Local Travel Agency?

[bchesler]

Hello,

We are planning to hike the Camino with our young children in September. We aren't tied to a specific route, but we only have 10 days to walk and our kids can only do ~10 miles per day, so I understand that limits us to certain routes (Ingles, Sarria->SdC, possibly others). Also because of the kids, we will need to stay in private rooms. And we will have a stroller for one of the kids.

I've been researching different companies that plan Camino trips, but it seems like they all kind of just give you a set itinerary. I'm looking for an agency that can actually sit down with me (virtually), have a conversation about our specific situation, and then plan a route/accommodation that fits our needs.

Does anyone have a travel agency (local or otherwise) that can do that?

 

[trecile]

You can book it all yourself very easily. We here on the forum can help you plan your stages.
Sarria to Santiago has the best infrastructure, so it's probably the easiest to plan shorter stages, but you can also consider the Camino Portugués from Tui.

 

[J Willhaus]

Yes, I second that recommendation. You can easily do your own trip. No agency needed.

 

[trecile]

Here are a couple of sites that are very useful for planning your stages

Planificador - Godesalco.com

Perfil altitudinal, lista de albergues, planificación de etapas, itinerario y archivos GPS para tu Camino.

godesalco.com

El Camino de Santiago | Gronze.com

Bienvenido a Gronze, tu Guía del Camino de Santiago: Información práctica, actualizada y participativa de los principales Caminos de Santiago.

www.gronze.com

Gronze is only in Spanish, but if you use the Chrome browser it will automatically translate to English or the language of your choice.

 

[naplesdon]

Research your path for the amount of paved walkways. The stroller would be an issue on some of them.

 

[bchesler]

Research your path for the amount of paved walkways. The stroller would be an issue on some of them.

Yeah, that's one thing I was thinking about. Do you have a good resource that lays out the different terrain of different paths/sections?

 

[bchesler]

You can book it all yourself very easily. We here on the forum can help you plan your stages.
Sarria to Santiago has the best infrastructure, so it's probably the easiest to plan shorter stages, but you can also consider the Camino Portugués from Tui.

That's very helpful! I tend to like to plan our own trips. One of my biggest "unknowns" was where to research accommodations and then being able to actually correspond with them to make sure they have the infrastructure for a baby and toddler (baby cot, for example). Recommendations on the best place to research and communicate with accommodations along the route?

 

[J Willhaus]

The Gronze.com site gives information on how to contact. You can also use one of the Apps for the route you choose. There will be contact information in the App, too. Just contact the location by phone or WhatsApp. Or you can choose to use something like AirBNB where you can communicate directly with the owner/manager through the App. There really isn't a one stop shop for this.

September can be a busy month on the Camino so you are wise to book ahead given that you are traveling as a family.

Also a guide book may help you with the actual path surface question.

 

[peregrina2000]

Does anyone have a travel agency (local or otherwise) that can do that?

Hi, @bchesler, welcome to the forum!

I think this forum will give you much more helpful information than an agency and at a much better price.

Getting info on things like a baby cot is probably going to involve a lot of direct contact with the accommodation itself. With that kind of a specific need, I agree with the others that Sarria or Tui area probably your best starting points. The Xunta (Galician government) has been very vigorous in its campaign to widen and replace dirt paths with crushed gravel, so I think that you will find both of these options suitable for you. In fact, people have pushed wheelchairs on these routes!

In my experience, the forum works best when you do some of the background research and come to us with questions. Since you like to plan your trips, this seems like it would work for you. The search function will help you find lots of threads about walking with babies or children. There are several active members who have walked with young children (@Kiwi-family is one of them), so at some point I would start a thread with “baby” or “children” in the title and you will surely attract them!

Buen camino, looking forward to see what you decide to do.

 

[naplesdon]

Yeah, that's one thing I was thinking about. Do you have a good resource that lays out the different terrain of different paths/sections?

The Brierley guides give the percentage of types of pavements for each stage.

 

[trecile]

I like the stage planning feature of the Buen Camino app. At the top of each stage it shows how much is trail and how much is tarmac. In this example 11.17 km is trail, and the remaining 4.45 is paved.

 

[Anthony Rocco]

Hello,

We are planning to hike the Camino with our young children in September. We aren't tied to a specific route, but we only have 10 days to walk and our kids can only do ~10 miles per day, so I understand that limits us to certain routes (Ingles, Sarria->SdC, possibly others). Also because of the kids, we will need to stay in private rooms. And we will have a stroller for one of the kids.

I've been researching different companies that plan Camino trips, but it seems like they all kind of just give you a set itinerary. I'm looking for an agency that can actually sit down with me (virtually), have a conversation about our specific situation, and then plan a route/accommodation that fits our needs.

Does anyone have a travel agency (local or otherwise) that can do that?

You can book it all yourself, but if you can afford it or seek the peace of mind that everything arranged will bring, I would definitely recommend choosing one of the many agencies. I would never promote one agency, but our experience last September with Camino Ways was not what you described. Yes, we gave them a starting point and an ending point, and yes, they gave us a set itinerary. But they readily agreed to the many modifications we asked for. They want your business and will be responsive. It really pays, however, to do your research in advance.

Keep in mind that if you want to stay inside a town close to the camino, they will comply. But they often will offer farms and inns not close to the path, with the owners of these places willing to pick you up on the camino path and drop you off the next morning where they picked you up. We found these places to be among the highlights of our stays. At one place, the farm was owned by a retired chef. Wow! The evening meal, only costing 12 euros, was equivalent to that at a top restaurant.

This was our first camino not walking completely unsupported. It is indeed a different experience, but since we train others and so many are walking supported, we decided we had to try it so we could advise others. Of course, if your luggage is transported, you won't have to carry much. And with kids, it makes perfect sense to at the very least do luggage transfer, which is very easy.

Buen camino!

 

[joramos]

Hello,

We are planning to hike the Camino with our young children in September. We aren't tied to a specific route, but we only have 10 days to walk and our kids can only do ~10 miles per day, so I understand that limits us to certain routes (Ingles, Sarria->SdC, possibly others). Also because of the kids, we will need to stay in private rooms. And we will have a stroller for one of the kids.

I've been researching different companies that plan Camino trips, but it seems like they all kind of just give you a set itinerary. I'm looking for an agency that can actually sit down with me (virtually), have a conversation about our specific situation, and then plan a route/accommodation that fits our needs.

Does anyone have a travel agency (local or otherwise) that can do that?

As everybody who has responded already, you are much better off using this forum for your planned Camino with your family. During my last Camino (2023), a family had to backtrack one stage because the accommodation CaminoWays arranged for them was not ready and available for their scheduled arrival date. With all the experiences on this forum, I assure you of more reliable information that your family will derive great benefit and definitely save you a lot of Euros. Buen Camino. Ultreia.

 

[Anthony Rocco]

As everybody who has responded already, you are much better off using this forum for your planned Camino with your family. During my last Camino (2023), a family had to backtrack one stage because the accommodation CaminoWays arranged for them was not ready and available for their scheduled arrival date. With all the experiences on this forum, I assure you of more reliable information that your family will derive great benefit and definitely save you a lot of Euros. Buen Camino. Ultreia.

Not sure about the recent experiences of all the others who have commented, but as a trainer of wannabe peregrinos, I would say that at least in our chapter, a decreasing number and a small percentage are now walking unsupported. And this particularly applies to those walking the last 100 kms only. If they have decided to walk this way, Ivar should be spending more time advising how to do this. It is definitely far different than carrying everything your back and not knowing more than day in advance where you think you are going.

HOWEVER...I do completely agree that one can do it on their own. The last unsupported camino we walked, from Porto, we relied on Gronze and never had an issue. We did some planning in advance, but like all previous caminos, we made many course corrections. Gronze came through. And more and more places are using Booking, including albergues.

At the same time, I recognize fully that some have limited time to walk a camino and even less time to do the research. They are busy people. And there are those with kids or with some disabilities that want the peace of mind knowing where they are going each day, meals provided and bags transferred. I get it. And I am not about to dissuade them from doing so. Instead, I'm there to help.

I mentioned my experience with Camino Ways. It's good to know that they can disappoint. From my discussions with others, they highly recommend Portuguese Green Walks. Others have found local agencies and even individuals who will help. There are options, and I feel an obligation to let people know who intend to walk supported what they are.

 

[J Willhaus]

People should do what works best for them of course. I will say as a hospitalera, I have had parents and children staying with us at the various albergues where I have volunteered. Two have been infants less than a year. Others have been grade school aged and still others adolescents. In the donativo albergue environment, other pilgrims were helping and supportive. One group was particularly anxious that an infant would be welcome and had decided to move on with the family if not. None of the albergues where I have worked supported or permitted reservations or bag transport.

I just wanted to add this lest people think that you can only book your Camino and use private rooms if you are traveling with children.

 

[lt56ny]

NO AGENCY!

 

[CWBuff]

I like the stage planning feature of the Buen Camino app. At the top of each stage it shows how much is trail and how much is tarmac. In this example 11.17 km is trail, and the remaining 4.45 is paved.

View attachment 166271

YUp
Love Buen Camino app and was very happy with it once started using it. Gives lots of info and you can set up your own stages - which helps a lot IMHO

10 miles = 16km and thats a very nice distance on Camino. Although there are many folks that can do in excess of 30 km/day I found that 20km is very comfortable distance to walk without generally excreting oneself; this is quite doable and my hat goes off to you kids!
Here is a small example to get you started
Hope it helps

 

[bchesler]

You can book it all yourself, but if you can afford it or seek the peace of mind that everything arranged will bring, I would definitely recommend choosing one of the many agencies. I would never promote one agency, but our experience last September with Camino Ways was not what you described. Yes, we gave them a starting point and an ending point, and yes, they gave us a set itinerary. But they readily agreed to the many modifications we asked for. They want your business and will be responsive. It really pays, however, to do your research in advance.

Keep in mind that if you want to stay inside a town close to the camino, they will comply. But they often will offer farms and inns not close to the path, with the owners of these places willing to pick you up on the camino path and drop you off the next morning where they picked you up. We found these places to be among the highlights of our stays. At one place, the farm was owned by a retired chef. Wow! The evening meal, only costing 12 euros, was equivalent to that at a top restaurant.

This was our first camino not walking completely unsupported. It is indeed a different experience, but since we train others and so many are walking supported, we decided we had to try it so we could advise others. Of course, if your luggage is transported, you won't have to carry much. And with kids, it makes perfect sense to at the very least do luggage transfer, which is very easy.

Buen camino!

That's good to know that they can be flexible. I might end up planning it by myself but this is a good reminder to not be put-off by the generic "here's your itinerary" email and actually start a conversation.

Do people have a sense of the cost different of going through an agency vs. doing it yourselves (assuming you stay at the same level of accommodations, private rooms, and luggage transport). I'm just trying to get a sense of whether it's a 10% markup to use an agency or a 50% markup. For context, most of the Sarria-->Santiago quotes have been about $1,200 for each of the adults, including dinner.

 

[Molly Cassidy]

I think you will be paying a huge markup to the company. You could probably half the cost at least doing it yourself. And then you have the money on standby for anything that doesn't quite go to plan.

 

[Anthony Rocco]

That's good to know that they can be flexible. I might end up planning it by myself but this is a good reminder to not be put-off by the generic "here's your itinerary" email and actually start a conversation.

Do people have a sense of the cost different of going through an agency vs. doing it yourselves (assuming you stay at the same level of accommodations, private rooms, and luggage transport). I'm just trying to get a sense of whether it's a 10% markup to use an agency or a 50% markup. For context, most of the Sarria-->Santiago quotes have been about $1,200 for each of the adults, including dinner.

There are so many distinctions that it's hard to put a percentage on it. Tour agencies will usually include accommodations, luggage transfers, meals and even flights and other transportation. In our case, we only asked for accommodations and luggage transfers. No meals, no transfers, no flights.

One more distinction: Our supported walk was in France. We knew it would be much more expensive than Spain. Our two unsupported walks in France stunned us by how much more expensive they were than walking unsupported in Spain.

Bottom line: If you have the time, walking unsupported is truly the way to go. But there may be reasons even beyond restricted time that one faces the choice of walking supported or not at all.

There is no right or wrong way to walk a camino. It's YOUR way.

 

[CWBuff]

so at $1,200\adult you already are looking at $2,400 just for you and your partner. Say for 10 days - thats $240.00\day. I can ASSURE YOU 10000% that if you do it yourself - it would be quite 'posh' Camino
If you scroll through various posts and threads - folks are here debating whether or not the Camino can be done for 30E\day (current exchange is about $33.00). Most agree that it is probably about 40-50. That includes numerous meals (not just dinner) and accomodations.
If an average bunk bed is about 15E - and if you have 2 kids - that's 60E ($66.00). That's one helluva meal bill for $180.00 (given your typical Menu del Dia is also about $12-15E)
Do your own math

P.S. You actually may even benefit from certain private rooms as some albergues will give you a discount. If we still working on premisses of 2 adults and 2 kids - so say (as I stated) 4 bunks will run 60E but a private room with 4 beds may be only 50E....

Or you may want to decide to go to some kind of a small hotel perhaps for 70E but you will have totoal privacy and even your own en-suite bathroom w \shower

In any case - you absolutely can do all of it yourself! just a lkittle homework is needed. The fortum is here to help

Buen Camino!

 

[C clearly]

And this particularly applies to those walking the last 100 kms only. If they have decided to walk this way, Ivar should be spending more time advising how to do this.

Goodness, why should Ivar spend more time advising on this? The beauty of this forum is that it is one of the few places where people can learn about walking a Camino without depending on someone else to do all the planning, reservations and luggage transport.

 

[Anthony Rocco]

Goodness, why should Ivar spend more time advising on this? The beauty of this forum is that it is one of the few places where people can learn about walking a Camino without depending on someone else to do all the planning, reservations and luggage transport.

Go back and look at the original request. Look at all the limitations. Did you face any of these? Yes, they can book their own hotels. Yes, they can arrange for luggage transfer. Yes, they can find places no further than 10 miles apart. But it will take a lot of research and having had three young kids way back when, 24 hours was not enough to get through the day, much less plan a camino.

I admire them for even considering this. And I hope they are not dissuaded.

I would like to hear someone who has walked with their limitations and did so all on their own explain how they did it.

 

[Anthony Rocco]

I admire all walkers. At the other extreme of the fully supported camino is the mendicant pilgrim walk. This is still occurring and the interest has grown since Ann Sieben, a mendicant consecrated by the Catholic Church, leads groups on mendicant walks frequently. One of her most popular is the walk from Chimayo to San Luis. I'm very excited by her upcoming loop pilgrimage starting at Tours, France. If one wishes to feel what it was like for a pilgrim before the camino went viral, check out her website: https://societyofservantpilgrims.com/

 

[C clearly]

Go back and look at the original request. Look at all the limitations. Did you face any of these? Yes, they can book their own hotels. Yes, they can arrange for luggage transfer. Yes, they can find places no further than 10 miles apart. But it will take a lot of research and having had three young kids way back when, 24 hours was not enough to get through the day, much less plan a camino.

I admire them for even considering this. And I hope they are not dissuaded.

In no way did I suggest that the OP should not seek assistance and whatever support is appropriate. I also admire the OP for considering this experience and hope they are not dissuaded. They have received some very good advice, including your helpful posts.

I was merely challenging your assertion that "Ivar should be spending more time advising how to do this."

My point was that this forum is an excellent source for information about all types of Caminos - including the free-range do-it-yourself style, the pre-arranged guided version, and everything in between. Most other info sites seem to increasingly focus on the pre-arranged versions. I would not want the forum to lose its unique wider scope.

 

[auburnfive]

My strong advice is to NOT include meals if you go with an agency or certainly not dinners. Who knows when your kids will be hungry. We had meals included on my first Camino,and had to wait until 9pm when we saw many appealing places open earlier. With your kids you might want some apartment style places to cook on your own sometimes.

In general you will be paying 50% more at least to have an agency book for you. I

 

[trecile]

quotes have been about $1,200 for each of the adults, including dinner.

My strong advice is to NOT include meals if you go with an agency or certainly not dinners.

As @auburnfive says - If you decide to use a company don't pre-pay for dinners! That will only guarantee that you will be separate from most of the other pilgrims that you will meet along the way. I met a woman on the Camino Portuguese who had booked through a company, and had included dinners. She ended up not using most of those dinners because she preferred eating with the rest of us.

 

[joramos]

Walking for 10 days, at a comfortable 10-12 miles (16-20kms) a day, the best starting points, considering elevations, because of the kids, are Sarria or Tui. Accommodations for 10 days/nights are not hard to figure out, without travel or tour groups' help. It is not like figuring out for the entire length of the Frances for a month and a half. Baggage transport can be arranged at the nights' accommodations at 6-7 euros. Gronze lists many good accommodations for families from Sarria on to Santiago.

What I did to arrange accommodation for family of three (3), I used recommendations from forum pilgrim members, Gronze listings, and to have an idea of the accommodations, I used Booking.com's photos. I also used Gronze's and Booking.com's contact information (phone numbers, websites, etc) to book directly with the accommodations if all possible. If not, I used Booking.com as last option. And if booking can be cancelled for free at least a couple of days prior booking date.

And yes, do not pre-pay for anything, particularly dinner. Join the communal dinner of fellow pilgrims. You can make the necessary arrangements on your own. And you will be very glad you did. Make your Camino truly memorable. Avail of the almost limitless great and wonderful ideas and informations in this forum.

 

[bchesler]

Thanks to everyone for the concrete and helpful suggestions (from all angles). I can already tell I am going to love this community and the Camino itself.

Here are my conclusions, in case anyone is reading this thread later:

1. It's very doable to plan yourself, even with kids, especially from Sarria --> Santiago
2. If you do use an agency, don't book dinner
3. An agency will probably cost 30-50% more than booking yourself


I'm going to go ahead and try to book myself and if I start pulling my hair out trying to plan a trip in between sleep training a 6-month-old and dealing with a toddler that is 3-going-on-13, then I'll just hire an agency and still have a wonderful time!

 

[J Willhaus]

Reach out if you need suggestions.

 

[MARSKA]

Best of luck to you bchesler! This forum is a wonderful source of information and very responsive --- in general info is clear, accurate, and provided by those with experience.

Reach out either pubically or via PM on the forum. Members will respond.

 

[joramos]

Thanks to everyone for the concrete and helpful suggestions (from all angles). I can already tell I am going to love this community and the Camino itself.

Here are my conclusions, in case anyone is reading this thread later:

1. It's very doable to plan yourself, even with kids, especially from Sarria --> Santiago
2. If you do use an agency, don't book dinner
3. An agency will probably cost 30-50% more than booking yourself


I'm going to go ahead and try to book myself and if I start pulling my hair out trying to plan a trip in between sleep training a 6-month-old and dealing with a toddler that is 3-going-on-13, then I'll just hire an agency and still have a wonderful time!

Check out these places; view photos on Booking.com but you can book with them directly:
Morgade-Casa Morgade (very nice host; regards to Paco)
Portomarin-Casa Mar (right at the center)
Ventas de Naron-Albergue O Cruceiro (Nice private rooms)
Palas de Rei-Pension As Hortas (free unlimited coffee); Hotel Mico (restaurant next door)
O Coto-Hostal Rural Casa de Somoza (Don Quixote and Sancho; in-house restaurant)
Boente-Albergue Pension Boente (laundry; restaurant)
Salceda-Pension Casa Tia Teresa (will do laundry for fee; best entrecot I tasted along the Camino)
Santiago de Compostela-Hospederia San Martin Pinario (geared for pilgrims; only calls for reservations/will not book thru Booking.com/can reserve for however many days; breakfast buffet)
Hope this helps. Buen Camino. Ultreia.

 

[trecile]

Here's a plan for nine walking days, the longest of which is 15.39 km/10.56 miles.

 

[laurenligreci]

Go back and look at the original request. Look at all the limitations. Did you face any of these? Yes, they can book their own hotels. Yes, they can arrange for luggage transfer. Yes, they can find places no further than 10 miles apart. But it will take a lot of research and having had three young kids way back when, 24 hours was not enough to get through the day, much less plan a camino.

I admire them for even considering this. And I hope they are not dissuaded.

I would like to hear someone who has walked with their limitations and did so all on their own explain how they did it.

Great post. Thanks for the support on this topic!

 

[David Tallan]

And this particularly applies to those walking the last 100 kms only. If they have decided to walk this way, Ivar should be spending more time advising how to do this. It is definitely far different than carrying everything your back and not knowing more than day in advance where you think you are going.

I don't think I've ever seen Ivar providing advice on this forum. (Probably because he has yet to walk a Camino himself. )

I'm not sure why you think he should start now, and especially start with something that seems a ways away from the way that most of the users of his site prefer to walk their Caminos.

 

[David Tallan]

Go back and look at the original request. Look at all the limitations. Did you face any of these? Yes, they can book their own hotels. Yes, they can arrange for luggage transfer. Yes, they can find places no further than 10 miles apart. But it will take a lot of research and having had three young kids way back when, 24 hours was not enough to get through the day, much less plan a camino.

I admire them for even considering this. And I hope they are not dissuaded.

I would like to hear someone who has walked with their limitations and did so all on their own explain how they did it.

For what it is worth, when I was more actively watching all of the YouTube vlogs I saw a number of families walking with a number of small children, carrying backpacks and staying in albergues. I also saw a set with a young Irish couple who were walking, carrying all their stuff and staying in albergues with their six month old baby. And they were vegetarian when there were a lot less vegetarian options on the Camino! Their vlogs all often discussed and showed how they manage. Just do a YouTube search on "Camino with children" and you'll see plenty of people explaining.

All of this is not to knock anyone's choice to do their Camino in a different fashion. But rather to counter the impression you seem to wish to make that for parents to walk with their children, carry backpacks and stay in albergues is some sort of superhuman effort not to be contemplated.

And if one is taking advantage of luggage transfer services and staying in hotels, that doesn't make it any more of a superhuman effort to arrange yourself. If you are staying at a place that accept luggage, generally all you have to do is to fill in the envelope and leave it with your luggage so it is picked up and transported the next day. Not something that one necessarily needs an agency for.

Using an agency is a fine option for those who wish to and have the spare cash (not something that most families with young children have). I won't argue against their using an agency. But I will argue against the idea that it is the only feasible way for a family with young children to walk a Camino.

 

[Anthony Rocco]

For what it is worth, when I was more actively watching all of the YouTube vlogs I saw a number of families walking with a number of small children, carrying backpacks and staying in albergues. I also saw a set with a young Irish couple who were walking, carrying all their stuff and staying in albergues with their six month old baby. And they were vegetarian when there were a lot less vegetarian options on the Camino! Their vlogs all often discussed and showed how they manage. Just do a YouTube search on "Camino with children" and you'll see plenty of people explaining.

All of this is not to knock anyone's choice to do their Camino in a different fashion. But rather to counter the impression you seem to wish to make that for parents to walk with their children, carry backpacks and stay in albergues is some sort of superhuman effort not to be contemplated.

And if one is taking advantage of luggage transfer services and staying in hotels, that doesn't make it any more of a superhuman effort to arrange yourself. If you are staying at a place that accept luggage, generally all you have to do is to fill in the envelope and leave it with your luggage so it is picked up and transported the next day. Not something that one necessarily needs an agency for.

Using an agency is a fine option for those who wish to and have the spare cash (not something that most families with young children have). I won't argue against their using an agency. But I will argue against the idea that it is the only feasible way for a family with young children to walk a Camino.

All good points. My only reason for writing what I did is that I felt so many were dumping on the idea of using an agency that they were laying a guilt trip on the person if they decided to "lighten their burden "(the theme of this year's APOC Conference in San Antonio). As someone who raised my three kids overseas, moving 5 times to different locations in 6 years twice moving halfway around the world, I look back and wonder how the heck we did it. We did, and to be sure, this family can walk the camino unsupported, but more than anything, I want them to walk it, supported or unsupported. The memories will be priceless either way.

The most painful trip we ever took with our kids was a two week trip to see Civil War battlefields. They were fighting and playing and otherwise seemingly paying no attention to anything. We were exhausted herding these cats, desperately trying to get them to learn our country's history. When we got back home, much to our surprise, the kids remembered far more details than we did. Lesson: Never underestimate the ability of kids to absorb knowledge.

 

[J Willhaus]

I don't feel I was dumping on the OP. Only letting them know that there was another way. I did not feel "better" when we had to start shipping my husband's bag last year. On the other hand we both grieved that loss of freedom. It makes me personally sad that APOC is going this direction.

 

[Anthony Rocco]

I don't feel I was dumping on the OP. Only letting them know that there was another way. I did not feel "better" when we had to start shipping my husband's bag last year. On the other hand we both grieved that loss of freedom. It makes me personally sad that APOC is going this direction.

APOC was using the term "Lighten the Burden" metaphorically, not physically. I was using it both physically and mentally. Traveling with kids in my experience means paying far more attention to them than whatever one is otherwise doing. Parenthood has obligations and responsibilities.

APOC, like Ivar, focuses on unsupported caminos. As a coordinator of what likely is the largest chapter, since so many of our wannabe peregrinos do plan to travel supported, usually the last 100kms, My wife and I as trainers did our first supported camino last September just to see what it is like so we could train them appropriately. It is indeed a very different experience.

 

[David Tallan]

APOC, like Ivar, focuses on unsupported caminos.

I don't think Ivar focuses on any particular kind of Camino. Ivar provides a forum for all pilgrims, from those who walk with minimal support to those who walk with maximal support. It may be true that most of the people who show up and actively post in the forum that Ivar hosts tend towards the minimal support end of the scale. But that isn't due to a focus of Ivar himself.

 

[trecile]

APOC, like Ivar, focuses on unsupported caminos

@ivar facilitates the forum for us, but I'm not sure if he has a particular focus, since he's yet to walk a Camino himself.

Many of us do focus on unsupported Caminos because that's what people usually need the most help with - how to pack lightly, to reserve or not reserve accommodations, and how to reserve if you want to, etc.

When I first decided to walk the Camino I didn't know anyone who had done it, and had no clue where to start. My first Google searches brought me to the agency sites, but the prices sent me running to find more information. I had no idea that I could easily organize everything myself until I found this forum. I think that many people who come here asking about tour companies have the same misconception that I had that you must book through an agency.

There would be far fewer posts on the forum if we just pointed people to agencies! Of course, if someone is set on that, there are a number of members who have experience with these companies that can give advice.

 

[witsendwv]

That's good to know that they can be flexible. I might end up planning it by myself but this is a good reminder to not be put-off by the generic "here's your itinerary" email and actually start a conversation.

Do people have a sense of the cost different of going through an agency vs. doing it yourselves (assuming you stay at the same level of accommodations, private rooms, and luggage transport). I'm just trying to get a sense of whether it's a 10% markup to use an agency or a 50% markup. For context, most of the Sarria-->Santiago quotes have been about $1,200 for each of the adults, including dinner.

Our first camino was the last 100 from Sarria with CaminoWays. Our second was the Primitivo planned by ourselves- the price of the entire Primitivo for two was less than half of what it cost for the last 100. That was with staying inn private accommodation on the Primitivo as well.

 

[Bradypus]

. I think that many people who come here asking about tour companies have the same misconception that I had that you must book through an agency.

I follow a few Camino groups on Facebook. One of the most common first questions is "What travel company should I book with?" For some people it seems that the idea of independent travel just never crosses their mind.

 

[Walkalong]

I’ve never booked with an agency. Never actually planned a Camino - other than booking flights to Madrid. But I have done walking vacations with 3 children. Also walked with others pushing strollers, with and without children, and another family who’s <12 dribbled a football all the way to SdC – not something I’d recommend.

Your bravery deserves all the encouragement that you will find on this forum!

Trecile, joramos, and the others have offered excellent advice on planning. You have a very good start - almost done.

You might want to check out the luggage transfer sites to see which you find more intuitive. I've never used them, but have been told that Pilbeo and Jacotrans are a good start.

I think they allow you to change pick-up and drop-off locations once enroute but it’s a good idea to be able to contact them via, WhatsApp, messaging and phone. Flexibility is important - just in case.

I’m sure you don’t need advice on snacks, drinks, etc, and I don’t think a travel agent will help you find diapers. Though the waitress at the only Café open between Carracedo and Padron on Easter Sunday was extremely helpful.

All part of the wonderful experience that is the Camino!

Buen Camino

PS: Now in their 20s, our children want to return to the Camino, so I hope to be invited to do parts of different Caminos with each of them

 

[Canche]

Yes, I second that recommendation. You can easily do your own trip. No agency needed.

/Agree