I’m fortunate enough (or take enough risks) to just go to one city at a time when I travel. I try not to look at it as the one and only chance I have of visiting the area and focus on one place to see the most of it.
I really enjoy getting to know a city, finding out how the locals live and get an idea of what life is really like there. I do this by staying in the same place as much as I can, and the way that I can accomplish this is through a tight budget.
Sleeping
Even if I don’t sleep a lot because there’s always something to do or somewhere to be, I’m not that crazy as to not figure out where to stay. I got to bunk with one of my best friends that lives there and that made me save up a lot of money.
If you have the travel-bug, you probably know this, but it can’t hurt to read it again: couch surfing is a great option. You just have to register in a world network that organizes this kind of exchanges. People will be willing to open their homes to you, as long as you are at least willing to give the same back. It may not even happen, ever, but it is a trusting community, so you should act accordingly. You will get to meet cool people and actually see what living-like-the-locals feels like.
Even if you don’t pay a fee to be able to stay at your host’s house/couch, it is customary that you chip-in for the expenses, even if they don’t ask. Maybe cook a nice meal for them, get dessert, buy a bottle of wine. Something to share a good moment will always be appreciated. The better you behave in these situations, the better ratings you’ll have in the couch surfing network.
Spanish people are very caring and giving, they will love to share meals with you and talk for hours after dinner over a bottle of wine. Take that in, you won’t get it everywhere.
Eating
I enjoyed great meals at my friend’s house and even cook some myself, but I really took advantage of the local food. The food markets have great vendors where you can have Halal food and most other fast food, Halal is just my personal favorite!
What I enjoyed the most, though, were the Tapas. If you are not familiar with them, Tapas are small portions of larger meals, typically served on a piece of bread; for example a piece of Spanish Omelet (tortilla española), or crab salad or anything fried (and delicious!) would be placed on a tasty slice of bread. This is a great filling and comforting meal for when you are bar hopping, another great Spanish Tradition, or as they call it, “ir de copas”. Also, you can walk into a little place, not trendy looking, and still get amazing Tapas and very cheap too!
Sights to see
Most of the sights that I enjoyed in Barcelona were free of charge. Of course that I really like sitting in parks, read and see life go by, but that’s just me.
Barcelona offers the wonderful architecture of Gaudi: La Sagrada Familia, La Pedrera, Park Güel. You can visit the three of them from the outside for free (you can go in Park Güel for free also) and they are wonders themselves.
You can also go on a Free Walking Tour where the tour guides are very knowledgeable and will tell you all about these sites and their history. It is customary to tip the guides since this is the only way they make their money; and it will still be way cheaper than going in the tours. I bet that they’re even more fun!
Other amazing places to walk by and where you’ll see plenty of locals and great street performers are: Barrio Gótico, La Rambla, La Rambla del Raval; and my all-time favorite: the beach. Please don’t miss out on those sunsets sitting in the sand, enjoying a cold beer.
About the author:
Denisse Troconis Aoun is an Online Marketing Consultant. Passionate about US Hispanics & LATAM market – Hispanic Creativity for Latinos! I’m focused. I create. I learn. I grow. I work with iNetGiant.
The money is always an issue when travelling to Europe, it is too expensive just to stay in a hotel and if you´re already going so far you better make it worth it and stay at least a month and go see different cities, if you´re already in the other side of the Ocean. So staying at someone else´s home is a great idea, I´ll check the network to see what I can find, it was a great tip.