It feels like we just got back from Ireland, and now, we’re trying to finalize plans for our trip to Spain next month! It’s going to be just the three of us – this kiddo is putting his passport to good use – so no built-in babysitters this time. That being said, it was just our little crew in both Kinsale and Cork, so I think we’ve learned a lot about what it means to travel with a toddler – including what to pack!
For Spain, here’s what we have locked in:
- Our flights. After a Scott’s Cheap Flight alert and some time spent exploring in Google Flights, we scored flight tickets to Madrid from Tampa for ~$350 per person. That means we all get our own seat – a definite improvement from the trip to Ireland! We learned that it may seem like a cost savings to fly with a lap baby, but you’ll wish you spent the money if the flight is more than a couple hours. I’m hopeful we can actually sleep on the overnight, knowing our son is strapped into his own seat with his Child Aviation Restraint System (CARES).
- Our Madrid hotel. After quite a bit of poking around, I found a lot of recommendations to stay near El Retiro Park, especially when you’re traveling with children. Not only does this park offer 11 children’s playgrounds, but it’s also centrally located. We’ll be staying at the Petit Palace Lealtad Plaza in Madrid, which was offered a prime location at a great price. If you’re interested in booking one of their hotels, make sure you look into their Tripster program, which has some really cool perks.
- Our train tickets. We had kicked around what we wanted our second location to be – you know we can’t sit still in one city for too long! I looked at the feasibility of going somewhere in Morocco, or even over to Portugal, but it got tricky with the baby and COVID restrictions. Ultimately, we decided our time would be best spent taking the Renfe train to Barcelona. It may be two years later, but we’re finally going to get our vacation to Barcelona! Now to see if we can dig up that hotel credit from our canceled 2020 trip…
Once we get our Barcelona hotel booked, we should be in pretty good shape for our trip! We’ll definitely be moving around less than we did in Ireland, but it gives us the chance to really soak in the cities. If you have any restaurant recommendations or must-dos in either Madrid or Barcelona, please share them in the comments!