I did it! (If you haven’t seen this popular TikTok trend, peep it here).

SURPRISE! If you’re reading this, I’m on my way to Madrid, Spain and I didn’t tell ANYONE I was going (sorry, mom)!

The week before last, I was extremely depressed, couldn’t sleep, and basically at my wits end with life. I had just filed my taxes a few days before and simultaneously realized I hadn’t done anything for myself (other than ordering random garbage on Amazon…dopamine, amiright?) in a really long time, we’re talking like 5 years.

I thought for a few hours and decided I was going to take a trip! Where could I go for the cost of my tax return? I looked up a few flights, crowdsourced it, checked out the cost of food, and looked up the crime index on Numbeo (I even did my due diligence to make sure I don’t wander into any heroin dens, haha!)—ultimately, I chose Madrid! All in all, it took me about 12 hours to find flights, accommodations, and build a full 6-day itinerary.

I originally found another flight for a seven-day trip but I was too slow (and waiting for “signs” that I wasn’t being totally insane, haha!) and it was gone by the time I built up the courage to book my reservations. Lesson number 1: Don’t hesitate or you lose out on better deals!

I’ll share the places I plan to go now and wait to share each day’s itinerary after I’m back in my apartment for the night.

I visited Spain on a tour in 2008 but I haven’t been back since then. I also haven’t been on a solo trip or to Europe since I went to Italy in 2014.

So, for the next 6 days, I’m going to be exploring Madrid (with a day trip or two), on a budget. Activities might include: a Real Madrid game, all the museums, some Catholic stuff, the grocery store, going to the movies, la hora del vermut, geocaching, etc. I’ll be making a post every day to chronicle my trip but I’ll also make a post about costs, my AirBnB, and other details once the trip is over.

You can find a cost tracker and packing list here. If you want to see how I spend and how I packed for a week in a carry-on, follow me on TikTok and Instagram!

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