Frequent travelers say that planning is the secret to a good trip. As exciting as it may sound to just suddenly pack your bags and board the first plane to the country of your choice, the best thing to do is to plan the details. That way you know what to expect, you can negotiate for the best deals, and you can make the most of your stay.

The first thing you should do is to find as much information you can about Barcelona. Read about the culture, the sights, the food, the history. This will whet your appetite and give you a sense of anticipation. It can also give you an idea of what places you should see, or even what restaurants you should try. Reading about weather and climate can tell you what clothes to pack, while viewing objective reviews by fellow travelers (usually find this on the web) can help you separate marketing hype from the real thing.

Invest in a guidebook. Ideally this should have a map, key phrases in Spanish, and a summary of what you’ll find at the different tourist attractions. This will help you decide what attractions you want to see and how much time you may want to allocate to each. It can also help you figure out what area of Barcelona you want to book your hotel in, based on where the attractions are concentrated.

Next is to start making your travel plans. What airport do you want to use? What airline? Try to get the different prices and compare the best time of the day or the best day of the week to get a bargain ticket. You can identify these patterns by watching travel websites over several months. IF you’re flexible about your vacation dates then you can afford to wait for a good deal.

Are you planning to go during peak season? Beware: Barcelona hotel accommodations can get filled up weeks in advance. Try to book your flight at least 3 months ahead of time. Sign up for the alert service of websites that will inform you if there is a change in the price of air fare. And don’t forget to ask the hotels about their promos; sometimes they don’t update their websites.