planned camino or go with the flow??

[Niconish]

hi all, im a 35 yr old female planning to walk the camino from pamplona to finisterre in august 2013. i always have difficulty going uphill.... and im
not confident i can manage with the full weight of my pack. i've done annapurna circuit nepal, mount kinabalu and mount ophir before, but only with a day pack.... even then, i found it very challenging.

i undertand the camino is undulating and not too steeply uphill ..... but being summer and crowded, securing accomodation is another thing that worries me.

so ive started looking for planned tours and ive received quotes starting from 3500 pounds or approximately 8000 singapore dollars (!!). this includes food too...

can anyone share how much a basic camino (pilgrim budget) costs? if the difference isnt too much, i might just do the planned. plus i have 5 weeks exactly to finish pamplona to finisterre and need to cover 20-25 km a day..... cant afford to be sick or lose a day!

comments / advice anyone?

thanks!!
nisha, singapore

 

[Niconish]

ok i just realised i posted on the wrong thread !! crime worries me too!

 

[colinPeter]

Hola nisha,

so ive started looking for planned tours and ive received quotes starting from 3500 pounds ....can anyone share how much a basic camino (pilgrim budget) costs? if the difference isnt too much, i might just do the planned.

Probably about half of that even if you stayed in hotels.

i have 5 weeks exactly to finish pamplona to finisterre and need to cover 20-25 km a day..... cant afford to be sick or lose a day!

I think you will have less flexibility in a group if you weren't feeling well one day and wanted to walk a shorter distance.
Buen Camino
Colin

 

[mspath]

nisha,

You certainly have done some impressive walking elsewhere in the world!

Be assured that on the camino you are NOT obliged to carry your back. Many pilgrims use a baggage service to transport their backpackfrom stage to stage. For more info regarding this see fellow Forum member Sillydoll's blog on Slackpaking. >> http://amawalker.blogspot.fr/2013/01/sl ... ances.html.

The tour cost you cite of 3500 pounds seems high to me. Does that include transport to Spain and private accommodation on the camino? I usually stay in inexpensive pilgrim albergues and beside breakfast generally eat one simple meal each day using the common menu de dia available throughout Spain. My daily costs for each camino average 33 to 35 euros. In those albergues which offer kitchens many pilgrims for either dietary reasons and/or to cut costs prepare their own meals; except in emergencies I generally don't. However we all realize that each day's food provides the fuel necessary for the next day's walking.

August in Spain will be VERY hot. It is MOST important that you drink enough water while you are walking. Be sure to read this recent Forum thread regarding how best to carry and drink enough water during each day. >> miscellaneous-topics/topic18347.html

Good luck with your planning and Buen camino,

Margaret Meredith

 

[Niconish]

margaret, thanks a lot for those useful
links... its all private accomodation... i think what colin suggested is a good idea. i cant afford 8000 bucks and im
sure there'll be a bed or a floor somewhere haha !!

 

[clearskiescamino]

Go with the flow. We should all wake up every morning, and let our feet make decisions for us for the day. That's what I intend on doing.

 

[Pei2spain]

Niconish.....I would suggest you go with the flow!! There are many adjustments you can make along the way to make up time like taking a bus. The purists may not agree but better to see most of Camino than none at all and once you get a taste of the Camino you can always come back sometime over the next...ohhhh...fifty years or so. You can also economize on meals as others have indicated.I think it cost me about $5000 cdn and I was in Spain for six weeks and stayed probably ten nights, at least, in hotels or other non-albergue accommodations. That also includes my flight from Canada. I think the quotes you are getting are a little high!

All the best and Buen Camino.
Grace

 

[Niconish]

yeah it is an exorbitant amount..... it may not be as bad as i imagine it to be now (the bed situation)... and i guess i'll manage somehow and take my own time on the camino... enjoying it thanks all for your views! so looking forward to this ! such a great
opprtunity

 

[SYates]

Some suggestions:

You still have some time to train your body a bit and to reduce the weight in your backpack. Remember walking the Camino is NOT the same as hiking in Nepal ;-) For example, you don't need to carry several days worth of food supply ect. If you are unsure what to bring, put your packing list up here and we will give you our different opinions.

There will be, most likely, always be accommodation available, but not necessarily a bed. Sometimes it will be a space on the floor of a sports hall or similar. But the people in Spain and the hospitaleros, are well used to handle the "pilgrim masses" and in the worst of scenarios, sleeping in a small group in a Church porch can be also an experience.

I would say that the daily budget for somebody that uses mixed types of accommodation (albergues and sometimes a hotel / private room) and doesn't eat every day in the finest restaurant in town is between 25 -50 Euro / day, so yes, the quoted prices seem to be "a bit" over the top.

Hope that helps, SY

 

[Niconish]

thanks you all, i have enjoyed reading all your tips on this and other forums and am feeling more confident about doing this from lightweight bags to sleeping bags.... ha ! guess the spanish summer weather wont be all that different from singapore's all year round so at least i can dress light! am really looking forward to this and certainly, sleeping on a floor somewhere with other weary camino-ists sounds like a bond i will always remember