Local knowledge: Spain – “God helps those who get up early”
No amount of guidebook research can replace local knowledge. When you go on one of our all-inclusive holidays, we’ll do everything we can to make sure you’ll have a fabulous time. For those who want to experience Spain like a local, the Airtours team has interviewed 10 Spanish people about their country, culture and cuisine.
Beach and sun
All interviewed locals agreed that summer is the best season to visit Spain. When asked to summarise Spain in three words, both men and women chose the words ‘beach’ and ‘sun’, so sunbathing at the seaside is a good way to start experiencing Spain like a local! Other words they used to describe their country include ‘lazy’, ‘peaceful’, ‘cheerful’, ‘fun’ and ‘happy’. That doesn’t mean that you should stay in bed until siesta, though, as the most popular Spanish proverb was “God helps those who get up early”!
Food
The words ‘traditional’ and ‘food’ were mentioned significantly more often than others, so we asked the interviewees what their favourite dish was. Three men selected gazpacho (chilled tomato soup), three others said they loved tortilla de patatas (Spanish omelette) most and all women mentioned paella. They also recommended that tourists should try churros (fried dough pastry) and tapas such as patatas bravas (fried potato chunks in a spicy tomato sauce), Jamón Ibérico (Iberian ham) and Jamón Serrano (Serrano ham). When it comes to drinks, they recommended Sangria, Agua de Valencia (a cocktail made from a base of cava or champagne, orange juice, vodka and gin) and Vino Rioja.
Spanish habits
One of the most important questions we asked was whether there was anything tourists should know about the habits and traditions of Spanish people. Nine out of ten answered that women greet everybody with two kisses. “Foreigners usually misunderstand this, since it’s an invasion of personal space in many ‘colder’ cultures,” explained a young man. Several interviewees added that, though Spanish people aren’t very strict about politeness rules, they are warm, friendly and welcoming. That the Spanish are very romantic and care a lot about football as well became clear when we asked them to show us a typically Spanish video. There was one video that stood out because it combined these two themes:
Footballer Iker Casillas and reporter Sara Carbonero
Learning about the culture and habits of locals can really enhance your vacation experience. That’s why this post is the first of a series about all of our destinations, crammed with tips for tourists by inhabitants.
My favorite Spanish saying is: no por mucho madrugar amanece más temprano. No matter how early wake up, you can’t make the sun rise sooner.
I can see why!
Great article! I now want to eat patatas bravas, churros and drink sangria in the sun! And isn’t 2 kisses always better than 1?
My thoughts exactly!
I love that Casillas video.
It’s not a Spanish phrase, at least I don’t think, but I always remember a Spanish waiter telling me and some friends at Benicassim, there for the music festival, that the “English are so crazy” to start watching bands at 10pm as it’s still too hot. He said the best time to start going out is 1am(!) because it’s cooler. By 1am most UK clubs are shutting!
Yes, it’s amazing how the weather influences lifestyle.
I think this is a good idea to give travellers a flavour of the area. Would it be possible to give some further links if tourist would like to follow some of the things up?
Sure, what sort of links were you thinking of?
Just looking more closely at food or things to look at etc.
Here are a few links about Spain but also about the islands around, you will find food and activities to do there:
http://book.flythomascook.com/news/5-activities-that-will-help-you-relax-and-forget-about-stress-during-your-holiday–590/
http://book.flythomascook.com/news/Top-five-Tapas-bars-in-Tenerife-817/
http://book.flythomascook.com/news/top-five-fish-houses-in-fuerteventura-278/
http://book.flythomascook.com/news/Lanzarote-a-unique-destination-048/
http://book.flythomascook.com/news/Tenerife-a-must-see-in-Spain-004/
I hope it will give you some ideas!
What a brilliant post!
I’ve never been to Spain but I love the idea of an authentic holiday, seeing and learning more that the average tourist would. No doubt if I were to visit and immerse myself properly into local life I would instantly gain 5lb from all the gorgeous local food. A glass or two of “proper” sangria and I doubt I’ll care much after that
Thanks Nicki! Spain is a great place to spend an authentic holiday, in particular for people who are eager to discover more than the average tourist! You should definitely give it a try and immerse yourself there! Don’t worry about gaining weight , just have a quick look at these six delicious secrets to staying slim during your holidays. If you have the opportunity to visit Spain, don’t hesitate to come back and share your experiences and tips!
Our family haven’t been able to afford a holiday in eight years and our twins have never been on holiday. If you would like to send us over and confirm if what the locals say is true, we would be more than happy to report back for you ; )
Karen x
Hi Karen,
Keep an eye on the blog, we will launch a competition in the coming weeks with a trip to win! The occasion for you and your family to go on holiday!