SAVE AND
EARN WHEN
YOU TRAVEL
Did you know that AMA can
help you save money with all
your travel plans? From home
insurance to how you spend
abroad.
Secure your home while away.
Save $100 and earn $100 in
reward dollars on the purchase
of a new home security system
from Reliance Protectron.
AMARewards.ca/Reliance
Save up to 20% on Hertz car
rentals, plus earn $5 in
reward dollars on weekly
rentals and $25 in reward
dollars on monthly rentals.
AMARewards.ca/Hertz
Escape the hustle and bustle
of the airport. Plaza Premium
Lounge offers comfortable
seating, recharging stations,
food and beverages, high
speed Wi-Fi, VIP rooms,
internet workstations,
shower rooms and more.
Save 20% on lounge entry.
AMARewards.ca/Lounges
Use your AMA card when
heading to the airport. In
Edmonton, save 20%, plus
earn 3% in reward dollars at
Park'N Fly. AMARewards.ca/
ParkNFly
Flying out of Calgary? Save
15% on Park2Go airport
parking. AMARewards.ca/
Park2Go
An International Driving Permit
provides you with an extra
piece of photo identification,
as well as a translation of
your valid Canadian driver's
licence into 10 different lan-
guages. Visit an AMA centre
to apply in-person, or go online
to print a copy of the applica-
tion form and mail it to your
local AMA. ama.ab.ca/
InternationalPermit
(clockwise from top left) Carrer del Sorrall street; a local butcher sharpens
his knife; a typical building with paned windows in Arbucies; flauta de
xocolata and ulleres pastries.
12 W E S T W O R L D A L B E R T A | W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 (both pages) saida valenzuela pozo
Six months earlier, my wife and I had hatched a plan to check out of life in Canada, pack up the
kids and immerse in another culture and language. Our criteria were simple: the destination had
to fit our modest budget (we wanted accommodation costs to roughly match what we were earn-
ing in rent from our home in Canada – roughly $1,000 per month.) We also sought a country with
sunny and warm fall weather, and an accessible language. Our sights fell on Spain, which was
affordable by European standards and also rich in culture and geography. After a few weeks of
online research, we scored a rental for the first half of our trip in Arbucies, a working-class town
so obscure that it didn't earn a single mention in the travel guides. Perfect. After a month there,
we'd head to Lanjarón, a village in Andalucía – that rugged and sun-dappled region in southern
Spain, for another month.
Lisa and I had both travelled and worked in Europe before, but this was our first time in Spain.
My knowledge of the country was sorely limited, acquired mostly from reading Ernest Heming-
way's For Whom the Bell Tolls, watching FC Barcelona and Real Madrid battle it out in "El Clásico,"
as well as recent news reports of the country's crushing economic fortunes.
