So I (38/F/Canadian) just got back from a 2 week trip to Portugal and Southern Spain. The first week, I travelled with my boyfriend through Portugal. The second week was a solo trip in Andalusia. I wanted to share a couple of thoughts about it while they're fresh in my mind:

Portugal is highly underrated as a travel destination, though I think it's starting to gain popularity quickly. We visited -- in 9 days, in lightning-quick succession: Porto (2 nights), Coimbra (1 night), Lisbon (3 nights with a daytrip to Sintra), and Lagos (3 nights). I fell in love with Porto and felt I didn't have enough time there. Coimbra, we went mainly to visit the University Library, and one day there was perfect and it was actually one of our unexpectedly favourite places of the trip. Lisbon feels like a bigger city than it is, and Sintra was fabulous, like something out of a fairytale. If I had to do it over, I might have cut a day from Lagos, or cut it out entirely, and spent more time in Porto and the north. But that's mostly 'cause it was chilly and rainy in Lagos so there wasn't much to do there. The beaches ARE pretty, mind you.

Andalusia is great in springtime -- not too hot. I had some rain and it was a bit chilly but not too bad. I visited -- also in quick succession -- Seville (3 nights), Cordoba (1 night), Granada (2 nights), and Malaga (1 night, for my flight home). The sights are mind-blowing. The Real Alcazar in Seville, the Mezquita in Cordoba, and, especially, the Alhambra in Granada, are just out of this world. I absolutely fell in love with Granada and wish I could have spent days or weeks longer there. Transit between the cities is fast and efficient, and all of the cities are very easy to get around on foot and explore. Other than the Alhambra ticket (which I bought 3 months in advance and you should too), I made it up as I went along while I was there, and it was pretty easy to do so. My Spanish is very poor, but I never had a problem communicating there. And the lifestyle is so nice and vibrant and full of partying. I was there in the week leading up to Semana Santa, so everyone was preparing to either get out of town for holiday, or to celebrate the festivities.

Costs: I'm not a bare-bones backpacker anymore; I can afford to travel a bit more comfortably. In Portugal, travelling as a couple was fairly cost-efficient; trains are cheap, restaurants are reasonable, and small boutique hotels are lovely and affordable. In Spain, I splurged on private rooms everywhere except Seville, where I stayed in a 4-bed dorm in a slightly more upscale hostel.

Overall, excluding flights, my daily costs this "flashpack" vacation, staying in boutique hotels or hostels, eating mostly in restaurants, sightseeing a lot, and drinking craft beer nearly everywhere, ended up being approximately:

• Portugal (as a couple): $150 CAD/day/person
• Spain: (solo): $185 CAD/day

The breakdown was approximately: $75/night on accommodation, $15/day on transportation, $20/day on tours or entrance tickets, and $55/day on spending (food, drinks, shopping, local transit, sightseeing, tips, etc.) for a total of about $165/day. For context that's about 105 euros/day.

Of course, you can spend much less in these countries. But I wasn't really trying to skimp. I was enjoying myself.

Safety: Both Portugal and Spain are very safe for solo female travellers. You do have to watch your stuff in crowded spots as pickpockets operate on public transit, especially the trams in Lisbon. But other than that, it's quite safe to walk around at night or go pretty much anywhere. And in Spain, at least, the streets are crowded until quite late, as people tend to go out and enjoy the evenings.

Food: Both Spain and Portugal are known for their seafood and fish, meat, and tapas (Spain) or Petiscos (Portugal) -- small portions or servings that, together, can make up a meal, or a pre-meal with drinks. In Granada, every time you order a drink, you'll get a free tapa. It's pretty amazing.

The Spanish never stop eating. I mean, really never. Breakfast, brunch, lunch, merienda (between lunch and dinner), tapas, dinner. They usually wait to eat dinner quite late at night, so if you're looking for an open restaurant before about 8 or 9, you may be disappointed. But the tapas bars are a good option.

Portugal seems to be more on a regular 3-meal-a-day eating schedule. They have a strange love for salted cod and for sardines. And the piri-piri chicken that is such a popular item in North American Portuguese restaurants is actually quite hard to find in Portugal and isn't really a staple. Most of the food isn't spicy, really. It's lighter overall, more fish-heavy.

As a "mostly" vegetarian who doesn't eat pork or seafood, I expected both countries to be a bit challenging to navigate. But there were really no problems. Vegetarian-friendly restaurants were easy to locate just about everywhere, sometimes with a little help from TripAdvisor. Two things worked in my favour, too: Being in Catholic countries during Lent meant that there were more vegetarian options than usual on many menus, because many Catholics refrain from eating meat during that period. And also, the Arab/Muslim quarters of most of the cities, especially Granada, had a LOT of vegetarian/vegan options and Halal (i.e. no pork) food. If you love Moroccan food, the Albaycin in Granada is definitely the place to be. Some other veggie favourites in Spain included Spanish omelette, Berenjenas con Miel (eggplant with honey), vegetarian paella, and, in Portugal, the soups are awesome.

And of course, in Portugal, the natas are sooooo good. I ate many natas. So very many natas. Good thing there was so much walking up hills and stairs to work them off.

Solo Thoughts: Southern Spain is fairly easy and relaxed as a place to travel solo. The popular tourist sites -- the Real Alcazar, the Mezquita, the Alhambra, etc. -- tend to be very crowded with large tour groups. But as a solo traveller, I was able to navigate deftly around these crowds and see them at my own pace.

Tapas bars tend to be a more social experience, and it can feel a little awkward to walk into one solo. I went a couple of times with people I met in the hostels, and on one occasion I did a (paid) tapas food tour in Seville, which was actually good fun. But overall I tended to feel more comfortable in pubs; I'm a craft beer nerd, and the scene in Spain is emerging nicely and the bars are very solo friendly.

General thoughts: I really enjoyed these destinations. Both Portugal and Spain are photographer's dreams come true, so picturesque, full of churches and old buildings and palaces and castles. April was the perfect time to go -- it was not too hot, and the summer crowds were still a couple of months away.

My only regret was only having two weeks to spend on this trip. I easily could have doubled or tripled the amount of time I spent without running out of things to see or do. The trip was quite rushed, but alas, that's the reality of travel when you have a full-time job and very little vacation time. I have no regrets.

If anyone has any questions about travelling in the region or about my trip, feel free to hit me up.