I’m sure you will all agree that we are experiencing a very strange time at the moment. The Covid-19/Corona Virus has affected everyone’s lives in some way. For most, it’s disruptive and unsettling, being stuck indoors, plans put on hold and living with new restrictions. For some, it’s bought pain and suffering and sadly many lives have been lost. We must now more than ever appreciate what we have and thank those who help others and anyone working to keep us safe.
We are all trying to adjust to the new routine that Covid-19 has bought to our lives and work around the changes thrown at us. As a travel lover, I can’t help but feel down about the travel restrictions currently in place all around the World. The ban on international flights and regional travel, the closure of hotels, bars and restaurants are all very important steps in reducing new virus cases and will ultimately stop the spread of Covid-19. But while we sit at home and wait for things to return to normal it’s hard to not think about some of the things we might have been doing right now if the pandemic hadn’t occurred.
For those of you who were due to travel to Spain this summer, you might be feeling down about not getting to experience this amazing country. We respect the enormous efforts being made in Spain to overcome the virus right now and our thoughts are with all people in Spain who have suffered. We wish everyone in Spain well and urge everyone to stay safe. In this strange time, we wanted to share some light-hearted ideas on how to experience Spain without actually leaving home. Some ways that you can enjoy Spain without traveling.
5 ways to enjoy Spain without traveling or leaving home
With so many social media platforms, apps and websites keeping us connected to the rest of the world, there are lots of ways to enjoy Spain without traveling right now. With wifi or 4g on your phone, tablet, laptop or tv you can experience Spain without taking a flight there. We’ll share all of our favorite ways you can use the internet to explore and enjoy Spain from home.
1. Take a virtual tour of Spain
There are amazing videos of beautiful locations around Spain on YouTube. Take a virtual walking tour through the street of one of Spain’s iconic cities or explore the beaches of Spain’s stunning coastline and islands right from the comfort of your own home. It’s very simple to set up the Youtube app on your phone or even your tv, if you have a smart tv. Then just search “Spain” + whatever you’re looking to explore virtually, for example “Barcelona” or “beaches”.
Plus lots of great travel vloggers share video footage with information about Spain on YouTube. I personally can’t stand being on camera or the sound of my own voice so will stick to written articles but check out The Vaga Brothers and Must Do Travels videos about Spain. I especially love relaxing landscape views and aerial footage. Here are some of my favourites:
Mallorca by The Drone Book
Spain Mountains, roads, rivers, seas & lakes by Highlander Brown
Southern Spain by Around the World 4k
A great website I recently found is Headout, they promote and sell attraction tickets and experiences but the cool thing is that in light of the current travel ban they have created a Headout from Home experience of Spain. They can take you through the top sights in Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Granada or Bilbao via their awesome use of 360° images and Google street view. With just a few clicks on your phone or laptop, you can be inside the Sagrada Familia or wandering the courtyards of the Alhambra. For a fully immersive experience, they recommend the best books, films and tv shows to inspire travel in Spain plus some classic Spanish recipes to follow.
2. Enjoy Spanish flavours
Trying some Spanish cooking at home is a fantastic way to bring Spain to you during the lockdown. People are finding cooking from scratch quite therapeutic at the moment and a nice way to spend some of the extra time we have on our hands. Why not grab a nice bottle of rioja or some Estrella beer and try making a Spanish tortilla, Spanish meat stew, or maybe put on a tapas bar style spread. Get some ideas from our post about pinchos and tapas in Spain and what to drink in Madrid.
The wonderful team at Devour Tours are usually taking tourists through the best food markets and restaurants in Spain but with all travel and tours currently on hold, they are providing online culinary experiences. Follow Devour on Facebook and look out for the changing schedule of events being run for free via Facebook and Instagram live. If you miss the live stream you can watch the recordings or buy their cookbook. I particularly enjoyed Explore the World of Cava with Nika and Make Garlic Chilli Shrimp with James.
3. Find Spanish entertainment
Put on some Spanish music and dance around the kitchen while you’re cooking. You’ll find a great selection of Spanish inspired playlists on Spotify. Try searching “Spain summer” for modern songs with that fun Latino-pop beat or click on the link below. If you prefer a Balearic sound search “Ibiza” to get the top club tunes or chilled out beach vibes, this Ibiza Anthems by Ministry of Sound playlist is awesome. For some authentic instrumental Spanish music search “Spain guitar”, the perfect background music for relaxing in the garden with a tinto de verano. You can even choose your favourite songs to create your own Spain playlist.
You could incorporate some Spain based tv into your new routine as there are lots of popular Netflix shows that are set in Spain. My favourites are Money Heist and Elite which are both set in Madrid and have really gripping storylines. I’m also looking forward to the new White Lines series which is set in Ibiza and starts in May. For a light-hearted travel perspective with a dose of comedy check out The Trip to Spain with Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan. Or BBC 2’s The Road to Santiago which followed a group of British celebrities along the Camino de Santiago and gave great insight along with wonderful views of the famous pilgrimage route.
To get a bit more active and really embrace the Spanish style of entertainment why not try dancing some flamenco or salsa. Feria de Abril in Seville might have been canceled for 2020 but get your fix of flamenco flair with online classes. The lovely Eva from I Show U Sevilla is offering flamenco lessons from her balcony in Triana. Perfect for absolute beginners with lots of extra info about the history and technique of flamenco, from her home to yours via Zoom. Try Salsa with Salsaaventura, a fab dance school who provide really easy to follow, step-by-step salsa video tutorials on Youtube, just grab a partner and get dancing. Or go for a fitness workout at home and join a virtual Zumba class, they are running live stream classes all over the world with a local trainer. The salsa inspired moves and use of Latin music makes it very fun.
4. Learn a little Spanish
If you’d like to watch those new Netflix shows in the original Spanish language or sing along to the songs on your new Spain Spotify playlist then you need to learn a little Spanish. There are lots of online resources that mean you don’t need to be in the traditional classroom style lesson. Duolingo, Babbel and Mondly all offer awesome plans to learn Spanish in a straight forward and easy to follow way. Or find a local Spanish teacher that can give you one-on-one video lessons. If you are a little worried about spending money at the moment we previously shared our tips and tricks for learning Spanish for free.
5. Plan your future travels to Spain
Lastly, read travel articles and info about Spain so that you can plan your future travels. Check out our previous Seeking the Spanish Sun blog posts and travel guides, find new information and inspiration. Follow us and other Spain travel-related accounts on social media and start to think about the holiday you will truly deserve when all this is over.
Follow Seeking the Spanish Sun on Twitter and check out our favourite Twitter accounts to follow… @Spain_inUK, @visit_tenerife, @RenoirGuides
Follow Seeking the Spanish Sun on Facebook and check out our favourite Facebook accounts to follow… @Piccavey, @Spain.info.gb, @TotallySpainTravel
Follow Seeking the Spanish Sun on Instagram and check out our favourite Instagram accounts to follow… @travelaroundspain, @amazing_andalusia, @spainlesstraveled
We will travel to Spain again someday
There is no harm in looking forward to a time when we can travel to Spain again. That day will come, maybe not next month or the month after but we will travel to Spain again someday. There is lots of speculation about when Spain will be open again for tourism but at the moment it really is impossible to say for sure. The most vital thing is that everyone stays home and stays safe until we are advised otherwise.
If you are worried about how Covid-19 is affecting Spain currently here are some reliable sources for information and current news publications.
UK Government travel advice for Spain
It is important to keep our minds active and find positive things that help us to cope during these tough times. We really hope that these ideas on how to enjoy Spain without traveling might help you to stay connected to Spain, entertain you or simply inspire you to travel somewhere in Spain in the future. Can you think of any other ways to enjoy Spain without leaving home? Let us know in the comments box below ↓↓
Other articles by Seeking the Spanish Sun you might enjoy reading…
Lesser-known holiday locations in Spain
The best time of year to visit Spain
Why Spain is great for winter sun
Tips for first time travel to Spain
