Here's the concept: I'm organizing a week in Barcelona, but I'm NOT organizing a traditional all-inclusive package tour where everything is bundled and everyone has to do and pay for everything.
Instead, think of this as: I handle all the logistics and research, you pick what you want to do, and you pre-pay only for what you choose.
What you're booking NOW with me:
What you're booking on YOUR OWN:
What happens in a few months (probably mid-May when I return from traveling):
I'll send you a menu of options — the tours I've researched, transportation options (to and from airport), restaurant reservations for New Year's Eve— with descriptions and prices for everything.
You'll tell me what you want to do, and you'll pre-pay for those activities so everything is taken care of before we leave.
What you pay for à la carte (meaning: you choose, then pre-pay):
What you pay on your own, when in Barcelona, as you go:
What I'm doing for you:
What you're doing:
Every day I'll organize something for the group — a walking tour, a cooking class, a museum visit, a day trip to Montserrat. You pick what sounds good and skip what doesn't.
In a few months, I'll send you the full menu of options with:
Then you'll pre-pay for your selections and we're all set — no dealing with money or logistics once we're in Barcelona.
The tours I'm researching:
Ballpark budget: If you joined a guided tour or activity every single day, you'd spend around $400-$500 total for the week. But most people won't do every single thing, so your actual cost will likely be less.
The activities are truly optional. Want to join the tapas crawl but skip the museum? Do it. Want to come on the day trip but then take the next day completely free? Perfect. Want to do your own thing most of the week and just meet us for a few group dinners? That works too.
I'm arranging transportation for things like:
This is optional. If you'd rather navigate on your own, get an Uber, or take the metro, you can absolutely do that. But if you want the ease of just hopping on the bus with everyone else, I'll have that option available and you can pre-pay for it when you choose your activities.
You will pay for what you eat (I will make sure we get separate checks)
I'll make reservations at great restaurants but you're paying for your own meal when we're there (just like you would if we went to dinner at home).
Barcelona is incredibly affordable for food. A fantastic lunch can easily be $15-20. An excellent dinner might be $30-40. A coffee and pastry is $5. You can spend as much or as little as you want.
The one exception: New Year's Eve dinner.
This is the one meal I think we should plan together and book well in advance (restaurants fill up fast on NYE). Once the group is set, I'll send out a few restaurant options with price ranges and we'll decide together where we want to celebrate. If the restaurant wants us to pre-pay, I'll take care of organizing that and we'll pay to reserve our spots.
Let me break it down:
BOOK NOW:
Hotel (7 nights at Hotel Granados 83):
$1808 for a single room for the week
or
$998 per person for a shared room for the week
Flight:
You book this yourself. Figure $600-1,200 roundtrip from the US (depends on your city and when you book)
PRE-PAY IN A FEW MONTHS (after you see the menu of options):
Tours & activities you choose:
$200-$500 depending on how many you select
(Could be less if you're selective, could be $500 if you do everything)
Airport transportation (optional):
$50-100 for airport transfers each way
New Year's Eve dinner:
$80-300 depending on which restaurant option we choose as a group
SUBTOTAL for pre-paid stuff: ~$300-$900
TOTAL BALLPARK: $2,500-$4,000 per person for the whole trip
(Higher end if you do every tour and eat higher priced foods; lower end if you don't)
The beauty of this: You'll know your costs upfront (except for the meals/coffee/extras you choose in the moment), but you're only paying for what you actually want to do.
NOW: Book your spot (pays for hotel)
May 2026: I send you the full activity menu with prices, you choose what you want, you pre-pay for your selections
July-ish: Final reminders, logistics, packing lists, all that good stuff
December 27, 2026: We're in Barcelona! Everything's already paid for, we just show up and enjoy.
Here's the truth: this format is way more work for me than just booking a package tour where everyone does the same thing.
But I'm doing it this way because I want to make this trip more affordable and more enjoyable for everyone.
Here's what I mean:
If we booked a traditional all-inclusive New Year's Eve tour to Barcelona, we'd be looking at $6,000-$8,000 per person minimum.
With this approach, you're paying for:
You get all the benefits of group travel — someone else doing the research, group rates on tours, built-in travel companions, logistics handled — without paying for a bunch of stuff you'd skip anyway.
And you're not stuck doing things just because "it's on the itinerary." You choose what sounds good to you. That's it.
What you get:
In other words:
I'm doing the planning and coordinating (trust me, it's a lot). You're choosing what sounds fun and paying only for that. We all show up in Barcelona with everything handled, nothing wasted, and the freedom to make this week exactly what we want it to be.
We're splurging a little on the hotel (boutique, beautiful, perfectly located) and on New Year's Eve (because it's NYE in Barcelona and we're only doing this once).
But we're keeping things relaxed and affordable everywhere else. Walking tours instead of private guides for every little thing. Tapas bars instead of Michelin meals every night. Markets and beaches and neighborhoods instead of expensive attractions.
The result? A trip that feels special without draining your bank account. A week where you can say yes to the things that excite you and no to the things that don't — but where everything is handled and paid for ahead of time so you can just relax and enjoy when we're there.
Sound good?