Scouting Report: Spain

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Welcome! We’re so glad you’re here. We’re excited to share a multi-part series with you that touches on some of the work – scouting, leader recruiting, and family outreach – that our year-round team does to prepare for the Overland summer. Let’s dive in!

Each fall, members of the Overland team return to the trails with goals to either scout a new Overland trip or to continue to gather information on the ground for an existing trip. Our Spain scouting team, @Meg Pandiscio and @Nate Greason, recently returned to our Williamstown office with beautiful stories, exciting updates, and meaningful insight. 

We had the chance to sit down with both Nate and Meg to hear about their recent experiences out in the field and their thoughts about our new and improved Language and Hiking Spain and Pyrenees Expedition trips. 

Overland has been running trips in Spain since 1998, and recently brought back Language and Hiking Spain for summer 2023. What were your goals when scouting this fall?

Nate: We hoped to reconnect with our fantastic partners for Language and Hiking Spain and Pyrenees Expedition, check out some new accommodations, and adjust the trip to make sure it facilitates having a ton of fun exploring with minimal logistical or scheduling complexity.

Are there any exciting updates to the itineraries in 2023? If so, can you share the details?

Nate: Absolutely! First and foremost — we are excited to have our Language and Hiking Spain program back for 2023! 

On Language and Hiking Spain, we’ll spend additional time right at the base of amazing, wild mountain valleys, so that we can hike right from our accommodations. This will give our groups the chance to spend more time exploring and hiking, and less time in transit. Additionally, we’ve added more nights in the mountains themselves, camping and staying at gorgeous alpine refugios. In the past, students and leaders alike have said that being in the mountains is the best part of this trip, so we wanted to build in as much of that as possible!

Meg: For Pyrenees Expedition, we’ve reenvisioned one of the days of the itinerary! The day starts with a pretty climb up to a long traverse, and then across a mountainside with vast views. The trail dips in and out of the woods and pops out to viewpoints at every turn. There is even a cool little tunnel the groups will hike through! This added trekking component drops the group right into a great mountain town, Bielsa, making it easy to resupply and stock up on anything they may need.

What are you most excited for students and leaders to experience on the Spain trips next summer?

Meg: I am really excited about the new format of afternoon language classes! This summer, along with the traditional classroom Spanish classes, the groups will be working with their wonderful teachers in more conversational settings. This new format will allow our group to interact with their teachers in a more interactive and dynamic environment, cooking traditional meals together, and exploring towns and local trails, all while practicing their everyday language skills.

Nate: I can’t wait for our groups to get to the Ordesa Valley just outside of Torla. This area is world-renowned for its natural beauty and is an incredible hiking spot. Now, having spent some time there while we were scouting, I know it is worth the hype!

What is your favorite part of both the Pyrenees Expedition and Language and Hiking Spain itineraries?

Nate: On both trips, the refugios are beautiful, and spending a night in a cozy bed with all of your meals prepared for you, all while in a remote mountain setting is amazing. But, to me, the real cherry on top of both of these refugios is the culture and people you share them with. Our groups are side-by-side with families on their first hike together, grizzled mountaineers preparing to push on to the snowy summits that surround the refugios, and goofy young hikers from all over the world. We’ll share a meal with the whole lot in the massive communal dining area, full of laughter, light, and warm food, before heading off to our beds.

Meg: Both Language and Hiking Spain and Pyrenees Expedition will go to a particularly spectacular hut toward the end of their trips (the same one actually!). This is my favorite part of the itinerary. The Ordesa Valley is spectacular, the combination of the canyon walls, cows grazing on the grassy fields, and waterfalls dropping into the valley is incredible. The trail is fantastic and will be an amazing end to their trip.

What makes Overland’s Spain trips special to you? 

Nate: The Pyrenees are just so unique! Ancient mountain and agricultural cultures live side-by-side with modern tourism and world-class outdoor recreation.

Meg: Language and Hiking Spain will be an ideal balance of time learning the language, and time exploring the mountains. The summer will be amazing!

Do you have any advice for students interested in Language and Hiking Spain or Pyrenees Expedition next summer? 

Meg: Engage in the culture! Some things might be a little different (the markets really do close for a few hours in the middle of the day!), but I would encourage students to embrace these differences and make them a fun and interesting part of the new experience.

Nate: Spanish food is amazing — come prepared to eat like a local rather than trying to figure out how to eat the same things you eat back home!