Through our years of traveling overseas we have learned a few tricks that can help make the journeys a little bit easier. One of our best tips is to find the right airport for your departure.
That may not seem very important, but we certainly beg to differ. Beginning your trip from the right airport can make a huge difference in your overall experience for several reasons. Let’s say you want to fly from The United States to Spain, we suggest that you try looking for flights from Miami to Madrid.
Why? Well, for us there are a few important points we look for when choosing an airport to fly out of. First and foremost, we always check out how easy it is to get through all of the necessities that are required before you can even get to the gate.
Tasks such as ticketing, checking luggage, and going through security can pretty much ruin your day if they don’t go smoothly. The same can be said for when we return, we want to be able to clear through customs as quickly as possible and get back home to our own bed.
With the Miami International Airport’s recently completed renovations, all of these requirements are handled with impressive efficiency. The North Terminal, where international flights arrive and depart, now has fourteen ticket counters and eight lanes for security checks. And upon returning to Miami there are seventy two lanes for passport control in the international arrivals area.
These improvements mean you’ll be spending less time waiting in lines both coming and going. We are pretty sure every traveler likes that!
Another thing we look for in an airport is something to do while we wait and Miami International has got that covered as well with over eighty restaurants and shops. With everything from quick bites to gourmet dining, we can always find something to tickle our food fancy. There is even a vast variety of restaurants that feature local flavors to choose from so we can get one last taste of that Miami heat before we go.
And if we need any last minute gifts, or something we forgot, there are plenty of shops featuring almost everything we could ever desire. Whether its books or Brookstone, chocolate or Calvin Klein, toys, beauty supplies, or a number of duty free options, there is almost nothing we can think of that can’t be found.
Don’t feel like shopping? That’s Okay because Miami International has free Wi-Fi available throughout the Airport. That makes it easy to stay up to date with the news, or entertained with movies or games, or get a little last minute business done. There are also ATM and banking facilities, a post office, a currency exchange, and even cell phone rental should the need arise.
Next thing you know it will be time to board your flight from Miami to Madrid and take off for what Ernest Hemingway called “the most Spanish of all cities.”
On our last visit to the Spanish capital, we made a point to follow in his footsteps. Our trek took us to the Prado Museum, Parque de El Ritiro, Plaza Cibeles, The Palacio Real, and the The Plaza de Toros Monumental de las Ventas. All of which were beyond incredible.
We also can’t say enough about the amazing food, especially the tapas, that we enjoyed every day of our visit. We can’t talk about food in Madrid without highly recommending Sobrino de Botín. This historic restaurant holds a spot in The Guinness World Records Book as the oldest continually operating restaurant in the world. They have been serving nonstop since 1725. Not only that, it was also mentioned in Hemingway’s novel, The Sun Also Rises.
We believe that you should definitely forge your own path through this spectacular European city, but as always, we think local food should be near the top of every bucket list.
¡Salud!
David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com
