The Camino de Santiago is not a wilderness hike, as such, carrying weight is not as big a deal on many other hikes where you have to bring a tent and everything that goes along it. In this blog post, I share the recommended weight for your backpack and some examples. The weight of your backpack on the different Camino’s should not exceed about 10 to 15% of your body weight. You can however carry more or less depending on what you need or are used to. Mine weighed a bit more than 9 kilos altogether on the Camino Frances, but that was mostly because I had to carry a…

Walking the French Way of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela starts in Saint Jean Pied de Port and takes you to Santiago. The amount of days walking differs wildly from pilgrim to pilgrim, in this article I share my experience. And what you can expect. My Camino Frances took 33 days Of those 33 days, we spent one day not hiking, and one day just hiking 7 kilometers due to an injury in my group that required a short day. Other than that we hiked anywhere from 20 to 35 kilometers in a day. With days more than that or less. When starting at around 8 in the morning,…

The answer to the question; Do I need cash on the Camino? Is yes. You need pocket money to pay for incidentals and your daily needs. In this blog post, I share my points and experience. On the Camino you can run into shops, cafés, and more importantly Albergues that do not have a card payment option. When your tired after a long day on the Camino, and you would have to hunt for a ATM or Cash machine you can have a big peace of mind that you have some cash on hand. It will save your butt when you need it most. Spain, Portugal, France, Europe, home of…

Albergues are what you’ll most likely be sleeping in on the Camino de Santiago. There are other options, but the Albergues bring you the whole experience. Albergue or Albergues are the Spanish terms for hostel singular or hostels plural. There are two kinds of Albergues on the Camino de Santiago, Municipal and Private. Municipal are maintained by volunteers most of the time and are supported by the government. Privately owned Albergues are run for profit and, most of the time, a bit more expensive, but are known to offer more luxury than the Municipal ones. In this blog post, I share all the information and tips that I learned on…

The Camino de Santiago brings a lot to the table, you will feel highs and lows and everything in between. Often the question is asked if you can hike the Camino solo or alone, in this article I share my experiences with starting out solo on the Coastal Camino in Portugal and hiking the Camino Frances with 2 people. Quick jump guide Advantages of hiking the Camino Solo As with many things, there are both sides of an argument, below I list all the advantages that hiking the Camino solo or alone can bring. Hike your own pace Hiking your own pace is the number one advantage of hiking any…

The Camino de Santiago is not one hiking trail, but rather a series of long-distance paths that all end up in the same place. Santiago de Compostella. Many aspiring pilgrims are unsure what to take on the Camino de Santiago, here is my take on that question after hiking the Portuguese coastal way, Camino Finisterre, and the French way, and what changed in between. Quick jump list Affiliate links may be mentioned in this article, by purchasing a product through those links I may receive a kickback. At no extra cost to you. What do you need to bring for the Camino de Santiago? Gear lists are very personal and…

Once in a while, I see the question pop up on forums and message boards asking if you need to be religious to be able to walk the Camino to Santiago. This is not the case. Let’s expand on this answer and cover the religious and spiritual questions. In the Middle ages walking to Santiago De Compostella was done to make up for your sins, and seek religious help or guidance from Saint John, Saint-Jean, or any of his other ways to spell the name. People traveled on foot, on horseback, and even on their knees to make up for what they did in the past. Today however it is…

To prove and get your certificate on any of the Camino de Santiago hiking routes you have to make sure you collect stamps in your passport. In this blog post I share where to get it, how to take care of it, and other tips. The Pilgrim Passport identifies you as a Pilgrim, with it you can get access to the different albergues and other perks of being a Pilgrim. Such as food, water, and trail magic along the way. It is of vital importance that you get your Pilgrims Passport and that you protect it from the elements. Let’s get started on all the tips and questions for the…

The Camino de Santiago is in (nearly) all cases, not a rugged wilderness adventure where you need to bring a tent, sleeping mat, and the whole shebang. You will be staying in hostels or albergues along The Way. Or in an emergency in a fire station or church. It is however recommended to bring a sleeping bag. Here is why. A good night’s rest is essential on any day, but when hiking all day every day it becomes even more important. Sleep heals your aches and pains and muscles so you can do it again and again. Depending on the Camino you’re going to be walking you will spend anywhere…