If it cost the same, what would you rather spend – 7 days in San Francisco or 7 days in Madrid? I know what we chose for our special occasion vacation. Here are my TRAVEL TIPS so YOU can create special memories abroad with your loved ones too–on a budget and without sacrificing your travel experience.
“You’re only going for a week? It must cost a fortune!”
Translation – if it’s far away on another continent it must be too expensive to travel to, especially for only 7 days. It must be cheaper to stay closer to home (but is it, really?). Flying off for a week somewhere faraway is for the rich and indulgent.
Well, I’m not a rich jetsetter. I’m just a regular career girl with a passion for travel. I make travel a priority. I travel to learn. I travel to connect with the world I live in.
And most importantly, I don’t feel guilty about spending money on travel nor do I fear it; travel is the one thing I spend money on where I gain long term dividends paid back in memories and moments, knowledge and education. That’s what matters to me.
So I save in shopping, drive an old car, have an affordable mortgage (house rich, cash poor doesn’t sound enticing to me) and I make time for my passion.
When it was time to book a trip for our 5th Wedding Anniversary, my husband and I took the time to research the best option within our budget.
After two months of headache inducing, torturous research analyzing historical weather data (these Canadians want sun dammit!), looking at the length of travel time, the total cost and teetering back and forth between San Francisco and various destinations in Europe AND Asia–“um, Bangkok or Taipei? Or maybe the south of Italy? Nah, let’s go to Hong Kong. Wait a second, how about Barcelona?”–we chose MADRID.
Because it was one of the cheapest options, gave us the most value for money, on a different continent and a city we hadn’t visited.
Spending a week in San Francisco for that exact same week would have cost us the same amount. And it’s only a 2.5 hour flight from us.
What?!
With this deal to Madrid, we were flying to a different continent, experiencing a different culture AND would have better weather, than flying somewhere closer to home.
BOOM! That’s why we spend so much time researching.
We’ve gone on long trips before so a 13.5-hour journey to Madrid vs. a 2.5 hour journey to San Francisco wouldn’t be an issue for us.
Wanderlusters, especially independent travellers looking to fly away to a different continent, will understand this manic obsession during the all-important ‘research phase’. It’s important we get the most bang for our buck (we are Indian after all), and decent accommodations in the right location, especially near a metro.
For us, this usually involves a lot of Googling, a lot of reading, Excel spreadsheets, scribbled down notes comparing prices, two to three months of research – and side effects that may cause headaches, frustration and a loss of excitement. And this is without taking any prescribed medications. If you’re travelling solo, the decision making process will be shorter. But when you have a spouse – well, there are a lot of opinions, different interests and compromising to deal with.
There are times when I’ve hit the “Book” button and I don’t even care. Until the day I walk through those airport doors–with a little swagger, a little bounce, and a whole lot of confidence. My body just knows; I’m relaxed and know I’m in the right place.
Because it’s my passion.
We only had one week to spare. Could we make Madrid work? Will it feel too rushed? Whenever we’ve gone to Europe or Asia, we’ve stayed for a minimum of two to three weeks, never only one week.
Here are Desi Globetrotter’s tips for travelling to Madrid for 7 days – on a budget and without feeling rushed:
Search for Travel Promo Coupon Codes Before Booking
After comparison-shopping on various booking sites we came across our package deal for Madrid on Travelocity. We researched the hotel’s location, knew it was central and close to transit, read reviews and when we were about to book, my husband typed in Travel Promo Codes for Travelocity into Google and we found a valid one. If you’re not carefully looking, these coupon codes can be often missed even on the site itself. Most are sent to subscribers in e-newsletters and even then, how many people hit the delete button on this junk mail.
Tip: Google for a promo code before checking out with your final payment online.
We did – saving another $100.00 on this already awesome deal.
Book Shoulder Season or Off Season
Our anniversary is at the end of October, a usually colder time in northern Europe so we chose Southern Europe. Although Madrid is prone to rain during this month, we lucked out, perhaps thanks to global warming. During the week of October 18-25, Madrid was filled with sunshine, 25-30 C of warmth, and filled up sidewalk patios. Beats the rain in Vancouver. Two years ago when we travelled to Turkey in October, the same thing happened. We were hit with unexpected sunshine and warm weather outside the normal tourism season.
You may not always be lucky with weather, but what you can count on are less tourists and lower prices.
Slow Down & Stay Put in One Place
I’m not going to lie. Travelling to Europe from North America for only one week can be exhausting. There were some nights where we had trouble sleeping, our luggage didn’t make it until the next day and we almost missed our connecting flight.
No matter what your mind is telling you, slow down and stay put in one place. Thinking of spending 2 days in Madrid, 3 days in Barcelona and 2 days in Toledo? Forget about it, no matter what your itchy feet are telling you. We trained ourselves to do this for this particular trip.
You want to get the most out of your trip–I get it; especially if it’s your first time, but rushing through 3 or 4 cities in 7 days will only leave you with a blurred image of Spain. You will be tired and irritated.
Slow down. Don’t overschedule. Although we were thinking of doing a day trip on one of our 7 days, we didn’t. We were having such a good time exploring Madrid, we stayed put for the whole week.
Focus on Experiences – Not Sights
For a memorable time on a short 7-day long haul travel trip for a special occasion– focus on experiences, not sight seeing.
On our 7-day trip to Madrid, we experienced:
- A private tapas tour with a local taking us to places we wouldn’t have found ourselves.
- Went to our first live European football game to experience the fan atmosphere in a stadium and watched a second game in bar filled with chanting fans.
- Felt the heat and passion of flamenco up close and personal in the front row of a small tavern.
- Rented cruiser bikes and leisurely rode around Parque del Retiro on the afternoon of our anniversary.
- Relaxed in an underground, candle-lit Hammam, built on top of a century old well, soaking our sore muscles in hot and cold baths.
- Experienced the “Taste of Madrid” food festival featuring the best of the best tapas in the city. After all, food is a way to understand cultures.
- Relaxed on outdoor patios in the sunshine, watching the world go by. Or at least, watching Madridelenos walk by.
Experiences are about the feelings and meaning you want out of your trip. Sightseeing is about inanimate things and checking off lists, void of feelings and meaning you want to experience.
Instead of shopping or visiting every single museum or historical building in the city, experiences like taking a cooking class, a language class, watching a dance performance, going on a bike or walking tour of hidden areas and enjoying special events and festivals abroad can make for enriching memories.
Travelling abroad for a short trip, especially for a special occasion, doesn’t have to be a daunting task. And you don’t have to just settle for the nearest place to you.
With some research, applying a few travel tips and focusing on experiences, you too can have a memorable time with your loved ones.
