The best of
Andalucía
In 10 days
Unhurried days. Lively evenings. Time to really be there.
The Trip
300 Miles
10
days
5
cities
countless wow's!
¡bienvenidos! ¡hola!
We landed in Spain 28 hours late, rerouted through Switzerland, jet-lagged, and laughing at how our “perfect plan” had already imploded. Instead of panicking, Jim and I clinked wine glasses over a fondue dinner in Geneva and said, “Well… this must be the Rick Steves travel gods warming us up.”
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That moment set the tone for our Andalucía adventure—our third Rick Steves tour and the trip that launched our new life of freedom. We are Maureen and Jim Richardson from Salt Lake City, Utah. For the first time in our adult lives, we weren’t constrained by work schedules. We could go anywhere, anytime. So we chose Andalucía, the soul of Spain: sunshine, tapas, whitewashed towns, Moorish history, and a rhythm of life that invites you to slow down and actually be there.
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Rick Steves always says to travel light, stay flexible, and learn a few language basics—advice that came in handy on day one.
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I’ve always kept a travel journal, but inspired by a few YouTube creators, I added some watercolor doodles this time. I jot down highlights as we travel, and those notes and doodles turned into this scrapbook—our version of Andalucía, one stop at a time.
What made this tour so great was that we could just enjoy the trip instead of managing it. We didn’t have to worry about tickets or timing—we were at the big sights right when they opened and knew what we were looking at thanks to our local guides. Later, we still had time to wander around town and just enjoy being there. We saw the highlights, but we were also there once the crowds cleared out and the locals came back out for the evening.
That’s what “Through the Back Door” looks like to us—and it’s why we love Rick Steves tours.
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Let me show you. ¡Vamos!
