Is traveling alone something that intimidates you? So come and be inspired by Emanuelle's personalized itinerary, which traveled to Europe and Africa, passing through France, Spain and Morocco!
Traveling alone through Europe and Africa: the itinerary
My trip was a 10! I was expecting a little less, and to be honest, everything surprised me! I thought my script worked really well! The days in Spain were perfect and, in general, I wouldn't take or add any day to the itinerary. But today, I confess that I would take Paris out of my itinerary to spend more time in Morocco – soon, I will publish a new text here telling you all about this incredible trip!
I loved Spain, I visited incredible places, I explored “every” corner of the cities, I tried new foods… In this country, everything was perfect. I loved Seville and, I believe that if I had done the itinerary alone, I wouldn't have spent three days there, as the blogger suggested. Granada was my favorite place in Spain and, without a doubt, the one that surprised me the most! When I talked to Rogério about the script, he told me that he didn't know if Toledo would be worth it and I decided to go… I ended up disappointed. In other words, once again, he was right! 🙂
Morocco was also great! I never imagined I would like this place so much. Paris was the lowest point of my trip… I believe I was already more tired from the trip and also from being alone.
The flights
The flights were good, none of the itineraries were bad, nor were the airlines. Although the companies I used to travel with are considered low cost, I didn't feel any big differences compared to our airlines in Brazil, as the sections were short. The only thing that went wrong was that I lost my backpack on the first day – obviously the blogger is not to blame for that! 🙂
Train journeys
I loved the train sections! I had fun traveling and found this type of trip very comfortable. I traveled with the Renfe company and found the prices to be affordable. I learned on this trip that traveling by train will always be an option. If you want, you can buy your ticket in advance through this service, recommended by the blog.
The accommodations
As for location, ALL hostels They surprised me positively – so much so that I did almost everything walking in the cities where I was. I don't regret staying in single rooms, as it was my first trip alone. The price can also be highlighted as a positive point of these accommodation locations. I learned that you can stay in hostel, and that this type of accommodation is often equated to hotels. From now on, I would consider staying in shared rooms! 🙂
Seville – Hostel Urban Sevilla
I flew to Seville and took a bus from the airport to the city center. I walked a few blocks and soon found the hostel. I thought the location was very good! I managed to buy everything I needed nearby and visited all the places on foot. Literally EVERYONE! I stayed in a single room which was small but very clean. I thought the value for money was great.
Madrid – Hostel Met Madrid
Officially the best hostel of the trip! I also stayed in a single room that looked like a real hotel room. Impeccable cleaning, decoration and reception service.
Barcelona – Hostal Sol YK
It was my disappointment… I found the room extremely dark, very noisy, and it had a strange smell too. The people at reception are very attentive, but the hostel as a whole leaves something to be desired. Other than that, no problems with cleanliness or location.
Marrakesh – Hotel Cecil
I ended up only staying one night at the Hotel Cecil as I went on a trip to the Sahara Desert. The hotel is very simple, old and I didn't think the cleanliness was impeccable… It left something to be desired. The bathroom is extremely cramped. I was gone for three days and my room wasn't cleaned. Would not recommend to other travelers.
Paris – Oops! Hostel
I found the hostel very expensive, like everything in Paris! The room was not spacious, but it was super clean, the decor was very cute and the bed was super comfortable. I liked the neighborhood, but I thought it was a little far from everything. I did everything by subway. Although I don't have any major complaints, I wouldn't recommend it.
How did I get to the hotels
In most of them public transport (metro) and walked. It was only in Morocco that I used a taxi. I found this aspect of the consultancy very positive as I saved a lot! 🙂 The negative part was carrying the gigantic suitcase I took – the blogger had told me to take a medium suitcase! 🙂
Transport
On my trip, I just bought a three or four-day metro ticket and used it on the rides. The positive point was not having to buy tickets every time. The negative point is that I lost about 3 tickets, lol.
Advance tickets
I bought advance tickets for every attraction I visited!
I purchased tickets for the stadiums, Granada, Eiffel Tower, etc. I found it very worthwhile, as I already had a clear itinerary of what I would do each day and I avoided queues and unforeseen events.
I ended up buying one or two tickets on the spot and the positive side is not having an appointment to visit the attractions. I ended up spending a lot on tickets because of credit cards, fees, etc. and that's a very negative point. Either way, I would buy everything online again. All tourist attraction tickets can be purchased directly on each attraction's website or all in one place and with a single purchase.
Mandatory travel insurance
I didn't need it! Yes, I knew, a friend had mentioned it to me a few months before. If you are planning a trip to Europe, it is a good idea to check out this post about travel insurance, its mandatory nature and tips.
Immigration procedures
My immigration was first in Portugal and then in Morocco again. Both were calm and there were no questions or requests for documents.
The weather during the trip
The temperature was around 10 degrees. I was advised about the temperature and this helped me a lot when packing my suitcase.
The finances of the trip
What I spent on this trip was well within what I expected for it – in fact, I had money left over (miracle)! I ended up spending a little more in Morocco because of the souvenirs and exclusive items and purchases, lol.
Internet and telephony
I bought a chip (4G) from Vodafone in Spain and used it for almost the entire trip. I think it was a great strategy and could be a good tip for travelers. I paid 15 euros and it lasted about ten days. Other than that, I used the Wi-Fi in restaurants and places where I stayed to talk to people.
Consultancy evaluation
Without a doubt, I would recommend the consultancy to other travelers… I am actually already recommending it. I don't have much time to research hotels and itineraries and Rogério's help was great in preparing the trip with the organization I needed.
What led me to hire the blog's services was the fact that I embarked on this adventure alone, and I didn't know the blog or Rogério – I ended up finding the services through Google! From the first moment, however, he made me feel confident.
And I didn't regret it: there were several positive aspects of the consultancy: in particular, I would like to highlight the suggestion of cities and how many days to stay in each location. And, if I chose another trip to Europe, I would also hire it again, since I don't know many places. I was very happy with the script and the suggestions. Rogério did a great job and I recognized this at several points during the trip! 🙂
Emmanuelle
São Caetano do Sul/SP
Travel date: April 2016
