independent, intentional travel
In a few weeks, I’ll be setting off to visit three new countries ๐ which has me reflecting on what I’ve learned from the 34 I’ve visited so far. While you can do your research before your trip, there are some things you can only learn once you arrive somewhere — and that’s one of my favorite things about traveling!
So, here are just five little quirks I’ve learned from visiting five different countries. [Read more…]
I’ve lived in Spain for almost five years of my life at this point, but I still try to seek out new experiences whenever I can. Just a few weeks ago, I had the chance to try something completely new to me — not just in Spain, but in my life in general: playing bingo at a casino.
In the U.S., all my experiences playing bingo were at, like, church picnics or silly college campus events. And in the U.S., I’ve never been to a casino, unless you count the lobby of Las Vegas hotels on family vacations, or the slot machines at the Las Vegas airport. Needless to say… I had never actually gambled before.
But this new experience in Spain combined playing bingo, being at the casino, and gambling.
If you want to try playing bingo in Spain, here’s everything you need to know. [Read more…]
Over Easter weekend, I had the chance to visit Valencia, Spain, for the second time! Back in 2019, I went with my friend Morgan during spring break — so, also in April — it was a great time of the year for a visit. Since Matt had never been, we decided to take a quick two-hour train ride up the coast from Alicante to Valencia to spend a few days.
I remember enjoying the city during my first trip, so I was curious to see what it was like on my second visit. Here’s my review of Valencia, Spain, and everything you’ll want to know before planning a trip of your own. [Read more…]
Since I got diagnosed with celiac disease two months ago, I’ve so far only experienced what it’s like to be celiac in Alicante, Spain.
Matt and I were reflecting on this the other day — when we go back to the U.S. for Christmas, it’s going to be like starting over again. Reading new labels on familiar foods at the grocery store, looking for the gluten-free symbol on menus at favorite restaurants. But for now, I’ve gotten pretty comfortable eating gluten free in Alicante!
I’ve found several guides for gluten-free eating in different cities in Spain, but I didn’t see one for Alicante. So I thought I’d write it myself — with plenty of updates to come! [Read more…]
At our apartment in Alicante, we’re lucky enough to have a balcony that looks out over the Mediterranean Sea. ๐ (Being from Missouri I still can’t believe I just wrote that sentence.) And while we love overlooking all the port activity, sailing lessons, and cruise ships, there’s something else pretty interesting that we’re able to see out in the distance on a clear day — the Spanish island of Tabarca.
This summer, we’ve set out for Tabarca twice. First, we rented a boat with a private company since Matt has his Spanish boater’s license. But we learned there are some unique pitfalls to doing it that way — like the fact that you can’t pull into port on the island if you’re just visiting. So for our second visit, we decided to take the ferry along with most people who visit Tabarca.
Here’s what you need to know to plan your own Tabarca Island ferry trip from Alicante! [Read more…]
With last Thursday being Thanksgiving in the U.S., we decided to take advantage of the holiday by taking a day trip from Alicante to Albacete — about an hour away by train, halfway between here and Madrid.
To be completely honest, Albacete is a city I’d never really heard of and never really thought about. Even when you search Google Images for pictures of Albacete, most of the photos are of picturesque pueblos in the surrounding areas. But something about its somewhat forgotten status, along with the fact that it seems to be a place you pass through on the way to other places, gave me the idea that it might be something like the American Midwest. Flyover country, as we often hear.
Those of us from the Midwest, though, know that it’s full of hidden gems and places waiting to be discovered, if only people were to give them a chance. So… is Albacete worth visiting? Keep reading for my verdict. [Read more…]
If you’ve ever done a Google Images search for “Barcelona,” then you’ve undoubtedly seen the picture: a spiky-looking cathedral perched on a hill, a golden statue of Jesus with his arms outstretched, Rio-de-Janeiro style, balanced on top.
With this in mind, you couldn’t be blamed for assuming this is one of Barcelona’s most important icons. (Last year when I had a countdown to a Barcelona trip on my phone, even I was suckered in to selecting a photo of this church to go along with the countdown, despite knowing nothing about it. The photo was so pretty though, and the sunset made it extra dramatic.)
But the truth is that this church isn’t one of Barcelona’s most famous, and most visitors to the city never actually venture out to see it. I’d been to Barcelona four or five times and knew this church existed but had no idea what it was called or how to get there. Until our most recent visit, when we had a free day, and I decided I was finally going to figure it out. [Read more…]
While I’ve been to Barcelona about four or five times now, my most recent visit was extra special — Matt and I got married in the countryside of Catalonia, and our families were in town with us in Barcelona for a few days! Not long after meeting up with my parents, my mom mentioned that she wanted to visit Montserrat, but she couldn’t figure out the best way to get there. After a little bit of research, we decided to book a Barcelona to Montserrat tour that also included tapas and wine tasting.
So the next morning, we set off on our excursion from Barcelona — and we had such a good day and learned so much! Here’s exactly what our day looked like, if you’re interested in the same Barcelona to Montserrat tour. [Read more…]
If you’ve recently arrived in Spain for your holiday in Benidorm, you may have noticed that Benidorm doesn’t have its own airport — instead, you flew into Alicante. While you likely hopped on a bus or grabbed a taxi up to Benidorm, Alicante has plenty to see and do as well! So if you’re interested in doing a bit of exploring, hereโs what you need to know about taking a day trip from Benidorm to Alicante. [Read more…]
When I lived in Madrid, one of my favorite things to do when I had a free weekend was take a day trip from Madrid to another city. Now that we’re based in Alicante, we want to do the same thing! A few weeks ago we spent an afternoon in Elche, and last week we finally visited the city of Murcia.
Here’s what you need to know about taking a day trip from Alicante to Murcia. [Read more…]