Blogging My Way Back to Spain: Gran Canaria and a Competition For You With Clickstay!

“Traded in my sorrows for the joy that I borrowed, back in the day” – Kylie Minogue.

Well I was backpacking in Valencia and Alicante long before this blog even existed. And I partied on terraces in Majorca and Menorca back in the day on textbook summer holidays with family, or even with the lads on the rip in Magaluf. I danced to Kylie Minogue songs you’ve never heard of. But memories fade to grey as I landed back in Spain in 2014. Well to be exact, Catalonia as I toured Barcelona and also across the border into pristine and gorgeous Andorra. Without possessing a clear magnet, Spain somehow lures you back. This eejit here ended up in Donostia…

I get entered into competitions a lot these days and some I turn down, some I have no desire to visit that country, others I just go with the flow. Do I want to return to mainland Spain this Summer? Not quite, not the mainland. But I do want to head to the paradise that Spain has off the coast of Africa – the Canary Islands, to stay in a plush Gran Canaria villa, finish my long awaited travel book and potentially share some time with a secret girl. Yes, intriguing.

My Competition Entry
I wrote the first chapter of Backpacking Centurion in August 2003 when I was in Spain, I then re-wrote some of my chapters in Bilbao and the Basque Country in 2015. Now I have the chance of a week away from the backpacking life, in a private villa in Gran Canaria! But I’ll need to win the competition first! Clickstay have over 1,500 villas in Spain including luxury villas in Ibiza, beach front villas in Marbella and boutique apartments in Barcelona. But I’ve gone for Canary Isles. My parents went there in 1979, in the summer before I was born.

“200 hundred degrees that’s why they call me Mr. Fahrenheit” – Freddie Mercury.

So why Clickstay, why Gran Canaria and why this Villa?
I work with a lot of travel companies these days and some offers I turn down politely, some I buzz off, like the recent Money Supermarket challenge in Africa. Clickstay are a trusted and well managed brand, and the timing is perfect, so I said yes to them. I’m in Europe this summer, especially for the Euro 2016 football. #daretodream #blogyourwaytospain

I’ve plumped for Gran Canaria as I’ve been to mainland Spain 4 times, I’ve been to the Balearic Islands twice and the Canary Isles have to be next on my hit list for Spain, and when I saw this Villa, the Mogan Beach Apartment, I had made up my mind. I’ve seen enough Uruguayan sunsets to last a lifetime.

I would love to spend a week at the Mogan Beach Apartment, which has WiFi, near a beach, great food, relaxation and I WILL finally get my book finished!!

Who is Coming With Me?
That’s a secret to come if and when the trip goes ahead. If not, times are changing in the Don’t Stop Living cannonball. It could be the secret girl I spoke of last month, but I’d have to win the competition and she’d have to say yes. If it goes ahead, I have one promise to myself and my readers, that’s my main reason for going here – it’s the perfect chance for me to finish the book:

I PROMISE I WILL FINISH MY BOOK IN SPAIN.

Your Competition – GET ENTERING!
You didn’t click on this to read about my journey, you want to live your own dreams, so get entering the competition! You have your chance to win your own £500 villa voucher and a camera, thanks to Clickstay. Just head to this link to enter the Clickstay Reader competition: https://www.clickstay.com/spain/villa-holiday-competition.

Good luck everyone!

To help me win, you can share, like and click on my posts and follow my journey on Social Media:

Don’t Stop Living – A Lifestyle of Travel
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Follow Clickstay on @Clickstay and use the unique hashtag #BlogYourWayToSpain

Safe travels!