This chapter in our cheapskate travels takes place in Barcelona, and my sister joined me on this trip. Instead of taking the train, as I did to get to Paris, we flew to Barcelona on Ryan Air. If it weren’t for the volcanic eruption in Iceland, our trip likely would have gone off without a hitch. Natural disasters, however, tend to disrupt travel plans. Fortunately, my sister is a wonderful and entertaining traveling companion, and that’s something you can’t put a price on.

Our flight was cancelled. Twice. And there was a strike in Paris (again) so all international trains, in addition to flights, were at a standstill. I didn’t bother standing in line at the car rental agency. We couldn’t get a bus home early enough either, so we turned to the last resort and called our parents (who were also on holiday) and conned/begged them into making a detour from Italy down to Barcelona to drive us all back to Germany again.

We were lucky. Extending a vacation can burn a hole in your pocket. Some people we met in the Hostel were forced to set up camp for the week because they couldn’t get home.

Plans are never a sure thing, especially when it comes to traveling. Keeping that in mind, here are the costs as they would have been, minus the volcano.

Transportation

For two of us, 2-way plane tickets from Frankfurt Hahn to Barcelona came out to €150 (about $210 USD), including the cost of checking one bag. If you haven’t heard of Ryan Air, their name is synonymous with cheap, short-hop flights throughout Europe. Their airports are in remote locations (we had to bus from Girona airport into Barcelona), but the tickets are cheap. If you book far enough in advance, they can be as cheap as €3 per person.

Two things to watch for: you must pay to check each additional bag, and rates tend to rise slightly in the summer. They also rise as your date of departure gets closer, so book in advance!

Lodging

We stayed in a Hostel again. It was about €150 total, about €25 per person per night. The Caulaincourt Hostel in Paris was the same price. While they were about the same cost, the Alberguinn Youth Hostel in Barcelona was cleaner, newer, had a bigger common area, and the staff was far more helpful than in Paris. I recommend Alberguinn to any travelers headed to Barcelona.

It’s difficult to tell how good a hostel will be if you are just looking online. Reviews are helpful, but there are two sides to every story. My advice is to look for hi-quality photos of the place and try to gauge it’s location in the city. If located close to downtown, or the beach, lodging prices will be steeper. The ones I choose are typically removed from the city center, yet still close to the metro. That way they are can be good but still cheap.

I find that there is also a relationship between how early you have to reserve space in a hostel and how well the place is kept. If one hostel is full-up for the next week, while another has plenty of space for tomorrow, try to get into the one that’s full-up. That one is a safer bet for a restful night’s sleep.

Food

Cooking our own dinner in the hostel proved to be a worthy endeavor. Five of us got together for €3 each and had a healthy, home-cooked meal of chicken, rice, and vegetables bought from the market down the street. The produce in Spain is very fairly priced.

For those who prefer to tour a city on foot, like myself, bread and cheese is simple, wholesome nourishment. When an entire loaf of bread costs €2 and there are a multitude of bakeries, it’s hard to resist the simplicity and thrift of a sandwich on the move.

If you’re looking for something a little more filling, the Travel Bar offers a Paella Cooking Class for €18 per person (Scout’s honor, that’s how much I paid. Don’t believe the website. Believe the flyers in your hostel.)

Not only did I get the recipe for Paella, I met some cool people and drank my money’s worth in Sangria.

Culture

I leave you with some cultural insight that my keen travelers eyes discovered.

Barcelona is the capital of the province of Catalonia in northeastern Spain. Catalonia’s cultural heritage is unique from the rest of Spain, and it doesn’t take long for any visitor to learn. Not only does the region have it’s own language, Catalan, but Catalonia’s autonomy from Spain is so deeply embedded in Catalonian culture that you can read it, not only in the history books, but also on the stones:

If you find yourself in Barcelona, and you want to learn something the stones can’t teach you, check out the Cooking Class and other sweet deals the Travel Bar has to offer, like the Free Walking Tour (which was excellent, thanks to our tour guide, Colin), or the Bike Tour. Or search for great deals on your own. They’re out there, I promise you.

Departing Remarks

Next time I will be writing from Venice, where I can glean new culturual insights and probably ride in a gondola. In the meantime, tell us your travel stories, how to save a buck, and the best deals you’ve found in your favorite cities using the comment form below!