Mistakes made on the Camino de Santiago

All plans tend to fall apart when getting hit in the face, and with big hikes like the Camino, plans, ideas, and preparation sometimes don’t work out that way. Here are the mistakes I made on the Camino Frances and Portuguese.

Not bringing hiking poles from the start

Hiking poles took a while for me to be a cheerleader for, but when I finally gave them a proper chance I’m not going back to hiking without. I would highly suggest that you give them a try if you haven’t yet, and either pick them up at the beginning of the Camino you’re on or take them with you from the start. They make a big difference and can greatly help overall performance. Read my article Do you need hiking poles on the Camino? for more information.

Bringing a laptop on the Camino Frances

Something I had to do on the Camino Frances to still have a job when I came back was bring a laptop. 4 times a week I would write a blog post while hunkered down in my bunk bed for the night. And that experience was not nice to bring with me.

If you absolutely have to do some work on the Camino you can get away with it. But I would recommend unplugging to some extent on the Camino. The shared experiences and reflection you get from this can be nicer without the stress of everyday life following you around.

I would stick to only a smartphone, not only for navigation and research while underway, but also to limit your exposure to daily life. This will limit your Camino experience and not have you in the moment. Which can be a shame.

Taking a cooking kit in Portugal

On the Portuguese Coastal Camino, I went in expecting a bit more of the same hikes I did in the past. And having a nice cup of tea, coffee or a snack that I could cook up would be great I thought. This is one thing you do not need on the Camino’s, especially the Portuguese and Frances. Cafés, restaurants, and rest stops are all over and I did not light my stove up once during both Camino’s. I would recommend leaving it at home instead of lugging it around with you.

Every time you get a craving for coffee or a snack there will be always a rest point or town a few kilometers away.

The only thing I would recommend taking is a pocket knife and/or spork, so you can also make some grocery store lunch or dinner. A baguette, some cheese, some meat, a bottle of wine, and you can have yourself a nice meal. Take a look at my full packing list for the Camino for all the recommended items.

Not taking moments to imprint

The Camino is an experience that you will have a pretty high chance of loving, at least in my experience and many other pilgrims I met along the way. Only one pilgrim I met on the Frances hated it and left before the finishing point of Santiago de Compostella. And there were a few others that had physical problems that prevented them from finishing.

It’s easy to get caught up in the day, but I recommend consciously taking a moment each day to pause and reflect—observe, breathe, and try to imprint something memorable in your mind from that day. This can be a great menu del dia that you’re having, a great company that you’re surrounded by, or during the popping of that one blister on the side of the road.

Tough to do sometimes, but something that can be easier with modern technology, you can journal on your smartphone, take pictures and videos, and capture those moments.

Rushing the last 100 kilometers

I and my now wife had a date when we were expected to be at a wedding, and we had to rush the last 100 KM of the Camino Frances quite a bit to make it in time back to Germany. This did mean that we were already long before the last 100 kilometers calculating and making sure that we made it in time. If possible, I would suggest not planning anything for at least a few days after you get back from a Camino. And ideally, a week to let it all sink in, and probably handle some post trail depression.

Take your time on the Camino and make sure you don’t turn it into a race. If you want to break a speed record then a marathon or dead man’s walk is maybe more your speed. The Camino shines in my experience from the slower pace, and to walk what you truly feel like in a day. That can be 5 kilometers, or 70. That’s up to you. But don’t go in trying to rush to the end.

I hope you can agree and take some pointers from my mistakes for your Camino, if you have any further mistakes you yourself made then please share them with everybody down in the comments! That way we can all learn from them.

Happy Hiking and Hike for Purpose

Buen Camino