SPAIN: CONNECT THROUGH COMMUNITY

JULY 20 - AUGUST 2, 2025

LENGTH 14 Days

COMPLETING GRADES 9-12

SERVICE HOURS 15 - 20

ARRIVE/DEPART Barcelona (BCN)

TUITION $6495

Spend two weeks in Spain with us this summer! Explore the highlights of Barcelona and Catalonia while helping with food based community service projects to help those in need. Explore the iconic Barcelona architecture and sites including Park Guell and Familia Sagrada and spend time exploring Costa Brava and rural Catalonia. Practice your Spanish as we engage with the locals, learn about their culture and immerse ourselves in the Spanish way of life.

Activities

• Snorkel in the Mediterranean: Enjoy the marine life in clear, warm waters

• Kayak: The coastline to explore the beaches and coves of Costa Brava

• Walking Tour: The highlights of Barcelona

• Paella: It wouldn’t be a trip to Spain without trying an authentic Paella meal

• Hike: Montserrat and the trails of rural Catalonia

• Via Feratta: A rockface challenge, designed to push your limits

Service

A Certificate of Community Service indicating the total number of hours worked, and a group Presidential Volunteer Service Award will be issued upon successful completion of the program. Service work carried out at could include some of the following:

• Our community service project in Barcelona enables our participants to learn about food insecurity within communities and various supports and processes that are in place to provide aid to those who experience food insecurity. Participants will gain experience in food rescue and outreach community initiatives, while helping eliminate food waste and end hunger for vulnerable communities, such as homeless people, the elderly, and families in need. The Food Rescue project aims to tackle food waste, support vulnerable populations, and create nutritious meals. Tasks are likely to involve:

  ➔ Order preparation: assist with creating the orders for different non-profits/beneficiaries

  ➔ Help with the organization of the warehouse

  ➔ Help with the triage of products

  ➔ Assist with the classification of products

  ➔ Partake in teams of distribution of food

WHAT IS INCLUDED AND EXCLUDED IN TRIP TUITION

The trip tuition listed above includes accommodations, activities, meals, and group gear. The tuition does not include personal gear and clothing, travel insurance, spending money, and travel expenses such as airfare to and from the start and end of the program, unaccompanied minor fees, and baggage fees.

ACCOMMODATIONS AND SHOWERING

Participants will stay in shared-bedroom hostel accommodation while in the Barcelona area for half of the trip. Rooms will be divided by gender. The other half of the trip is tent camping at a front country campsite in rural Catalonia. Tents are provided, and we aim for it to be 2 participants in a 3-person tent or 3 participants in a 4-person tent with luggage.

Bathrooms and showers can be rustic, so please be prepared. In an effort to save time and conserve water resources in the areas we are traveling, participants will have access to showers every 1-2 days, even when showers are readily available. Bathrooms are flush toilets.

food

About half of the meals on this trip are prepared on camp stoves. Meals are nutritious and filling, but the camping component of the program often necessitates a simpler menu than a restaurant or home cook might allow. Students on this trip will plan, prepare, and eat meals as a group. Split up into smaller cook crews, each crew will have the chance to prepare a meal approximately once per day. This process is supervised by staff who offer advice on nutrition, and menu planning, and ensure safe food storage, preparation, and handling. This format will be followed for the first half of the trip.

During the second half of the trip, meals in Barcelona are a mix of included meals at our hostel and restaurants out in the city (including a traditional paella dinner & flamenco dinner & performance).

We are able to accommodate all dietary requirements and preferences.

TRAVEL

Families are individually responsible for booking their own airfare or making their own travel arrangements to get their students from home to the Barcelona Airport (BCN) on the first day of the trip, and from Barcelona (BCN) to home on the last day of the trip. RLT will provide exact windows of time that we require all students to arrive and depart within. It is imperative that no one make any travel arrangements until RLT directs them to do so.

A leader-escorted round-trip flight will be available from the New York City area (but is not required) for those travelers who wish to fly with a leader. Booking information for the escorted flight will be available after enrollment.

PASSPORT REQUIREMENTS

For all international travel, we require participants to have a passport that is valid for a minimum of 6 MONTHS past the end date of your participant's RLT trip. If your participant's passport is due to expire within those 6 months, please work on updating your participant's passport as soon as possible upon enrollment. According to the State Department, routine passport renewal will take 10-13 weeks and expedited processing, which costs an additional $60, will take 7-9 weeks. It is your responsibility to ensure your participant's passport is up to date and meets these requirements. We encourage families to familiarize themselves with the U.S. Department of State website for all up-to-date and accurate passport recommendations. 

TRAVEL INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

The Road Less Traveled does not provide its own insurance. However, we require participants to purchase travel insurance through a third party for all international programs. For additional details, please visit our FAQ page or you may contact a member of our team at info@theroadlesstraveled.com or 773-342-5200.

VACCINE & MEDICATION INFORMATION

We always encourage families to review the CDC website regarding recommended vaccinations and medications for international travel. More information will be provided to enrolled families from our Admissions Team in the Spring.

TECHNOLOGY

As part of the RLT experience, our trips are electronic-free. While it is encouraged to travel with cell phones, leaders will collect phones and any other personal devices after all participants arrive on the first day. It can feel tough initially to not have access to your phone, but it really helps everyone in the group to connect and have a really great trip experience. This includes phones, iPods, tablets, gaming devices, music devices, smartwatches, etc. All electronics will be held by RLT leaders, kept safe and dry for the duration of the trip, and returned at the end of the program. All cameras, go pros, etc. are acceptable and can be kept with you! If you do not have a camera, please note that leaders will also be taking photos throughout the program, and these photos will be shared through an online gallery.