Our Process
Your Dream Vacation to Spain Awaits. Let us Craft it for You.
Spain is a vibrant country with so much to see, do, and experience. Gorgeous beaches, inspiring architecture, delicious food and wine, centuries of history, bustling cities, and picturesque rural towns, you won’t miss a thing when you travel with the guidance of I Spy Spain.
With so much to choose from, planning a trip to Spain can be time consuming and overwhelming. Endless hours spent pouring over every travel site, booking accommodations, tours, and restaurants, narrowing down activities, and selecting transportation, only to worry that you’re missing key details or transfers.
That’s where the travel consultants at I Spy Spain come in to take the stress of travel planning off your shoulders and ease your mind. The level of thoughtful organization and detail included in every custom, day-by-day itinerary will leave nothing to you but time to enjoy every minute of your dream vacation. We’ll listen carefully to your interests, discover your preferred travel style, and work with you through every step of our planning process.
Building Your Bespoke Spanish Vacation
Our proven process will bring your dream vacation to life, tailored to you every step of the way. Being transparent is the backbone of our business. When you choose I Spy Spain, your interests will be kept front and center during every phase of our trip building process.
Planning Process
We match our deep knowledge of Spain to your specific interests, creating memorable, one-of-a-kind vacations.
Getting to Know You – The Questionnaire
The first step is for you to answer a detailed questionnaire that we will use to get to know you and your travel style. The questionnaire asks who is coming with you, including their ages, interests, and anything else we should know about your travel companions. We’ll cover your expectations for this trip, time frame, budget, and accommodation preferences. We ask about your travel style, determining if you’re a slow traveler, if you like to be on the move, or if you land somewhere in the middle. The questionnaire will have you describe your ideal trip day, touch on any past travel experiences, confirm your transportation preferences, and have you share any sights or experiences you don’t want to miss.
Building the Overall Itinerary
Once we have your questionnaire answers, we’ll brainstorm itinerary options that cover as much from your list as possible, while still maintaining an enjoyable travel pace. This is the most time-consuming part of the process as we work to bring all the details together.
We then contact you to schedule a zoom meeting. During this meeting we’ll share with you the proposed itinerary options and the reasoning behind them. We’ll work together to confirm your choices in order of preference, listening to your suggestions and questions and make adjustments where needed. When you are happy with a set itinerary we move forward to the next step.
So to recap, with your input, we’ll create a Spain itinerary that includes all of your must-dos, flows at your preferred travel pace, follows a route that makes sense, and combines an enjoyable balance of places and activities.
Booking Accommodations
Once the itinerary is to your liking, it’s time to book accommodations. Whatever your preferences, we’ll find the perfect spot for you to rest your head, with recommendations for hotels, apartments, farmhouses or even historic places like ex-castles or monasteries.
We look for hotels that are centrally located, farmhouses nestled in beautiful villages, the best Parador along your route, or a stunning boutique hotel with beach views. Once we find the ones we believe best suit your needs and include the amenities you prefer, we send them to you to review, along with our reasoning for making each choice. When traveling as a family or group, we’ll do our best to find the ideal room combinations.
If you are happy with the options, we move on to booking. If you are not, we refine our search based on your feedback. You’ll make the ultimate choice, but we’ll handle the booking and review all details.
Time to Choose Guides, Tours, and Activities
Once your accommodations are booked, it’s time to fill in all the fun stuff! We’ll move to researching and booking your activities, continuing to consult with you along the way.
These activities could include museum entrances, a picnic, private guided tours, cooking classes, an afternoon of town hopping, and so on. We use the information provided in the initial questionnaire to begin with, but we may need to come back to you to ask for more detail. For example, is the cooking class you want a serious, in-depth lesson on making paella with a professional chef, or is drinking wine, chopping red peppers, and merrymaking around a paella pan more your thing? Will the kids attend the cooking class? Do you wish this to be a private class for your family or is a group event more fun for you?
We’ll discuss your preferences for tours along the way, determining when you’d prefer a private guide, group tour, or a simple, self-guided audio tour.
All of the activities will be carefully balanced so that your days are not hectic. Some days the morning activity may be spending time in the pool with the kids, or if you’ve driven part of the day, the afternoon activity may be a leisurely stroll around the village.
Logistics
Now it’s time to get you from point A to point B. Travel logistics are a vital part of making your trip run smoothly. We recommend trains when possible, car rentals for journeys through the countryside, and alternate forms of transportation around bigger cities where driving can be incredibly stressful.
Depending on your responses to the questionnaire and the route you’ve chosen, we’ll organize and book the logistic items of your trip. This includes buying train tickets, booking rental cars, finding and booking private drivers, and booking your airport transfers. We will provide you with instructions and maps for getting from one place to another so you can travel confidently. Where applicable we’ll even provide you with optional stops or detours from your drive, so you can check out market day in a nearby small town or try sweets from a bakery you’ll pass on the way.
If you’ll be renting a car, download our free Driving in Spain eBook for helpful advice and insider knowledge.
Food and Restaurants
Next, we come to the delicious part. Food and restaurants!
We’ll start by reviewing your food preferences or allergies, and chat about what to expect when dining in Spain. During your trip, consider if you’d like to book a special place for a celebration or plan a date night without the kids. We can recommend kid-friendly places or Michelin starred ones, or a nice mix of both. And don’t forget to try out traditional Spanish restaurants and tapas bars.
Once restaurants are chosen, we’ll deal with the reservations.
Building the Overall Itinerary
When the trip is planned and ready, we’ll have a final zoom meeting where we’ll present you with your trip via our app, going over the whole itinerary, item by item. You’ll find detailed information on every reservation, activity and booking of your trip. With all these details at your fingertips your trip will flow easily, and it will be a breeze to reach out to your guides if you can’t find them at the meeting place, change your dinner reservations, or call your driver to let them know you are ready to be picked up after an activity. All your bases will be covered. All that’s left is for you to pack your bags.
Let’s Start the Process
We’ll be there every step of the way to your dream vacation in Spain.
