TICE TRAVEL TIME • SPAIN

Spain

From the Basque Country and the Camino de Santiago to Mediterranean islands and vibrant cities, Spain has so many different sides to explore.

Spain is the country I know best because I actually lived there. I spent a year in Bilbao, traveled around the Basque Country, walked the Camino de Santiago, and took a four-day trip to Mallorca. I’ve pulled those guides together here so you can go straight to the part of Spain you’re planning.

WHY SPAIN DESERVES MORE THAN ONE TRIP

Spain is one of those countries that gets better the longer you stay.

The Camino de Santiago was my first solo trip, and later I moved to Bilbao for a year. That meant Spain became more than somewhere I visited. I had routines, favorite spots, visa paperwork, grocery stores, train routes, weekend trips, and all the normal parts of life that you never really see on a short vacation.

Most of what you’ll find below comes from that time. I’m focusing on the places and experiences I actually know well instead of trying to cover every part of Spain.

PICK WHERE YOU’RE HEADED

Explore Spain

From walking the Camino de Santiago to exploring the Basque Country and island hopping in Mallorca, these are the places and experiences that made Spain so special to me.

START IN NORTHERN SPAIN

The Basque Country

Bilbao was home for a year, so this is the part of Spain I know best. I spent a lot of time in Bilbao and San Sebastián, learned bits of Euskara, and tried plenty of local food and drinks along the way.

If you’re heading to northern Spain, start here. These are the guides I would send a friend before their trip.

WALK ONE OF SPAIN’S MOST ICONIC ROUTES

El Camino de Santiago

The Camino de Santiago was my first solo trip. I was excited, nervous, and definitely learned a few things the hard way once I started walking.

Most of my Camino posts answer the exact questions I had before I left: what to pack, how hard it is, what it costs, which route to choose, when to go, where to get food and water, how to deal with blisters, and what daily life on the Camino actually looks like.

The Journey, Drawn One Detail at a Time

On every trip, I try to bullet journal the details as I go. From where I eat and where I stay to the routes I take and the little moments I do not want to forget. I worked on this journal throughout my Camino, so it became a true visual record of the journey: each stop, distance, albergue, and day along the way.

Bullet journaling is an essential part of how I travel. Looking back at these pages takes me straight down memory lane, but I also love that everything from the trip is collected in one place. If you are planning your own Camino, I hope this can work as a detailed guide and give you a real sense of what the journey can look like day by day before you take on such an incredibly life-changing walk.

Watch before you walk

These are the Camino videos I’d watch while planning and packing.

See what the Camino actually looks like

What I packed for the Camino

Camino packing tips

Plan Your Camino

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Camino Life & Essentials

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Routes & Places

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ESCAPE TO THE MEDITERRANEAN

Mallorca

I only had four days in Mallorca, so I tried to see a lot without spending the whole trip in transit. I visited Palma, Sóller, Valldemossa, and the Cuevas del Drach.

If you’re planning a shorter Mallorca trip, my itinerary shows exactly how I fit it together, and the cave guide goes deeper on one of the stops I was most excited to see.

See what four days in Mallorca can look like

WHAT IT’S LIKE TO LIVE IN SPAIN

Living in Spain

Moving to Spain was a completely different experience from traveling there. I had to figure out the student visa, paperwork, housing, and all the little logistics you don’t think about until you’re actually trying to build a life abroad.

These posts are the practical side of that experience and are the ones I’d start with if you’re thinking about studying or living in Spain.