TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS
As far as travel arrangements go, I planned our walk and made all of the bookings myself. We flew into and out of Santiago de Compostela with Ryanair and I arranged a private transfer from Santiago de Compostela to Sarria for the start of our walk.
BUDGET:
We budgeted roughly £800 per person (this does not include flights or pre-Camino nights in Santiago, but does include 2 nights in Santiago at the end of our walk). Our actual expenses came close to this budget - food and drinks brought it a little over, but having said that, we did really enjoy our food and drinks! Had we been a bit more conservative, we could quite easily have kept within budget. I paid €27 per person for our transfer to Sarria (there were 8 of us), and €470pp for accommodation. We budgeted €30-35 per person, per day for food and drinks.
We budgeted roughly £800 per person (this does not include flights or pre-Camino nights in Santiago, but does include 2 nights in Santiago at the end of our walk). Our actual expenses came close to this budget - food and drinks brought it a little over, but having said that, we did really enjoy our food and drinks! Had we been a bit more conservative, we could quite easily have kept within budget. I paid €27 per person for our transfer to Sarria (there were 8 of us), and €470pp for accommodation. We budgeted €30-35 per person, per day for food and drinks.
TIPS:
*Guide book - the one I'd recommend is A Pilgrim's guide to Sarria-Santiago by John Brierly, the 2022/2023 edition. Available in the UK here and SA here <= scroll down the page.
*Regarding the shoes you plan on walking in (also see the info in the Packing section) make sure to buy a size larger than you normally would. I saw this mentioned so many times in the Camino community, but I thought I knew better and walked in shoes my usual size last time.... big mistake! Your feet will swell because you are walking relatively long distances daily, if your shoes are your normal size they will pinch and cause pain and blisters... trust me on this.
*Galicia - the area we walked in - has notoriously changeable weather, so expect some rain. You will need rain gear for yourself as well as your rucksack. This is a hilly area of Spain, so expect some hills.
*Money - it is always a good idea to carry some cash, some places on the Camino don't take cards and there are not always ATMs available in the more rural areas.
*Cell phones - I would advise getting a Spanish SIM on arrival in Spain (unless you are coming from the UK and have automatic roaming in the EU) WIFI can be patchy in the rural areas and you will want to be able to communicate in case of an emergency.
* The lingo - do yourself a favour and learn the basic Spanish words you might need... beer, wine, hello, thank-you ... the important ones! I recommend the Duolingo app. There is also a book called Camino Lingo, that has a paper and kindle edition.
*Training - in my personal opinion you actually DO need to do at least some training before tackling even a short section of the Camino like the one we are doing. I had read comments by some people who were of the opinion that you could pretty much train while ON the Camino... I don't think that would have worked for us. Although you are not walking really long distances, I think you will enjoy it more if you are at least moderately fit. Also, it is worthwhile to do at least a few long walks carrying your fully-packed rucksack if you plan on walking with it.
*Hiking poles - while there is not much in the way of really rough terrain on this stretch of the Camino, hiking poles can take some of the pressure off your joints (knees especially) if used correctly and I find they also help with balance on the downhill stretches. It comes down to personal preference, but I was very happy that I had mine. I would suggest watching some youtube videos to learn to use them correctly (I had been using mine completely wrong before I watched the video)
*Go with an open mind and relaxed attitude. The accommodation is not going to be what you are used to. The food may sometimes be a bit iffy. There could be noisy crowds on some stretches of the walk. The weather may not play ball. There are bound to be challenges here and there, but if you approach it with curiosity and patience you WILL find the joy in it, I promise you that.
Confraternity of St James in England
Confraternity of St James in South Africa
There should be a Confraternity of St James in your country and most offer an online shop where you can order your Camino Credencial (and any other things you may want, eg guidebooks, buffs etc). They will also supply you with a letter stating you are doing the Camino, to provide when you apply for your Schengen visa if this applies in your country.
Info on the Camino Frances here
A very good website with lots of information about planning for the Camino: Road to Santiago
Camino Adventures
Jacotrans - for transportation of packs if necessary
Google map of the route
BLOGS:
A Taste of the Camino - the blog I created about our 2016 Camino walk
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