In summer 2022, I spent 10 days traveling through Spain with my husband to celebrate our babymoon for our second child, whose code name is “DD” (short for “didi” in Chinese, which means little brother). We were able to travel hack our trip and realize thousands of dollars in free travel! For those of you unfamiliar with travel hacking, it is the process of using loyalty points, miles, and credit card points and perks, to bring down the cost of travel. I always recommend that you travel hack responsibly and only do so when you are able to spend with your credit card like a debit card. This blog post shares how we did it.
Summary of our key hacks:
Flights – $350 in taxes + (41,750 British Airways Avios + 50k AmEx points). Retail Value: $3,550
We flew American Airlines premium economy from New York to Barcelona, then Level Airlines (a Spanish Low Cost Carrier that is part of Iberia Airlines) premium economy back from Barcelona. This is a bit of an obscure hack, because British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia Airlines, and Level are all part of the same parent company, which is why Avios are interchangeable.
Furthermore, Mr. Save My Cents has One World Emerald status, which is the highest tier within One World, so we were able to access the American Flagship lounge and priority check-in at JFK. Through our Priority Pass, we had access to the Mira VIP Lounge in Barcelona.
Lodging – $159 cash spent, $411 in credits and 205K Hilton points
- 3 nights in Girona = $295.71 | $95.71 in cash + $200 CapOne credit
- 1 night in Andorra (Airbnb but actually a hotel) = $75 CapOne credit
- 1 night in Olot = $96 CapOne credit
- 1 night at Montserrat Hotel Abat = $104 | $40 OpenTable credit, $64 in cash
- 4 nights in Barcelona, Alexandra Hotel, a Curio / Hilton hotel = $825 worth at booking | 205k Hilton points
Car Rental – $560 paid with a corporate Hertz booking. Retail value: $1200
We rented a car for 7 days total on this trip.
Our Day by Day Itinerary and non-Travel Hacked Costs
Day One
Fly day from JFK to BCN
Transportation: $22 for the train to the airport
Lounging at the American Airlines flagship lounge at JFK
American Airlines premium economy – a large pillow and blanket
Surprisingly decent food
Day Two
Drive from Barcelona to Girona
Food: $72 which includes groceries from Lidl (so fun to visit), some gelato, Boba tea at Bencha and dinner for the two of us
Transportation: $2 for parking
Jaw dropping low prices for smoked salmon / lox at Lidl
Girona is very beautiful at sunset
A beautiful morning in central Girona from our airbnb
Day Three
Sightseeing: $25 in admission fees which includes the Girona Jewish Museum and Dali Pubol House
Food: $275 in which $258 of this total was our fine dining experience at Divinum
Transportation: $67 on gas and parking
The narrow staircases of the Jewish quarter in Girona
Our fancy dinner at Divinum
Day Four
Sightseeing: $17 for the Arab Baths and the Girona Cathedral
Food: $47 including dinner for two at Blanc
Transport: $5 for parking
Misc: $6 for some supplies
Arab baths in Girona
The medieval town of Besalu, a highlight of our Costa Brava trip
Day Five
For the next few days we had split itineraries
Shang:
- Food: $20
- Transport: $9 on a RenFe train ticket from Girona to Barcelona
- Sightseeing: $3
- Misc: $15 for a new swim cover up
Finally, air conditioning in Barcelona!
Hubby:
- Food: $35
- Sightseeing: $62
- Transportation: $93 on gas, tolls and parking
- Lodging: $2 for a hotel tax
Day Six
Shang:
- Food: $45 including lunch at Bodega la Puntual
- Transport: $17 on a Metro ticket
- Sightseeing: $12 to visit Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya
- Misc: $27 for a dress
A tapas meal is not complete without patatas bravas, at Bodega la Puntual
Hubby:
- Food: $35
- Sightseeing: $9
- Transportation: $69 on gas, tolls and parking
- Lodging: $1 for a hotel tax
Day Seven
Shang:
- Food: $40, including lunch at Cerveseria Catalana
- Sightseeing: $43 to visit Sagrada Familia and Sant Paul Art Nouvelle
- Lodging: $16 for a hotel tax
- Misc: $10 for supplies
Sagrada Familia
Sant Pau
Sant Pau
Hubby:
- Food: $30
- Transportation: $18 on parking
Then we met together to drive to Montserrat
Sunrise from Montserrat is breathtaking
Day Eight
We saw sunrise at Montserrat and its museum, then drove back to Barcelona with a stop at Manresa
Fancy opening to our lunch
Lunch entree 1
Lunch entree 2, at Cau de L’ateneu
Food: $120 including a fine dining lunch at Cau de l’Ateneu and dinner for two at Vi Ni Tus (which we discovered had the identical menu as Cerveseria Catalana)
Sightseeing: $36 to visit a The Museum of Montserrat and the Manresa Basilica
Transportation: $113 on gas, parking and a taxi after dropping our car off at the airport
Lodging: $1 for a hotel tax
Day Nine
Food: $140 including more fine dining Pau Claris
Sightseeing: $25 to visit Palau Guell
Transportation: $16 on bus and Metro tickets
Palau Guell
Beautiful lighting at Palau Guell
Day Ten
We finished up our trip in Barcelona and headed back to New York
Food: $18
Sightseeing: $124 (Casa Mila, Casa Battlo)
Transportation: $106 for a taxi to the Barcelona airport and one home
Lodging: $18 for a hotel tax
Free breakfast every day at Alexandra Hotel
Casa Mila
Summary:
Overall we spent about $1,862 on our dining, sightseeing and transportation while in Spain and another $1,070 in cash ahead of traveling for our flights, lodging and car rental. See below for a full breakdown
Total Cash Outlay: $2932 or ~$1465 per person
Total value that was travel hacked: $5,426, or $2,713 per person
Total value of trip: $8,358, or $4,179 per person
