WARNING - POLITICAL DEMONSTRATIONS AND MARCHES IN BARCELONA THIS WEEK!

[Northern Aurora]

I am posting from the Hotel Barcelona Universal (located on Avinguda Paral-lel).  We have been to Barcelona several times (this is the third time we have stayed at this particular hotel), but with this location we aren't noticing anything unusual.  Since  we have been to the Sagarada Familia several times and so forth we aren't frequenting the more touristy parts of Barcelona. But the hotel staff are monitoring the situation closely, and would suggest that anyone with concerns e-mail their hotel.

[paradiselivin1]

19 hours ago, gwesq said:

I think we'll be on the flight with you - AA 112?   Going on Crystal.

 

We are staying at Placa Reial - will we have an issue getting there from airport, and then touring around there, GOthic quarter & Sagrada?

Sunday we plan a long day taking high speed train to & from Madrid.  Concerned about the train station.  

We traveled from Madrid to Figueres (north of Barcelona) yesterday with a 10 minute stop at Barcelona Sants which is the same station you will use. No problems yesterday at all. We're heading back to Barcelona in the morning and hope to have no issues then either. We decided to head down on a mid-morning train as we're staying in Eixample.

[Host Bonjour]

Hi everyone,

 

It is undeniably tense to monitor unrest from abroad knowing your travel plans may be affected, and surely couldn't be more tense for marazul who is monitoring it up close and personal. Thanks for the updates and info!

 

Unfortunately, we've seen these events in other places in the world lately, it's happening in Hong Kong now and has been taking place in France too since late last year with the Yellow Vest protests; both of these movements have at times been violent and destructive and there's a similar thread on our Asia board with a Hong Kong local also posting updates to help travelers stay informed. 

 

Everyone is going to react different (read: worry more/less) to the information posted here, please keep in mind our community guidelines before replying to another member in regards to their interpretation of the information and their individual travel plans. Each person will have their own level of comfort and sense of security that is not to be judged here. 

 

As an added measure of assessment, I have included in this post a link to the US Department of State's Spain Travel Advisory page which was updated on October 23, 2019. There is a link to enter the STEP (Smart Traveler Enrollment Program) as well as other helpful links for further information to keep apprised of the official reaction (use it as you will, none can be taken as a guarantee of safety) for persons with plans or planning to visit Spain. 

 

If it were me I'd go, but my level of comfort and coping isn't for everyone. Anything can (and sometimes does) happen anywhere, at any time. I've seen and experienced this and while I do not ever condone being reckless or senseless, I do know that there are so many things beyond our control and most of the time, things work out.

 

And there's this: for people wishing to make change in their world, like this, little is accomplished when innocent people are taken down in the process of fighting for their cause. Inconvenienced? Maybe. Badly hurt? Probably not.

 

If you have the travel insurance and are too, too worried, cancel and reschedule. Otherwise, plan you trip and be flexible. 

 

And please, be kind and mindful of others there, here, everywhere. Thanks!! 🙂 

 

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/spain-travel-advisory.html

[midwestchick]

Travel insurance will not cover you if you cancel because of unrest unless you have paid a premium for cancel for any reason insurance. 

[Cienfuegos]

Thanks for those wise words, Host Bonjour.

 

On our recent walking tour of Barcelona, the guide made a point of telling the group that  Catalan people (noted) live in Barcelona, and want tourists to be happy, and to enjoy their visit. And, they want business and shipping to continue. The people doing the work are Catalans.

 

Antagonizing visitors and shippers is not in anyone's interest.

[RJB]

20 hours ago, Host Bonjour said:

Hi everyone,

 

It is undeniably tense to monitor unrest from abroad knowing your travel plans may be affected, and surely couldn't be more tense for marazul who is monitoring it up close and personal. Thanks for the updates and info!

 

Unfortunately, we've seen these events in other places in the world lately, it's happening in Hong Kong now and has been taking place in France too since late last year with the Yellow Vest protests; both of these movements have at times been violent and destructive and there's a similar thread on our Asia board with a Hong Kong local also posting updates to help travelers stay informed. 

 

Everyone is going to react different (read: worry more/less) to the information posted here, please keep in mind our community guidelines before replying to another member in regards to their interpretation of the information and their individual travel plans. Each person will have their own level of comfort and sense of security that is not to be judged here. 

 

As an added measure of assessment, I have included in this post a link to the US Department of State's Spain Travel Advisory page which was updated on October 23, 2019. There is a link to enter the STEP (Smart Traveler Enrollment Program) as well as other helpful links for further information to keep apprised of the official reaction (use it as you will, none can be taken as a guarantee of safety) for persons with plans or planning to visit Spain. 

 

If it were me I'd go, but my level of comfort and coping isn't for everyone. Anything can (and sometimes does) happen anywhere, at any time. I've seen and experienced this and while I do not ever condone being reckless or senseless, I do know that there are so many things beyond our control and most of the time, things work out.

 

And there's this: for people wishing to make change in their world, like this, little is accomplished when innocent people are taken down in the process of fighting for their cause. Inconvenienced? Maybe. Badly hurt? Probably not.

 

If you have the travel insurance and are too, too worried, cancel and reschedule. Otherwise, plan you trip and be flexible. 

 

And please, be kind and mindful of others there, here, everywhere. Thanks!! 🙂 

 

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/spain-travel-advisory.html

Yes, these boards are important to most of us that travel a lot and need good info.  Lets be nice to all that post here. Many different opinions and most are pretty valid.  Do not need nasty comments and posts.  Does not serve any purpose. 

[Lazz]

Just back from 2 nights in Barcelona this morning.  Our plans and sightseeing were not disrupted by any protests or unrest. We did see quite a bit of political graffiti spray painted on the walls and a heavy police presence at large tourist attractions.  Be more concerned about pickpockets and purse snatching.  

[Sawhock]

Went to Familia Sagrada This afternoon and there were demonstrations adjacent but no interruptions to enjoying ourselves. 

[jean87510]

Have been in Barcelona for 36 houts at airport: train: bus: taxi: food tour and wallong around. Everything has been fine. Im staying near sagrada familia and havent seen anything remotely disconcerting.

[Northern Aurora]

I am posting from a hotel in Boston.  We left Barcelona yesterday after spending several days at the Hotel Barcelona Universal.  We  have visited Barcelona several times and this was the third time we have stayed at that particular hotel.   We, like "jean87510," didn't see anything remotely disconcerting.  With two prior stays at that hotel we are somewhat familiar with neighborhood, and all looked the same.  Restaurants were open, the subway functioning, kids were walking to school and grey haired ladies of a "certain age" were walking their dogs during the evening. 

 

We stayed in Barcelona after leaving a B2B2B cruise series.  Cruise ships can be full of rumors, and we had some passengers fearful and worried.  But there were plentiful taxis at the cruise terminal, we didn't see any demonstrations in the streets and , at least where we were staying, absolutely no increased police  presence.  

[Host Bonjour]

Thanks so much to everyone for the follow-up comments, kind words, and especially to members who have recently visited Barcelona and shared about their experiences. I know if I were about to leave for Barcelona (if only!!) and had had any concerns, I'd be feeling more at ease now. Information is always helpful but it's important to gather as much of it, on balance, as possible before arriving at a final conclusion. Where that final deciding point is will be different for everyone, and I am glad everyone agrees it's important to be mindful of others comfort levels. Thank you so much!

 

While there aren't ever any guarantees for visiting anywhere at anytime, after posting, this conversation made me reflect back to 9/11 and what it must have been like for folks who were visiting NYC which in 2001, was better, but not what it is today though still a magnet for business and tourism travel, or even just a transit hub; I and next door neighbors had travel plans, they to Ireland on the day, myself for the 15th to Savannah, needless to say, all trips were cancelled...like wise in Paris or Houston or Puerto Rico...Christchurch–earthquakes or a man made tragedy) none of us have crystal balls, and thankfully tragedies are few are far between. For everything else, we have common sense, hope, and perhaps insurance.

 

And flexibility, perhaps more than anything, the ability to persevere and be resilient. Making lemons into lemonade, and by that I, with less than zero degrees of separation from 9/11 can imply that is always possible but insofar as being inconvenienced by natural or man-made events, there are, at times, opportunities to be had...such as, a chance to discover a place one might never have found and making connections one might never have made with people, especially locals, and remembering that people can truly be amazing, though this often happens without the floods, earthquakes, or political/governmental battles. It's just a matter of stopping to breathe and then reframing the vacation we thought might just be about totally chilling out (always down for that) making whatever adjustment needs to happen, resume chilling, or whatever new great thing is happening. 

 

While we're on the subject of insurance, which yes, tends to exclude certain types of events–everything is extra these days, but not every purchaser is always aware of exactly what defines a covered event should one buy the extra coverage, this seems to be a fluid concept depending upon where one purchases their policy–and so by no means did I intend to imply that purchasing insurance was a guarantee for funds to be returned, I apologize sincerely for any misunderstanding; it is a means to possibly protecting the amounts paid for one's holiday in the event of certain actualities and events, not unlike auto or home policies, there's a base product and one may then purchase by customization, as available, additional coverage to their policy. 

 

For the month of November, Cruise Critic is pleased to present a guest consultant available to answer your cruise/trip insurance questions. @iamtrustworthySteve is an experienced Certified Financial Planner who now focuses his expertise to the increasingly complex and vast area of travel insurance products and services. You may create a new topic or search/browse an existing topics, or do both! 

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/2441-qa-cruise-insurance-w-steve-dasseos-of-the-tripinsurancestorecom/

 

Looking forward to further travel updates, and also hopeful that on the ground, all voices can be heard too, in as safe a manner as possible for all considered.