What prompted this trip was that “Too Good to Miss” SQ Promo with BPI Cards last January 2015. My Father-in-Law and Sister-in-Law – Judith, braved the lines in Glorietta Mall to discuss travel options with a travel agent and after clearing out the details, we were all booked for a week long trip to and from Barcelona during the kids’ semestral break.
My Father-in-Law has been romanticizing about his great road trip with friends around Spain a few years back. He was telling us about his misadventures in San Sebastian and how he thoroughly enjoyed his Tapas Crawl with “foodie” friends. Anton and I on the other hand, were nostalgic of our last Sojourn to Spain (October 2013) and welcomed the idea of revisiting Barcelona and seeing its neighbouring regions with the whole family. Thus, a plan was set into place.
Travelling around Spain maybe arduous or expensive (if you don’t have much time). At first, the group was undecided on the mode of transport from Barcelona (BCN) – San Sebastian (EAS) – Barcelona (BCN). Some wanted to fly which at that time was E250 pp one way while the others were willing to drive (5-6hours). For my immediate family of 5pax – the most practical option was to drive.
Discussing our options with my seasoned traveller friends led me to contact Marc Malapitan, a young Filipino businessman based in Barcelona who drives for Filipino Groups around Spain during his free time. They were so happy with him when they were there that they confidently re-assured me that he was the best option. After months of clarifications, due-diligence and route planning, the Katigbaks were a “go” for a Grand Road Trip around Spain and Snippets of France in the Malapitans’ Two Red Volkswagen Vans. The negotiated amount for all 14pax of us was so reasonable, it cost us just a few more Euros for a week long road trip vs. a one-way ticket from BCN – EAS. Oh! And can you imagine the convenience of having your own car and trustworthy driver at leisure? No parking, lagging GPS and Luggage issues —- We were so spoiled!
Our IG posts have spurred some inquiry into our trip so I asked a friend of mine from Jaye Travel to help me summarize our trip into an ideal itinerary. A lot of the details were suggested to me by BCN locals and avid food travellers while planning. We were all so thankful for the tips. Almost everything sailed smoothly. Besides… we were somewhat flexible if time or traffic became an issue. In the end, we were all delighted with what we fulfilled and accomplished. Of course, plans are relative according to the specifications of your group, in our case we were a family with kids (4-17yo) and 2 seniors – so you can just use the attached as a guide of what to consider. Happy Travels!
Note: Jaye Travel (jayetravel@hotmail.com) can help you with the reservations and bookings in case you need assistance.
Where In The World is Penny K 