Urban Betsy: BAEcelona | Our First Trip Together

It's been a year since we first started dating... what better way to get to know each other better than to take along overseas trip?

That first year always flies by fast when you're having a good time together... a.k.a. when you've gotten to know each other's comfort zone and have equally adapted to those zones. But I truly believe that to really understand each other in a serious relationship, you have to go way out of your comfort zone. That's the only way to comprehend your threshold as a couple. Ok, so it's not like we went to the Sahara desert with limited resources to do that. We chose Barcelona, mostly for our mutual respect and appreciation for the city's quirky architecture, its romantic aura as fittingly, and rich Mediterranean palettes. Check out our attempt at a VLOG here

I'm not going to lie, coming to a middle ground when it came to food options was a little tough - Stephen is vegan and I'm definitely a shameless carnivore. There were moments when I was frustrated when it came to restaurant options and having to pick a restaurant that had to have a vegan paella option, rather than going to the best place for paella... that's just something I'm going to have to live with and accept because I love him. And vegan or not, bomb food is bomb food, so no complaints here. The last day, we chose to eat at different places for one of our last meals -- he wanted a taco place, and I was not feeling that.

All in all, our experience traveling together was great. We're both very laid back and have a general sense of what the other needs. Having said that, we do try our best to accommodate as best as we can, bickering aside. It took our relationship to the next level, the ability to trust that we have each other's back when shit hits the fan -- when we're lost , it's a team work effort to get us out of a sticky situation.

There are so many places in the world we want to travel to. Barcelona was such a great start to it all. It's a small city, so I would say 7 days there was way more than enough to experience the local culture, get a healthy taste of the lifestyle, hit all the touristy and non-touristy places. Enough time to make a quick train ride just 1 hour outside Barcelona to see Dali's house as well (something I definitely wished we got to do, instead of being hungover in a room from a night of clubbing, something I also do not regret doing either haha).

Our stay in the city was even made so much more memorable at Casa Bonay. I highly, highly recommend this place to anyone who visits Barcelona. The boutique hotel is situated right in the city center, steps away from all the landmarks and quaint, but vibrant nightlife. I love how meaningful the place made me felt, their whimsical branding and really attentive front desk made it feel like home base right from the start. Truthfully, I get intimidated staying at larger hotels and would much prefer lodging up at a boutique place where I feel like my money and quality time goes a longer way, at the end of the day.