newbie

[Mark Dymek]

So i would like to walk the Camino but i have no idea how to get started? is there somewhere where i can book everything at once or do i just book a flight to Spain and then play it by ear? doesn't seem to be anywhere that has this information and i know i can't be the only one wondering this.

 

[wayfarer]

Hi Mark, welcome to the forum. What country will you be flying from?
There is loads of info on here as to gear etc.
You can book your camino with a tour company but most people just fly in and walk the camino on a day to day basis with no booking, its much cheaper that way.

 

[Mark Dymek]

where should i fly into?

 

[lynnejohn]

Hi Mark -
Welcome to the forum!
If you are really starting from square one, you should consider the following:

1. How much time do you have?
2. What is your budget?
3. How is your health? Allergies? Limitations?
4. Research some of the caminos that fit the number of days and dollars you have. Choose one that matches your interest.
5. Research the information on this forum on gear, packing lists, training, food, etc by entering the terms in the "search" area in the upper right of this page.
6. Once you have completed your research, ask your questions on this forum about camino culture, etiquette, accommodation, and staying healthy.
7. Learn some Spanish.
8. Do some research here and elsewhere on the best/closest/cheapest place to fly into based on what camino you've chosen.
9. Compare flights from where you are to to that place in Spain (or France) and purchase one.
10. Train, plan, break in your gear, and share with other pilgrims here.
11. Begin your camino!

Buen camino!

 

[karenfromcali]

where should i fly into?

Hi Mark.
There are a lot of different options depending on where you are departing from but the local airports that I am aware of, assuming you are starting in St Jean Pied de Port, are Biarritz (BIQ), Pyrenees Airport (PAU), Toulouse (TOU). These airports are all in France.
If you are flying internationally you have the option of changing in Paris (CDG) and then flying into one of the local airports or taking the train down.
Other experienced pilgrims will be able to fill in gaps I have here but hope it will give you a starting point. If you are beginning your camino at a different point (in Spain) however, then these airports will be of little use to you.

Things that would be helpful to know.

Where you are flying from?
Where you plan to begin your camino?

Here are some links that may be of help.

Buen Camino

edreams.com
ryanair.com
easyjet.com
raileurope.com
sncf.com

 

[Mark Dymek]

i was thinking of doing this next summer and maybe going june and july. although would it take two months? i think the camino francis since St Francis is my favorite saint is a good one. I'm in pretty good health just have an allergy to peanuts and penicillin. i don't think spanish cook with peanuts?

 

[Mark Dymek]

Hi Mark.
There are a lot of different options depending on where you are departing from but the local airports that I am aware of, assuming you are starting in St Jean Pied de Port, are Biarritz (BIQ), Pyrenees Airport (PAU), Toulouse (TOU). These airports are all in France.
If you are flying internationally you have the option of changing in Paris (CDG) and then flying into one of the local airports or taking the train down.
Other experienced pilgrims will be able to fill in gaps I have here but hope it will give you a starting point. If you are beginning your camino at a different point (in Spain) however, then these airports will be of little use to you.

Things that would be helpful to know.

Where you are flying from?
Where you plan to begin your camino?

Here are some links that may be of help.

Buen Camino

edreams.com
ryanair.com
easyjet.com
raileurope.com
sncf.com

coming from the US(Massachusetts) was thinking of camino francis but haven't done any research on any of the other routes.

 

[karenfromcali]

coming from the US(Massachusetts) was thinking of camino francis but haven't done any research on any of the other routes.

Ok that' s big help. The other question is where on the camino Frances you plan to start? If you research the frances you will see it is set in stages .You can pretty much start from wherever you want but if you have 2 months then St Jean Pied de Port is a good option. 'A Pilgrim's Guide to the Camino de Santiago' by John Brierley may be of help to you.

 

[dalston999]

You may find there is a camino or pilgrim organisation with a branch near you that you could meet people for some first hand advice. It is often more helpful to be able to ask questions and chat with someone who has done it already

 

[SYates]

If you are planing to do the Camino Francés the first step would be to buy a guide book and get a pilgrims passport. As you are in the US, here http://www.americanpilgrims.com/ is a good site for you. Read the guide book and many things will become clearer. 2 months will be plenty of time, unless you are a really, really slow walker you will have time to spare at the end.
Peanuts are not common in Spanish cuisine, but I still recommend getting a laminated card made with a sentence like this (somebody please correct my Spanish if it is wrong, I haven't had much coffee yet!):

"!Soy alérgico a los cacahuetes!"

Buen Camino! SY

i was thinking of doing this next summer and maybe going june and july. although would it take two months? i think the camino francis since St Francis is my favorite saint is a good one. I'm in pretty good health just have an allergy to peanuts and penicillin. i don't think spanish cook with peanuts?

 

[KinkyOne]

i was thinking of doing this next summer and maybe going june and july. although would it take two months? i think the camino francis since St Francis is my favorite saint is a good one.

Hi, Mark!

Mentioned Camino Frances is not named after St.Francis (and it shouldn't be written as Camino/Route Francis). It is also known as The French Way and most pilgrims start it on the french side of the Pyrenees in a little quaint town St.Jean Pied de Port and goes east to west some 800km across Spain. If you are doing this kind of pilgrimage for the first time I would advise you Camino Frances.

If you are interested in other Caminos in Spain/Portugal/France you can find info on this forum and on these links:
http://www.mundicamino.com/ingles/Mapa_Caminos.cfm
http://caminodesantiago.consumer.es/
http://www.gronze.com/

You can find lots of tips how to get to St.Jean, about accommodation, gear, food etc. on this forum. Just use forum's search engine or check new posts every day and all of the topics you might be interested in will show up in a few days

Ultreia!

 

[Pelegrin]

Hi, SYates

The expresion "!Soy alérgico a los cacahuetes!" is almost correct. "Alérgico", in your case should be "alérgica" adjective feminine. But, don't worry, keep trying. In my opinion, all of us should be tolerant with spelling mistakes in spanish, english or other languages.

¡Bo camiño!

 

[Mark Dymek]

Hi, Mark!

Mentioned Camino Frances is not named after St.Francis (and it shouldn't be written as Camino/Route Francis). It is also known as The French Way and most pilgrims start it on the french side of the Pyrenees in a little quaint town St.Jean Pied de Port and goes east to west some 800km across Spain. If you are doing this kind of pilgrimage for the first time I would advise you Camino Frances.

If you are interested in other Caminos in Spain/Portugal/France you can find info on this forum and on these links:
http://www.mundicamino.com/ingles/Mapa_Caminos.cfm
http://caminodesantiago.consumer.es/
http://www.gronze.com/

You can find lots of tips how to get to St.Jean, about accommodation, gear, food etc. on this forum. Just use forum's search engine or check new posts every day and all of the topics you might be interested in will show up in a few days

Ultreia!

I remember reading/hearing something about St Francis of Assis(sp?) that that's where he walked so I assumed it was named after him.

Camino Francis sounds fun so that's probably the way I'll go. So I get a flight to St Jean and from there find the camino?

 

[KinkyOne]

I guess you've heard about St.Francis of Assisi (allegedly) staying in Astorga on his pilgrimage to SdC in 1212

You can't flight directly to St.Jean. The nearest airport is in Biarritz and from there you can take bus or taxi to Bayonne train station. Then you take TER train to St.Jean. And there you can find Camino Frances.

Ultreia!

 

[Tincatinker]

Mark, as others have mentioned, where you are flying from kind of effects where you get a flight to. The nearest airport to St Jean is probably Bordeaux, trans- continental flights you might consider Madrid or Paris. There is a whole section of this forum devoted to "travel to and from the Camino" that I am sure you will find valuable.

When you get to St Jean, yes, you will find the Camino.

 

[JohnMcM]

Hi Mark and welcome.

There so many helpful people on this forum it won't take too long before you get overwhelmed with information and advice all offered with the best of intentions.

If I can offer a small piece of advice.

At the top of the page you'll find a 'Search Forums' link. Think about using that in your early planning and exploration and then if you have questions ask them.

Only offering this tip to try and help you find your feet in the early stages of planning.

Buen Camino.

 

[DeadFred]

coming from the US(Massachusetts) was thinking of camino francis but haven't done any research on any of the other routes.

Ive been spending quite alot of time looking at travel schedules and routes from Arkansas to St Jean ... it looks to me that NW Arkansa to Dallas -FortWorth then directly to Madrid is probably the least complicated and least expensive ( approx $1,000 round trip) .. 3 hr train to Pomplona then hitch hike ( or whatever) to St Jean.. still working on the whatever . Does anyone know if the Express Bourricot bus is still running?

 

[Kathy F.]

Welcome to the Forum, Mark(s). You've come to the right place - this forum is a great resource.

What has inspired you to walk the Camino? Was it "the movie?" Did you meet someone who walked it and told you about it?

When I first decided to walk, I began reading books by people who had done it. The one I read twice was "To the Field of Stars" by Kevin Codd. I liked it because it gave a good description of what (I hoped) walking the Camino would be like and was spiritual without being nuts-mystical like some other books (Shirley, Paul, I'm talking to you). Turns out, I found his experiences were very realistic descriptions of the experience of walking the Camino. For example . . .

. . . I walk this morning's first eight kilometers mostly by myself, but then come into the village of Villafranca where I find many of my companions already enjoying their morning coffees and tarts. As always I lay down my bastones and drop my mochila and with sweat completely dampening my shirt, join the crew for my own refreshment at the local bar. Susanna, Fermin, Kylie and Anne, the elderly Frenchman in the running shorts, Alfredo the Argentinean, the jugglers, and a variety of others are all here and it is a pleasure to now know them and to be welcomed among their company as everyone chats animatedly about the increasingly diverse countryside and the steep mountain which we are about to start up as soon as we set foot outside this bar . . .

page. 92, To the Field of Stars

After that, I got the John Brierly guidebook, which is the standard for day to day travel on the Camino Frances. He also has some general sections in the front of basic needs and advice for walking the Camino.

I started in Paris and took the trains to St Jean Pied de Port (SJPdP). The only advance reservation I made was for the albergue I stayed at that first night in SJPdP, the Espirit du Chemin. Other than that, I winged it.

There is not a question you can ask that you will not get lots of advice on here in this Forum.

Let the questions begin!!

Kathy

 

[Mark Dymek]

Welcome to the Forum, Mark(s). You've come to the right place - this forum is a great resource.

What has inspired you to walk the Camino? Was it "the movie?" Did you meet someone who walked it and told you about it?

When I first decided to walk, I began reading books by people who had done it. The one I read twice was "To the Field of Stars" by Kevin Codd. I liked it because it gave a good description of what (I hoped) walking the Camino would be like and was spiritual without being nuts-mystical like some other books (Shirley, Paul, I'm talking to you). Turns out, I found his experiences were very realistic descriptions of the experience of walking the Camino. For example . . .


page. 92, To the Field of Stars

After that, I got the John Brierly guidebook, which is the standard for day to day travel on the Camino Frances. He also has some general sections in the front of basic needs and advice for walking the Camino.

I started in Paris and took the trains to St Jean Pied de Port (SJPdP). The only advance reservation I made was for the albergue I stayed at that first night in SJPdP, the Espirit du Chemin. Other than that, I winged it.

There is not a question you can ask that you will not get lots of advice on here in this Forum.
Let the questions begin!!

Kathy

i did see the movie which i liked a lot but i had seen Burt Wolfe talk about the camino and then i decided i wanted to do it. would it make more sense to make advanced reservation for me since i am thinking of going june/july? the tentative plan i have right now is to do the camino in a month and then spend the next month visiting family in Germany that I've never met.

 

[Kathy F.]

i did see the movie which i liked a lot but i had seen Burt Wolfe talk about the camino and then i decided i wanted to do it. would it make more sense to make advanced reservation for me since i am thinking of going june/july? the tentative plan i have right now is to do the camino in a month and then spend the next month visiting family in Germany that I've never met.

Hey, Mark. Sounds like you have a good idea of your overall plan and it sounds like fun!

Are you thinking of walking from SJPdP to Santiago? Most recommendations I've read suggest about 5 weeks. I did it in 40 days, which included 3 extra days (Estella, Burgos, Leon).

June/July is getting into the busiest time of the year. August is the busiest.

I needed to return to Stuttgart. Are you going towards Frankfort? Berlin? Munich? That will, of course, affect your travel and budget plans.

I didn't make reservations ahead of time.
Since it was only me, I never had a problem finding an available albergue (I assume you want to stay in the cheapest places possible). Some albergues won't even take reservations.

You'll hear lots of discussion on this forum about people who make reservations - it's generally frowned upon unless you have a really good reason. Besides, wouldn't that lock you in to being at a specific place on a specific date? The "spirit" of the Camino is alot more flexible than that, by necessity.

Please don't make the biggest planning mistake many make, in my humble opinion:

Don't think of this as a Walking Holiday.

If you like, we can carry on with a private conversation on this forum (look at the top of the page) and I can explain what I mean.

Are you going solo? How old are you? Are you in good shape? I'm just curious and no answer would "disqualify" you from walking the Camino LOL!! If I can do it, anyone can!! You're in for an adventure.

Kathy

 

[Mark Dymek]

Hey, Mark. Sounds like you have a good idea of your overall plan and it sounds like fun!

Are you thinking of walking from SJPdP to Santiago? Most recommendations I've read suggest about 5 weeks. I did it in 40 days, which included 3 extra days (Estella, Burgos, Leon).

June/July is getting into the busiest time of the year. August is the busiest.

I needed to return to Stuttgart. Are you going towards Frankfort? Berlin? Munich? That will, of course, affect your travel and budget plans.

I didn't make reservations ahead of time.
Since it was only me, I never had a problem finding an available albergue (I assume you want to stay in the cheapest places possible). Some albergues won't even take reservations.

You'll hear lots of discussion on this forum about people who make reservations - it's generally frowned upon unless you have a really good reason. Besides, wouldn't that lock you in to being at a specific place on a specific date? The "spirit" of the Camino is alot more flexible than that, by necessity.

Please don't make the biggest planning mistake many make, in my humble opinion:

Don't think of this as a Walking Holiday.

If you like, we can carry on with a private conversation on this forum (look at the top of the page) and I can explain what I mean.

Are you going solo? How old are you? Are you in good shape? I'm just curious and no answer would "disqualify" you from walking the Camino LOL!! If I can do it, anyone can!! You're in for an adventure.

Kathy

yes I'm going solo. ill be 29 years old on the 17th. I'm a bit overweight but losing it as I'm much more active now and ill probably lose tons more weight when i do this. i do not think of this as a "walking" holiday this is being done for spiritual reasons and to have an adventure.

i would like to have someone i could talk to more one on one and answers questions more immediately then having to wait for a post.