2008 Woodie Awards
Barcelona worth every euro, even with just a few
Angela Almaguer
Issue date: 7/24/08 Section: City Style
BARCELONA, Spain-- If you find yourself not appreciating your life as much as you should, backpack through Europe with minimal money and you will find that even items like water and bread will become luxuries when you come home.
Five months ago, a friend and I decided to buy a round-trip ticket to Spain and travel through Europe for a month with a backpack and our walking shoes.
It is appropriate to say that the trip was amazing and horrific at the same time.
First off, staying in a hostel is a different experience because of the simple fact that a room is shared with a minimum of 16 other people in bunk-beds. Community showers forced us to shower with our sandals on and privacy is rare.
On the upside, you are put in a room with other struggling students from all around the world. Just the people alone brought a deeper meaning to the term "culture shock."
Once the awkwardness of the hostels wears off, the other thing you need to worry about is budgeting your money.
It is easy to forget that for every one euro, it is $1.60 here. So your money is almost cut in half.
To put it into perspective, 200 euros adds up to be about $315. Sometimes for us, eating a full meal was a rare luxury and even then we were down to eating apples and peanut butter for lunch and dinner.
As for the trip itself, it would be wise to leave at least a week open for Barcelona, just off the northeast coast of Spain.
We initially planned to stay there four days and ended up staying about two weeks. The beach city had a good mix of travelers and locals all making sure that Barcelona remains relaxed with a hint of fun-filled clubs.
Not only is the beach beautiful, but the architecture that surrounds the city is breathtaking. Architect Antoni Gaudi left his mark from the 1800s all over Barcelona with a gothic feel to many still-existing buildings.
Be sure to take advantage of Spain's wonderful train systems that can take you to other small cities for a cheap day trip.
Some people travel with suitcases and hotels. That's fine if you're intentions are leisure time and sightseeing.
For us, we had one main intention on our trip: experience life for what it is with the bare minimum. May 28-June 30 was a trip of a lifetime and I would not have changed any part of it.
Five months ago, a friend and I decided to buy a round-trip ticket to Spain and travel through Europe for a month with a backpack and our walking shoes.
It is appropriate to say that the trip was amazing and horrific at the same time.
First off, staying in a hostel is a different experience because of the simple fact that a room is shared with a minimum of 16 other people in bunk-beds. Community showers forced us to shower with our sandals on and privacy is rare.
On the upside, you are put in a room with other struggling students from all around the world. Just the people alone brought a deeper meaning to the term "culture shock."
Once the awkwardness of the hostels wears off, the other thing you need to worry about is budgeting your money.
It is easy to forget that for every one euro, it is $1.60 here. So your money is almost cut in half.
To put it into perspective, 200 euros adds up to be about $315. Sometimes for us, eating a full meal was a rare luxury and even then we were down to eating apples and peanut butter for lunch and dinner.
As for the trip itself, it would be wise to leave at least a week open for Barcelona, just off the northeast coast of Spain.
We initially planned to stay there four days and ended up staying about two weeks. The beach city had a good mix of travelers and locals all making sure that Barcelona remains relaxed with a hint of fun-filled clubs.
Not only is the beach beautiful, but the architecture that surrounds the city is breathtaking. Architect Antoni Gaudi left his mark from the 1800s all over Barcelona with a gothic feel to many still-existing buildings.
Be sure to take advantage of Spain's wonderful train systems that can take you to other small cities for a cheap day trip.
Some people travel with suitcases and hotels. That's fine if you're intentions are leisure time and sightseeing.
For us, we had one main intention on our trip: experience life for what it is with the bare minimum. May 28-June 30 was a trip of a lifetime and I would not have changed any part of it.
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