I recently had the opportunity to speak at a couple of library conferences in Spain - what a blast! Along the way, I picked up some tips for traveling in Spain - here they are:

1. Learn a couple of spanish words, like airport, train, restroom, etc - they might come in handy.
2. If you don't, it'll be ok - hotel and restaurant employees very possibly speak some English. When in doubt, look for the younger people - they probably took English in school.
3. You will have translation difficulties. A friend asked me if I wanted some smoked "jam" to put on bread. I wondered how in the world someone would smoke strawberry preserves ... until it dawned on me that he was talking about HAM. My bad (and we both chuckled over that one).
4. Spain is known for its cured hams. It looks gross (i.e., like a pig's leg, complete with hoof, that is carved into), but tastes amazing. Be brave! Their cheeses and wines are also great.
5. Be prepared to eat late. Spaniards eat lunch at 3pm and dinner at 9pm! In fact, some restaurants in Valencia didn't even open until 9pm.
6. Money is easy to deal with - use credit cards and the ATM machine. You'll get Euros, which are similar to our U. S. dollar, but prettier.
7. You might have to do that "cheek cheek, kissy noise kissy noise" greeting. It's a bit embarassing at first, but you get used to it
8. Smoke is everywhere - in hotels, restaurants, and on the street. Spaniards enjoy their cigarettes!
9. You will get lost. My "five minute walk" from the Madrid train station to my hotel (so said the train station lady) took me about an hour. Why? Madrid seemingly has no street signs (well, none that I saw, anyway)!
10. Go see stuff. pretty easy to do, as they have historic stuff everywhere. Madrid, for example, is filled with art museums and old buildings - you'll need more than one day.

And a bonus - make sure to plan some extra time to simply wander and wonder. Walk around the city, window shop, people watch, and take it all in. Those will be the amazing memories you'll take back home!

For more info on traveling to Spain:

1. Let's go Spain & Portugal 2008
2. Fodor's Exploring Spain
3. Frommer's Spain 2008

And remember to check out our other staffer's time in Spain, too:

1. Whirlwind Trip to Spain ... part 1
2. Seville, Spain
3. Cordoba, Spain
4. Whirlwind Trip to Spain ... part 4