Gap year in Barcelona? Here's your pre-travel checklist for 2026

Taking a gap year in Barcelona is a potentially life-changing adventure, opening up the doors to incredible opportunities. To make the most out of your gap year experience, you’ll want to make sure you’ve completely ready. 

If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed, don’t worry! We’ve put together the ultimate gap year checklist. Here’s everything you’ll need for your Gap Year in Spain program. 

Preparing for your gap year in Barcelona 2026

Get your documents in order

Visa

One of the first steps to take before starting your gap year programme is to secure your student visa. As the application process typically takes a long time – between two and three months – you’ll need to start this at least three months before the start of your course.  

Getting a visa can be a tricky process, although we help all our students with our dedicated Student Visa Programmes, making everything so much easier. We’ve also put together a student visa checklist to show you exactly what you’ll need.

A good idea is to make photocopies of your passport and your student visa. Bring these with your and also email yourself digital copies or upload them to your online drive. 

TIE (ID card)

Getting a Spanish ID card is an essential step. Known as the TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero), this acts as both identification and a residency permit. It’s notoriously tricky to get, but we know the system inside out. We help our students every step of the way, assisting with everything from booking your appointment and gathering paperwork to translation.

Sort accommodation

Setting up your home-from-home is a key part of any gap year experience. You’ll need a cosy, safe space to act as your base; somewhere you can fully relax in between periods of study and cultural immersion. 

Luckily, at TEFL Iberia, our gap year programme comes with accommodation placement during your time in Barcelona. We provide our students with a room in a shared modern apartment in the city, so you can live with fellow students and enjoy a great balance of socializing and privacy.

Get to know Barcelona

It’s best to do your research on the city before you leave, so you know what to expect. Of course, you can never truly know a destination until you’ve lived there for a while. But brushing up on the basics will help you settle in as much as possible and help avoid any major cultural surprises.

We recommend reading our guide to Life in Barcelona. You’ll also find many more insights into living in Barcelona and Spain in general elsewhere on our blog.

Prepare your finances

This is one of the key aspects of a gap year programme that many people overlook, which is why we’re including here. We go out of our way to help our students get their finances in order, offering expert assistance with setting up a Spanish bank account.

If you’re planning on transferring money from your Spanish account to your home account, familiarise yourself with the best way to make money transfers overseas – this will save you a lot of money in the long run. Our guide on navigating international money transfers can help. 

Be sure to budget your finances to avoid over-spending. Another good idea is to compare the cost of living between Spain and your home country, to get a better idea of how you’ll need to organise your finances.  

Get connected

You’ll want to make sure you bring the right adapters and chargers for phones, laptops and other devices. Like most of Europe, Spain uses the two-pronged, round plug types. Check this guide on the types of different electrical plug by country. 

Our accommodation services include WiFi, so you’ll be connected the moment you land. We also provide you with a local sim card, so you’ll have a Spanish telephone number to help you connect with locals.

Another great idea is to subscribe to a VPN service. This will let you use websites, apps and streaming platforms that you normally use at home, which might be blocked in Spain.

Pack your luggage

Just the idea of packing can be stressful! You’ll no doubt be worrying about bringing too much or too little, wondering how to hit that sweet spot. Have a read of our TEFL packing list for an idea of what you’ll need to bring for your gap year in Barcelona. There’s probably a few things on the list you hadn’t even thought of!

How we support you from the start of your Barcelona gap year

At TEFL Iberia, we go above and beyond to make sure your gap year experience is amazing from the moment you arrive in Barcelona. Here’s how we support you:

Airport pick up

You’ll be collected from Barcelona airport and whisked you back to your new apartment, where our expert coordinators will welcome you.

Support team

We have a dedicated team of experienced staff and coordinators who are passionate about providing the best support. This could be anything from questions about your course or accommodation to Spanish classes and future career opportunities.

Help with your student visa and other admin

We are on-hand to assist with everything from visas and ID cards to medical insurance and course applications.

Emergency contract 24/7

Aside from admin support, our expert team is also on-hand for those moments when you need them the most. 

Safe, inspiring environment

Our academy is based close to the city centre of Barcelona in a safe neighbourhood. We’ve worked hard to cultivate an inclusive, respectful and inspiring atmosphere, where everyone has the space to evolve, develop and truly embrace their adventure.

Cultural immersion

You’ll hit the ground running, immersing yourself in life in Barcelona thanks to our diverse cultural activity program. Together with your fellow classmates, you’ll enjoy beach trips, paella cooking classes, wine tasting events, Spanish guitar sessions, flamenco shows, bike tours, beach yoga and weekend trips exploring local towns. One thing’s for sure, you won’t be bored!

Are you interested in taking a gap year in Barcelona? Take a look at our Gap Year program and contact us to find out more.