FAQ’s Spain at your pace

We hope you will find the answer to your questions in this page. If not, we will be happy to give you an answer via email.

1. How much advance notice do you need to plan my trip?
2. What services do you offer?
3. What is the difference between “7 days trip coaching” and the “Premium Travel Plan”?
4. How will I pay you?
5. What if I don’t have a PayPal account?
6. Is the payment secure?
7. Do you offer a warranty?
8. What if I want to make changes to the itinerary?
9. What if I finish my trip and decide I wasn’t happy with your itinerary?
10. Is Spain a shabby country or perhaps dangerous due to the financial crisis?
11. Do Spaniards speak English?
12. I can speak Spanish, but will I have any problem in Barcelona with the Catalan language?
13. What’s the difference between a travel consultant and a travel agent?
14. At USD250 for coaching or USD58 trip day, what’s the return on my investment?
15. I am interested in the services of a travel agent or other travel consultant. Why should I work with you?

• How much advance notice do you need to plan my trip?

  It depends on when you are going and how flexible the itinerary can be. For trips in high season, the more notice the better. For a low stress planning process, 4-6 months is ideal.

  For 7-days travel coaching, the sooner we start the better. Remember because this is a very customized service, we only accept a limited number of coaching clients at one time. However if we are unable to provide coaching services during the week you’d like them, you’ll have first dibs on the next available coaching week.

 

• What services do you offer?

  We offer 2 services. 7-days travel coaching and Premium Travel Plan.

 

• What is the difference between “7-days trip coaching” and the “Premium Travel Plan”?

  Check out our “tours Spain & itineraries” service description and the following summary of the two services we offer:

  7-days travel coaching

  USD 250* / 7 days coaching

  Plan your dream trip to Spain, with my coaching. Over the course of seven days you will get my travel advice, including:

  Consultation of overall flow, where to go, what to see

  7 days of coaching

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  Recommendations Hotels, restaurants, other activities (e.g. tours, beaches, wineries, hikes, biking routes, shopping...)

  Recommendations Internal transfers (rental cars, trains, buses, boats, planes etc)

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  How does it work?

  Premium Travel Plan

  USD 58** / each travel day

  I will plan your trip to Spain. You'll visit Spain with a written itinerary specifically tailored to your interests and budget

  Consultation of overall flow, where to go, what to see

  Unlimited travel advice

  Research of best price flights to get to Spain

  Recommendations Hotels, restaurants, other activities (e.g. tours, beaches, wineries, hikes, biking routes, shopping...)

  Recommendations Internal transfers (rental cars, trains, buses, boats, planes etc)

  Written itinerary

  Daily map included in written itinerary

  Last minute (up to time of departure) rework

  On-trip support

  How does it work?

  * USD 250 ** USD 58 

 

 

• How will I pay you?

  You can pay me through PayPal

 

• What if I don’t have a PayPal account?

  It’s not a problem. PayPal lets you make payments with your credit/debit card, even if you don’t have a PayPal account.

 

• Is the payment secure?

  PayPal is one of the most secure systems for online payment. Check the PayPal security conditions.

 

• Do you offer a warranty?

  Yes! With Spain at Your Pace you’ll have a 100% warranty. Upon your return from Spain, if you decide that our service wasn’t satisfactory, we’ll refund 100% of  your money. This includes our fees on coaching or planning your itinerary. It does not include bookings, flights, rental cars or other traveling expenses.

 

• What if I want to make changes to the itinerary?

  Change is part of travel, so don’t worry. We’ll work together until you have a perfect itinerary.

 

• What if I finish my trip and decide I wasn’t happy with your itinerary?

  Again, you’ll have a 100% warranty. If you decide that your travel plan wasn’t satisfactory, we’ll refund your money.

  This includes our fees on coaching or planning your itinerary. It does not include bookings, flights, rental cars or other traveling expenses.

 

• Is Spain a shabby country or perhaps dangerous due to the financial crisis?

  Not at all. We didn’t thought about including this question on the FAQ’s page until the past several months, when we started to encounter it. So, relax and enjoy the process as we plan your visit to Spain. The Spanish economy is in a bit of stress, but the cities are nice and clean and the people of this beautiful country are very hospitable. You’ll love it here!

 

• Do Spaniards speak English?

  Most people in the cities of Spain can speak English, at least to give tips or instructions about how to get from one place to another. In the little villages, however, it will probably be more difficult to find English speakers.

 

• I can speak Spanish, but will I have any problem in Barcelona with the Catalan language?

  Everyone in Catalonia (Barcelona’s home region) speaks perfect Spanish. People are Catalan and Spanish bilingual. If you have learned a few words in Spanish (hola, buenos días, adiós…), simply try to do the same with Catalan. People will be even more sympathetic if you can say “good morning” in Catalan.

 

• What’s the difference between a travel consultant and a travel agent?

  To summarize, we’d say the difference is the business model.

  Travel agents receive commissions for the services they book on your behalf: hotels, cruises, flights, tours and so forth. From a business perspective, they must spend their time booking things for which they’ll receive commissions.

  As travel consultants, we charge for our time. We accept no commission from anyone. Therefore, our time and effort are of direct benefit to you:

  • We spend time with you up front, as we work through the ideal overall itinerary, flow and balance.
  • We’ll describe the options for getting from point A to point B within Spain, so that we can determine which choice is best for you.
  • We can recommend restaurants and cafes that will match your tastes and budget.
  • We are not limited to a hotel inventory, so we can recommend any hotel, B&B or other accommodation that fits your needs best.
  • We use small local guides, blogs and services (which do not offer commissions).
  • While we’re working together, we’ll be available to answer any questions you have. Ask us about the surrounding culture, mobile devices, how to obtain money and travel insurance, and we’ll have an answer for you. (We’ll even help with your Spanish or Catalan!)

  Basically, it means we can get to know you as a client. We’ll envision the kind of Spain you describe, and then we’ll set up the itinerary that takes you there. You might call it “custom travel design.” Spain is a country with spectacular scenery and culture; of luscious food and gracious people. It’s our role, as travel consultants, to help you experience everything this beautiful land has to offer.

 

• At USD250 for coaching or USD58 trip day, what’s the return on my investment?

  The return on your investment is in time saved during the planning process:

  To organize a trip to Spain with the level of organization and detail provided by Spain at Your Pace would take the average traveler about eight hours per travel day. So, a 10-day trip would take about 80 hours for an average person to plan (including Internet and guidebook research, time spent on the phone to Spain and double-checking everything).

  Contrastingly, with Spain at Your Pace you can plan on two to three hours spent via phone or email. For a 10-day trip, that’s about 77 hours of time saved. It’s true that “time is money,” so spend it wisely. Ours is the service for people who want to see, touch and savor Spain!

   

 

• I’ve been looking at working with a travel agent or another travel consultant. Why should I work with you?

  • We are Spaniards with 30 years’ experience in Barcelona, one of the world’s most touristic cities.
  • We have been a tour guide in Barcelona.
  • We have travelled extensively in Spain. Barcelona, Madrid, Granada, Seville, Cordoba and San Sebastian are among our favorites cities.
  • We have also travelled to Portugal, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, the UK, Ireland, the Czech Republic, Poland, the USA, New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. The benefits to you are that we know what it’s like to feel like a foreigner. We can offer tips about travel insurance, luggage, cell-phone usage and language . . . all from an expert traveller’s perspective.
  • Obviously, we speak perfect Spanish and Catalan. The benefit is that, while we work on your trip, we do our research in Spanish. So, we can access many more reviews, perspectives and other kinds of information that you can’t access if you only speak English.
  • We have lived in France and Holland. We speak fluent French and have a basic knowledge of Dutch, both of which come in handy in our research. It also means there is no miscommunication when we make reservations or bookings, and that we have relationships with guides and service providers.
  • We have university degrees in business and marketing, and we’ve worked for successful Spanish corporations. We have the ability to manage projects, handle budgets and focus on our clients’ needs.
  • We work on a fee basis–not commission. After all, a considerable part of planning your trip involves spending time on things that don’t involve commissions, such as transportation, food, festivals, and the overall flow and balance of your itinerary. Therefore, we won’t recommend hotels, activities or guides based on who might offer commissions. Instead, we’ll recommend only what will help you get the most out of your time and budget.