When living in Costa Rica I was lucky to have a great host family. They showed me the best and cheapest places to go, which cabs gave a good deal, what stores to go to, etc. Since I won't have this luxury in Spain (I'm living with another girl from America who has also never been to España)I will have to do the good-deal-finding myself. I did happen to come accross a great article with some very helpfull tips>> Money Saving Tips for Spain.
The article talks about the best way to avoid getting scammed in restaurants, exactly how many days in advanced to book a tran/bus ride, and how to find out where free tours are given. I was super excited to read that wine is incredibly cheaper in Spain as well.
Another big issue I need to look into is the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the euro. Last time I went to Europe I was not so thrilled with my credit card bills upon my return home...thinking you only spend $500 and then finding out you actually spend $800 is not a pleasant surprise. According to this article on CheapFlights.com using an ATM is your best bet. Also check out the Google Currency Converter. It'll make the math part of purchasing so much easier. If I had known about this tool when I was in Europe last time I would have saved myself a couple hundred dollars.
So these are just some useful tools when it comes to saving money while abroad. I still need to look the best way to travel while in Spain. I've got friends in England and Ireland I'll want to visit when I'm there and don't want to over pay to travel.
Hi Kate, I´ll be teaching with you in Andalucia, and right now I am finishing up my first year of teaching in Murcia. Be careful to come with a bit of savings, because it might be a month or two before they actually start paying us...in the Murcia autonomous community (especially bad about payment) we weren´t paid until mid december!
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