Seeking Guidance and Intro

[Shawnasong]

My name is Shawna. I am an American living in Costa Rica with my husband and 10-year-old son. Recently, it has been placed upon my heart and soul to do this camino ASAP. I am trying to figure out how to plan my travel to and fro. I have total flexibility in length of stay there, and therefore intend to start at SJPdP.

I can fly from Costa Rica, or first get to the States and fly from there. I can leave as early as August 10th or as late as whenever.

(I posted this thread here because the prompt wouldn't allow me to post elsewhere.)

Specific questions:
1. Where do I fly to and then how do I get to the start?
2. Do I return to that same airport to fly home, I.e. buy a round trip ticket?
3. Do I buy an open ended ticket, do they even do that anymore?
4. When is the best time of year to go?
5. Do I need hiking boots or are light sneakers adequate?
6. Any advice/guidance is welcomed.

Thank you,
Shawna

 

[cherrys]

Hi Shawna - welcome to this large group of souls who have felt and answered the same urge to walk to Santiago as you have. I'm sure you will get lots of advice soon, but here's a quick few answers to your questions. You probably want to fly into Madrid or Paris, although there are other options. I took the train down from Paris to Bayonne, then another train to St. Jean. I believe it's also possible to go via bus from Madrid to Pamplona, then by shared taxi service to St. Jean. Leaving Santiago I took the train back to Madrid, then flew out of there. Just start looking at fares to see what is the most reasonable. A good site for checking things out in Europe is Rome2Rio.com - that will give you approximate fares, etc from a to b. I walked in hiking boots last time, but have decided to switch to trail running shoes for our trip this Sept/Oct. There will probably be about five days when I wish I had my boots, but the other 4-5 weeks I will be glad to have lightweight shoes on my feet. I had great weather in Sept/Oct 2013, and am hoping for the same this year. Spring is also supposed to be beautiful, but I didn't want to wait until then. Hope this helps to get you started - just keep reading all you can on here, and a lot of questions will get answered, and more raised! So don't hesitate to ask. There are two longtime members on here from Costa Rica, I'm sure they will chip in soon with more help. Wishing you a buen camino - Cherry

 

[Shawnasong]

Thank you, Cherry! You helped me a lot just with the idea of traveling to Madrid. That sounds perfect. Hopefully I will see you on the road.
Warmly,
Shawna

 

[cherrys]

Thank you, Cherry! You helped me a lot just with the idea of traveling to Madrid. That sounds perfect. Hopefully I will see you on the road.
Warmly,
Shawna

You're welcome. Since you were on line I knew you would be anxious for a quick reply! Happy planning - C

 

[gerardcarey]

I will restrict my comments to the most important advice I was given.
Select suitably sized footware wearing the socks you will use on the Camino.
Allow for the swelling of your feet while walking by then purchasing one size larger than is comfortable, or a half size larger in a wider model.
Regards and good travelling.
Gerard

 

[SYates]

Hi and welcome ;-) Here some tips/answers:

1. Where do I fly to and then how do I get to the start?
2. Do I return to that same airport to fly home, I.e. buy a round trip ticket?

Have a look at rome2rio.com or skyscanner.net for different options/prices. The entry airport for most people would be Paris or Madrid and then train/bus to SJPdP.

3. Do I buy an open ended ticket, do they even do that anymore?
Yes they do, but they tend to be more expensive. Calculate a generous time frame and if you arrive earlier - so what? There is a lot to see in Santiago, you can walk to Finisterre, you can walk another camino ...

4. When is the best time of year to go?
Really depends what you are looking for. Solitude/Company? Flowers/Harvest colors? f.e.

5. Do I need hiking boots or are light sneakers adequate?
Again, depends on time of the year. Walking in summer is very different to walking in winter.


6. Any advice/guidance is welcomed.
Lots of that on the forum, just keep reading ;-)
Buen Camino, SY

 

[Mike Savage]

Welcome Shawna! Last year I flew in to Pamplona, stayed at Pensión Corazón Puro http://www.corazonpuro.es/Enghome.html and they drove me to SJPdP the next morning. I flew home from Santiago de Compostela. I really liked the convenience of flying home from Santiago de Compostela and will do the same this year. I wore trail runner shoes and was surprised how fast I wore through the insoles. I ended up buying another pair of shoes and insoles in León. I really did like trail runners though and am hiking in the same kind this year. I will just make sure they don't have many miles on them before the Camino and will keep an eye on the insoles and replace them when I need to. I had no problem finding replacements at a pharmacy which you will pass in nearly every town. I started my Camino at the beginning of September and ended mid October. I had mornings just above freezing and a few afternoons as warm as 93 f (34 c) and little to no rain until the last two weeks in the Galicia area which is known for rain. I love walking this time of year.

Good luck with your decision and Buen Camino!

 

[Castilian]

Hi Shawnasong! Welcome to the forum!

Where do I fly to and then how do I get to the start?

Madrid would be your best bet. If you found a great deal to Paris, you may consider it but don't overlook how to reach Paris from Santiago de Compostela. Be aware direct flights from Santiago de Compostela to Paris aren't daily and, in case of problems, e.g.: an airport strike, overland travel isn't really a plan B unless you have a lot of time. While flying to Madrid or to Paris doesn't make a big difference, returning from Madrid is way better than returning from Paris. You may look for an open-jaw ticket outbound to Paris; inbound from Madrid and compare its cost with a return ticket to Madrid.

Another option you could research is to get an open jaw ticket flying outbound to Biarritz (assuming Iberia keeps the flights they started this year to Biarritz) and inbound from Santiago de Compostela. It may be overall cheaper than flying to Madrid and commuting from Madrid to SJPP and from Santiago de Compostela to Madrid by surface public transport although it all will depend on Iberia's fares.

Do I return to that same airport to fly home, I.e. buy a round trip ticket?

Unless you got a good price with one of the open-jaw tickets I suggested above, a return flight to Madrid would probably be the best choice.

Do I buy an open ended ticket, do they even do that anymore?

Get one with fixed dates and allow yourself plenty of time. If you end early, you can always make some tourism in Spain or just rest...

When is the best time of year to go?

It depends on your preferences about weather, number of pilgrims, daylight time...

 

[Shawnasong]

Great responses and advice. Thank you!

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

My name is Shawna. I am an American living in Costa Rica with my husband and 10-year-old son. Recently, it has been placed upon my heart and soul to do this camino ASAP. I am trying to figure out how to plan my travel to and fro. I have total flexibility in length of stay there, and therefore intend to start at SJPdP.

I can fly from Costa Rica, or first get to the States and fly from there. I can leave as early as August 10th or as late as whenever.

(I posted this thread here because the prompt wouldn't allow me to post elsewhere.)

Specific questions:
1. Where do I fly to and then how do I get to the start?
2. Do I return to that same airport to fly home, I.e. buy a round trip ticket?
3. Do I buy an open ended ticket, do they even do that anymore?
4. When is the best time of year to go?
5. Do I need hiking boots or are light sneakers adequate?
6. Any advice/guidance is welcomed.

Thank you,
Shawna

Hi Shawna and welcome to this wonderful forumfamily.
I live in the Netherlands so I can't help you with the flying part of your questions. I use all kinds of transport, car, train and flying.
I always use hiking boots.
For me the best time is April / May and my wife love to walk in August /September.
Wish you a wonderful journey and a Buen Camino, Peter.

 

[Mark Lee]

Estimate how many days (including travel days) it will take you to walk the Camino Frances.
Add one or two days to that in the event you take a day off or a short day.
Make round trip flight reservations to Madrid for those dates.
Take a bus or train to Pamplona, and the bus to St Jean Pied de Port.
or
Make reservations through Corazon Puro. They pick you up at the bus station in Pamplona, feed you dinner and breakfast and drive you down to St Jean the next morning. Easy peasy.
Fly back from Santiago to Madrid on Iberia Express Airlines or Ryan Air.

September sounds like a good month to go.

The Camino Frances is not hardcore wilderness hiking at all. You start your walk on cobblestone and concrete in St Jean and end your walk on cobblestone and concrete in Santiago. You don't need heavy duty mountaineering boots. Light duty, lightweight trail runners, trail walkers or ankle high semi boots work fine.
cheers and ultreia

 

[Tia Valeria]

Welcome to the forum @Shawnasong. One of the best couples to help with some of your travel questions could be @fraluchi and @annakappa . If they do not see this post then a PM (private conversation) might be a good idea. It might help to click on their names in this post to do that
Buen Camino