Planning a Sea Glass Adventure
By Karen Kenyon
It all started with sea glass social media pages. Day after day, I would scroll through people’s posts of fantastically sea-worn marbles, one-of-a-kind bottle stoppers, and perfectly weathered hunks of glass. I would look and think, “I need to get to England!” Or, “I need to get to Aruba!” I was especially taken one day when I came across a post with photos of Spanish finds. I took screenshots and sent them to my husband. He quickly responded to my message with two words: “Let’s go.” As my husband is as obsessed with sea glass as I am, I knew he meant it.
I was ecstatic!
We have been to Spain twice now and absolutely love the country. The culture, architecture, food, and yes, sea glass, are fantastic. For both trips, we did our own travel planning. We did some things right and some things wrong and have practical lessons to pass along to those of you who might be considering a glassing adventure, in Spain or elsewhere. There are lots of travel guides on the market written by professionals and jam packed with great information for the average traveler. I am sharing my personal, practical tips to enhance a beachcombing journey.
Our trips were planned with this question in mind: “If we never get to Spain again, where do we absolutely need to go as sightseeing tourists and what are the beaches we intend to visit?” Something very important you must keep in mind on a sea glass trip is this: Mother Nature is a fickle gal, sometimes rewarding you with treasures, but, just as often, not.
On our most recent trip we had a six-hour wait before we could check into our rental. It was a gray, cold, drizzly day and we had nothing else to do but go to the beach. Though conditions were less than pleasant outdoors, the sea glass we found was abundant and amazing. We were in heaven. The next day, however, it had totally disappeared. It was a complete reversal of fortune overnight. That is the way of the glass gods as those of you die-hards know. Having magical places to visit, like the Alhambra in Granada, or La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona certainly compensates for any unproductive time on the beach.
Flying
If you can flirt with a splurge using airline points, or money isn’t an issue, think about flying as comfortably as possible “across the pond,” because overseas travel can knock the stuffing out of you. Being able to stretch out and nap can help get your trip off to a good start and let you hit the ground running. Also, if it’s possible, look at flying non-stop. Layovers can be very stressful in European airports, especially if you haven’t allowed at least two hours to get to your next gate. Clearing passport control and getting through the luggage screening can take a lot of time. We ran into that situation in Paris on our first trip. It was a very close call making our connection. Make your flight plans carefully to avoid stress and maximize comfort.
Accommodations
We live in a world now that is full of great options for lodging. We stayed in only hotels on our first trip but did our first-ever home rental on our second. My best advice for renting is to really scour the reviews and stay only in places where the host has great feedback. Our rental had amazing photos and a great location but not so great reviews. Unfortunately, the issues a previous renter had complained about online had not yet been addressed as we had hoped. We will be more careful in our selection next time.
If your adventure/vacation will include a car rental like ours did, remember to make sure to select lodging that has parking or accommodation for your vehicle. Not every hotel or rental home has parking, which we were surprised to learn. This is an important consideration.
Renting a car
Firstly, to drive in Spain and many other countries, you must have an International Driver’s Permit. You can obtain one from AAA, the official organization authorized by the U.S. Department of State to issue them.
When renting a car in Spain, think about choosing the smallest vehicle that will comfortably hold you and your luggage. In the older cities, like Seville and Granada, the streets are very narrow and the spaces in parking garages are incredibly tight. On our first trip to Spain, we had an SUV, and it proved very challenging to park. Sometimes, my husband would let me out before backing into a space so he could get more room to exit the car. Even using that technique, many times he still could not open his door enough to get out. How many times he drove off in frustration, I can’t tell you.
Make sure you have maps of the cities you are visiting, including street names. Hotels will usually have these to give you if you ask. Often your GPS won’t work when you are winding your way down cramped streets between buildings, and the map will help you out in a pinch until your GPS catches up with you.
Renting a car makes beach hopping very easy and you can cover a lot of ground at your own pace. But, if you must taxi, that still gets the job done. Just a practical tip here: Remember to bring towels with you for drying off or cleaning your feet before getting into your vehicle. We also bring small garbage bags to put our dirty footwear in before changing into sandals and climbing into the car.
I want to offer two points of caution regarding driving in Spain. The first is, when you see a road sign indicating radar and speed limits, they are serious. Ask my husband. Expect to get an email with your fine in it if you drive too fast. Second, watch out for motorcyclists darting in and around traffic. They move quickly and can take you utterly by surprise. Look very carefully before changing lanes.
Planning your route
An important consideration when laying out our trip was working the glass beaches we wanted to visit into the itinerary. On our first trip, we landed in Madrid, spent a day and night there and then took a high-speed train to Seville. We spent several days exploring and falling in love with that charming and historic city and that is where we picked up our rental car.
From there we headed south to the Mediterranean and Cadiz. We then worked our way up the coast, visiting many beaches all the way to Barcelona over a period of ten days. Along that route, we visited the breathtaking and beautiful cities of Marbella, Ronda, Malaga, Granada, Valencia, and Sitges. Though not every day involved a beach stop, many were woven into our route. We found the highways very easy to travel with many being newly paved. The cities, however, could often be quite challenging due to traffic and very narrow streets. We often used cabs to get around the cities to avoid a lot of stress and aggravation.
I chose the beaches we visited after rather exhaustive research on social media as well as the Internet. I had kept a running list of beaches to visit, which was then pared down to fit into our route. We had also looked at these beaches on Google Earth, something we do often. It can give us a sense of where we are going and can even help us see if the beach looks like it has glass potential or not.
For this trip, I had a notebook detailing our route from start to finish, including distance and times between locations as well as low tide times for every day. We chose to begin our trip in Spain when the tides were going to be optimal for glass hunting. Everything was critically timed. However, our longest driving day was a five-hour jag from Granada to Valencia, and on paper it looked like it would be feasible to visit three beaches fairly close to each other and not too far out of our way. After spending hours on the road, we realized that detour would have made the day just too exhausting. We scrapped that plan and had a great night in Valencia enjoying paella and red wine. Be flexible and don’t stress if you have to sacrifice your plans.
If you haven’t noticed it by now, I am not listing the names of the beaches we visited. There is a reason for this. On our first trip to Spain, I excitedly posted on social media some great glass I had just found on a fantastic beach. I tagged the town I was in and within minutes, I was receiving private messages pleading with me to remove the location tag. The local glassers were distraught and, I was told, one woman was even crying. They feared their beach would be overrun with sea glass collectors. I quickly removed the tag, promising to not reveal the location. Consequently, I extended the same courtesy to all the local hunters of the other beaches we visited.
Transporting glass
We had no issue bringing sea glass home from Spain in our checked bags. I don’t, however, suggest you try going through security with it in your carry-on bags. I did that on our last trip and barely got through. The agent pulled my plastic zip lock bags jammed with glass out of my suitcase and was surveying it in her gloved hands. With each bag she picked up, she was rolling her eyes, looking at me as if to say, “Really??” I’m sure it looked suspicious on the monitor as it passed through. Smiling, I offered innocently and confidenly, “It’s just beach glass.” She shook her head, closed my suitcase and waved me on. Phew. I won’t try that again!
For packing and transporting the glass, I bring many plastic zip lock bags of varying sizes to put it in. Once filled, some of the smaller bags get tucked into sneakers and shoes and the larger bags get wrapped inside clothing. I have never suffered any glass casualties. I also bring some hard-shell eyeglass cases for special can’t-risk-breaking pieces. They pack well and work great.
Final nuggets
If you plan on visiting any major tourist sites or take train trips, consider buying your tickets in advance. Leave nothing to chance. We regret not getting into the Picasso Museum in Malaga, thinking we would just get tickets there. How busy could they be? Crazy busy, actually. The line was far longer than we had patience for. It is especially important to get Alhambra tickets in advance as it is the second-most visited site in Spain. And don’t forget to bring your passport when you go because you will be asked for it there.
Avoid traveling during a holiday. We were in Spain for Easter on our last trip and the crowds at the most popular sites were formidable. Now we know to pay closer attention to our timing.
If you haven’t used packing cubes yet, give them a try. They buy you lots of space in your luggage and can help firmly hold your glass if wrapped in clothing and zipped inside.
Lastly, invest in great running shoes. Travel generally involves lots of walking and you owe it to yourself to have adventures in comfort. There are now so many brands out there offering special features. Spend some time figuring out your perfect fit.
From its ancient cities to its sun-soaked beaches, Spain is a spectacular country. Here’s hoping someday you can put your feet in its sands and experience the magic. Wishing you happy travels, wherever you go!
Learn more about the best beaches and destinations for sea and beach glass, seashells, fossils, rocks, and more beach finds around the world. Articles ›
This article appeared in Beachcombing Magazine Volume 44 September/October 2024
