TRAVEL TO SPAIN

Your flight to spain

There are no restrictions on the kind of travel you choose, so you may travel on a carrier of any nationality. However, to make your travel to Spain as easy as possible, the Commission recommends, if you will have one or more layovers during your travel, that your flights be with the same airline or the same airline alliance. This will make it much easier for you to be rerouted or rescheduled, if necessary, and will reduce the chance of lost luggage. Please remember that you must inform the Commission of your travel itinerary so that we have it for immigration records by completing the Arrival in Spain Google Form. Keep in mind that all Spanish Consulates in the U.S. as well as the Commission recommend that you purchase flexible flights, unless your visa has been approved and is already in your possession. For information on the travel allowance, please see Budgeting.

The Commission also recommends that you book a direct flight to Spain from your port of exit in the U.S. It can be difficult or even impossible to book a direct flight to Spain from various points of departure in the U.S. and so you may necessarily have one or more layovers, but ideally, you will fly to a port of exit in the U.S. (Atlanta, NY airports, Philadelphia, etc.) and from there a direct flight to a Spanish airport. Keep in mind that if you do have a layover in a third country, you are responsible for verifying if there are any restrictions in place for passengers with a layover in that country and complying with them. 

 

Keep your physical boarding pass demonstrating date of entry to Spain if entering the E.U. before entering Spain, as it may be needed by immigration officers later.

 

It is also recommended that you ask for an entry stamp in your passport, if you are not automatically given one. Please upload this a photo or scan of this Entry Stamp to the Fulbright.es Portal.

 

If you do choose to purchase your flight(s) in advance of having received your visa, you must understand that you are doing so at your own risk: there are no additional funds available if you are not able to fly, whether due to delays with your visa or other issues. As a result, if this is your choice, the Commission recommends that you either purchase either a flexible one-way flight to Spain (and that you then purchase your return ticket later), or that you purchase a flexible round-trip ticket. If you do opt for a one-way ticket now, don’t forget that the travel allowance is for round-trip travel, so be sure to budget accordingly. You are free to book whichever type of flight you see fit, though you should definitely read the fine print, especially regarding procedures to modify your itinerary or what to do in the case of a cancellation of one or more legs of your travel. 

 

The cheapest flights to Spain are usually through Madrid or Barcelona, and grantees living in other cities in Spain can connect to domestic flights to other Spanish airports in or near your host city and/or to ground transportation to get to your final destination (medium- and long-distance buses or trains).  

Final Reminders

Please remember it can be useful to carry the following documents and/or items during your travel:

  • A printed copy of your ASISA certificate (justificante)
  • Your Grant Authorization (digital and/or printed)
  • Your Visa Certificate (digital and/or printed)
  • Your carta de nombramiento/credencial/University letter.
  • Your passport (and digital and/or printed copy)
  • Any valuables or medications
  • Only for TAs: Apostilled FBI Background Check
    • If your Consulate did not return the Original Apostilled FBI background check to you: Make sure that you have access to a scanned copy of this document, as your school may require this.

Inland travel within Spain

BY TRAIN

Check all possible train (and in some cases, all transportation) connections by using a service such as trainline, Omio, or Rome2Rio, but then book your travel directly with the train/travel company. Please note that the AVE is the high-speed train service and, if you book far enough ahead of your trip (a few weeks at least), there are often very discounted tickets available. The largest train company in Spain is Renfe, though in the past year other highspeed train companies have begun functioning in Spain, including Iryo and OUIGO. Some past grantees have found that the Renfe online payment system rejects their U.S. bank cards, but using PayPal allowed those grantees to move forward with their transactions and to secure tickets.

BY BUS

The bus company Alsa also offers low-priced travel throughout Spain; more information is available on the website here. However, keep in mind that specific regions, such as Andalucía, may be better-served by other companies. Some of these are:

  • Autna (for travel between Porto Airport and Galicia)
  • Arriva in northeastern Galicia
  • Autobuses Jiménez for routes to/from La Rioja, connecting to Madrid and other areas of northern Spain, including Pamplona (Navarra)
  • Avanza for routes from Madrid to Andalucía and other destinations across Spain
  • Monbus in Galicia and other regions in Spain

For travel within cities, past grantees have recommended using the app Moovit. 

REDUCED and youth RATES

Although the Commission does not endorse any specific agency, many grantees buy their tickets from websites that offer cheaper tickets, discounts for students, or those under 26 years of age:

  • STA Travel: Apart from discounted airfare, STA also has exclusive fares which allow you to change your travel dates for a minimal price. This is helpful since you cannot usually book a ticket over one year in advance. In addition, they offer one-way tickets at cheaper prices than regular booking agents. Keep in mind, though, that to buy tickets you may have to sign up for an ISIC card which costs an additional $25.
  • StudentUniverse: Very similar to STA, this website also offers cheap one-way tickets, as well as discounted round-trip airfare. They do not require you to have an ISIC card. 
  • Omio: On this website, you can search low-cost transportation (trains, buses, flights, ferries, cars, and airport transfers). 
  • Kayak is a comparative airline search engine, inclduing low-cost airlines.
  • Skyscanner is another comparative airline search engine, inclduing  low-cost airlines.
  • Scott’s Cheap Flights (sign up for a premium or free email list) will give you notifications when exceptionally cheap flights are released. This is for travelers who want to go to any destination!

With a student ID or youth ID card, you often can find discounts on travel, shopping, youth hostels (albergues), and many other products and services. ISIC and ITIC IDs can be obtained at student travel agencies in Spain. Another discount card is the Euro <26, which offers discounts throughout Europe. To find the issuing office nearest you, go to the Instituto de la Juventud website at www.injuve.mtas.es. Remember, you can also look for cheap flights on Skyscanner, Kayak, etc.

 

Check out the following websites for more discount and low-cost travel and services:

If your favorite website is not included in this list or you have any suggestions for modifications, please email your Main Contact at the Commission!