I see so much information about what to pack, where to stay etc. I'd love to know what we're your outstanding moments of clarity on the Camino?
For example, on my first Camino I found myself doing a lot of self-reflection but only had my phone to take little notes. This time I'm bringing a small journal and use my spare time in the evenings to put those thoughts to paper.
This is what I do. I carry my travel journal with me everywhere I travel, and I ask people I meet to sign it, leave messages or drawings. I absolutely love it.
I did this and would also add the stamps on some pages so it would coordinate with what I had written that day. The journal was a lifesaver as it filled up slot(s) of my time everyday, I will admit though that the transcription has been daunting. I also brought two film cameras and shot well over 100 frames, both of these chunks of material has been a lot to take on, as I'd prefer to just be back on the camino incessantly writing/walking and shooting.
I took all my photos and journalings and edited them into one big photobook. I also have the stamps, like you said.
It took a year to develop and scan all that film. I’m in the middle of scanning it all, again. lol. The journaling was all handwritten/(half-cursive), and the transcription is just.. daunting lol.
This is such a cool idea. I'm a terrible journaler, and I want to try on our Camino. If I have a hard time writing I'll remember this and ask Camino friends if they want to fill in a page.
I am stealing this.
Feel free to do so! Maybe one day we will meet each other on the camino and can write in each others journal :)
I also planned on buying a new journal every time in Santiago as soon as I arrive, so I have always a reason to come back. There is always a notebook in my drawer that wants to be filled. Feel free to steal this idea as well if you want to
Not worry about completing a stage a day, go shorter distances and take a break day every once in a while. Try to slow doen
Great advice! It was incredibly difficult for me to take breaks, once I got into a groove it felt so good to walk fast. I’d only rest once I’d hit my destination for the day.
I recall passing a woman sitting in a field eating an apple and basking in the sun. I’ll try to do more of that next time.
Definitely this. My first Camino I didn’t book any lodgings and tried to walk as far as I could each day which made it incredibly painful. But, I learned my limits so for my second Camino I booked the lodgings within my limits and it made it so much more of a pleasant experience!
Absolutely agree. I was too caught up with staying with people so I missed stuff. I wouldn’t change my Camino as I had a great time but for the next one I’m going to pause a few more times
Proactively pierce and treat my blisters instead of using compeed/bandages and waiting for them to heal. I figured that out 500km in and could have saved myself so much pain!
Put an antifriction adhesive gause where u usually get blisters
Or Hiker’s Wool which is magical
I will definitely try this next time! Very keen on it.
REALLY???? shocked only bc this is the opposite of what I read everywhere else. No infection? What kind of socks did you have? Did you do any “precare” like spread Vaseline on potential hot spots?
Silk liner socks in addition to heavy hiking socks help... and good fitting shoes that are 1 size too long to start the hike
I had wool socks, and I think my shoes should have been bigger. In an optimal world I would have prevented blisters altogether.
No infections. You just have to clean them and make peace with the skin of your feet looking frightening.
I think this advice is not common because the risk of infection is >0%, as opposed to leaving the blister sealed but painful. I try to mitigate the risk of infection and I accept any residual risk.
Compeed is lovely if you're not going to be walking.
If you have a blister, and don't address what is causing the blister, the blister will come back.
Piercing only only drains the blister. Piercing and leaving the cotton thread adds an infection risk (which can be managed to some extent), but at least you can walk if you treat the cause of the blister
I pop blisters with a needle that has been lit on fire and then wiped with rubbing alcohol pads (easy to transport). Then I apply the compeed blister bandaids. I will also apply them proactively if I notice hot spots. The big trick is to make sure you bring a pair of small scissors to cut any extra bandaid off that may be sticking up or out. It has to be a flat surface on your skin or it would just be causing other problems.
The vast majority of blister care advice assumes you will not be wearing the same socks and shoes and walking another 25km the next day. They assume you are resting.
Every time I kept my blisters covered/bandaged while walking, my feet swelled up and it hurt SO MUCH WORSE.
The only thing that worked for me was popping them every single night (and covering them with gauze and tape), and then taking the coverings off before walking the next day.
I would take my shower, then pop the blisters with a pin dipped in betadine gel. Never got an infection.
(My blisters were mostly pinch blisters. None of the standard blister prevention helps with that--they're intended for friction blisters! I supinate (aka walk on the outside edges of my feet) and anything that corrects that put my knees out of alignment, unfortunately.)
Ooph. I'd say get better fitting shoes for next time though!
Of course! Better fitting shoes and no blisters is the goal, but failing that…
Yeah my shoes fit great and I still got blisters.
How do you treat them after piercing?
Clean it and dress it every day. You can get very good adhesive dressings at most farmacia. They vary by brand but will be called something-pore and are very easy to apply. Like an advanced bandaid.
I cleaned the wound with water (and soap if on hand). I apply rubbing alcohol, providone-iodine, and then an antibiotic ointment (the brand is Polysporin in Canada). This is probably overkill, but I wanted the lowest risk of infection I could have. Then I cover it with a bandage and tape it up.
This served me very well in the final third of the Camino and was far less painful then leaving the blister to heal.
Compeed is Satan. It was not made for Hikers, but for those "oh, I danced in the wrong shoes for a night" cases. It seals the part of the foot so completely, sweat accumulates underneath it, leading to more injury and tissue damage.
It, together with the "leave the thread in" advice, is about the worst thing you can do, unless you want to end your Camino early, then it's not. Instead do what u/thesnorkle does: ignore the very small ones, poke the medium sized ones proactively, change socks twice a day, and don't doctor around on them.
Best blister management is prevention. Wear Wrightsocks or Injinjis with liner socks. Two layers of socks prevent 9 of 10 blisters. Personally, I love my Injinji liners with wool socks, YMMV.
And don't try doing the Camino in Hipster Urban Sneakers or mountaineering boots. Get some good shoes (Altra, Hoka, Brooks, Topo), as light as possible (trail runners work super well in the urban/suburban sprawl walk that are most Caminos and are totally usable on those who are not, like the Primitivo, Invierno, Salvador, or Camino do Faros).
Bam, no blisters.
Unless you get pinch blisters.
None of the standard blister prevention advice worked for me, unfortunately.
I found the best thing was to drain the blisters in the evening after you shower and are ready for bed. Then let it dry over night. Next day I put on a sturdy bandage and repeat the process the next night if it refills but usually its already started to heal by then.
Absolutely. Sterility is of the essence.
Eat less at restaurants and more from grocery stores. Plan more zero days. Start walking earlier in the day.
May I ask why grocery stores?
Less cost
There’s also the communal cooking that can spawn from grocery store trips
For real!
Try the pulpo a la gallega and take less “equipment”.
Oh the pulpo is absolutely amazing!
What would you cut from your pack?
I prepared a lot and I ended up not needing half of the stuff I packed. I didn’t use the sleeping bag, the two water bottles, etc. make your trip light. I learned that everything is there along our way. Buen Camino
Thanks!
Funny enough I had it in Melide like I had arrived at Mount Sinai or something. Now that I’ve had it I can pass on it for the rest of my life and choose Andalucían calamari instead
I would allow for more time to enjoy my Camino and definitely bring a travel journal.
For me it is not a matter of If I go but when I go, however, I definitely will NOT let other people’s fears play any part in my planning and walking. I will NOT change my plans to ease other people. I will go for myself only.
Edit: spelling
That was the hardest part on my camino saying goodbye to people i met because we did a different pace or choose a different way. But its was my camino not theirs. I tend to let my decisions be influenced by other people i learned to stop that(at least a bit)
If I do it again I will definitely go alone, and go from SJPP. Last time I went with 2 friends and enjoyed it, but I think I’d meet so many more people and relax more if alone. We went from Sarria to Santiago and it just wasn’t long enough for me.
Agree to this. Going with a friend made for a worse experience in my case. I would only ever do it again alone.
Agreed. I did the whole thing but the first 3 weeks with family. I can’t help but be a bit of a worrier when others are involved
That’s a good way of putting it. I might be a bit of a worrier as well. Just not completely settled when there are others to think about.
I will go alone next time (did the Primitivo last year with a friend, and it was very restricting with accommodations, and I was just generally unhappy about not being alone and able to make decisions just for myself.)
Next time I’ll walk slower and savour the time and the environment more.
Next time I won’t over plan and pre book as much, I will try and relax and not panic about the bed race and full albergues.
Next time I’ll drink less beer and eat more healthy food.
I will definitely not stick to a family as much as I did. I felt like I was being led around like a dog on a leash
Wine faucet. 😏
I promise you didn’t miss much but it was fun to get the obligatory wine fountain photo
There's a really old-school webcam aimed at the fountain.
When I got there I pulled out my phone and asked a group chat of friends at home if anyone was awake and sent them the link.
One of my friends was in fact awake and was like "I CAN SEE YOU!!" so I got to wave at someone back home. They took screenshots--and they're horribly blurry of course, but still, it was a fun moment.
That’s great!
Maybe it's best that I don't go. The fantasies are probably much better than the reality.
Hahahaha! Definitely do it. It’s free wine after all. The way of working the handle is not intuitive so keep that in mind when you’re there. I saw several people leave saddened when there really was quite a lot in the tank.
I figured I would just put a name tag saying I'm an American and then drink directly from the spigot with my mouth.
That would make me very popular.
Might be controversial, but regularly intersperse private rooms with shared accommodation. Can't beat a good night's sleep!
Absolutely agree here. If you can afford it it’s totally worth it
If it’s the Frances, I would start in Pamplona instead of SJPdP. I felt it was important to cross the country border for my first Camino but it’s hard on the body as a way to start and I don’t feel like I need to do it again.
What else? Give myself 5-10 extra days so I don’t feel like I need to rush and can take shorter days, tape my knees from the beginning, stretch more, initiate more conversations with strangers
Things I’m happy I did and would do again:
toe sock liners + wool socks + wide toe box shoes + one size bigger shoes than normal = blister free Camino
In my case I think I’ll start in Pamplona or Roncesvalles (or do the Aragonés and link up to the Frances in Puente or Pamplona). I had such an absolutely perfect day going over the Pyrenees after staying in Orisson that I just think I’d be setting myself up for disappointment otherwise.
I walked my Camino in 2018. I‘d bring solid but open sandals! (I had my journal.)
Oooft, I do hear the call of the Camino, lately…
My photo storage is giving me reminders that I started my camino 13 years ago today. Really need to find a way to get back.
do it!
Pack lighter.
What did you find unnecessary?
If I do Camino again (and I'm doing it it three months :-) I will definitely stick to my original plan and go alone. Agreeing to company was the biggest mistake that emptied my first Camino of all depth and magic.
Prefer to rediscover, not revisit.
I walked the Frances in 2022 and a shorter section of it 7 years before that and I did remember things from the first time around and forgot other things and when I could just enjoy it for what is was - in the moment - it was better. And so when I go again, that’s what I’ll try to remember - to stay in the moment.
I've done 3 Caminos. When I first read this thread, I thought, I'd change nothing as I've got this down quite well, but then I realised I'd become complacent. Next time I'll make an effort to do things a bit differently and not just take the comfortable option.
Thanks OP
Enjoy
Less albergues with curfews. Spain is a late night place and too often we were forced into bed at 9 or 10 when the locals were just getting going.
Also, seek out more authentic Spanish food. There was far too much pizza and pasta.
More days where we arrive late. There was a group walking around us that spent 4or5 hours having a Spanish long lunch most days. They rolled into town after 6. Obviously booked somewhere. But they experienced a lot more each day I feel.
I had the same thing with a decent sized group. We were out of peak season so there was no rush for a bed so they just chilled out and cruised. I was definitely jealous.
This would be my preferred way. I would even love evening walking. I am not a morning person. I am planning private accommodations from time to time just so I can do a nice long lunch.
I would choose a less crowded route. My favorite sections are the ones where no one else is around and I am truly in the moment, enjoying the scenery.
Wake up early and start the day early so that I don’t have to do race bed.
racing the camino largely defeats the purpose
Precisely
tape the toes from the very start, before the between-toe blisters began!!!
I also got the between-toe blisters really bad - in particular between the big toe and next toe down. I tried taping, Injinji socks, liners, Vaseline. Compeed stick, compeed stickers, to no avail. Next time I will pack lighter and walk at a more gentle pace
Thank you for sharing these details! Preparing for my first Camino in a month and this is an invaluable reminder that you can do everything right with your feet but still get blisters. It’s also about less weight and pace.
Almost every issue I had with my feet was due to pushing the pace too hard. Same with other muscle and ligament pain. That being said one day I walked with a young Spanish guy and we were having a ton of fun. We ended up walking at over 6.5km/h which is waaaay fast for me. I ended up with a couple blisters that I had been avoiding but I’d take those blisters again in a heartbeat for a replay of that day.
Sounds like you need toe socks like injinjis! They’ve completely stopped my between toe blisters.
high quality socks, preventative KT taping feet for blisters, walking longer every day but also stopping much more often to drink more coffee and have more snacks. coke with ice and lemon from the start. and building my Spanish proficiency well before the start of the Camino, + another language if I can manage it
I would end my trip when I was done walking. Last time I went to wine country after and the experience was jarring.
I am thinking of doing more traveling after the Camino, can you explain this further? What was jarring about it? Thank you!
The pace was so much faster that it detracted from the meditative/blissful feelings that the Camino inspired. I just wished I was on the trail for longer. Even being on trains was a strange feeling!
1) Be more of a tourist.
2) Take pictures of in every city or at least the citysign. So I kneo where about I took my interesting pictures.
We did the Camino de Santiago in 51 days. At the end we felt we missed so much. My advice is go as slow as your time allows. We are going again in 2025 and will probably take longer, maybe even our total 90 day Schengen.
Pack lighter!
Sleep in the caves next to the chapel in…. Gotta check my note book but yeh was a wee chapel with some little caves next to it where pilgrims obviously slept occasionally
Would love to know where this was if you ever find it!
Not if... when...
Journal.
I took a lot of photos. And then spent time every day captioning and uploading them. Then shared that album with friends.
No music.
Just take more time off work, so I can relax a little more. I wish I'd been able to take a full day off in Burgos and Leon. I wasn't able to see some of the things I wanted to, or get to the ocean.
Oh, and I'd take more selfies with people.
A shirt or cloak that people can sign into, definately makes for a good memento and it shields you from the sun.
Things i saw other people use that Id definitely bring next time: s-hook, friends/memory book, muscle ball, blister needle& thread
Im still walking at the moment, so not much id do differently that im not already doing, but I feel like hotel budget money would have been nice, just to take the day off and recouperate a little in between
I wouldn't go back and do this for the first time, but on a second run I'd bike from Burgos to Leon.
I've walked it twice but only in sections because I didn't have enough time off work. Not really "if" but "when" I do it again, I'll make sure to have more time to do the entire walk from SJPP to Finisterre. Also, I would also carry much less in my backpack. Like 1 change of pants/zip aways, 2 shirts, 2 pairs of socks, and 3 underwear. That's it.
I will go alone, last time I had a friend who was very slow and I spent a lot of time just waiting for them instead of being able to look around. We biked from Pamploma to Santiago last time and I loved the biking and would do it again, but extend it to either start from Paris or finish in Lisbon or both, flying my own bike over as the rental cost was expensive. Just taking more time in small towns to look about and if I see a great looking spot to stop then call it a day and have some free time off of the bike.
There was one town we were going through that smelt like a chocolate factory and we didn't have time to explore and all the outdoor markets we didn't get to see as we were really late by several days towards the end of the trip.
That town was probably Astorga
I actually remember Astorga, there was some sort of war re-enactment/ren fair going on so we stopped and saw Guadi's castle. We did try the chocolate muesum or whatever chocolate thing there was there. The towns I remember that I want to stop were right after a little huge twisty downhill section that started with a cut block stone little strip, had a bar. There was a market going on that looked amazing, but I waited 90 minutes by the road for my friend to creep down the hill. The chocolate town was later that evening so 50km or so down the road maybe.
I had a lot of difficulty being able to go alone. On one if my Caminos I wanted to stay solo. I kept getting sucked into groups. It was work to resist joining/forming a group.
I liked seeing and visiting with people in the evenings, because I do like to talk and visit so that group aspect was great. I just had a bad travel partner that wouldn't plan anything, was slow, wouldn't put the map on her phone so kept getting lost, I travel once a year by myself and like to be able to stop and get a coffee or do whatever I feel like without having to cater to another persons needs.
Extra days for buffers, my friends and I had a very strict timeline since we went on spring break resulting in us having to haul ass everyday even when we were exhausted. Wished we had given ourselves extra days to do less mileage
Have more time, so I am not rushed and in need to do 40+ km every day. I did the coastal Porto to Santiago and had only 8 days to do it.
Not take heavy mountain hiking boots
Find a different route. Before I went, I'd imagined walking through nature and quiet. But the coastal Porto to Santiago leads through one long village after another and majority of walking in on concrete or asphalt. There are some beautiful spots along the way but I found them few and far between
Of course, the nature of the question is such that the answers tend towards negative, that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the journey :o)
Bring a backpack with a full zip opening and a sun shirt. Choose non waterproof shoes . Keep a diary
I would get the sewing machine out and stick button holes in all my socks so can tie them onto me to dry as I walk!
I would get a little pouch thingy to attach to my shoulder strap to house my umbrella so it’s quick access… rain gear is FAR too hot to walk with (IMHO!)… but still have rain gear…
Always have an emergency boccodillo, ham & cheese in my pack… some places take a LIFETIME to get a sandwich, usually just one person doing everything and a crowd (3/4) come in ahead of you that orders something that takes a LONG time…
Learn more ‘tourist’ spanish and try remember the pronunciation of places and things, even have a phonetic dictionary or start my own on a notes app…
Upgrade phone to something with a better camera…
Bring spare rubber hiking pole tips for those that you may walk with…
Not bring any light coloured tshirts, I always seem to mark them, I clip my poles to upper chest strap and the old black hand ties leach onto shirt, and just annoying to wash out…
Only bring enough general pain killers to get you through a few stages, no need for a small hospital…
Soak my feet in the rivers for a longer break. I did this once or twice and I loved it, I wish I had done it more but the work of taking off boots, drying, and putting them back on was seemed like too much back then. Ha.
Last year, I brought a small notebook just in case I wanted to write something down. On my last day, it was still empty. A guy that I got to know there said: "You can not take it back empty." So I said: "Then write something for me" and he wrote me a beautiful letter. I liked that idea so much that I passed the notebook around to everyone who was still there. I'm so sad that most people were already back home. These words are the most beautiful thing I took home with me from this camino. So I bought another notebook in Santiago that I want to use this year. It's so sad that I didn't do that earlier on my past caminos, but this year, I'm prepared.