Is Madrid & Beyond Immersed: Culture, Cuisine & Connection For Me?

Is Madrid & Beyond Immersed: Culture, Cuisine & Connection For Me?

IMPORTANT: While this is not one of our most active trips, it is essential that guests have no mobility issues. Do do a fair amount of walking, and the ability to walk a couple miles per day is a prerequisite.

  1. Your Disposition

    Our vacations are focused on having a good time with new friends. Everything we do revolves around that. People seeking a self-centered vacation might reconsider. Our groups tend to span all ages, men & women, singles & couples... everyone is welcome, and when our guests come ready to embrace a new culture, look forward to trying new things, and interact with other guests, it is always amazing.

    Important Note: Even the way our guests see us is important. If you see us as "providers of a service", you may reconsider our trips. We bring you into our family and become part of the group with you... as though you are visiting friends and family. If you are able to be in this frame of mind, our trips will be like nothing you have ever experienced, but if you are looking for a more detached relationship with us, our trips may not be for you.

  2. Be Ready to Embrace the Culture

    Our trips focus on bringing you into the true culture of the place, but some guests prefer to see it, but not live it. We embrace the culture and do things the way locals do, which may or may not be what you are looking for. Every step of the way we adapt to the local culture, rather than asking the local culture to adapt to us. This also tends to make us much more welcome guests than other groups!

  3. Physical Intensity

    You by no means need to be athletic for this vacation, but you must be able to handle some level of physical exertion. A good rule to follow would be to ask yourself if you can do three flights of stairs, then continue walking without needing to sit down for a while.

  4. Age Concerns

    Age is not a limiting factor, so long as you are in good physical condition with no health problems that exertion would complicate.

  5. Personality

    This trip is active and energetic. Expect music, dancing and fun. The people are very outgoing and down to earth, and love to engage with visitors. If you are extremely reserved and have a difficult time letting go, this may not be for you.

  6. Walking & Bus Time

    Madrid is very pedestrian and the locals do quite a bit of walking each day. During your vacation, we will have a mix of some light days of walking, and just a couple of days that require a bit more. Nothing is too strenuous and we have outlined the activities below as to what you can expect in the way of walking on each day.

    The same goes for our time on our coach and vans. Some days we will have some shorter rides than others, but it is all designed for the purpose of giving you the best possible use of your time each day and enjoy each and every outing.

Total Walking & Bus Time for the Week

  • Total Walking All Week: ~6 miles
    This is the total for the entire week, not per day.
  • Total Time in Bus All Week: ~9 hours
    This is the total for the entire week, not per day, and does not include the scheduled transfers from and returning to the Split Airport.

Special Needs we can (and cannot) cater to in Croatia

Physical Limitations You must be able to walk up to a mile and do at least a couple flights of stairs in order to go on the excursions on this trip. If you are unsure, please be aware that while we do all that we can to help our guests, we cannot do so at the expense of other guests. As such, if you are unable to walk during any of our excursions, we ask that you have someone come with you that can assist you.
Food Limitations We can cater to most food allergies, vegetarian diets, and to some extent kosher diets. We will substitute with other dishes if you let us know in advance. We can even cater to a gluten-free diet. Our cooking class menus will not change based on a guest's food limitations, but even in the classes, we can usually offer alternatives to eat. That said, if you do have limitations, it is important that you have a positive attitude about it. We are happy to substitute, but the variety of alternatives may be limited.