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Search 69,459 Camino Questions

Broke Pilgrim Leaving in a Month

happyhippie13

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Burgos ---> Santiago (2016)
Porto ---> Santiago (2018)
Hey Perengrinos-

I have a dilemma. I bought my ticket to Lisbon in December when money was looking plentiful. A few months and a few unfortunate circumstances later and I’m broke for Portugal. I’ll be trying to survive off of 900 CAD for my 100 km/ 2 weeks in Portugal.

I’m scared because I have horrible travel luck. What if something comes up etc? Credit card is not an option for me. Does anyone have any budget tips for doing the caminho? I’m also unsure of where to start. Getting a compostela isn’t a huge deal for me since I have one for the Camino frances. Any ideas?
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
Hey Perengrinos-

I have a dilemma. I bought my ticket to Lisbon in December when money was looking plentiful. A few months and a few unfortunate circumstances later and I’m broke for Portugal. I’ll be trying to survive off of 900 CAD for my 100 km/ 2 weeks in Portugal.

I’m scared because I have horrible travel luck. What if something comes up etc? Credit card is not an option for me. Does anyone have any budget tips for doing the caminho? I’m also unsure of where to start. Getting a compostela isn’t a huge deal for me since I have one for the Camino frances. Any ideas?
Although it is now six years since I walked from Porto to Santiago, I imagine prices have not jumped. The municipal albergues have a fixed price, for us it was €7. Pilgrim menus were also very reasonable. Shopping for bread, cheese, nuts, fruit and yogurt/milk doesn't add up to much. Tap water. A young German couple had a budget of €17 daily for the pair of them for the two weeks, splurging for three nights in Santiago, but the splurge included luxury spend of €9 per head for pilgrim menu in Case Manolo! Buen camino!
 
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.
From my limited experience of this route, I'd suggest that your money will go further in Portugal than in Spain. We found the food in Portugal to be better and cheaper than that in Spain. It might therefore be worth planning your itinerary and stages with this in mind.

As others have suggested, your budget seems more than ample, especially if you stay in albergues. You could therefore consider spending some it on a basic travel insurance policy. That might help ease those worries about your 'travel luck'!

Wishing you a Buen Camino.
 
I’ll be trying to survive off of 900 CAD for my 100 km/ 2 weeks in Portugal.
Are you going somewhere else other than the Camino? 100 km over 14 days is only 7.15 km per day. What are you going to do during the other 22 or so hours of each day?
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Hey Perengrinos-

I have a dilemma. I bought my ticket to Lisbon in December when money was looking plentiful. A few months and a few unfortunate circumstances later and I’m broke for Portugal. I’ll be trying to survive off of 900 CAD for my 100 km/ 2 weeks in Portugal.

I’m scared because I have horrible travel luck. What if something comes up etc? Credit card is not an option for me. Does anyone have any budget tips for doing the caminho? I’m also unsure of where to start. Getting a compostela isn’t a huge deal for me since I have one for the Camino frances. Any ideas?

Hi,
Where are you starting from?
 
New Original Camino Gear Designed Especially with The Modern Peregrino In Mind!
From my limited experience of this route, I'd suggest that your money will go further in Portugal than in Spain. We found the food in Portugal to be better and cheaper than that in Spain. It might therefore be worth planning your itinerary and stages with this in mind.

As others have suggested, your budget seems more than ample, especially if you stay in albergues. You could therefore consider spending some it on a basic travel insurance policy. That might help ease those worries about your 'travel luck'!

Wishing you a Buen Camino.

Besides the food being generally cheaper than Spain, you can get the prata del dia, and ask for "1/2 dose", i.e. half a serving, which is usually more than enough. And, as suggested above, get food in a supermarket and cook it yourself, make a sandwich for the next day's lunch and stop somewhere for a picnic, yogurt for breakfast, etc. I buy a bottle of water and then refill it at the tap. Communal meals are fun-be the instigator. You'll be okay!
 
Trust in God, but tether your camel!

Budget wisely, insure your travel (highly recommended), walk with the mindset of a pilgrim, and watch how the Camino provides!

A run of seemingly bad luck on one of my Portuguese Camino days, resulted in one of my most memorable experiences. Not travelling with a phone, nor guidebook, I was unable to locate one of the albergues and forced to walk on well past my 30km mark. Exhausted, I was eventually forced to get off the Camino path and head towards a nearby small town - which ended up being very touristy and booked out. The local bar owner was unable to recommend anything either and certainly had no understanding of 'pilgrimage'. Discouraged, I sat down outside on the kerb, wondering what to do next, when a car parked next to me. Out came a woman who recognised the Camino shell on my backpack and started talking to me about it... Which ended up with me being offered a room for the night right across the road at her mother's place whom she happened to be visiting. All in return for a prayer in Santiago for her!
 
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Hi happyhippie., last year or the year before there was a thread about two guys who wanted to walk the CP or part of it and had no budget whatsoever. The good news was that if you are ready to live on beans and toast, hitchhike and sleep in the fields, it can be done.

So do not despair. You have enough for the bus from Lisbon to Porto, and back from Santiago if you are leaving from Lisbon too. Plus simple food and a roof to sleep under during the days in between.

NualaOC mentioned travel insurance. That is always a good idea.

If I remember well, those two guys never went on their no-budget Camino. They claimed an unexpected lack of time

 
When we walked the CF in 2013, we met an Italian guy named Mariano who started the Camino with 87 €. He made it all the way to Santiago by staying in Municipal albergues, donativos and also by asking people if he could make dinner for them, collecting a fee that was slightly more than what he paid and then pocketing a few euros for his trouble. His meals were great and it was nice to let someone else do the cooking! If he did the whole CF on 87€ in 2013, I am pretty sure that you have enough for the CP this year.
 
Before you set out just consider insurance / emergency cover for illness and accidents, hopefully there won't be a need but one never can tell.
 
Join our full-service guided tour and let us convert you into a Pampered Pilgrim!
Hey Perengrinos-

I have a dilemma. I bought my ticket to Lisbon in December when money was looking plentiful. A few months and a few unfortunate circumstances later and I’m broke for Portugal. I’ll be trying to survive off of 900 CAD for my 100 km/ 2 weeks in Portugal.

I’m scared because I have horrible travel luck. What if something comes up etc? Credit card is not an option for me. Does anyone have any budget tips for doing the caminho? I’m also unsure of where to start. Getting a compostela isn’t a huge deal for me since I have one for the Camino frances. Any ideas?
That is plenty!!’
 
Last year I walked from Gijon to Finisterre (Norte), the Portuguese along the coast from Porto to Santiago and The Ingles to Santiago and I spent about 600 euros.

There were many days on the Madrid this summer and on the Frances where I spent no more than 15 euros so it is possible on your budget. I still have a coffees during rest breaks etc. To keep down your spending buy fruit and nuts etc for snacks at a supermarket and make your own lunch and/or dinner.
 
Saving Money: 580 euros / 14 days = 41.50 Euros per day assuming you have all other transportation costs covered. Stay at a Muncipal Albergue, 5 Euros/night in 2018 on Camino Frances. Now you have 36.50 Euros per day for food. That’s enough for a big Bacon and 2 eggs plus coffee breakfast for 8 Euros, large Ham and cheese sandwich for lunch with beer/wine or soda 8 Euros, decent pilgrim dinner including wine/water 10 Euros with 10.5 Euros left over for snacks, wine, beer along the walk and/or after dinner socializing. To really cut food/wine costs, bring a backpack with a large amount of unused space for carrying food/wine. Most Municipals have good cooking facilities with adequately equipped kitchens (some municipals Albergues in Galicia may not so you may have to improvise...I think they put all their money into really nice monument trail markers) to prepare and then eat (including wine glasses) your meal. Some have communal butter in the refrigerator or olive oil for cooking along with Salt. To save more money, bring a bunch of large empty zip lock bags with you (for food storage) along with any spices you like to use when cooking, plus 14 days worth of instant coffee, cocoa or tea bags. Borrow a Bota or wine skin from someone before leaving home. Bring a light weight coffee mug and two silicone collapsible wine glasses. Bring a Spork and a rigid plastic camping plate. Buy a cheap steak knife in a hardware store or super market when you get to Europe (TSA won’t allow on flight) for cutting bread, cheese, meat, veggies etc… Then, once on the camino, buy vegetables that last awhile without refrigeration (onion, garlic, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, root veggies etc…) use just what you need of the fresh ingredients and make a meal for one or make extra and invite someone to dinner, ask them to get the wine or make a salad etc… Put the leftovers in the heavy duty ziplock freezer bag and put in the Albergue refrigerator overnight & pack it in the morning to reheat for dinner that night. Hard boil eggs the night before for snacks, breakfast or lunch or salad the next day while traveling. Buy hard cheeses and processed meats that last “forever” for lunch or snacks or salad ingredients during the day along with your baguette. Drink you instant coffee/cocoa/tea at breakfast in the Albergue along with bread, cheese, jelly, butter that you bought. If you drink wine, buy it by the bottle for 4 Euros and transfer to your Bota (wine skin) and get rid of the weight of the bottle. Use your extra wine glass to invite someone to join you for a bit of your wine and bread and cheese and chorizo, all purchased “in bulk” fairly inexpensively. When socializing at night on the plaza, square or centro…buy your first glass of wine from the café/bar and refill it with your bota a few times before ordering your next one. If friends/pilgrims ask or give you a look, just let them know you had to cut costs drastically for the trip but did not want to miss out on socializing at night with them and other pilgrims. They will understand and they might enjoy the opportunity to buy you another glass of wine. I think you could still eat and drink well and never be hungry doing what I described above for 15 – 20 Euro a day and then have 16.50 to 21.50 Euro left over in your 36.50/day budget for emergencies or unexpected expenses. A person I traveled with this spring had to go to the hospital for foot problems twice. There was no charge. She was told for all pilgrims, any Camino issues from the waist down are treated for free. I’ve read of others who had bigger medical issues on the Camino and the hospitals never take your money upfront but instead bill you when you get home (a letter in the mail with a bill). It is a “reasonable” charge that you are then obliged to pay. Perhaps by the time you get the bill, which takes awhile, you have worked and accumulated some more cash to take care of the expense. I think you have enough. Maybe spend the 1st week of the Camino conserving cash using the methods above. Make a game out of it to see how little you can spend each day and still not miss out on anything. At the end of that week reassess your financial situation and decide if you want to continue the game or splurge a little bit. I think you will have a great Camino. If you are not a cook, start practicing now making some simple meals with the same simple ingredients you will have in Spain so it’s easy to repeat when you get to Spain. Saving money by shopping for food and then cooking it will eat into free time but it seems like a good tradeoff. You will have fun, new, different interactions with the locals when shopping. Good Luck and Buen Camino.
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
Hey Perengrinos-

I have a dilemma. I bought my ticket to Lisbon in December when money was looking plentiful. A few months and a few unfortunate circumstances later and I’m broke for Portugal. I’ll be trying to survive off of 900 CAD for my 100 km/ 2 weeks in Portugal.

I’m scared because I have horrible travel luck. What if something comes up etc? Credit card is not an option for me. Does anyone have any budget tips for doing the caminho? I’m also unsure of where to start. Getting a compostela isn’t a huge deal for me since I have one for the Camino frances. Any ideas?
 
From Porto you are pretty much able to stay in Albergues for 5 euro per night so I am told by an English girl I met. Not sure if the blackberries are in season yet but all you need is to buy a yogurt and add free blackberries.
Food is very cheap on the Portuguese Camino. Good luck go for it......
 
Im going with to start the walk from Porto to SanTiago next week with 80€ more or less. But I don't plan on sleeping much.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Start off by eating 'Francosinho' in Porto and you probably won't need to eat until you get to SdeC!! Beans in cans or jars and oily fish are really cheap and brilliant energy food, mash the beans with some garlic n oil -- slather it on your bread, add fish if you are really hungry. We averaged on £30 (about 38euro then) for two of us, between Portugal, Spain and France - but Portugal was cheapest - we had menu del dia for 5 euros - which included a bottle of wine...! But making picnic lunches/dinners does save cash. And the 1 euro a bottle wine ain't bad..!
 
Hey Perengrinos-

I have a dilemma. I bought my ticket to Lisbon in December when money was looking plentiful. A few months and a few unfortunate circumstances later and I’m broke for Portugal. I’ll be trying to survive off of 900 CAD for my 100 km/ 2 weeks in Portugal.

I’m scared because I have horrible travel luck. What if something comes up etc? Credit card is not an option for me. Does anyone have any budget tips for doing the caminho? I’m also unsure of where to start. Getting a compostela isn’t a huge deal for me since I have one for the Camino frances. Any ideas?[/QUOTE


HappyHippie13,

Just an FYI, I did the Portuguese in 2015, lots of peregrinos stay at the Firehouse (Bombeiros (sp?). For as long as you have a credential and your passport, your stay is free. I wanted to stay in one to try it, and i did it in Tomar, It was incredible.

Bom Caminho!!!

Texasguy
 
Hey Perengrinos-

I have a dilemma. I bought my ticket to Lisbon in December when money was looking plentiful. A few months and a few unfortunate circumstances later and I’m broke for Portugal. I’ll be trying to survive off of 900 CAD for my 100 km/ 2 weeks in Portugal.

I’m scared because I have horrible travel luck. What if something comes up etc? Credit card is not an option for me. Does anyone have any budget tips for doing the caminho? I’m also unsure of where to start. Getting a compostela isn’t a huge deal for me since I have one for the Camino frances. Any ideas?[/QUOTE
 
Join our full-service guided tour and let us convert you into a Pampered Pilgrim!
Don't worry, it sounds like you have enough to survive. I am leaving Lisbon on 31st walking 4 weeks and I might only have £400!!!! I will have to find food and hostels with that!!!
 
She was told for all pilgrims, any Camino issues from the waist down are treated for free.

What an extraordinary notion!
 
Hey Perengrinos-

I have a dilemma. I bought my ticket to Lisbon in December when money was looking plentiful. A few months and a few unfortunate circumstances later and I’m broke for Portugal. I’ll be trying to survive off of 900 CAD for my 100 km/ 2 weeks in Portugal.

I’m scared because I have horrible travel luck. What if something comes up etc? Credit card is not an option for me. Does anyone have any budget tips for doing the caminho? I’m also unsure of where to start. Getting a compostela isn’t a huge deal for me since I have one for the Camino frances. Any ideas?

You are going to find out mate if it's possible.
I think it is very do able.
**** Take it from me the late 60's were not that great
Stay in alberques , do you homework where they are and enjoy.
Lay off Estrella and there will be plenty left over .
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
Hey Perengrinos-

I have a dilemma. I bought my ticket to Lisbon in December when money was looking plentiful. A few months and a few unfortunate circumstances later and I’m broke for Portugal. I’ll be trying to survive off of 900 CAD for my 100 km/ 2 weeks in Portugal.

I’m scared because I have horrible travel luck. What if something comes up etc? Credit card is not an option for me. Does anyone have any budget tips for doing the caminho? I’m also unsure of where to start. Getting a compostela isn’t a huge deal for me since I have one for the Camino frances. Any ideas?

"Oh my gosh" was my first response to your post, happyhippie13, because I'm on my seventh Camino right now, and only once did I spend 900 CAD (outside of airfare -- I mean when I was walking). That was on my first Camino in 2010 when I didn't know yet how to budget. Right now I'm on the Camino Portugués, from Porto, and averaging 15-18 euro per day. If you have 900 CAD, that is sure to be plenty.

I spent my first three days on the Coastal route (walking the Senda Litoral), and it seemed a bit trickier to find space at albergues because many places had been pre-booked. So I pre-booked one place for my third night as I walked 48km that day and didn't arrive until 6:45pm. On the Central route, finding albergue space was easier.

If you're not sure of funds, I'd suggest starting in Porto rather than Lisbon. I go to the supermarket every day and make my own dinner (I like sandwiches). Is there anything specific you're concerned about?
 
"Oh my gosh" was my first response to your post, happyhippie13, because I'm on my seventh Camino right now, and only once did I spend 900 CAD (outside of airfare -- I mean when I was walking). That was on my first Camino in 2010 when I didn't know yet how to budget. Right now I'm on the Camino Portugués, from Porto, and averaging 15-18 euro per day. If you have 900 CAD, that is sure to be plenty.

I spent my first three days on the Coastal route (walking the Senda Litoral), and it seemed a bit trickier to find space at albergues because many places had been pre-booked. So I pre-booked one place for my third night as I walked 48km that day and didn't arrive until 6:45pm. On the Central route, finding albergue space was easier.

If you're not sure of funds, I'd suggest starting in Porto rather than Lisbon. I go to the supermarket every day and make my own dinner (I like sandwiches). Is there anything specific you're concerned about?

Hey thanks :) I think that I am most concerned because in my past I have not been very good at calculating exchange rates and how much extra transport is going to cost me. I haven't even bought my ticket back yet (waiting for next week's pay) and I will be flying out of Paris. So I still have to figure out the whole extra transportation money. Santiago to Paris how?? I know I'm just going to take the 30 dollar flight from Lisbon to Porto but I'm lost after that!
 
Saving Money: 580 euros / 14 days = 41.50 Euros per day assuming you have all other transportation costs covered. Stay at a Muncipal Albergue, 5 Euros/night in 2018 on Camino Frances. Now you have 36.50 Euros per day for food. That’s enough for a big Bacon and 2 eggs plus coffee breakfast for 8 Euros, large Ham and cheese sandwich for lunch with beer/wine or soda 8 Euros, decent pilgrim dinner including wine/water 10 Euros with 10.5 Euros left over for snacks, wine, beer along the walk and/or after dinner socializing. To really cut food/wine costs, bring a backpack with a large amount of unused space for carrying food/wine. Most Municipals have good cooking facilities with adequately equipped kitchens (some municipals Albergues in Galicia may not so you may have to improvise...I think they put all their money into really nice monument trail markers) to prepare and then eat (including wine glasses) your meal. Some have communal butter in the refrigerator or olive oil for cooking along with Salt. To save more money, bring a bunch of large empty zip lock bags with you (for food storage) along with any spices you like to use when cooking, plus 14 days worth of instant coffee, cocoa or tea bags. Borrow a Bota or wine skin from someone before leaving home. Bring a light weight coffee mug and two silicone collapsible wine glasses. Bring a Spork and a rigid plastic camping plate. Buy a cheap steak knife in a hardware store or super market when you get to Europe (TSA won’t allow on flight) for cutting bread, cheese, meat, veggies etc… Then, once on the camino, buy vegetables that last awhile without refrigeration (onion, garlic, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, root veggies etc…) use just what you need of the fresh ingredients and make a meal for one or make extra and invite someone to dinner, ask them to get the wine or make a salad etc… Put the leftovers in the heavy duty ziplock freezer bag and put in the Albergue refrigerator overnight & pack it in the morning to reheat for dinner that night. Hard boil eggs the night before for snacks, breakfast or lunch or salad the next day while traveling. Buy hard cheeses and processed meats that last “forever” for lunch or snacks or salad ingredients during the day along with your baguette. Drink you instant coffee/cocoa/tea at breakfast in the Albergue along with bread, cheese, jelly, butter that you bought. If you drink wine, buy it by the bottle for 4 Euros and transfer to your Bota (wine skin) and get rid of the weight of the bottle. Use your extra wine glass to invite someone to join you for a bit of your wine and bread and cheese and chorizo, all purchased “in bulk” fairly inexpensively. When socializing at night on the plaza, square or centro…buy your first glass of wine from the café/bar and refill it with your bota a few times before ordering your next one. If friends/pilgrims ask or give you a look, just let them know you had to cut costs drastically for the trip but did not want to miss out on socializing at night with them and other pilgrims. They will understand and they might enjoy the opportunity to buy you another glass of wine. I think you could still eat and drink well and never be hungry doing what I described above for 15 – 20 Euro a day and then have 16.50 to 21.50 Euro left over in your 36.50/day budget for emergencies or unexpected expenses. A person I traveled with this spring had to go to the hospital for foot problems twice. There was no charge. She was told for all pilgrims, any Camino issues from the waist down are treated for free. I’ve read of others who had bigger medical issues on the Camino and the hospitals never take your money upfront but instead bill you when you get home (a letter in the mail with a bill). It is a “reasonable” charge that you are then obliged to pay. Perhaps by the time you get the bill, which takes awhile, you have worked and accumulated some more cash to take care of the expense. I think you have enough. Maybe spend the 1st week of the Camino conserving cash using the methods above. Make a game out of it to see how little you can spend each day and still not miss out on anything. At the end of that week reassess your financial situation and decide if you want to continue the game or splurge a little bit. I think you will have a great Camino. If you are not a cook, start practicing now making some simple meals with the same simple ingredients you will have in Spain so it’s easy to repeat when you get to Spain. Saving money by shopping for food and then cooking it will eat into free time but it seems like a good tradeoff. You will have fun, new, different interactions with the locals when shopping. Good Luck and Buen Camino.

Thank you this is very helpful!
 
New Original Camino Gear Designed Especially with The Modern Peregrino In Mind!
Santiago to Paris how?? I know I'm just going to take the 30 dollar flight from Lisbon to Porto but I'm lost after that!

Vueling airlines flys most nights at 7pm direct to Paris arriving at 9pm for a reasonable price ($60 - $80 US$) depending on the day of the week, but the price seems to spike high in August and then starts to come down in September...you'll have to check prices for your dates. The bus to the Santiago airport runs every 30 minutes for 4 Euro and a taxi is 21 Euro. Wishing you good luck...I can't see any way for you to fit the cost of a Paris - Canada return flight into your budget. Maybe St. James is reading this and the Camino will find a way to provide? Let us know how it all works out.
 
Santiago to Paris how?? I know I'm just going to take the 30 dollar flight from Lisbon to Porto but I'm lost after that!

Vueling airlines flys most nights at 7pm direct to Paris arriving at 9pm for a reasonable price ($60 - $80 US$) depending on the day of the week, but the price seems to spike high in August and then starts to come down in September...you'll have to check prices for your dates. The bus to the Santiago airport runs every 30 minutes for 4 Euro and a taxi is 21 Euro. Wishing you good luck...I can't see any way for you to fit the cost of a Paris - Canada return flight into your budget. Maybe St. James is reading this and the Camino will find a way to provide? Let us know how it all works out.

The cost of a ticket from Portugal to Toronto in August was 700 whereas from Paris to Toronto the ticket was 390 CAD! I looked at train prices which weren't bad (about 125 CAD) just anxious about navigating trains for the first time solo through Europe o_O
 
Hey Perengrinos-

I have a dilemma. I bought my ticket to Lisbon in December when money was looking plentiful. A few months and a few unfortunate circumstances later and I’m broke for Portugal. I’ll be trying to survive off of 900 CAD for my 100 km/ 2 weeks in Portugal.

I’m scared because I have horrible travel luck. What if something comes up etc? Credit card is not an option for me. Does anyone have any budget tips for doing the caminho? I’m also unsure of where to start. Getting a compostela isn’t a huge deal for me since I have one for the Camino frances. Any ideas?
I walked from Port to Santiago last September for 2 weeks which cost 367.83Euro including a night at 30 Euro hostal in Santiago.So don't worry ! You have enough to cover 100km + domestic travel expenses + even some suveniors. I took the central route but they say the costal route is much prettier. However it seems more expensive as there are less chances to find albergues. Anyway, Buen Camino!
 
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,-
Hey Perengrinos-

I have a dilemma. I bought my ticket to Lisbon in December when money was looking plentiful. A few months and a few unfortunate circumstances later and I’m broke for Portugal. I’ll be trying to survive off of 900 CAD for my 100 km/ 2 weeks in Portugal.

I’m scared because I have horrible travel luck. What if something comes up etc? Credit card is not an option for me. Does anyone have any budget tips for doing the caminho? I’m also unsure of where to start. Getting a compostela isn’t a huge deal for me since I have one for the Camino frances. Any ideas?
I’ll be a lone wolf here. Unless you’re 90 or have a stage 4 (something) what’s the urgency? One of the best things my Camino’s (3) have taught is patience. They’ve been here for 1200 years they’ll be here tomorrow, next month, next year. There comes a point where I think it’s a little irresponsible to travel without a practical reserve (think illness/injury/natural whatever’s). Be patient, save up and walk a year when you can focus more on the experience and less on ‘worry’.
 
just anxious about navigating trains for the first time solo through Europe o_O

Yes, I understand the anxiety over uncertainty and new things. I'm guessing your Camino in 2016 was full of anxiety and new things before you left. Probably the majority of things you worried about the most worked out fine in the end and only a few situations turned out less than wonderful. You probably also learned some good lessons from those things that did not go as desired and that new wisdom will protect you from those same mistakes on this next trip. Life never stops being a learning experience and none of us ever stop making mistakes. It's just part of the deal of living an interesting life outside of a bubble.
 
Santiago to Paris how?? I know I'm just going to take the 30 dollar flight from Lisbon to Porto but I'm lost after that![/


Vueling airlines - but book as early as you can, then shuttle or train between Orly and CDG international in Paris.[/QUOTE]
 
Last edited:
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
I’ll be a lone wolf here. Unless you’re 90 or have a stage 4 (something) what’s the urgency? One of the best things my Camino’s (3) have taught is patience. They’ve been here for 1200 years they’ll be here tomorrow, next month, next year. There comes a point where I think it’s a little irresponsible to travel without a practical reserve (think illness/injury/natural whatever’s). Be patient, save up and walk a year when you can focus more on the experience and less on ‘worry’.

Thanks for the input. I have considered this but my tickets are unrefundable. I can’t fathom throwing away almost 1000 dollars as a student. My own fault but I think I’m just going to take out a loan and repay it in full once I return to my job.
 
Check out Flixbus from SdC to Paris, it's cheap. But I am confused because you say you haven't bought your return ticket yet? If you paid a 1000 for a one way ticket, I'd talk to the airline about a cashing in on a return ticket. The airlines are discounting tickets to the max right now. I just talked to a friend who got a round trip from the US to Madrid for less than $500.
 
Check out Flixbus from SdC to Paris, it's cheap. But I am confused because you say you haven't bought your return ticket yet? If you paid a 1000 for a one way ticket, I'd talk to the airline about a cashing in on a return ticket. The airlines are discounting tickets to the max right now. I just talked to a friend who got a round trip from the US to Madrid for less than $500.
I ended up getting it yesterday!
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
When we walked the CF in 2013, we met an Italian guy named Mariano who started the Camino with 87 €. He made it all the way to Santiago by staying in Municipal albergues, donativos and also by asking people if he could make dinner for them, collecting a fee that was slightly more than what he paid and then pocketing a few euros for his trouble. His meals were great and it was nice to let someone else do the cooking! If he did the whole CF on 87€ in 2013, I am pretty sure that you have enough for the CP this year.

Where is the "I love it!" button for this post? GREAT STORY!
 
Don't worry, it sounds like you have enough to survive. I am leaving Lisbon on 31st walking 4 weeks and I might only have £400!!!! I will have to find food and hostels with that!!!
That could be tough at times but pretty doable. Last year I walked between Santaren and Porto, then to Vila do Conde, 10 days, 210 euros spend, Porto to Santiago - 9 days, 160-170 euros. Stayed both in municipal and private albergues, but went out for pilgrims' menu or just for salads most of the evenings, made my own breakfasts in the arbergues, had lunch on the go from snacks and coffee in the cafes. Cooked a couple of times as well. Had a great time there and then. Bom Caminho! :)
 
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I’ll be trying to survive off of 900 CAD for my 2 weeks in Portugal. Any ideas?
There is also a recent thread here about budgeting on the Portuguese: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/tips-for-a-tight-budget.56512/#post-639535.
I'll just copy my message from there, people found it useful:
If you are walking in summer Portugues Central could be cheaper then the Coastal way as near the ocen finding budget accommodation could be a challenge. On the coast look for Orbitur campings, they have discounts for pilgrims and have great conditions but they are usually very popular in summer. Central way would be more budget as there are more accommodation options there, both municipal and private. Municipal albergues and donativos would be the best options. Look for menu del dia as well as pilgrims's menu, sometimes they have a better value. The portions in Porugal are so huge that it's totally fine to share one for two. Local farmers markets and supermarkets are great to get food, most of the municipal albergues in Portugal have good kitchens where you can cook, in Galicia it's more of a challenge as they are mostly bare. I've just returned from another Camino in Portugal, Interior, cooked for 2 weeks all the way to Santiago, was a very budget trip. Stayed one night at Bombeiros/Firemen as well: 5 euros, clean, shower - was fine although no place to cook there. If you walk in late summer/early autums the locals may offer you some fruit when you just walk past - that happened to us so many times! And sometimes foraging for fruit and nuts in the middle of nowhere was a way to save them from spoiling! A bowl of veg soup is just 1.5-2 euros in most cafes and sometimes that's all you need at the moment. On my 3rd Camino I decided to take a coil for heating up water - used it for making our own tea and coffee. Another observation is that you don't feel hungry much if it's hot, then you drink a lot of water instead. No need to get bottle water either, you can fill in your bottle with tap water in any cafe or water fountain, they usually have "Safe to drink" plate near them, or ask the locals in case of emergency. I also washed clothes myself, this is what most pilgrims do anyway, they dried overnight or I put them on top of my backpack to dry while I walked. My budget: Porto to Santiago, 9 days, 160-170 euros. Santarem to Porto and then to Vila do Conde, 10 days, 210 euros (Lisbon to Porto is more expensive). Both times stayed in both municipal and private albergues, went out to restaurants for pilgrim's menu a lotor or just for salads (Salata mixta is usually a huge plate, a meal for me) most of the evenings, made my own breakfasts in the arbergues, had lunch on the go from snacks and coffee in the cafes. Cooked a couple of times as well. Had a great time there and then . Hope that helps! Bom Caminho! :)
 
Thanks for the input. I have considered this but my tickets are unrefundable. I can’t fathom throwing away almost 1000 dollars as a student. My own fault but I think I’m just going to take out a loan and repay it in full once I return to my job.
I think a loan is fine if it fits your financial priorities - that will allow you to focus on the experience. A year from now I’d rather be paying off a lifetime of memories for a Camino than a sofa!!! Buen Camino !!!
 
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Hey Perengrinos-

I have a dilemma. I bought my ticket to Lisbon in December when money was looking plentiful. A few months and a few unfortunate circumstances later and I’m broke for Portugal. I’ll be trying to survive off of 900 CAD for my 100 km/ 2 weeks in Portugal.

I’m scared because I have horrible travel luck. What if something comes up etc? Credit card is not an option for me. Does anyone have any budget tips for doing the caminho? I’m also unsure of where to start. Getting a compostela isn’t a huge deal for me since I have one for the Camino frances. Any ideas?
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36204113-two-steps-forward
read this book it will give u a few idea and posetive point of vew.. buen camino
 
Hey Perengrinos-

I have a dilemma. I bought my ticket to Lisbon in December when money was looking plentiful. A few months and a few unfortunate circumstances later and I’m broke for Portugal. I’ll be trying to survive off of 900 CAD for my 100 km/ 2 weeks in Portugal.

I’m scared because I have horrible travel luck. What if something comes up etc? Credit card is not an option for me. Does anyone have any budget tips for doing the caminho? I’m also unsure of where to start. Getting a compostela isn’t a huge deal for me since I have one for the Camino frances. Any ideas?
My two young daughters and I hiked pretty much the full length of Portugal, connecting the RV and the PC and we didn't even use any bottled water...I mention the three of us as none of us got sick from that decision. Mind you not buying bottled water won't give you tons of money spared...but it was a cost we were able to eliminate.
Best wishes to you!
 

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