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Search 69,459 Camino Questions

Second and subsequent Caminos as good as the First?

mtman100

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Summer 2015
My wife and I walked our first Camino from SJPDP to Santiago from 17 June, 2015 to 17 July, 2015. We had the time of our lives. Everything was almost perfect! We would like to do another Camino but are afraid that it will be a let down and could not possibly be near as good as the first. What are some of your experiences?
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Try a different route for a very different experience. Even if you repeat the Frances you will likely have a different experience.

My best so far have been my first and my fifth. I have enjoyed all of them.
 
Hi mtman100
The Camino and Spain and walking are so very addictive - and I couldn't say I have felt let down on any Camino .

I have the same excitement planning.
Once I have the flight booked I feel much better tho !

So, a different season , different terrain , will make it different but in a good way. If you enjoyed the camaraderie - you'll find that in spades. I think this is the thing people may wonder about on a subsequent Camino. When you think back to your first Camino you'll remember that the camaraderie and the 'family' develops without you planning or thinking about it. Someone you saw yesterday may be your best friend the next day and forever ! Holds true for all caminos .

It will come back to how much time you have available really, as the answer is yes to your question.
The challenge is which route !
So many to choose. All good.

Buen Camino to both of you
Annie
 
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Hi mtman100
The Camino and Spain and walking are so very addictive - and I couldn't say I have felt let down on any Camino .

I have the same excitement planning.
Once I have the flight booked I feel much better tho !

So, a different season , different terrain , will make it different but in a good way. If you enjoyed the camaraderie - you'll find that in spades. I think this is the thing people may wonder about on a subsequent Camino. When you think back to your first Camino you'll remember that the camaraderie and the 'family' develops without you planning or thinking about it. Someone you saw yesterday may be your best friend the next day and forever ! Holds true for all caminos .

It will come back to how much time you have available really, as the answer is yes to your question.
The challenge is which route !
So many to choose. All good.

Buen Camino to both of you
Annie

Thanks Annie! Well said. I live in Georgia near the Appalachian Trail, and have been hiking on it whenever possible doing section hikes, since I returned. I am suffering "Camino Withdrawal" and can't wait to return.
 
My wife and I walked our first Camino from SJPDP to Santiago from 17 June, 2015 to 17 July, 2015. We had the time of our lives. Everything was almost perfect! We would like to do another Camino but are afraid that it will be a let down and could not possibly be near as good as the first. What are some of your experiences?

mtman100:

I have found each Camino to be different but equally enjoyable.

Ultreya,
Joe
 
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Having done it once, maybe I knew about finding an alburgue, getting a meal, laundry, etc.

But each time out for me has been an evolution. I figured out what I needed to pack and what I didn't. I figured out that hotels every once in awhile are good things.

The walk has become much less of a challenge, allowing me to enjoy the more important things.

I figured out, most importantly, over time, that each trip is unique. When I've tried to replicate any fantastic experiences from before there was always something that let me down a little.

But the added variable into the mix each trip is a new set of people. New people mean new perspectives, new opportunities.

I've found the most pleasurable part of repeated caminos, aside from physical activity and weight loss, is latching on to what I enjoy most, and rather than passively "experiencing" it, actively making it happen. For me, its been introducing myself more freely to conversations, speaking Spanish, being friendly, laughing, and singing.

I always start planning my next walk about 2 to 3 months after returning from the previous. I've tried to explore new routes but enjoy also exploring old routes with a different attitude.
 
I agree with the physical and different experience arguments above and might add that it gets better every time on a spiritual and mental level.

It is easier getting into the camino vibe and spirit so you attain this state a lot earlier in the walk, which makes it a deeper spiritual journey. I got to know a lot of my physical strenghts on my first camino but mental and spiritual learnings were easier attained on the latest camino.
 
Do not expect any other camino to provide the vast numbers of fellow pilgrims that you may have experienced on the French. Indeed, some other caminos may have no other pilgrims at all - depending on the month you decide to walk.
Caminos are like children - they are all different, but all have their own endearing features. For beautiful new pathways to be walked, new scenes to be enjoyed, and new friends to be cherished, each camino will provide new delights.
May God go with you on whichever camino you choose .....
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
My wife and I walked our first Camino from SJPDP to Santiago from 17 June, 2015 to 17 July, 2015. We had the time of our lives. Everything was almost perfect! We would like to do another Camino but are afraid that it will be a let down and could not possibly be near as good as the first. What are some of your experiences?

You came to the WRONG place to ask this question . . . . . . . . here at "Camino Junkies Anonymous". HAHA

Each Camino get's better, for me anyway. Knowing what to expect, and what I would like to do a little different next time, is one of the things that makes doing it over again so much fun. As others have suggested, you might do another trail. As Stephen said, other trails will not have as many pilgrims as the Frances, but the Portuguese (from Porto) comes close. That is another option.
 
I cannot add much more to what has already been stated (WHAT?!?).

But, I will add that once you get the first one over and done with, your second, and subsequent Caminos are different. There is less "performance pressure."

You can slow down and enjoy the experience more, rather than engage in a bed race (get an inexpensive room in a hostal), or wonder what to expect ahead. Your packing also gets more focused and serious. I am still working on this last issue, as Ivar will attest to. Each year, I qualify for his frequent idiots' discount. In 2015, I actually shipped him FOUR cartons, each larger than the last.

When I was in Santiago last July and August, I bought a new, Millet (FR) 30 Liter rucksack to control my "breeder packing" tendencies. We will see what happens in 2016.

Just relax and go with the flow. Everything is solved by walking... I always feel refreshed after the day, eager for the day to come, ignorant of weather, and anticipating what is to come.
 
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We're planning on doing the Chemin de Puy next April/May, having done the Camino Frances (our first) earlier this year. So, a different country (France) and language at least. I imagine it will be more remote, difficult in some ways (finding accommodation, and veggie food for my wife), with more natural beauty, but possible less of a feeling of pilgrimage. But who knows? We'll see.
 
Here is an earlier Forum thread discussing walking for a second time and more.
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...frances-a-second-time-good-or-bad-idea.23580/

Personally I have always enjoyed each camino; they were never the same!


I just walked my second Camino, the Del Norte, two years after walking the Camino Frances. It was NOT AT ALL the same in many ways. MUCH harder, I got sick on the second day, struggled much of the first half. BUT, the freedom of walking, the people I met, the personal challenge to make this Camino mine, the lingering thoughts now that I have been home for a month, add to the experience, just those elements did the first time I walked. I swore I'd never do another one, but am now looking at the Via Francigena in Italy, or perhaps the Portuguese, OR perhaps my favorite parts of both my first two Caminos.

So don't sent yourself up for your next Camino to be perfect. Rarely is a Camino perfect. Rarely does everything go well, but perhaps you can let go of the "perfect" part of it and just fall into the magical, complex and simple journey of it all. I knew my second Camino would NOT be like the first, in many ways, and I struggled even then, but the ups and downs, the challenges and successes, and my internal conversations along the way make me strong, as every experience does.
 
Same same but different :D

I like K1's answer to this question. "Same, same but different."

I first walked the CF in 2000. It was an incredible and life-changing experience. Since then I have done a number of other long-distance paths in the UK and France - alone and with others. And then last summer, I walked the Le Puy route from Le Puy to SJPP.

What was the same as the my first camino? The absolute pleasure of walking and the huge feelings of gratitude for the experience were similar to the first camino, also the feeling of having a completely pared down life for a month. The Le Puy route is gorgeous and the walking is challenging enough but not too challenging.

What was different? The, landscape, the particular history of the area, the food - it is excellent (for those of us who eat meat; it is a challenge for vegetarians and a huge challenge for vegans). But, perhaps more important, the social aspect of the experience was different. While there are plenty of people walking the route, and lots of daily interactions on the path and at the dinner table, the social experience of the Le Puy route is not the same as it is on the CF. For some people that might be a benefit. For others it might be a disappointment. I speak French, so this was not a matter of language. It is simply that the community of walkers is more homogenous - mostly French walkers on a week's vacation - and they tend to be walking more in groups, enjoying their own company. This changes the experience considerably for the solo walker. I did miss some of the more meaningful social interactions I had had on the CF. But I also learned that I enjoy walking mostly on my own and that for me, it is the actual physical experience of walking -- the movement -- that is the most important thing.
 
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I like K1's answer to this question. "Same, same but different."

I first walked the CF in 2000. It was an incredible and life-changing experience. Since then I have done a number of other long-distance paths in the UK and France - alone and with others. And then last summer, I walked the Le Puy route from Le Puy to SJPP.

What was the same as the my first camino? The absolute pleasure of walking and the huge feelings of gratitude for the experience were similar to the first camino, also the feeling of having a completely pared down life for a month. The Le Puy route is gorgeous and the walking is challenging enough but not too challenging.

What was different? The, landscape, the particular history of the area, the food - it is excellent (for those of us who eat meat; it is a challenge for vegetarians and a huge challenge for vegans). But, perhaps more important, the social aspect of the experience was different. While there are plenty of people walking the route, and lots of daily interactions on the path and at the dinner table, the social experience of the Le Puy route is not the same as it is on the CF. For some people that might be a benefit. For others it might be a disappointment. I speak French, so this was not a matter of language. It is simply that the community of walkers is more homogenous - mostly French walkers on a week's vacation - and they tend to be walking more in groups, enjoying their own company. This changes the experience considerably for the solo walker. I did miss some of the more meaningful social interactions I had had on the CF. But I also learned that I enjoy walking mostly on my own and that for me, it is the actual physical experience of walking -- the movement -- that is the most important thing.
Thanks!
I've used the inscription on many T-shirts I saw in Thailand. And also you can hear this quote there regularly, same same but different, they trying to sell you something.
But it really fits in the Camino(s) memories ;)

Ultreia!
 
you can't expect perfection ever... much less twice in the same place!
My first camino frances was a blast, it was wonderful, it changed my life.
The second, nine years later, was much more solitary and introverted. I asked myself at the end why I did it.
It wasn't until a good while later I figured it out. It still wasn't anything like the "gee whiz" of the first.
It couldn't have been.
Expectations kill caminos.
 
Having done it once, maybe I knew about finding an alburgue, getting a meal, laundry, etc.

But each time out for me has been an evolution. I figured out what I needed to pack and what I didn't. I figured out that hotels every once in awhile are good things.

The walk has become much less of a challenge, allowing me to enjoy the more important things.

I figured out, most importantly, over time, that each trip is unique. When I've tried to replicate any fantastic experiences from before there was always something that let me down a little.

But the added variable into the mix each trip is a new set of people. New people mean new perspectives, new opportunities.

I've found the most pleasurable part of repeated caminos, aside from physical activity and weight loss, is latching on to what I enjoy most, and rather than passively "experiencing" it, actively making it happen. For me, its been introducing myself more freely to conversations, speaking Spanish, being friendly, laughing, and singing.

I always start planning my next walk about 2 to 3 months after returning from the previous. I've tried to explore new routes but enjoy also exploring old routes with a different attitude.
 
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Thanks for all of the replies and comments. It's so wonderful to be a part of this community and family! We are definitely going to do other Caminos. However, probably not in 2016. I am planning, and training, at this time to do the Appalachian Trail. But, my heart is on the Camino and would do it if I could convince my wife!
 
I agree not the same experience at all unfortunately, at the same time it will be a different experience even if you walk in at the same bar, same albergue, visit the same places will not be same, for me was kind of funny I new all the people that I talked to before, some of then I chatted for hours on end they had no clue who I was.

Zzotte
 
How I want to go again. Give me just one more time on The Way. please, master! (But then again, I definitely will do, for sure..)

Written by a "Camino Junkie Anonymous"... Not so anonymous in here...:)
 
Last edited:
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Yep, you're addicted, like so many of us. Once you've got the bug... We loved each of our three (Frances, Via Francigena and Le Puy to SJPP). If you're like us, your first is just the start, and as everyone says, they're all different and all great. See you on the trail sometime.
 
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I walked the Camino Frances and on to the coast for the first time in May/June 2014, then did it all again in May/June 2015.

The second experience was just as good. I stayed in different places and met a whole new set of Camino friends.

I will be back for the 3rd time next year and am so looking forward to it. A perfect way to recharge my spiritual batteries every year.

Buen Camino,

Mike
 
My wife and I walked our first Camino from SJPDP to Santiago from 17 June, 2015 to 17 July, 2015. We had the time of our lives. Everything was almost perfect! We would like to do another Camino but are afraid that it will be a let down and could not possibly be near as good as the first. What are some of your experiences?
Hi there like both of you I also done the Camino Frances this year,and also in 2010, and I cant wait till 2016 to get back there again,both times were different,meeting new people trying new Albergues in different towns etc, i may even do other Camino, good luck Pilgrims
 
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I walked my first Camino in April-May 2015 and will do it again in April-May 2016. I am returning to Camino Frances. It will be particularly meaningful to visit places where I had especially good time, or especially bad time, in 2015.

Much of the pressure will be off. I will know what to pack and what to expect. I will not worry about getting a compostela because I already have one. I will be paying more attention to the places I will be passing.

I expect it will be similar to reading a favorite book for the second time and finding new meaning.

Victoria
 
Yep, you're addicted, like so many of us. Once you've got the bug... We loved each of our three (Frances, Via Francigena and Le Puy to SJPP). If you're like us, your first is just the start, and as everyone says, they're all different and all great. See you on the trail sometime.
I will do other Caminos, God willing. However, in 2016, I hope to and plan on completing the Appalachian Trail, alone.
 
Yep, you're addicted, like so many of us. Once you've got the bug... We loved each of our three (Frances, Via Francigena and Le Puy to SJPP). If you're like us, your first is just the start, and as everyone says, they're all different and all great. See you on the trail sometime.
Yes! I am soooooo addicted!
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.

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