Don't forget these important things!
Passport
You won't be allowed to leave the US without it and it could take up to two months to get yours, so plan ahead! It's also smart to keep a physical copy of your passport with you in a separate place just incase yours is lost – it won't replace it, but it will help. Also, remember to keep your passport on you at all times while in Spain!
Euros
While you can always use your credit and debit cards abroad, you will need to have some cash. Only some local banks will be able to exchange Dollars into Euros, and they do it for a pretty high fee. Just make sure you have a few Euros on you just incase you need to purchase something like a water from the airport when connecting through Madrid for example. You won't want to take the time exchanging money or looking for an ATM. Once in Sevilla the best thing to do is to go to an ATM and pull out cash. Find an ATM that is connected with a local bank, and you will only be charged something like a $5 withdrawal fee. Do not withdraw cash from an ATM that tells you it will charge a percentage of what you pull out, as this will cost more. Keep in mind that you need to call and notify your bank BEFORE your trip to make a note on your account that you will be out of the country and when. Otherwise you will be stuck at the ATM spending lots of money making a cell phone call to your bank just to withdraw cash – I know this from experience. The other thing to remember is that you may have a limit of something like $300 to withdraw from an ATM in a day. Let's say you want to withdraw 250€ from an ATM, after the exchange rate applies that will be equal to $311.33, which means your bank will decline the transaction and you'll only be able to pull out 200€. So you may also want to raise the limit of how much you can withdraw in a day to avoid this situation. NOTE: While on the subject of money in Spain, keep in mind that you do not need to tip for services. Generally a tip is not normal and is not expected. If the service is excellent you may leave a couple of Euros or just ask for less back in change when paying, but still not necessary.
Cell Phone
Using a cell phone abroad isn't very cheap. Check with your carrier before your trip to see what options they have to offer. You might want to sign up for a global plan just for your trip and then cancel it when you return. It makes calling and texting cheaper, and you can get some data to use just incase you need it for a short while, like for using maps to find your hotel. But you'll have to keep your data turned off while not it use or pay a lot for it. Note: You may want to have an external battery for your cell phone. The phone will not likely last the 20+ hour trip from the US to Sevilla and you'll need to recharge your phone or accessories. Here's what I use and it recharges my iPhone from 0-100% plus some - click here.
Travel Guide
Bring a current travel guide. They have them for Spain, Andalusia, and also Sevilla. Maybe also check out a Spanish phrase book. It can really help you pick up a few useful words and phrases. Just remember that the phrase book should be specific to the Castilian Spanish that is spoken in Spain.
Here are the two books I have:
Lonely Planet Spanish Phrasebook & Dictionary
Lonely Planet Spanish Phrasebook & Dictionary
DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Seville & Andalusia
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