Woman who ditched the UK for Spain reveals the huge mistakes tourists make – including the wrong shoes and worst food

A WOMAN who ditched the UK to live in Spain has revealed the biggest mistakes tourists always make.

Anna told anyone thinking about visiting Barcelona to be careful to avoid packing the wrong shoes and the popular street to stay away from for dinner.

In a recent video which has racked up over 816,000, Anna, known as @annainbarcelona, told her 22,000 followers her top tips for tourists visiting Barca.

Her most important rule: “Don’t pack the heels.”

She added: “Leave the heels at home girl, you’re not going to use them.”

Barcelona has cobbled streets so ditching the heels for flats might not be such a bad idea.

The TikTok user also explained that tourists should not eat or drink on La Rambla, Barcelona‘s lively street in the heart of the city.

“La Rambla is an iconic street. Go for a walk down there. But please, don’t eat or drink on La Rambla.

“You’re going to pay twice as much for something half as good […] And also, you’re probably going to get pickpocketed while you’re there”, said Anna.

Thirdly, she advised her followers not to keep their phones in their pockets, as they might not find them there at the end of the night.

“Please, just bring a bum bag. Just bring it. I don’t care if it looks ugly, if it’s not fashionable for you, just do it!”

Anna’s fourth tip is to always make a dinner reservation.

She explained that the city can get super busy during the summer.

“You probably will end up waiting hours for a table, and not being able to get in where you want to go,” she said.

Finally, Anna advises not to get taxis everywhere, instead, check out Barcelona’s metro and bus services.

Anna added: “Friday nights, the metro runs until 2am. And all through Saturday night it runs until Sunday, so it’s a constant service through to Sunday night.”

This comes after Travel Writer Lauren Libin revealed the places in Spain where tourists are still welcomed.

Lauren explained that she and her husband moved to Spain a year ago, and felt very welcomed by locals.

While shopping in Mercat De Sants, Lauren said she is often handed free sausages from the butcher, a punnet of prawns from the fishmonger and tomatoes from the greengrocers.

She also finds that when out for dinner, her children will often get roped into filling up water balloons at an outside fountain with other Spanish kids.

Another Brit who quit the UK for Spain revealed that it is much cheaper to live there than in the UK.

Holly, 31, lives in a “nice part” of Madrid in a two-bed flat, paying  £770 a month (€900).

Unlike the UK, Holly doesn’t have to pay council tax and she rarely uses the heating thanks to Spain’s warm climate.

While household bills have soared in the UK, Holly only pays £42 a month (€50) for electricity, water and internet.

Holly, previously a lawyer said she pays more tax than she would in the UK, but feels far better off.

“A two-bed apartment in Zone 1 in London would cost you £3,500 and that’s without bills,” she said.

A spokesperson for property website housearch told The Sun: “We are seeing a huge increase in Brits moving abroad in recent months – especially to Spain.

“The cost of living crisis is becoming unaffordable for Brits in the UK.

“They can have a much better quality of life somewhere like Spain and get more from their salary as the cost of living is significantly cheaper.”