Spain Wrestling
Tour
Overview
Spain is a beautiful country with history, culture, and a love of sport. Our wrestlers will compete in a USA vs Spain series consisting of four different International Wrestling Meets. In addition to the training and meets, we'll visit Madrid and Barcelona and a few stops in between. We'll see historic sites, some adventure, and lots of culture on this amazing nine day adventure.


Tour
Details
- WHO - Wrestling (MW) Ages 14-25
- WHERE - Spain
- WHEN - July 19-27, 2022 (9 days)
- HOW MUCH - $4,200 per traveler*
*If paying in full and up front for all travelers. The price is $4,500 if using a payment plan or adding additional travelers to the tour after the athlete is enrolled. We have this pricing structure to absorb the costs that last minute additions cost. Otherwise, most families would just deposit for the athlete and add the guests at the last possible moment. As you can imagine, that’s difficult to plan for – so we incentivize the former.
Sample Tour
Itinerary
DAY 1 - DEPART THE USA
Meet your teammates and coaches at our US departure airport and fly to Spain!
DAY 2 – ARRIVAL IN MADRID
Arrival at Madrid International Airport Where your local guide will meet you at Arrivals and will assist you throughout the trip. • Transfer by private bus to your Hotel in the city center of Madrid. • Arrival and check in at your Hotel • Lunch on your own and free time to explore the area around the hotel. • Afternoon training session in local venue prepared for Wrestling. • Have Dinner at your Hotel.

DAY 3 - MADRID AND BERNABEU
7:30 am – Have Breakfast at your Hotel. • 8:00 am - After breakfast departure for Madrid Full Day Tour. In this full day Madrid city tour you will drive and walk through the beautiful city of Madrid. See some of the most important sights in the city such as Plaza Mayor, Puerta de Alcalá, Plaza de Cibeles, Puerta del Sol and the Bernabéu Stadium. Stop at some of the locations to take pictures of those significant places in the city. We will also visit Madrid’s histor- ic quarters and famous parks, including Casa de Campo and Retiro. Entrance included in Real Madrid Bernabeu Stadium • Lunch on your own. • Joint training session / International Wrestling Meet with local Spanish clubs. • Transfer back to the Hotel. • Have Dinner at your Hotel.
DAY 4 – MADRID AND PAELLA
8:00 am – Have Breakfast at your Hotel. • 9:00 am - International Wrestling Meet / Competition with local Spanish clubs. • 11:00 am - Transfer back to the hotel for showering. • 12:00 pm - Enjoy one of the most exclusive cooking classes in Madrid for a true local experience! A Taste of Spain‘s paella cooking classes are led by an expert, English-speaking instructor from Madrid with several years of culinary experience. After visiting a local market to buy seasonal ingredients for your food, you’ll head to a private kitchen and prepare an entire Spanish Paella from scratch! Finally, you’ll sit down to lunch and enjoy the fruits of your labor! • 4:00 pm - Transfer back to the Hotel • Free time • 8:00 pm - Have Dinner at your Hotel.

DAY 5 – TRANSFER TO BARCELONA
9:00 am - Have Breakfast at your Hotel. Hotel check-out. • 9:30 am After check-out, departure AVE Speed train from Madrid to Barcelona. • 12:30 pm - After arrival in Barcelona, transfer in private bus to the selected Costa Brava Location (Lloret, Calella, Santa Susana, or similar). Have lunch on your own. • 3:00 pm - Arrival and check-in at your hotel. • Free time to explore and go to the beach • Afternoon training session in local venue prepared for Wrestling. • 8:00 pm - Have Dinner at your Hotel.
DAY 6 – BARCELONA FULL DAY
7:30 am - Have Breakfast at your Hotel. • 8:30 am - After check-out, departure to Barcelona city center • 10:00 am - Full day Barcelona City Tour. We will start our tour with a drive up the famous mountain of Montjuic, which offers excellent views over the city and which was the main site of the 1992 Olympic games. After a brief stop at the terrasse of the Catalunya National Art Museum (MNAC) we will make our way down to Placa Espanya and past the Modernist buildings of the Eixample area. Our drive to the iconic Sagrada Famlia will take us up Passeig de Gracia, Barcelona’s most expensive boulevard and the setting of two of Barcelonas most talked about Gaudi buildings: La Pedre- ra and Casa Batllo. Finally, we will arrive at Sagrada Família (entrance included), stopping there for a guided visit inside the basilica. Our Skip the Line policy means there will be no NO QUEUES! After visiting Sagrada Familia we will drive to Parc Guell (entrance included), which is considered a UNESCO World Heritage site. • Lunch on your own. • 5:00 pm – Joint training session / International Wrestling Meet with local Spanish clubs. • 7:00 pm - Transfer back to the Hotel. • 8:00 pm - Have Dinner at your Hotel.

DAY 7 – GIRONA (GAME OF THRONES)
8:30 am - Have Breakfast at your Hotel. • 9:00 am - Departure for full day Girona Game of Thrones themed tour. • 10:30 am - Arrival in Girona • 11:00 am - Start of tour. Girona is the capital of the Girona Province in the region of Catalonia. It is located 98 kilometres (61 miles) from Bar- celona in the northeast of Spain, near the border with France. Girona is a city of rich historical and cultural heritage, whose historical past is evident in its beautiful buildings and the architectural elements of its streets and squares in the old city centre. The old town stands on a hill along the eastern shore of the river Onyar, while the more modern part of town stands on the plains to the west. Eleven bridges connect the riverbanks along which the row of colour fully painted buildings is reflected in the water. Girona was one of the filming loca- tions for season 6 of the Game of Thrones series. Many streets and buildings served as places in Braavos and King’s Landing, and the inte- rior of the monastery was used as the Citadel in Oldtown. For example the Cathedral of Girona: Here a spectacular Baroque staircase combined with the facade of the Cathedral form a unique and grandiose public space. In the Game of Thrones series these stairs were used as the exterior for the Great Sept of Baelor in King's Landing, where Jaime Lannister has a showdown with the High Sparrow. Jaime arrives together with the Tyrell soldiers to try to prevent the walk of shame of Queen Margaery. • Lunch on your own and free time to explore. • 5:00 pm – Joint training session / International Wrestling Meet with local Spanish club (TMCGirona). • 7:00 pm - Transfer back to the Hotel. • 8:30 pm - Have Dinner at your Hotel.
DAY 8 – BARCELONA AND CAMP NOU
8:00 am - Have Breakfast at your Hotel. • 8:30 am - Departure to Barcelona for a Half Day tour of the city. • 10:00 am - The group will head to the oldest part of Barcelona, the Barrio Gotico, which until the end of the 19th century was still surrounded by medieval walls. Here, we will get off the bus and enjoy a stroll through the narrow winding streets of the historic heart of Barcelona. At the start of our short walk through the historic streets of Barcelona, we will stop for brief tour of one of Barcelona’s most traditional indoor food markets: La Boqueria. From there, we will travel back in time, going from the Roman era through to the early Middle Ages, when the Catalan counts were controlling the Mediterranean sea and Barcelona was the capital of an empire. The final part of the tour takes in part of the Born district, where the guide will point out a variety of restaurants and tapas bars suitable for lunch before ending the tour in the magnificent Santa Maria del Mar church – one of the most beautiful in Barcelona. • 12:00 pm - Lunch on your own. • 2:00 pm - After lunch we will have the chance to visit and tour in one of the most emblematic stadiums of the World – Camp Nou, home of the Spanish soccer team Barcelona FC. • 5:00 pm – Joint training session / International Wrestling Meet with local Spanish club (TBD). • 7:00 pm - Transfer back to the Hotel. • 8:30 pm – Farewell Dinner at your Hotel.
DAY 9 – DEPART FOR THE USA
Have Breakfast at your Hotel. Hotel check-out. • Departure to Airport • Depart for USA • Arrive back in the USA.
NOTE: This is a sample itinerary and subject to changes. While we make every effort to keep the actual trip as close as possible to the itineraries released in advance of the trip, the nature of group and international travel requires last minute changes due to vendors, travel logistics, game and tournament schedules, weather, etc.]

Meet the
Coach
Mark Hawald will lead team SaWUSA on this tour. He is currently the Head Wrestling Coach at John Carroll University in Ohio. He has previously coached at Case Western Reserve University (OH) and the University of Mount Union (OH). He has been named D3Wrestle National Coach of the Year and previously led a Wrestling Tour to Turkey. Coach Hawald will be an amazing mentor to these athletes who will travel with SaWUSA Wrestling.
Inclusions
This Tour Includes
- Round trip airfare from the team’s departure airport
- Ground transportation for all scheduled activities
- Meals: Two meals a day as outlined in itinerary
- Hotels: 3/4 star hotels, based on 2-3 guests per room
- Entertainment as outlined in the itinerary
- SaWUSA uniforms and equipment
- Sport santioning and tournament entrance fees
- Local tour manager with the team 24-7
- Experienced and dedicated SaWUSA coaching staff
This Tour Does Not Include
- Travel to your departure airport
- Passport / Visa fees
- Individual medical insurance (primary)
- Travel insurance (recommended)
- Customary tipping (bus drivers, etc.)
- Personal items, snacks, drinks, etc.
How to
Join the Team!
If you are a registered traveler, you can access departure airport and flight info, official itinerary, coach info, and more on the TRIPS and OTHER RESOURCES tab once you are logged in. If you have not applied you can start the application below.
