{"id":2061,"date":"2014-04-03T12:00:15","date_gmt":"2014-04-03T12:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/?p=2061"},"modified":"2014-03-31T14:10:14","modified_gmt":"2014-03-31T14:10:14","slug":"top-10-things-to-pack-for-a-spanish-vacation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/top-10-things-to-pack-for-a-spanish-vacation\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 10 Things To Pack for a Spanish Vacation"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re heading to Spain in the near future, please take me with you! As one of my favourite places in the world, I\u2019ve visited it many times, and picked up a few hints along the way \u2013 which I will gladly pass on to you good folks.<\/p>\n

But first off, the key to really appreciating the Spanish culture, country, and cuisine is understanding its history, religion, and language. Brush up on those, follow the following tips, and you\u2019ll be right as rain\u2026 talking of which:<\/p>\n

1. The Rain In Spain Falls Mainly In Andalucia<\/b><\/h3>\n

Depending on when and where you\u2019re heading in Spain, check the forecasts for that time of year, as it can be quite temperamental \u2013 and you\u2019ll need to pack accordingly.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re travelling in summer it\u2019s pretty much guaranteed to be hot, but a small umbrella can be handy when hit by a massive deluge, especially in the north, but equally as important is high factor sun screen lotion \u2013 which is really needed here, and is really expensive!<\/p>\n

In other words, pack for the season, and the region.<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>

Photo by Tom\u00e1s Fano<\/p><\/div>\n

2. Fanfare<\/b><\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re heading to Spain in summer, you\u2019ll be prepared for some heat, but a travel fan (you can find these on Amazon) can make all the difference, especially when you\u2019re travelling on a budget, and none of the rooms have air-con or any cooling apparatus \u2013 these events are based on a true story!<\/p>\n

3. Carry On<\/b><\/h3>\n

You\u2019ve heard it all before, that bag snatchers can be an issue in some parts of Spain, and although it\u2019s true, there\u2019s nothing to be scared of, just be sensible!<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re going to be wandering around all day, take a zipped bag which you can wear over your shoulders, so it\u2019s not easy to snatch \u2013 and more importantly, keep a strap wrapped round you wherever you are.<\/p>\n

Some people suggest religious badges\/icons pinned to your bags to deter any devout criminals, but in our experience these are unlikely to make a difference to someone who really needs the money!<\/p>\n

Padlocks for bags are also a good idea, even if you are leaving them in secure accommodation when you go out.<\/p>\n

4. Sensible Shoes<\/b><\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re going to Spain to see architecture, visit museums, sample food (and let\u2019s face it, they\u2019re the main reasons most of us go) you\u2019ll need decent walking shoes. This is no time to be making a fashion statement with the latest Manolo Blahniks, as many of the streets are cobblestones and as such, are a killer on your feet!<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s always a good idea to have some decent shoes as well if you\u2019re going to hit the town, as the Spanish do like to look good (and you\u2019ll want to fit in), and many bars and clubs won\u2019t let you in with sneakers on anyway.<\/p>\n

5. Socket To Them<\/b><\/h3>\n

If you must bring electronic or electric equipment with you on your travels to Spain, well you must bring an adaptor too. You\u2019ll need one with a round two pin option. \u00a0\u00a0Don\u2019t buy them at the airport where they are super expensive unless money isn\u2019t an issue for you!<\/p>\n

6. Be \u2018Prepapered\u2019<\/b><\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re of a more sensitive disposition, take your own preferred toilet paper with you, as the Spanish brands can be a tad on the rough side.<\/p>\n

But more importantly, always have tissues on hand, as the restocking of toilet rolls in restaurants, bars, and touristy sites seems to be an irregular past-time, so it\u2019s always better to be safe than sorry!<\/p>\n

7. Medical Conditions<\/b><\/h3>\n

The pharmacies in Spain stock all the medicines you may need, which are mostly cheaper than your home town, and in most cases you don\u2019t even need a prescription, but brand make-up and deodorant are oddly expensive!<\/p>\n

8. Plug It Up<\/b><\/h3>\n

The people of Spain live very different hours to us, with few going out to dinner until after 10pm, and there seems to be an apparent lack of noise control at ungodly hours, so if you\u2019re a light sleeper, earplugs may keep you sane!<\/p>\n

9. Book It<\/b><\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re an avid reader, take a few books or boost your Kindle library, as trying to find English language books in Spain is like the proverbial needle in a haystack \u2013 and if you do, they\u2019re usually pretty terrible and can cost a fortune!<\/p>\n

10. Chillax<\/b><\/h3>\n

The most important thing to take to Spain is a relaxed attitude and an understanding that the pace of life is a little different from what you\u2019re used to \u2013 oddly enough they drive like it\u2019s the end of the world, but for everything else there\u2019s the slower style of Spanish time. So be prepared for the ma\u00f1ana<\/i> mindset\u00a0 \u2013 everything can happen a little later than planned!<\/p>\n

There are many reasons why Spain is always in the top 10 countries to visit; its main cities are booming with tourists, the countryside is alive with visitors, and if you heed the above advice you\u2019ll probably become its n\u00famero uno<\/i> <\/b>fan too! If you\u2019d like to brush up on some much-needed Spanish before you jet off, take our free level test<\/a>\u00a0 to see exactly how much you know!<\/p>\n

And for those of you who have been there already, and have more advice on what to bring with, send us a few tips in the comments section below!<\/p>\n

\n
\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>

Photo by Sebastian Dubiel<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re heading to Spain in the near future, please take me with you! As one of my favourite places in the world, I\u2019ve visited it many times, and picked up a few hints along the way \u2013 which I will gladly pass on to you good folks. But first off, the key to really(\u2026)<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t \t\t\t\tCONTINUE READING »<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":2062,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[236,28],"tags":[195,37,72],"class_list":["post-2061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-must-know","category-culture-travel","tag-spain","tag-spanish","tag-tourist"],"yoast_head":"\nTop 10 Things To Pack for a Spanish Vacation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Spain is a modern country, with all you need, but there are a few things you can take to make your experience more memorable than unforgettable!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/top-10-things-to-pack-for-a-spanish-vacation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Top 10 Things To Pack for a Spanish Vacation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Spain is a modern country, with all you need, but there are a few things you can take to make your experience more memorable than unforgettable!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/top-10-things-to-pack-for-a-spanish-vacation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Listen & Learn\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-04-03T12:00:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2014-03-31T14:10:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/SpainPack2-Tom\u00e1s-Fano--e1396272222144.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"450\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"281\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Victoria\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Victoria\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/top-10-things-to-pack-for-a-spanish-vacation\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/top-10-things-to-pack-for-a-spanish-vacation\/\",\"name\":\"Top 10 Things To Pack for a Spanish Vacation\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/top-10-things-to-pack-for-a-spanish-vacation\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/top-10-things-to-pack-for-a-spanish-vacation\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/SpainPack2-Tom\u00e1s-Fano--e1396272222144.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-04-03T12:00:15+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2014-03-31T14:10:14+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d0c23babd4285f7b85ba028b23a3f370\"},\"description\":\"Spain is a modern country, with all you need, but there are a few things you can take to make your experience more memorable than unforgettable!\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/top-10-things-to-pack-for-a-spanish-vacation\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/top-10-things-to-pack-for-a-spanish-vacation\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/top-10-things-to-pack-for-a-spanish-vacation\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/SpainPack2-Tom\u00e1s-Fano--e1396272222144.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/SpainPack2-Tom\u00e1s-Fano--e1396272222144.jpeg\",\"width\":450,\"height\":281,\"caption\":\"Photo by Tom\u00e1s Fano\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/top-10-things-to-pack-for-a-spanish-vacation\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Top 10 Things To Pack for a Spanish Vacation\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Listen & Learn\",\"description\":\"Language Courses and Language Services UK\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d0c23babd4285f7b85ba028b23a3f370\",\"name\":\"Victoria\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a400e49c4b2e91c5e5d28f264dfbb7a0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a400e49c4b2e91c5e5d28f264dfbb7a0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Victoria\"},\"description\":\"Victoria B-C is a self-confessed grammar geek, and uses this site for therapy. She is based in London, where she witnesses crimes against grammar on a daily basis. Words are her thing as Victoria is currently a journalist, PR advisor, and Social Media guru - these are her true stories.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/author\/victoria\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Top 10 Things To Pack for a Spanish Vacation","description":"Spain is a modern country, with all you need, but there are a few things you can take to make your experience more memorable than unforgettable!","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/top-10-things-to-pack-for-a-spanish-vacation\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Top 10 Things To Pack for a Spanish Vacation","og_description":"Spain is a modern country, with all you need, but there are a few things you can take to make your experience more memorable than unforgettable!","og_url":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/top-10-things-to-pack-for-a-spanish-vacation\/","og_site_name":"Listen & Learn","article_published_time":"2014-04-03T12:00:15+00:00","article_modified_time":"2014-03-31T14:10:14+00:00","og_image":[{"width":450,"height":281,"url":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/SpainPack2-Tom\u00e1s-Fano--e1396272222144.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Victoria","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Victoria","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/top-10-things-to-pack-for-a-spanish-vacation\/","url":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/top-10-things-to-pack-for-a-spanish-vacation\/","name":"Top 10 Things To Pack for a Spanish Vacation","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/top-10-things-to-pack-for-a-spanish-vacation\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/top-10-things-to-pack-for-a-spanish-vacation\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/SpainPack2-Tom\u00e1s-Fano--e1396272222144.jpeg","datePublished":"2014-04-03T12:00:15+00:00","dateModified":"2014-03-31T14:10:14+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d0c23babd4285f7b85ba028b23a3f370"},"description":"Spain is a modern country, with all you need, but there are a few things you can take to make your experience more memorable than unforgettable!","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/top-10-things-to-pack-for-a-spanish-vacation\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/top-10-things-to-pack-for-a-spanish-vacation\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/top-10-things-to-pack-for-a-spanish-vacation\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/SpainPack2-Tom\u00e1s-Fano--e1396272222144.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/SpainPack2-Tom\u00e1s-Fano--e1396272222144.jpeg","width":450,"height":281,"caption":"Photo by Tom\u00e1s Fano"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/top-10-things-to-pack-for-a-spanish-vacation\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Top 10 Things To Pack for a Spanish Vacation"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/","name":"Listen & Learn","description":"Language Courses and Language Services UK","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d0c23babd4285f7b85ba028b23a3f370","name":"Victoria","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a400e49c4b2e91c5e5d28f264dfbb7a0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a400e49c4b2e91c5e5d28f264dfbb7a0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Victoria"},"description":"Victoria B-C is a self-confessed grammar geek, and uses this site for therapy. She is based in London, where she witnesses crimes against grammar on a daily basis. Words are her thing as Victoria is currently a journalist, PR advisor, and Social Media guru - these are her true stories.","url":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/author\/victoria\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2061"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2061"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2061\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2064,"href":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2061\/revisions\/2064"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}