Travelling abroad is exciting for so many reasons. For one, you get to immerse yourself in a whole new culture that you may have never experienced before. Along with this, you will also be able to interact with the local people and truly get a sense of the history of the country that you are travelling to. And, of course, you will get to experience those flavors unique to whatever country you are in.

Food is one of the biggest factors for people when they travel. You never hear of someone coming back from Italy having NOT tried some sort of pizza or Pasta dish. Because of this food culture in our society, travel is often based around the cool and exciting dishes that people are looking forward to trying once they reach their destinations. However, what long term travellers tend to forget is some of the comfort that familiar food brings.

When travelling to Europe, in particular, Spain, it is important to know some of your regular food items that may not be available at some of the local supermarkets. With these tips in mind, if you are planning to travel for an extended period of time, consider packing some of these items in your checked baggage, if allowed.  

First, Spaniards do not like spicy food. And while this may seem unexpected because of typically, people associate the Spanish colors of red and yellow to indicate flavor and spiciness. And while yes, their food is flavorful, it is not spicy. They also do not carry hot sauce or hot spices in their local supermarkets. They do sell red pepper but it is more similar to a mild paprika flavor. So, if you are travelling to Spain, make sure to pack some spices that you may feel like you will be missing.  Second, local spanish grocery stores typically don’t carry protein bars. They do carry cereal bars, but not the protein bars that you can find in every grocery store across the U.S. Pack some of these along with your other belongings if you think you will need them at any point in your trip.