Spain

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Every Spain guide I’ve written is below. New Spain posts will show up here automatically.