Travel Lessons from Sevilla

If you have ever in your life imagined what it might be like to walk the streets of a city in Spain I can now say with almost certainty that what you have imagined is a city very much like Sevilla. Getting lost in the narrow maze of streets in Sevilla is like going back in time, where everything is wonderfully and stereotypically… Spanish. The flamenco dresses, the wine, the ham, the historic buildings, the bull fighting, the picturesque streets… Sevilla has it all, and more.

This trip was significant for me as it was the first one I’ve taken completely on my own. I also decided to go less than a week before leaving so it was practically an improvisation for me in comparison to how much time I normally spend planning my travels. I was a little wary about how it might turn out, if I would like traveling on my own or if I would feel lonely and lost in a foreign city. As it turns out, traveling alone definitely has its perks. For example…

You get to visit what you want, when you want, and for however long you feel like. One morning I decided to visit Sevilla’s Alcázar (aka 10^th century castle) and after paying only 4 Euros to enter I was able to spend almost three hours wandering around the castle grounds, stopping to take in the most breathtaking views and snapping as many pictures of as I deemed necessary to obtain the perfect shot.

You get to (or for introverts like me… you have no choice but to) meet tons of new, awesome people. Within the first 12 hours I had already met a travelers from Germany, Mexico, Italy, Brazil, Argentina, Belgium, the United States, and (of course) Spain. By the end of the weekend I had already made fast friends with girls from London, the Canary Islands, Wales and Illinois, all of them traveling or living alone in Sevilla.

You get to budget your own spending. I stayed in a modern, exciting, well kept, 12-bedroom dorm in a hostel that cost me a little over $10 a night. I spent only what I thought reasonable and only on the sights that I really wanted to see.

You get to try as many new tasty foods as you like without being judged by your fellow travelers. Okay, maybe this one only applies to me… but if you really want that extra pastry or perhaps a few extra slices of that addicting jamón serrano the only people there to witness you stuff your face are people you will most likely never see again in your life so… buen provecho!

And finally, and possibly the best of all, you get a wonderful sense of empowerment and overall self-confidence. There is just no feeling like the one you get when you manage to plan, execute and successfully complete something (almost) entirely on your own. That’s not to say I didn’t get lots of advice and encouragement from others along the way, but there comes a moment when you realize that your own planning, passion and determination got you somewhere awesome and unforgettable. And that, my friends, is priceless.