FAQs
Question
Are kids allowed to attend?
Answer
Young children, babies and toddlers will not be invited. Although we sincerely love everyone’s children, we are unable to comfortably accommodate younger children. Please feel free to reach out if you have any concerns!
Question
Do you need a visa to travel to Spain?
Answer
As of now, no! Just make sure you have an updated passport that WILL NOT be expiring less than 6 months from travel time departure and arrival. Some countries, like Spain, will not allow travel into the country if your passport with expire within 6 months. They are pretty clear on this in their webpages.
Question
What kind of currency does Spain use?
Answer
Spain, Portugal and France all use Euros! Easiest (and cheapest) way to exchange dollars to euros, is through your bank. Go in ahead of time and request a currency exchange! It simple and easy to do. Usually takes a couple of days to complete. You can also use major credit cards, such as visa and American Express. Some credit card companies don’t even charge a currency conversion fee! So be on the lookout to see what your cards have to offer. There are also no sales taxes added after you decide to purchase an item. So if you want to buy a pair of shoes and they cost 20.99 euros, you will only pay 20.99 euros. Everything is already included in the price, so you don’t have to worry about calculating for sales tax!
Question
If I have an emergency, who can I call?
Answer
For all questions and needs please contact Sandra directly. She will be your personal translater and helper in any and every emergency! However, if you need to call police or an ambulance and you are not able to reach Sandra, the emergency number is 112. Unlike in the US, 911 number does not exist there. Instead, you can get the same emergency services by calling 112.
Question
How much is the cost of living in Spain, and how much should I save up?
Answer
It depends on your needs and traveling style. Tickets are approximately 600-700 US dollars (there and back from Chicago to Asturias). Food, drinks and snacks are anywhere from 5-20 euros. A typical lunch/diner meal will cost 8-15 euros, and let me tell you, you will NOT be hungry after those large portions. Most places serve a “meal of the day”, which is what they cooked for that day and is their special. They usually involve multiple courses of dishes and are the most economical meal too! Drinks out at bars are all less than 5 euros. You can truly feel a lovely buzz with less than 10 euros a night. Sandra and Michael approved! During the day, you will typically get served a “pincho” (tapas) with any drink order. So for example, you go to a bar and order a beer, they will give you a little snack of what they have handy. It could be as simple as a little piece of bread with a spread/meat on it, or something a little bit more fancy and more of a plate with a stew. Just depends on the place! Coffee culture is also pretty strong here as well. You can find just about anyone drinking a cup of coffee or an alcoholic beverage at any time of the day. Yes, any time! PS Drinking age is also much lower. So don’t be surprised if you see an 18 year old drinking a beer with friends. Tipping at bar/restaurants isn’t really a thing either! Employees are (ideally), already paid a proper self-sustaining wage, so they are not to rely on customers tipping. However, leaving a couple of cents or euros is also acceptable. For example, I grab a cup of coffee and a snack with friends and my total is 10 euros, I might leave 50 cents or 1 euro in change on the table for them.
Question
Is Spain safe? What are their crime rates like?
Answer
With any traveling (especially internationally), you should always be mindful of safety. So, let’s talk about it! Crime rates in Spain, especially in Asturias, are overall statistically much lower than US. Common crimes are usually just theft. When it comes to rates of rape, murder and gun violence, it is astronomically much lower than US rates. Gun violence is pretty much not even a thing. You can easily and comfortably walk on any street with your friends at nighttime and be totally okay. For more information and data, here is a link. But feel free to google yourself! https://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/compare/Spain/United-States/Crime
Question
How can I get cell service without breaking the bank?
Answer
There are a couple options. You can go to your USA phone company and see what plans they have to offer, or, you can use and international phone company and book a plan with them for a short stay! Michael and I used the company "Orange" (they actually even have store fronts in spain!). They were pretty simple and affordable! They will provide you with an European phone number (fun fact, ours was a french number!) instructions of how to activate it and voila, all done! If you want to skip a phone plan all together, you can also download the app "Whatsapp". It is like a regular phone plan with texting and calling, but it only works when used with wifi (Which is available in many many places now a days).