Yes. I went alone.
No. It was not scary.
Yes! It was the most incredible trip of my life.

If I told you about my travels through Spain + Portugal it would literally sound like it came out of a storybook. Instead of making you jealous of my trip, I will give you my two cents, highlights and my overall experience as a young beautiful gal travelling alone.

If we were meant to stay in one place we’d have roots instead of feet

To begin, you may ask how I managed to only spend $4500 on a month-long trip.. tbh it could have been less but I managed to shop like a maniac and resulted in purchasing an extra luggage. I waited for the perfect price to purchase my ticket.. and we all know it’s cheaper to fly on a Tuesday or Wednesday. I stayed in hostels, saved $$ by sleeping in till it was time for lunch, and many times I made my own bfast, lunch n dinner.

Pre-trip planning tips and tricks:

• • Flying on a Tuesday/Wednesday is always cheaper.
  • Reviews through Hostel World are great! BUT book your hostels through Booking.com because they don’t charge you a deposit.
  • Amazing hostels book up amazingly fast, so I booked all my accommodations before I left, b/c it’s easier to say “f*ck it” while traveling than “oh f*ck”. Each night is only $10-$20 a night.
  • Book hostels with complimentary breaky.
  • Book a hostel that has a curtain for your bed. It matters. Trust me when I tell you that thin sheet of fabric hanging next to your face is a blessed gift from the Gods.
  • I searched up bloggers, read their blogs, and emailed them. [if they don’t reply then they don’t reply]
  • Watched Youtube videos.
  • Followed local people on Instagram with amazing photos of their city. This helped get me pumped for my trip every time I saw their photos.

Trip duration: 1 Month
Total cost of trip: $4,511
Cities visited: 5
Favourite destinations: Barcelona + Lagos

Barcelona [bar-th-e-lone-a] – City of lisps. If you have a lisp you should move to Spain.

In Barcelona, I was given the privilege to attend Barcelona Bridal Fashion Week for work. That experience alone quickly made Barcelona my favourite city without even having visited any other city. I made amazing friends, met two incredible food + fashion bloggers, and fell in love (with the city).

Hostel: St. Christopher’s Inn
Instagram account(s) to follow:
@StyleByBru
@Albavicario

Ibiza [e-bee-tha] – Some say it’s a party island.
Didn’t take any pills, but was mesmerized by the incredible beaches.

Hotel: Jet Apartments, Playa D’en Bossa
Instagram account(s) to follow:
@White_Ibiza
@JoJo_Stagram
@HotYogaIbiza
@PassionCafe

Madrid [mah-th reeth] – Churros.
It rained for the three days I was there but I made great friends. Spent 2 hrs inside Primark and bought doughnut duvet covers lol.

Hostel: Way Hostel
Instagram account(s) to follow:
@19agc

Lagos [la-go-sh] – Everything was perfect.
I absolutely fell in love with this surf town. My hostel was perfect and was what pushed me to extend my stay here. It felt like home here.

Hostel: Boutique Tag Hostel
Instagram account(s) to follow:
I didn’t follow any accounts here. A friend told me it was beautiful here and I just followed my heart.

 

Lisbon aka Lisboa [liz-buh-n] – Cute boys. Lots of cute boys.
Loved the boys and the city haha. I felt a bit sick so I didn’t have time to visit Belem, but I put my big girl pants on and visited a few places on my “must do” list.

Hostel: Yes! Hostel Lisbon
Instagram account(s) to follow:
@Plavinha

This trip was a graduation gift to myself and if I had the choice to go on this trip with someone or alone, I would still choose to go alone in a heartbeat. I learned so much about myself through my experiences and all the wonderful people I met along the way. I can’t wait for my next trip! Any suggestions? 😉