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Rest day after travelling to start point?

Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

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Debating whether to take a rest day after travelling from the states and before caminanding. Do have a medical condition that might impact endurance but not sure.
Thoughts?
I almost always spend a day or two in Europe before starting my Camino. I like being at least semi acclimated to the time zone.
 
I travel from the west coast and usually arrive at my starting point in Spain in the late afternoon, exhausted. I always allow the next day to be free - so I can sleep until I wake, and have a relaxed day. Then on the next day, I might start walking but possibly only a half day.

I find that the 9-hour time change combined with a night of missed sleep are often difficult, so I allow for 2 or 3 days without big demands. However, it is important to get outside and do some walking each day after arrival, as it helps with the adjustment.

Especially if you intend to make reservations for the first few days, err on the side of taking it easy rather than demanding too much of yourself.
 
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Travelling from Australia, (22 hr flight) when heading to St Jean, I always take a day off in Paris.
Just to rest and get a good night sleep if I can.

We have also done the same for an Astorga start, by taking a couple of days in Madrid.

I think a day off before reaching your start point (depending where it is) can make sense.
So you can recover from the flight before making the final leg 'in country' to the start.
 
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We definitely like to have 2-3 nights rest before we start walking. It takes time to travel from Madrid (or wherever you arrive) to get to SJPP (or wherever you start the Camino) and to take care of last minute things. A little buffer is also good to have if your luggage is delayed, which did happen to us on our first Camino. Most importantly, however, we need the time just to start to physically get over the trip and adjust to the nine time zone change. I actually feel the effects for about a week.

That’s what I usually will plan any time I travel for any significant time zone change, but it’s even more important for a physically demanding activity like hiking over the Pyrenees. It depends, however, on which coast you’re coming from and how used to long haul travel you may be. Some people who jet around from continent to continent frequently can hit the ground running. Or those who pay for a bed on the plane can arrive somewhat rested. Most of us are going to be much better off with some time to adjust.
 
I agree with all above advice about taking a rest day or two.

That said, my first two Caminos (the Frances) I travelled from Sydney to SJPP (plane, plane, train, train), and arrived around 6pm in SJPP, fully intending to have a rest day the following day.

On both occasions, I woke up the next morning and decided I couldn’t wait to begin. I guess excitement was more powerful than jet lag. Go figure. I guess plans are made to be changed!

PS Not suggesting it’s a good idea but it was fine for me - and didn’t have a medical issue to consider

I would have done the same!
There is no way I could sit in St Jean watching Pilgrim depart up the hill.........

Perhaps another reason to have a break at the 'port of entry' rather than the start point :)
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
I agree with all above advice about taking a rest day or two.

That said, my first two Caminos (the Frances) I travelled from Sydney to SJPP (plane, plane, train, train), and arrived around 6pm in SJPP, fully intending to have a rest day the following day.

On both occasions, I woke up the next morning and decided I couldn’t wait to begin. I guess excitement was more powerful than jet lag. Go figure. I guess plans are made to be changed!

PS Not suggesting it’s a good idea but it was fine for me - and didn’t have a medical issue to consider

Though St Jean is a rather 'unique' start point in many ways.

It's a very small town (large village).
It is often packed with Pilgrims during the 'season'.
They all head down the main street click clacking their way toward Santiago every morning.

It would be so hard to just watch / hear them depart.

I'm sure if the start point was in a large city, it would be easier to resist 'tagging along' :)
 
Debating whether to take a rest day after travelling from the states and before caminanding. Do have a medical condition that might impact endurance but not sure.
Thoughts?
Have you ever had jetlag before? I would say 100% yes to a rest day, at least. Get your bearings, take a deep breath, try to get a good night's sleep, look around, then boldly go.
 
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I'm only travelling from the UK but as I don't want to arrive in St Jean at 10pm and then leave at 7am I'm staying in Bayonne that first night then travelling to St Jean the following day, starting my walk the day after allowing time to explore a bit.
 
I'm only travelling from the UK but as I don't want to arrive in St Jean at 10pm and then leave at 7am I'm staying in Bayonne that first night then travelling to St Jean the following day, starting my walk the day after allowing time to explore a bit.
That is a good idea; SJPdP is a fine place to soak up a
very special atmosphere!

Arriving each time it is as if the curtain is going up on a new adventure.

Carpe diem and Buen camino!
 
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Debating whether to take a rest day after travelling from the states and before caminanding. Do have a medical condition that might impact endurance but not sure.
Thoughts?
Good idea.
I did, one time when I had traveled from literally halfway around the world - just to get.over jetlag, and to get my feet on the ground. I had a very enjoyable and relaxing day in SJPP, and was very happy not to have to immediately head off.

It would be so hard to just watch / hear them depart.
Oddly, I had no problem with this. It was so nice to be there and to be able to relax. Mind you, it was the first week of March, and the place was hardly overrun.
 
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I almost always spend a day or two in Europe before starting my Camino. I like being at least semi acclimated to the time zone.
When I fly into Bordeaux from Bristol I resurrect what French I know. This helps me to slip into what Spanish I know from St. Sjdp on wards. As I am then in the Basque Country I carry a small phrasebook. I think it only common courtesy to be able to say please and thank you in the language of local people. It also helps remind me that Spain has many cultures through which I pass. I go by my internal clock anyway so time zones only matter to me when arriving and departing from airports etc. Language apps are a great boon to me. It is also a boon to locals being enchanted by my accent! :)

Samarkand.
 
I personally prefer to just get started and let the rhythm of a camino day sort out the jet lag. After the anticipation of being on Camino, there's no place I'd rather be! Planning a reasonable first day is wise. For example, if I am starting from St. Jean, first night is Orrison. In November I plan to walk 5k after arriving to my starting point. Time is precious for this pilgrim. I can be a tourist on other trips.
 
I personally prefer to just get started and let the rhythm of a camino day sort out the jet lag. After the anticipation of being on Camino, there's no place I'd rather be! Planning a reasonable first day is wise. For example, if I am starting from St. Jean, first night is Orrison. In November I plan to walk 5k after arriving to my starting point. Time is precious for this pilgrim. I can be a tourist on other trips.
How long do you travel to get there ?
 
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How long do you travel to get there ? :rolleyes:
I travel from the US midwest. My usual flight plan starts 7am and arrive Madrid 9 am the next day. Then on to my starting point. Not sure why the emoji?
 
Debating whether to take a rest day after travelling from the states and before caminanding. Do have a medical condition that might impact endurance but not sure.
Thoughts?
We find the older we get the more we need that rest day. In recent times we fly into Madrid and arrive in the mornings. We take a shuttle to our hotel, sleep a little, then get up after a nap. We go to sleep again at regular time then get up and shuttle back to Madrid airport to take a bus or catch a train to our starting point the next morning. We try to take a shorter day in the beginning. Sleep science says it takes a day of adjustment for each time zone hour you travel so for us that would really be eight days. We've both done shift work as a police officer and a nurse and know the toll lack of sleep can take on our faculties.
 
This is another one of those questions, like — Should I take a sleeping bag in summer time; is a rain jacket better than a poncho; should I take rest days; etc etc. The answer is hugely individual and depends on your own body rhythms.

Like @rorerich, I travel from the US midwest and my flights are usually in the 18 or 19 hour range. For years, I always took a rest day upon arrival. One year, I decided to just bite the bullet and start walking on the day after arrival and found, much to my surprise, that it was PERFECT for me. Maybe not for you.

I find that the sleep I get the night of arrival in Spain is not normal, continuous, restful sleep but usually wakes me up in the middle of the night Spanish time. Tossing and turning for a few hours, and then getting up and going, being outside to experience the change in new sunlight patterns is the best way for me to acclimatize. Sometimes it’s a short first day (like the 12 km from Almería to Rioja), but sometimes I walk a normal day. It’s no different for me than walking after a sleepless night in an albergue full of snorers. In fact, I typically feel more rested!

There is no right answer here, and you can’t know how your body will respond till you try it. And like @J Willhaus suggests, getting older can also affect your body’s internal clock, so you have to be flexible.

Whether you take a rest day or not, I have also found that getting to your starting point on that first day of arrival in Spain works best for me. I get to Madrid around 8 in the morning, and power on to make a connection on an internal flight or a train or bus to my starting point. I figure that the day of arrival in Spain is pretty much a lost day, so I try to use it to get my travel out of the way.

Buen camino, Laurie
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
2 factors to support the rest day
- our baggage was lost, but showed up a day later.
- the friends walking with us had a last minute flight delay and showed up a day later.
Very happy we had planned to take an extra day to enjoy Porto where we were starting
 
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I would have done the same!
There is no way I could sit in St Jean watching Pilgrim depart up the hill.........

Perhaps another reason to have a break at the 'port of entry' rather than the start point :)
I am quite the opposite.

I could sit in a chair by the path all day while raising my cup of cafe con leche in the morning or pint of cerveza in the afternoon as a salute to the pilgrims leaving the village and not think twice about my decision to sit on my rump and rest before beginning my trek.
 
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Whenever I fly to a Camino I pick a city I’ve never been before to fly to before the Camino. I then like to spend time there and explore before I start. Being older I never know when my use by date might come up so I want to see all I can. Enjoying Santiago right now for the 5th time and there is always something new.
 
Debating whether to take a rest day after travelling from the states and before caminanding. Do have a medical condition that might impact endurance but not sure.
Thoughts?
After travelling from Canada we took a Day in Bayonne to rest up.
 
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I travel from the west coast and usually arrive at my starting point in Spain in the late afternoon, exhausted. I always allow the next day to be free - so I can sleep until I wake, and have a relaxed day. Then on the next day, I might start walking but possibly only a half day.

I find that the 9-hour time change combined with a night of missed sleep are often difficult, so I allow for 2 or 3 days without big demands. However, it is important to get outside and do some walking each day after arrival, as it helps with the adjustment.

Especially if you intend to make reservations for the first few days, err on the side of taking it easy rather than demanding too much of yourself.
I ALWAYS take 2 rest days. This year I leave at 4PM my time (7 hours behind Spain) and arrive at my final destination in Spain at 5:20PM. Never can sleep well the first night and need the second night to get a better sleep. It works best for me and when you are retired you have the luxury of time.
 
Debating whether to take a rest day after travelling from the states and before caminanding. Do have a medical condition that might impact endurance but not sure.
Thoughts?
Never even occurred to me, arrived SJ late one afternoon, departed early the next day. Couldn’t wait! No regrets.
 
Debating whether to take a rest day after travelling from the states and before caminanding. Do have a medical condition that might impact endurance but not sure.
Thoughts?
Never occurred to me. Arrived late afternoon SJPDP, started sunrise the next day. I couldn’t wait! No regrets.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
I usually start from home, or maybe a half day train ride to see something new. I just cycle across to somewhere convenient on one of the French routes then carry on from there. I'm probably going to start in Paris next time, which is 50 km ride to Poitiers then two hours on the train. Down the Tours route or a variant. Then I'll finish at home or somewhere near a railway further south depending how it goes. I only get to Santiago every three or four years.
 
Like @gloria lowe Coming all the way from the west coast if the US I like to explore another part of Europe a bit before I get started on the Camino. A few days in Madrid or Paris as a tourist were great.
 
I've done 3 Caminos, and the first two, I didn't take a rest day. I got to where I was going to start and then started walking the next day. Based on what I've read about jet lag, this is actually a good strategy, since exercising in the sunlight is a great way to reset your biological clock to the new time zone. I don't really try to get up early that day, though. I get up when I get up, and then start walking when I have had my breakfast.

My last Camino, I started in Porto but flew into Lisbon, and I wanted to do a bit of sightseeing in both of those cities before beginning to walk. Honestly, it didn't really change how well I transitioned to the new time zone, although I did spend a good amount of time in those cities walking in the sunlight. 😂 That's basically the key, so do what seems good to you, and what fits into your timeframe.

Buen Camino!
 
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Debating whether to take a rest day after travelling from the states and before caminanding. Do have a medical condition that might impact endurance but not sure.
Thoughts?
I literally flew all night out of Boston into Lisbon, cleared Customs and Immigration, and then walked out of the airport and began my Camino. Dumbest move ever. I walked twenty miles that day. My feet were tired and the blood had pooled into my feet from sitting on a flight throughout the night. Five days later, 100 miles down, and unusually hot temps, I had to go to the ER in Tomar, and my Camino ended. Hematoma sunder my big toenails. Feet were toast. So…I flew back in Sept of that year and finished what I set off to do! My opinion…let your body rest after a flight. Have a day just to enjoy the starting point.
 
Travelling from Australia, (22 hr flight) when heading to St Jean, I always take a day off in Paris.
Just to rest and get a good night sleep if I can.

We have also done the same for an Astorga start, by taking a couple of days in Madrid.

I think a day off before reaching your start point (depending where it is) can make sense.
So you can recover from the flight before making the final leg 'in country' to the start.
Hi Rob, I read your blog but do not see the name your Paris hotel mentioned. I am look for something next to the Gare Montparnasse Station. Do you recommend yours and what is the name?
 
Debating whether to take a rest day after travelling from the states and before caminanding. Do have a medical condition that might impact endurance but not sure.
Thoughts?
I have walked three Caminos, and have never spent more than the first night before heading out. All of my flights from US were over-night flights, so I typically slept most if not all of the flight. I didn't arrive in SJPdP until mid-afternoon; then I would just spend that night and take off early the next morning. Same for walking the Portuguese; arrived in Porto mid-afternoon. Spent my first night there, then started with a full day of walking early the next morning. I've always been too excited and jittery to spend any time lingering about. I usually save that for the finish! I don't know your health conditions, but that may certainly change how you would do things. I'm early 60s and had no issues on any of my treks. Hope to do another soon!
 
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I would take one full day to enjoy your starting city. For me, that first city is the start of my journey and I love to drink it in. I get my bearings, relax and melt into the culture which I will be immersed in soon. Rested, I start practicing my language "skills," and generally have a full, fun day with no expectations other than to prepare for a great adventure. I make sure I have currency and that my maps are in place. I adapt to those beginner "butterflies" of not knowing what to expect. You picked that place as your start city for a reason, and they want to be your start city, so enjoy!!
 
Hi Rob, I read your blog but do not see the name your Paris hotel mentioned. I am look for something next to the Gare Montparnasse Station. Do you recommend yours and what is the name?

There are a lot inthe area, just look on Booking . com.

I have used Best Western Bretagne Montparnasse a couple of times. Nice quiet location.

Like most Paris hotels..........not that cheap and a room like a shoe box :rolleyes:
 
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Debating whether to take a rest day after travelling from the states and before caminanding. Do have a medical condition that might impact endurance but not sure.
Thoughts?
I would plan at least a day (I planned two). Even if jet lag isn’t an issue (isn’t for me), it allows for (a) missed/delayed flight, (b) lost luggage, (c) act of God. For me, (c) is what happened. I arrived in SJPdP planning to spend a rest day there, then a night at orison. A sudden storm moved in, the only way I got to walk the Napoleon was by skipping the rest day and the orison overnight. An extra day or two let’s you plan around and react to the unexpected so things are an annoyance but not the end of the world.

Not sure what you’re saying about health but if you mean your endurance may be less than ideal then definitely plan rest days before starting and sprinkled through out.

Buen Camino!
 
Debating whether to take a rest day after travelling from the states and before caminanding. Do have a medical condition that might impact endurance but not sure.
Thoughts?
We traveled from Canada and arrived at Dinner time in Bayonne. I’m all sincerity I wish we had taken an extra rest day before we started out as it would have made the beginning so much more enjoyable as it is so beautiful. Dealings with jet lag and walking is not fun.
 
Debating whether to take a rest day after travelling from the states and before caminanding. Do have a medical condition that might impact endurance but not sure.
Thoughts?
Definitely take a rest day after so much travel time. You will not regret it.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Debating whether to take a rest day after travelling from the states and before caminanding. Do have a medical condition that might impact endurance but not sure.
Thoughts?
Ive never had enough days up my sleeve to allow a rest day (just scraping up enough leave days), I would have liked to.
Next time though (whenever that is ) we will - days before and after.
 
We have found the best strategy to avoid any jet lag is to land in Spain as early as possible, catch a train or bus to your start point as early as possible, and ideally start walking a 1/2 or 3/4 length day as soon as possible. Walking the day you arrive is the best cure for jet lag in my experience! After an hour or so into your days walk you'll be happy you did.
 
We have found the best strategy to avoid any jet lag is to land in Spain as early as possible, catch a train or bus to your start point as early as possible, and ideally start walking a 1/2 or 3/4 length day as soon as possible. Walking the day you arrive is the best cure for jet lag in my experience! After an hour or so into your days walk you'll be happy you did.
Thats the way I've always done it - not as a jetlag strategy - but because I never had any spare days.
 
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Walking the day you arrive is the best cure for jet lag in my experience!
Totally agree. Because as Rick Steves says, jet lag’s biggest enemies are fresh air, daylight, and exercise.

I usually don’t start my camino on my arrival day, but I know some forum members who do. I use that arrival day to get to my starting point, either on another flight or some ground transportation, spend as much time as possible out and about getting Spanish phone card, food for my pack, any other errands. Then I go to bed at a ”normal” time for the time zone. Though I usually don’t have a very restful sleep on the first night in Spain, I find that getting up and walking the next day works magically to get my body sync-ed with Spain time.
 
I'm only travelling from the UK but as I don't want to arrive in St Jean at 10pm and then leave at 7am I'm staying in Bayonne that first night then travelling to St Jean the following day, starting my walk the day after allowing time to explore a bit.
Plenty of interesting things to see in Bayonne, not least the cathedral.
 
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I almost always spend a day or two in Europe before starting my Camino. I like being at least semi acclimated to the time zone.
Smart to do that! Follow that suggestion myself. In fact it ought to be a rule if coming from so many time zones away.
 
Plenty of interesting things to see in Bayonne, not least the cathedral.
If you're still in Bayonne for lunch, before going to SJPdP, you might like to visit the Bar du Marche, hidden on a side street near the indoor market. It has an intensely Basque feel and great old fashioned, home-prepared, affordable food. You can't go wrong there!
 

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