Starting today and finishing on Sunday is a special Thanksgiving offer - get 5% off any tour from Viator, no matter when you actually take the tour.

So if you have a vacation coming up in the next few months, check out what Viator has to offer - they cover the whole world with their guided tours, adventure days and cruises.

Just use the code "TURKEY5" (without the speech marks) when ordering from Viator to get your discount.

I have compiled a list of the essential tours that Viator offers. What makes these tours essential? Spain's public transport, though reliable when it exists, can be a pain when you're on a tight schedule. For example, if you want to visit the Valle de los Caidos (featuring the largest cross in the world), you will want to combine it with a trip to El Escorial - but there's only one bus per day between the two. A guided tour cuts out all that trouble. Then there's the Alhambra - a must-see if you're visiting Granada, but quite frustrating when you have to line up multiple times to get into each part of the complex at your designated time. All the bother can be eliminated with a tour. Read more about Essential Guided Tours of Spain.

If you're looking for more than just a day trip, take a look at these multi-day tours from Madrid. There are tours ranging from two to five days in duration, taking in a variety of destination in the south of Spain.

See also:

• List of Spain Tours
  

• Viator Main Site (book direct)

The Spanish Christmas Lottery, also known as 'El Gordo' or 'The Fat One', is said to be the biggest lottery in the world, with the largest prize fund of any draw on the planet. It is also the most sociable. Each ticket is divided into ten smaller ones, which makes playing as part of a syndicate much easier (or even necessary, considering the high price of a whole ticket). Families, work colleagues, even regulars at a bar will group together to buy a ticket and dream of sharing in the millions.

The big draw is a social event in itself, with many glued to the radio all day as they listen out for the results. If you plan on being in Spain on December 22, make sure you're in on all the fun by getting your own ticket.

But you don't need to be in Spain on the day to claim your winnings, nor do you have to be in the country to buy your ticket. All of this can be done online.

So if you'd like to be a part of all the fun, find out all about El Gordo here: Spanish Christmas Lottery

See also: Christmas in Spain

I've come across a couple of very interesting Ryanair rumors recently - one of which could be very good for travelers to Spain, and one which could be quite a problem.

The good news first. It is being said that Ryanair could finally start to fly to Barcelona, according to this article on avui.cat (site is in Catalan, but you can read a Google Translate version here). Ryanair have confused their customers for years by claiming they fly to Barcelona when they don't - hopefully this will now change. I questioned the airline on their misleading practice of describing Reus and Girona airports as 'Barcelona' airports - you can read their response here: Ryanair Flights to Barcelona.

The second rumor I've come across is less positive. It is being reported that Ryanair is going to raise their airport check-in fee, sorry "boarding card reprint fee", from 40€ to 100€: €100 fine for not printing Ryanair boarding cards.

Ryanair is unique in the airline industry in forcing a web check-in fee on its passengers and then charging if they forget or are unable to print off their boarding passes. This has had the effect in the past that even those who have won flights through Ryanair scratchcards have ended up paying more to fly than those who had paid for their flights in full.

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary is quoted as saying "If you don't [check in online] the fine is €40 and if that doesn't get rid of them all within a very short order, we double that fine to €100". We must not be surprised by Mr O'Leary's poor maths - he's been telling us his flights cost 1c for years when everyone knows they cost a lot more than that.

Ryanair have some of the lowest air fares in Europe if you remember to tick all the correct boxes and jump through all the right hoops. To avoid paying through the nose for your Ryanair flight, it is worth checking out these pages before you book:

• Myths About Ryanair How both Ryanair's supporters and their detractors have got the airline wrong.
• Why Hate Ryanair? What the BBC documentary forgot to tell you.
• Ryanair Fees Ten of Ryanair's most common extra charges and how to avoid them.
  

The Spanish are famous for their odd traditions. Tomato fights, running in front of a heard of angry bulls - Spain surely tops the list of countries with strange customs.

But Christmas, that most holy of holidays - surely the Spanish don't stray from orthodox traditions like Christmas trees, midnight mass and re-runs of It's a Wonderful Life?

Well, the do. Check out this list of Strange Christmas Traditions in Spain and find out about Catalonia's two excrement related Christmas customs, flour fights and the multiple times you can celebrate New Year's Eve in Spain.

See also: Christmas in Spain.

Spain's national carrier, Iberia, is set to plunge many travel plans into further chaos, with the announcement that there will be more strikes later this month and in December.

After a two-day strike this week, Iberia will ground flights for three days (from November 30 to December 2) and then for five days (from December 14 to December 18), reports the BBC: Iberia set for more strike action.

Mainly short-haul and medium-haul flights will be affected. The airline is prevented by law from canceling any flights when there is only one per day. Routes with multiple flights will still have at least one running per day. So if you know your flight is going to be canceled, it might be worth calling the airline to see if you can get on another flight that day. You can contact Iberia here: Iberia Contact Details

Read more about Cheap Flights to Spain

Spain's high-speed train service, the AVE, continues to go from strength to strength, with the announcement that it is now the most popular means of getting between Madrid and Barcelona, according to The Olive Press.

The achievement is particularly impressive considering this route is one of the most popular in the world. The Olive Press says it is the fifth busiest in the world, though I've seen several conflicting reports on this.

Why has the AVE become so popular? Because it is (usually) cheaper than flying (especially on short notice), always quicker (when taking into account check-in times), more convenient (train stations are more central than airports), affords a better view and is much more environmentally friendly. Need any more reasons?

Read more about the AVE in Spain:

• AVE Routes in Spain

• Guided Tours by AVE

• AVE Features

• Flying v AVE

• Flying v AVE Price Comparison

• Flying v AVE Travel Time Comparison

There are rumors that developers in the Basque Country are planning to open a new branch of the famous Guggenheim museum, to complement the existing one in Bilbao.

Plans are afoot to build a new museum in Guernica, the former capital of the Basque country (and still seen as the cradle of the Basque culture). According to The Art Newspaper, "The concept is to create a modest-sized venue for temporary exhibitions and to commission artists' interventions in the landscape."

Guernica already receives a moderate amount of tourism, due to its painful place in European history as the site of a massive aerial bombardment from Hitler (on behalf of Spain's General Franco). It also has a very good peace museum to commemorate the atrocities. See Pictures from Guernica.

But politicians clearly hope the new museum could have the same effect it had on Bilbao, turning what was always referred to as an 'industrial backwater' into the vibrant center of tourism it is today.

If plans go ahead, would a case be made to return Picasso's famous painting to the town that inspired it? The artist's depiction of the bombing of Guernica is currently housed in the Reina Sofia in Madrid, but the Basques could make a good case for it to be moved.

See pictures of the Guggenheim in Bilbao.

For visitors to Andalusia, Spain's most southerly region, Seville is an essential stop (along with Granada). Unfortunately, as everyone else has the same idea as you, the city can easily feel like a tourist trap.

But if you can get away from the cathedral and the Barrio de Santa Cruz, you'll find the city has a lot more to offer than just these sights. I've made this list of the 50 best things to do in and around Seville to help you get the most out of your trip:

50 Things to Do in and Around Seville

For a country that so famously likes to party, the Spanish do not have a great tradition of celebrating Halloween. Trick or Treat hasn't caught on yet (thankfully, in my opinion) and most children will only be drawing pictures of witches and pumpkins if they study English at a language academy.

But one group of Spaniards that has embraced Halloween is Spain's student population. Because everybody likes to dress up, right? Out of these costume parties Halloween is slowly entering the Spanish consciousness.

A couple of Spanish-language blogs I read, Todo Madrid and Madrid Me Mata, have written about what to do this year for Halloween. The highlights include:

• Semana Gotica de Madrid From October 24 to November 1 there is magic, concerts and other spectacles from the dark side.
• Dark Hole Where better for Halloween night itself than a Gothic club? Dark Hole, (on c/Mesonero Romanos, near Gran Via) is the place to be if you want the real deal this Halloween.
• Special Meal at the Amusement Parks The Warner Brothers' Park and the imaginatively Parque de los Atracciones are putting on a bit of a show to go with the feast.
• Scary Monsters Visit Faunia and the Zoo Aquarium for some less-than-human scary goings-on.

Read more about Madrid

If you plan on visiting a lot of Madrid's sights, the Madrid Card is a well established discount scheme that will get you into most of the city's attractions free of charge. It can be a little expensive, so for the past couple of years I've had a page on my site explaining if it was really worth it. And was it? Sometimes, but you had to cram in a lot of activities to make it worthwhile.

There has also been a cheaper alternative around for some time: the Madrid Cultura Card. But it is only this week that I had a chance to have a close look at the difference. Now that I have, I have re-evaluated my position on the Madrid Card. It is actually rarely good value for money to get it - you're much better off with the Madrid Cultura Card. But before you rush out and buy it, take a look at this page on the Madrid Card to see the difference between the two cards.

Read more about Madrid.