague.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
01/19/2018 at 10:38

I wish they would charge a flat fee instead of daily fee for insurance. It always seems to cost more than the actual daily rate which is absurd. It seems more logical to just rely on my own insurance at that point. Alternatively, insurance based on the value of the car would be fine. They seem to charge the same amount regardless if its a $10k subcompact or $40k luxury car. It was the same deal in Rome, just had to make it out of the city and then people drove somewhat normal. Or at least it wasnt any worse than I am used to in the States. I suppose thats how I know NJ/NY drivers are bad, when driving in Rome feels perfectly normal.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > His Stigness
01/19/2018 at 10:40

Idk how you could screw up the pronunciation. Barkeeloona?

His Stigness > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/19/2018 at 11:36

People pronounce it with a “th” instead of an S sound. It’s funny as shit when Vaughn does it, but I just couldn’t find a clip.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > His Stigness
01/19/2018 at 11:48

Ohhh now I know exactly what you are talking about

Pistol Whipped Cream > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/23/2018 at 16:40

Spain is great! We did Madrid 3 years ago and I’m glad we saw that before visiting Barcelona. We are hoping to get out to Barcelona, Belgium and Amsterdam in late April.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Pistol Whipped Cream
01/23/2018 at 16:53

Any idea what makes Madrid different from Barcelona? We have 4 whole days there plus travel so we are looking to add on something other than just Barcelona while in Spain. My vote is exploring some wine country but a quick train ride over to Madrid isnt a bad idea either.

Pistol Whipped Cream > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/24/2018 at 11:03

Madrid has a few museums if you are into that sort of thing. Also the Churros and Chocolate are delicious. In all honesty, if you aren’t into museums you could see Madrid in 1/2 day-1 day. June will be the perfect time to be in Barcelona, I would just spend a day relaxing at the beach if I was you.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Pistol Whipped Cream
01/24/2018 at 11:16

The only thing is I HATE crowds. So I just need to find a quieter beach, some of the google photos of beaches I have looked up are like my worst nightmare. Its like going to the beach on fourth of july in NJ, its just a terrible idea. My favorite beaches have like a dozen people per sq mile max lol.

Pistol Whipped Cream > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
01/24/2018 at 11:17

Hmm... beachin’ it in Barcelona in June might not be your thing. Wine country it is!