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) |
---|
Hi, Madi!Hello! So I am very interested in hiking the Camino the summer after I graduate high school. I will only be 17. I am not so much worried about being able to do it mentally and physically, (I am planning on hiking with a buddy) . My question is more so regarding wether or not I would be allowed to stay in hositles only being 17. Also I am a gal and am planning on hiking it with another girl my age, so I was wondering if we would face many problems regarding our safety? Thanks so much!
Thank you so much! Greatly appreciated!Hi, Madi!
Frequently I feel kind of sad that I discovered Caminos in Spain (or to be exact - to became really aware of them) quite late in my life. From this prespective I can only encourage you - GO FOR IT, GAL
I don't believe there should be a problem regarding your age, but if so, you can carry a letter of permission from your parents with you or just ask older pilgrim to act as your companion...
Ultreia!
Great, much thanks! I am very excited!Hello Madi,
What a wonderful idea! I met an 18 year old a couple of weeks ago, on the Camino. She had walked alone, from Berlin ! She was managing fine, and absolutely loving it. You will probably find other pilgrims looking out for you, and you will feel safe in the community around you. I don't know if there is an age limit in the albergues, but I doubt it. Good luck with the planning !
Thank you so much Simeon, I am looking forward to meeting all kinds of people, and hopefully making many connections! I am very appreciative of you taking the time to help me out!Hi Madi,
Being a teacher, it would make me so proud to have one of my students leave for the Camino immediately after graduation. Assuming you have tolerance, open spirit, full heart, you and your friend should not have any worries about meeting others. The Camino is filled with incredible sights and the most beautiful people (as you will find here). What a springboard this would be for many years of travel for you.
If you haven't traveled with another before, it would be good to have both of you make "preparations". What I mean by this is you don't want to be put in the situation were you are doing all the arranging, or the other way around. Since it is a trip for the both of you, much better to have both know what to expect. Even more, be prepared to go on your own just in case things don't work out. A Camino family will develop around you. Promise.
Go get it Madi!
Keep a smile,
Simeon
Thank you for your words, I am already amazed at the people on this forum! I cannot wait to meet kind, and encouraging Camino goers like yourself!Just go.You having discovered the Camino, you are already waay ahead of most of people your age, and you will learn a lot, many years ahead of them. The Camino can be a lifechanging experience for you, as well as a real boost to your mind and understanding of life and its real values.
And, the Camino is full of nice and helping people. I know for sure that I, as a 60 years old father and grandfather, would pay special attention to your well-being and safety if our paths were crossing, but there is no much need for it anyway: The Way is in general a very safe place, in the countryside of Spain. Remember, most people in this world of ours are good, and the vast majority of people on the Camino are even better than good: They are there for a good purpose. They will help you. It will be an adventure for you, I am sure.
Search this forum and use the vast amount of information in here. Read up, plan, prepare, and go. You will never in your life regret it.
Buen Camino: Go for it!
You will meet manyI cannot wait to meet kind, and encouraging Camino goers like yourself!
Ah that is very neat. Will you be doing it with your niece? I am so glad that I have had such amazing support from many different family members. Many thanks!You will both have a wonderful experience. I wish I had known about the Camino when I was your age and had the opportunity to have walked it then.
I have a fifteen year old niece that now wants to walk it ever since she heard me talk about my experiences doing it. I tell her to definitely do it first chance that she can. I told he I'd even buy her a backpack and some gear when the time comes.
I think it would be great to walk the Camino with my niece. I've walked it twice already by myself, but I've always thought it would be great to walk it with a family member.Ah that is very neat. Will you be doing it with your niece? I am so glad that I have had such amazing support from many different family members. Many thanks!
Hi Madi--one more vote of encouragement. We walked in 2013 with two guys who had just finished high school. They seemed to have a great time and had no trouble with albergues that we were aware of. LizHello! So I am very interested in hiking the Camino the summer after I graduate high school. I will only be 17. I am not so much worried about being able to do it mentally and physically, (I am planning on hiking with a buddy) . My question is more so regarding wether or not I would be allowed to stay in hositles only being 17. Also I am a gal and am planning on hiking it with another girl my age, so I was wondering if we would face many problems regarding our safety? Thanks so much!
Are you from the USA or Canada? Both countries have very strict regulations about a child (under 18 years of age) traveling abroad without an adult. I don't believe your age will be an issue in regards to staying at albergues, but it may be an issue in getting in/out of the country and in/out another as a minor. Once you get to Spain, you should be able to buy/access public transportation as you are older than 12 years old.
I did walked for a little while with a Mom and Daughter team. The daughter was 17 y/o and she had just graduated from high school. She was doing great and relating to other pilgrims very well. I found them again days later. The daughter was starting to get bored and had asked the Mom for them to take the bus and speed ahead. Blisters and other discomforts were starting to wear on her. I don't believe there are a lot of 17 years old out there who can take the challenges of the Camino day after day (there are not many adults who can either!). My best advice is that you practice at home first and go from there. Buen Camino!
This may or may not be true. But, as you are under age 18, you are still legally a minor in the US, and I believe in Canada too. The easiest thing to do is for each of you to carry a letter, signed by your parents, giving you permission to be where you are. The letter should provide contact e-mail and telephone numbers in case the authorities, starting with the airlines on the departure side give you any hassle. Keep the letter with your passport, and DO NOT keep the passport in your backpack. I recommend a ziploc bag in a side cargo pocket or money belt under clothes.
Also, type, print and carry an itinerary with you and give a copy of it to your parents or friends in the US so they know where and when you will likely be. Perhaps establish a system of checking in at least weekly by e-mail or text.
Finally, if you are traveling together with a friend, work out a system of watching out for each other, and your stuff. whenever you stop along the way. There is nil crime along the Camino. However, in large towns and cities you need to reactivate your "street smarts."
For example, never leave possession unguarded or unsecured. Be careful about flashing anything expensive: cameras, sunglasses, smart phones, etc. Leave expensive jewelry at home. The economy in Spain, and much of Europe is actually worse than in North America. Unemployment is much higher than in the US or Canada. As a result the larger towns and cities do have some people who are looking for small items that can be stolen and resold for cash.
I am not saying this to diminish the excitement of this experience for you. While on Camino, you will be surrounded by other like minded people, who will become your extended Camino Family. They will also watch out for you. Just do not leave your situational awareness or street smarts at home. You can relax while you are walking, then tune in again whenever you stop. Having someone to watch your back is a net plus.
I hope this helps.
I am from the US. Thank you very much! I doing quite a lot of backpacking here in the states so I'm am training hard!Are you from the USA or Canada? Both countries have very strict regulations about a child (under 18 years of age) traveling abroad without an adult. I don't believe your age will be an issue in regards to staying at albergues, but it may be an issue in getting in/out of the country and in/out another as a minor. Once you get to Spain, you should be able to buy/access public transportation as you are older than 12 years old.
I did walked for a little while with a Mom and Daughter team. The daughter was 17 y/o and she had just graduated from high school. She was doing great and relating to other pilgrims very well. I found them again days later. The daughter was starting to get bored and had asked the Mom for them to take the bus and speed ahead. Blisters and other discomforts were starting to wear on her. I don't believe there are a lot of 17 years old out there who can take the challenges of the Camino day after day (there are not many adults who can either!). My best advice is that you practice at home first and go from there. Buen Camino!
No need to train that hard to walk the Camino. It's not climbing Everest. I did it the first time at age 52 with no prior training at all, and except for two small blisters on my feet (which healed up in a couple of days) and a couple of sore knees (I was 52 ha ha) I had no real problems or issues at all. It got easier as I went, actually. By the time I reached Santiago I was twenty pounds lighter and in the best shape I had been in years.I am from the US. Thank you very much! I doing quite a lot of backpacking here in the states so I'm am training hard!
Hi Madi --This may or may not be true. But, as you are under age 18, you are still legally a minor in the US, and I believe in Canada too. The easiest thing to do is for each of you to carry a letter, signed by your parents, giving you permission to be where you are. The letter should provide contact e-mail and telephone numbers in case the authorities, starting with the airlines on the departure side give you any hassle. Keep the letter with your passport, and DO NOT keep the passport in your backpack. I recommend a ziploc bag in a side cargo pocket or money belt under clothes.
Also, type, print and carry an itinerary with you and give a copy of it to your parents or friends in the US so they know where and when you will likely be. Perhaps establish a system of checking in at least weekly by e-mail or text.
Finally, if you are traveling together with a friend, work out a system of watching out for each other, and your stuff. whenever you stop along the way. There is nil crime along the Camino. However, in large towns and cities you need to reactivate your "street smarts."
For example, never leave possession unguarded or unsecured. Be careful about flashing anything expensive: cameras, sunglasses, smart phones, etc. Leave expensive jewelry at home. The economy in Spain, and much of Europe is actually worse than in North America. Unemployment is much higher than in the US or Canada. As a result the larger towns and cities do have some people who are looking for small items that can be stolen and resold for cash.
I am not saying this to diminish the excitement of this experience for you. While on Camino, you will be surrounded by other like minded people, who will become your extended Camino Family. They will also watch out for you. Just do not leave your situational awareness or street smarts at home. You can relax while you are walking, then tune in again whenever you stop. Having someone to watch your back is a net plus.
I hope this helps.
So interesting to read this background, Tom -- I teach family law so I also have worked on child abduction issues -- but of the domestic type.Before I retired from working as a Civil Servant for the US federal government, I was active in the effort to stop international abduction and exploitation of children. My particular position and responsibilities placed me in the role of making fast phone calls on a 24 x 7 basis to a network of contacts across countries to stop flights or interdict passage at ground entry points, to prevent adults from unlawfully taking children out of or into a country, etc. I consider it one of my better assignments. I did manage to have a few wonderful moments when an attempted abduction was stopped at a land crossing or an international airport. So, I am content in that regard, even those these activities were never reported anywhere public.
We worked with representative of various country's law enforcement and intelligence services and international organizations like Interpol to share information, develop procedures and stop these practices. Along the way, we also developed new recommended, standard practices for the various countries to try to promulgate.
Included in these accomplishments was a more or less standard recommendation for minors traveling alone to have permission letters from their legal parent or guardian with contact information to permit rapid verification by officials in any foreign country. This is why I mentioned it in my post above.
We also pursued a recommended standard to require any adult accompanied by a minor to have a similar letter with permission and contact information from the other parent in the case of one parent traveling when the other parent was at home, or both parents, if the minor was without his or her parents. We extended the recommended practice to include related family members or other adult friends, in the case of a minor 'niece' or 'nephew', etc. traveling with an adult "aunt" or "uncle" or "family friend" across borders.
Adoption of these recommendations varies from country to country and within a country from one transportation carrier to another. When I last heard from former colleagues, it was making a difference in some cases. In this, I am reminded of the old saw that says: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure..."
Also, for what it is worth, I personally practice this whenever I take minor nieces or nephews on foreign travel with me, or together with my wife. I HAVE been asked for it by airline officials; not regularly, but enough to ensure that I always have the permission letter with me.
Similarly, I always carry an "ICE" document in a waterproof bag. That is a document containing important contact, consular, and personal medical information to be used "In Case of Emergency" (ICE). I use Google Translate to translate the information into the language of the countries I will be traveling in or through. As I frequently travel alone, and I do my Caminos without partners for the most part, this is essential information to carry in case you are injured or arrested for any reason.
I hope this helps the dialog.
Hello! So I am very interested in hiking the Camino the summer after I graduate high school. I will only be 17. I am not so much worried about being able to do it mentally and physically, (I am planning on hiking with a buddy) . My question is more so regarding wether or not I would be allowed to stay in hositles only being 17. Also I am a gal and am planning on hiking it with another girl my age, so I was wondering if we would face many problems regarding our safety? Thanks so much!
That's sooo niceHi! When were you two thinking of starting el camino? I am having the exact same thoughts and concerns as I want to walk this summer after i graduate alone and I am also only 17! Maybe we could meet if our paths happen to cross, good luckand buen camino
I am in a similar situation now, 10 years later. I'm seventeen and i want to do the camino this spring. I was wandering if you've encountered any problems if you did it when you were my age?Hello! So I am very interested in hiking the Camino the summer after I graduate high school. I will only be 17. I am not so much worried about being able to do it mentally and physically, (I am planning on hiking with a buddy) . My question is more so regarding wether or not I would be allowed to stay in hositles only being 17. Also I am a gal and am planning on hiking it with another girl my age, so I was wondering if we would face many problems regarding our safety? Thanks so much!
@nog58 welcome to the forum. @Madi does not seem to have returned to the forum since 2015. However, the helpful responses she received back in 2014 still apply.I am in a similar situation now, 10 years later. I'm seventeen and i want to do the camino this spring. I was wandering if you've encountered any problems if you did it when you were my age?
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?