I didn't go home to the U.S. to celebrate the holidays, but I did visit London with my friend Zoe! From Madrid to London, it's about a two and a half hour flight, or nearly 800 miles. When we returned to Madrid, Zoe and I walked and used the metro quite a bit to explore the city. We spent time walking around Retiro Park and Casa de Campo (a larger park that's also in Madrid).
It takes about six or seven hours to fly the 3,400 miles from Boston to Madrid. Since September, I've also flown to Barcelona (a 380 miles, an hour flight). I have taken the train to visit Salamanca (135 miles, a three hour train ride). I have taken a bus and rented a car to explore Northern Spain near the Pyrenees Mountains and Andorra (400 miles to Andorra). I have also gone to Segovia a couple of times for work (60 miles, one hour train ride). So all in all....I've traveled pretty far!
There's no need for a car in Madrid because the public transport system is really easy to use. Because I'm under 26 years old, I'm eligible for an abono joven (youth card), which means that I can use all buses, metros and commuter trains in Madrid for only 20 euros a month! It's awesome!