For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here. (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation) |
---|
Of course, donativo is not the same as "free." There always were expenses involved in operating an albergue even if no payment was demanded. At the well-run and efficient albergue in Ponferrada, the donation box was placed in front of me at the beginning of the sign-in process, referred to several times during orientation, and extended at the completion, at which time I donated. I never intended to stay for free, but I admit I was playing a little bit with the hospitalero just to see how insistent the "free" albergue would be. I give him an A+++ for keeping the place funded. I would have had to be truly destitute or oblivious to the social graces to have refused to donate. The next time I stayed there, I put in the money at the first opportunity. No hospitalero should be required to put up with "antics" from an individual a second time!in 2006 the first chargeable albergue was in Santiago but now u have to pay in every albergue.
I walked 320 km and there wasn´t any 2-3 euros cost albergues!! Cheapest albergue was 5 € and average price was 12 €.Caminando said:Hi Vox,
There are of course ways to cut costs, much discussed on this forum. You can do it on 2-3 euros a day - if you want. You'll cook for yourself; no refuge of course, but as you find the refugio costs unreasonable, that's a plus. No private accommodation; so you save even more! Some already do this, so you're not alone.
I have to say, outside of Spain, Portugal and parts of France, I can't think of any other countries who would offer what they do, for you.
voxmox said:I walked 320 km and there wasn´t any 2-3 euros cost albergues!! Cheapest albergue was 5 € and average price was 12 €.Caminando said:Hi Vox,
There are of course ways to cut costs, much discussed on this forum. You can do it on 2-3 euros a day - if you want. You'll cook for yourself; no refuge of course, but as you find the refugio costs unreasonable, that's a plus. No private accommodation; so you save even more! Some already do this, so you're not alone.
I have to say, outside of Spain, Portugal and parts of France, I can't think of any other countries who would offer what they do, for you.
If I am poor pilgrim, 12€ is too much for me, and I dont either need that much services, for example bars and restarurants.
I presume that the whole camino thing is sponsored by Catholic church...
voxmox said:Few municipal albergues were closed for permanently and in those kinda situations we had to go to private accommodation wich can be quite expensive (starting from 40€)
Camino is good hikeing route and there is old historical feel when you walk, but for us it wasnt spiritual thing like it is for many people.
When i was there in 2006 the first chargeable albergue was in Santiago but now u have to pay in every albergue.
maybe you need to look for other cheap 'secular' trails to walk which are not 'sponsored' by the Catholic Church. You could try the "Coast to Coast" or the "South West Coast Path" here in the U.K. for instance.good hikeing route and there is old historical feel when you walk, but for us it wasnt spiritual thing like it is for many people.
MichaelB10398 said:voxmox said:I walked 320 km and there wasn´t any 2-3 euros cost albergues!! Cheapest albergue was 5 € and average price was 12 €.Caminando said:Hi Vox,
There are of course ways to cut costs, much discussed on this forum. You can do it on 2-3 euros a day - if you want. You'll cook for yourself; no refuge of course, but as you find the refugio costs unreasonable, that's a plus. No private accommodation; so you save even more! Some already do this, so you're not alone.
I have to say, outside of Spain, Portugal and parts of France, I can't think of any other countries who would offer what they do, for you.
If I am poor pilgrim, 12€ is too much for me, and I dont either need that much services, for example bars and restarurants.
I presume that the whole camino thing is sponsored by Catholic church...
voxmox said:Caminando said:Hi Vox,
There are of course ways to cut costs, much discussed on this forum. You can do it on 2-3 euros a day - if you want. You'll cook for yourself; no refuge of course, but as you find the refugio costs unreasonable, that's a plus. No private accommodation; so you save even more! Some already do this, so you're not alone.
I walked 320 km and there wasn´t any 2-3 euros cost albergues!! Cheapest albergue was 5 € and average price was 12 €.
I presume that the whole camino thing is sponsored by Catholic church...
Rebekah Scott said:I don´t think OP was trying to be malicious or anti-Catholic in his/her post. He came here to get informed, and I hope he hasn´t been flamed out of the room.
When I started as a hospitalero in 2003, there were 24 donativo albergues. Now there are 14. I wish there was something we could do to better support donativo places, but I don´t know what it is.
MichaelB10398 said:voxmox said:I walked 320 km and there wasn´t any 2-3 euros cost albergues!! Cheapest albergue was 5 € and average price was 12 €.Caminando said:Hi Vox,
There are of course ways to cut costs, much discussed on this forum. You can do it on 2-3 euros a day - if you want. You'll cook for yourself; no refuge of course, but as you find the refugio costs unreasonable, that's a plus. No private accommodation; so you save even more! Some already do this, so you're not alone.
I have to say, outside of Spain, Portugal and parts of France, I can't think of any other countries who would offer what they do, for you.
If I am poor pilgrim, 12€ is too much for me, and I dont either need that much services, for example bars and restarurants.
I presume that the whole camino thing is sponsored by Catholic church...
No, the Catholic Church has nothing to do with the Camino! Did a nun or priest bang down your door and force you to go on the Camino? Were you asked from the beginning if you were Catholic? How many times did a hospitalero ever ask your religion in order to sleep? Did anyone ever force you to attend a Mass?
Did anyone force you to stay in any albergue? Did anyone force you to pay? How many times did you choose to sleep on the dirt in order to go for free?
As a non-Catholic I am offended by your last statement. It was crude and without merit.
The Camino is open to everyone regardless of religion or motivation. It is there for all to walk. It has been walked by saints, believers, angnostics, atheists, and complete barbarians.
I would encourage you the next time you feel the urge to walk the Camino to ignore it. Walk another trail and then you avoid all those terrible Catholics along the Way. Just a touched ticked off!
Rebekah Scott said:I don´t think OP was trying to be malicious or anti-Catholic in his/her post. He came here to get informed, and I hope he hasn´t been flamed out of the room.
Lots of people assume that the camino, because it was Catholic for so long, and because it travels through Catholic Spain, continues to be a Catholic institution. Well, it used to be. But only because Catholic was the only game in town for so long. Nowadays, Spain is a very secular country, and the church is more and more marginalized. And so the camino is becoming a Catholic-flavored historic hiking trail, maintained by the states it passes through as a way to stimulate local economies.
Catholics and non-Catholic pilgrims alike then bring their presumptions and backgrounds into the equation. Some assume the Catholic church is fantastically rich, and traditionally subsidizes pilgrimage -- and if it is a "true religion" it will give shelter away free to anyone who asks without expecting anything in return. That is what´s happening to the donativo albergues -- too many people, for whatever reason, expecting something for nothing. The Catholic church in Spain pays to keep parishes open, staffed, and funded, and also runs countless schools and charities for truly needy people all over the world. Providing freebies for vacationing hikers and bikers just isn´t on the radar somehow -- they leave that to individual parishes or religious orders.
Some other people (many of them Spanish) assume their tax dollars are supporting municipal albergues, which means they "already paid" and they leave no donation at all. And you are right -- the donativo places are going out of business, or are now levying a minimum charge. They cannot survive otherwise.
When I started as a hospitalero in 2003, there were 24 donativo albergues. Now there are 14. I wish there was something we could do to better support donativo places, but I don´t know what it is.
voxmox said:Hi guys, my intention was never to hurt anyones feelings so I want to apologize.
Sometimes it cand be hard to express yourself when you are talking with different language than your mother language. So i think no one really got my point except Rebecca.
This is what I was trying to say!
Rebekah Scott said:I don´t think OP was trying to be malicious or anti-Catholic in his/her post. He came here to get informed, and I hope he hasn´t been flamed out of the room.
Lots of people assume that the camino, because it was Catholic for so long, and because it travels through Catholic Spain, continues to be a Catholic institution. Well, it used to be. But only because Catholic was the only game in town for so long. Nowadays, Spain is a very secular country, and the church is more and more marginalized. And so the camino is becoming a Catholic-flavored historic hiking trail, maintained by the states it passes through as a way to stimulate local economies.
Catholics and non-Catholic pilgrims alike then bring their presumptions and backgrounds into the equation. Some assume the Catholic church is fantastically rich, and traditionally subsidizes pilgrimage -- and if it is a "true religion" it will give shelter away free to anyone who asks without expecting anything in return. That is what´s happening to the donativo albergues -- too many people, for whatever reason, expecting something for nothing. The Catholic church in Spain pays to keep parishes open, staffed, and funded, and also runs countless schools and charities for truly needy people all over the world. Providing freebies for vacationing hikers and bikers just isn´t on the radar somehow -- they leave that to individual parishes or religious orders.
Some other people (many of them Spanish) assume their tax dollars are supporting municipal albergues, which means they "already paid" and they leave no donation at all. And you are right -- the donativo places are going out of business, or are now levying a minimum charge. They cannot survive otherwise.
When I started as a hospitalero in 2003, there were 24 donativo albergues. Now there are 14. I wish there was something we could do to better support donativo places, but I don´t know what it is.
My post was just informative of my thoughts of the camino. I dont have anything againts Catholic church or catholics.
I thought that this was forum for people who want to discuss and change thoughts with other people of the north route. I think most of the people are reading these posts with too much feelings envolved. So i dont think its fair that someone called me teaser...
And i wonder if anyone noticed my comment about the great views and spanish people who are friendly and because of those two reason i will back to spain over and over again.
Buen Camino, good hiking and have a great day!
It would seem that the price hike is a few years old and it is the coast route that is most expensive. (others will know how,or if, the Francés has changed).. . . arrived in Salas at 15.30 in the rain. The albergue didn't appeal as it had nowhere to dry anything and he wanted to dry his wet weather gear and boots, so he has gone to the hotel. He himself kept dry (see blog) and is finding it is cheaper away from the coast. He thought the hotel looked expensive, but it has only cost him 15 euros, the same as the albergues were along the coast. (The albergue here would have been 5 euros). Distance of 25km today with two more diversions for road works.
After walking the Camino Inglés this May, we feel exactly the same.Finally, I want to put on record the kindness and help that I have received from the Spanish people themselves. I have been a sojourner in a foreign land, and from stepping off the ferry on the 27th April to driving back across Spain with Valerie and a friend, I have been treated with respect and courtesy. Nothing was too much for them to do and without the help of dozens of unknown people my pilgrimage would not have been so marvellous. Thank you all!
jennysa said:I reckoned that the accommodation was about 5 euros and breakfast 2 euros and the communal meal at least 8 euros, so I put 15 euros into the box, which he thought was vastly over-generous. I still don't know what a reasonable donation is. Are there any suggestions?
Anniesantiago said:Why should anyone volunteer to pick up for people on a vacation???!
>Rebekah Scott said:"love of money is the root of all evil," the Bible says.
Pilgrims and hospitaleros and tourists altogether just need to chill out about the money issues. Sometimes people take advantage. But they are soon followed by people who are exceptionally generous. It all balances out.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?