Greetings from Broome, Western Australia

[Kiwiangela]

Hi, I'm Angela, 44, and I am booked to start my Camino in Leon on 21st May 2013. I am a little nervous, as despite extensive travel, I have never travelled on my own. I have been convinced however, through this wonderful forum that I will be OK! As I am a bit of a luxury traveller, I am looking at staying in private hostels / hotels, as I prefer my own space. I was going to pay a tour company to arrange this all for me but realise now that I can do it much cheaper on my own. My question is - do I need to pre-book this accommodation? My biggest fear is arriving somewhere and having no place to stay! Not a problem to pre-book, but it does take any flexibility away. My only other question is, do I need rain pants at this time of the year? Thanks for a fantastic forum and look forward to meeting some of you along the way.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

If you don't mind the expense of having an agent book for you, a friend of mine found it very convenient. However, she was part of a group and they had a chase vehicle that picked up stragglers each day. That made it easy to guarantee that everyone could reach the daily destination. If you also use a baggage service, then you probably won't have a problem conforming to a fixed schedule. Don't forget you can get taxis almost everywhere if you need a bit of help on a particular day.

With booked accommodations, you can stop worrying about finding a bed. Rain pants keep you dryer, but may be hot. If you take a pair, try to find some that can be put on over your boots. I found that the biggest drawback to rain pants was taking off my boots to get them on and off. Finding a dry spot to sit can be tricky!

 

[skilsaw]

I wear a cheap, lightweight pair of rainpants and find them quite helpful.
I wouldn't fork out hundreds of dollars for Gortex pants with zippers everywhere.

I have been successful finding accommodation other than albergues whenever I wanted it without the benefit of reservations. In the smaller villages, you can ask in a cafe/bar. They sometimes have a few rooms upstairs.

 

[SaraTorres]

Hi Angela, I started my walk in May of 2012 and like you I was very nervous about traveling on my own and accommodation. Guess what? don't worry too much it will work out just fine. You will be just fine and yes you will find accommodation on the way, including other pilgrims. Sarita (Melb)