Ok you lot, I'm reposting this here because I originally posted it in the Spain forum, and thought this might get better answers (possibly). Also, that post was quite long, and I'm trying to cut this one shorter.
Basically, here is my situation: I will be in Spain from the first of July until mid-to-late September when I need to be back in St Andrews for school. From 1 July to 1 August, I will be working on an archaeological dig near Burgos. But after 1 August, the dig is over, and I need to basically figure out things to do/where to go/how to get around ON THE CHEAP and how to get the biggest bang for my proverbial buck. I have about £1335/$2200 saved right now for this purpose, and by the time I will need to use it, this number could, possibly, be at about £1934/$3200. But that said, it needs to last me 5-6 weeks, and I want to get the biggest bang out of my money that I can.
I've done some preliminary research (though, admittedly, not terribly a lot, as I've still got about a month) and I reckon that I could probably do so at about this price, but not too much cheaper; however, this is assuming things like 2 meals a day, transport via trains primarily, etc etc. I'm figuring roughly 50 Euro a day. Can it be done cheaper without taking all the fun out of the trip? As in, I don't want to spend my entire trip counting every penny I spend. I do that enough as it is.
Basically, I'm looking for practical help in terms of prices I can expect for things like hostels, food, attractions, as well as recommendations on things that are free/cheap to do, things/places to see, and alternate means of transport. (I've been reading a lot about coaches/busses in lieu of trains, but in reality how much cheaper are they/are they worth it? What about budget airlines? Does Ryanair or any sort of Spanish equivalent fly domestic flights and/or very local regionally?, etc)
As it stands now, my general propsed (very loose) itinerary (after leaving Burgos) is (times include travel):
-1 week/1.5 weeks San Sebastian, Bilbao, Pamplona, the Basque Country
-4-5 days, Barcelona
-1 week (approx) Madrid, Toledo, Saracena, and surrounds
-2 weeks Andalucia (Sevilla, Cordoba, Granada and Cadiz)
After that, I don't know. I have a friend who lives in Lisbon whom I could probably couch-surf for a few days. He also said he'd take me to a Fado club. But I don't know how much there really is to do in Portugal (especially when compared to Spain) to justify it. Or what about Morocco? Andorra? I am hoping to make some Spanish friends during the month I am working in Burgos and maybe I can solicit travel advice or even a night or two on a few people's couches/floors during my trip. But I have to plan for it NOT happening, right?
Also, do I HAVE to stay in hostels? I mean, I like hostels, they're great. But this is as in, if I were to, say, buy myself a sleeping bag, would I be able to just pull up a spot on a beach or something? Or are there designated camping areas in these cities, and if there are, are they cheaper than a hostel would be? Is it worth the investment or am I better off just looking for cheap hostels?
So, basically, the reason behind this post is two-fold: One, to get accurate estimations/information on cost, logistics, etc. The second is for advice on my interary. Any and all suggestions/ideas of things to do that are fun/interesting would be welcomed, especially if they are cheap or free.
Also, I think I would really like to do a day-trip (or a few-days side trip) to Morocco, if it is feasible and not too expensive. However, I hold an Israeli passport, despite also being an American citizen and holding residency papers in Britain. Would there be any issues in terms of visas/not being allowed entry to Morocco? I mean, I would be travelling on my US passport with British papers, but they all will say 'Place of birth: Ashqelon, Israel', and as you can imagine, I'd like to know for CERTAIN if I'd be allowed into the country (and if it would be more-or-less safe) before I shell out the cash to go to Morocco.
Any and all advice would be warmly welcomed. Even if its simply links to other pages where I can find the information for myself.
Cheers, and thanks a lot in advance,
Dan