Yesterday’s journey to Barcelona wasn’t the seamless journey that I had hoped for as I hit quite a few snags.

The first was a last minute gate change that wasn’t announced until boarding, preceded by a 30 minute shuttle ride to the plane and finally an additional hour delay on the runway before taking off. Emirates my favorite airline was letting me down in a big way yesterday (I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later as we do not live in a perfect world).
As unpleasant as the start of my journey was I would have to say the rest of it went rather smoothly. Specifically my trip on the Barcelona Aerobus from the airport to the Placa Catalunya. This was an unexpected surprise since I did no preplanning for how I would get to my hotel from the airport as I normally do.

On previous trips to Barcelona I reserved transportation from the airport using AreoCity Transportation via Expedia.com. The cost is about $18.50. After booking it on Expedia the company will send you a follow up email requesting your flight details. Upon your exit from the luggage area there is usually a driver waiting to take you to your hotel. For under $20 I thought that was a pretty good deal, but have since found a better one–The Aerobus.

The Aerobus departs the airport every five minutes and only cost 5.90€ ($6.54). Since I travel to Europe quite often I never exchange spare currency, but rather save it for a future trip. For most, that would not be the case (especially if you are traveling to Europe for the first time). In that case, the best exchange rate you can get is via the ATM machine (not the currency exchange). At Barcelona International Airport there is an ATM machine to your left once you exit customs and the exit to the Areobus is on your right. You also have the option of purchasing your bus ticket in advance at: http://www.aerobusbcn.com/temas/Barcelona-eng.html?gclid=COjrg5-N28YCFQnLtAodMRIMRg

The entire trip took about 40 or so minutes with stops near major Metro lines. Free Wifi and guaranteed space to stow your luggage are also an added perks to riding the Aerobus. It is a kneeling bus, but you will still have to carry your own bags. If you have more bags than you can carry on your own this may not be an option for you. I found it to be quite enjoyable as it gave me an opportunity to people watch as we made our way to the tourist area of Barcelona.