“Insider” travel to Andalucía, Spain

Description

2020 dates TBA! Contact us if you want to be the first to know! (Enrollment will be limited to 7 participants!)

“I want to thank you for one of the most amazing travel/learning experiences I have ever had. The trip exceeded my expectations in every way. I felt like I was part of a true insider experience, and those aren’t easy to find.” — Tammy Schmidt, teacher

“Bob and I have never traveled with a group; it just doesn’t appeal. But because we love Elissa and Express Fluency so much we decided to take a chance. What a great trip! Two weeks in the Andalucian region of Spain with Elissa and our Spanish host Juan Carlos. The sun never stopped shining, the wine never stopped flowing and the group felt like best friends within the first 24 hours!” Jennifer Stevens, nurse

 

Journey in the heart of Andalucía Spain

May 17th- May 26th 2019
Add-on option May 27th-30th (beach and Morocco)

We begin the journey on Friday, May 17th in Sevilla- the capital city of Andalucía- where we will wander the meandering streets, dine on tapas, and experience this beautiful city.  On Saturday, we will travel to our new home — the town of Ubrique (only an hour and a half from Sevilla, but a world away!). Ubrique is one of the “pueblos blancos” (white towns) in the Sierra de Grazalema mountains. On the way to Ubrique we will stop in Jerez to experience the local Féria.

For some reason Ubrique is not on the typical tourist route of the towns in this area. Because of this, we will experience the authentic life of an Andalusian town.  In Ubrique you will have the option of staying with a local family, living in a home in the countryside, or staying at an AirBnb in town. We will offer morning Spanish classes, and the Spanish will continue out of the classroom in the afternoons as we hike, cook typical Spanish food, visit neighboring towns and learn about the history and culture of the area. We will also go on a day trip to the ancient port city of Cádiz… and more.  There are so many incredible experiences to be had.

For participants wanting to extend their time in Spain there is an add-on 3-day trip to the coast including a day in Morocco.

Our host, Juan Carlos Ortiz, grew up in Ubrique, moved to the US for higher education, and then returned to raise his family in his hometown. He runs a very successful language school and he is well known by everyone in the town. He will be selecting families for students to stay with and together we will match you with a family who shares similar interests. It is also an option to stay in Juan Carlos’ house in the country where he has a small permaculture project. Juan Carlos’ expertise on everything from local food, wine, history, culture, and ecology is an invaluable resource for participants on this course. (He thinks I am overstating his qualifications, but I’m not! We are very lucky to have him as our guide.)

This trip is ideal for someone who already has some degree of comfort interacting in Spanish, but is also open to beginner Spanish students.

Add-on option May 27th-30th
Beach and Morocco
Want to experience more?? Join us on a trip to the wild Andalusian coast and Morocco. On May 27th we will head to the coast and stay in a beach-front AirBnB. We will take the ferry from Tarifa to Tangiers, Morocco in the morning of the 28th and return later that evening. Morocco is only 30 minutes via ferry from Spain but it is a different world! The following day we will visit the beach of Bolonia- explore Roman ruins and potentially walk to Tarifa along a wild coastline bordered by gorgeous pine forest. 

 

Ubrique in the distance. This is the ancient Roman path connecting Ubrique to Benoacaz (below).

Price:  
Enroll by March 1st: $2750  (After March 1 $2850) Double occupancy in Sevilla.
An additional $200 for single occupancy.

Add-on price: $775
Includes 3 nights lodging, van transport to coast, ferries to and from Morocco, most meals, all guides.

A $500 non-refundable deposit is necessary to reserve your spot. Final payment due by May 1.
Flexible payment options available for the balance. Contact us.
Click here to pay the deposit only.

Trip includes:
9 nights lodging (hotel in Sevilla, homestay, small farm, or AirBnb options in Ubrique)
Breakfasts and most meals
Snacks during classes/workshops
Spanish classes (12+ hours in classroom. Many hours outside the confines of the class.)
Cooking classes
Group travel in Spain 
Many hours of informal time with instructors using Spanish in real-life situations
Translation services
Guides in Spain

Trip does not include:
Airfare and baggage charges
Airport taxes
Non-group meals
Alcoholic beverages (except for wine in the welcome reception and wine tasting)
Personal expenses such as laundry expenses, trip insurance (highly recommended- we can provide info), etc.
Additional transportation needs.

                                                              Your guides: Elissa and Juan Carlos

Photo: Cádiz. We plan to travel to Cádiz for a day trip.

Spanish classes:
Our classes are taught using Comprehensible-Input based methods including TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling). Here is a link to a video about this way of teaching. This trip provides classes in the classroom as well as in the community, interacting in real-life situations. 

We need a minimum of 5 people to run this trip. Please contact us before booking your flights.

 

Are you a teacher? You can get graduate-level university credits through the University of the Pacific when you take our classes! More info here.