Starting travel planning for Sept/Oct 2015 ... from Adelaide

[Hopeful Australian]

Hello, due to medical and other matters, I'm now once again starting to plan a camino .. this time in European autumn 2015. I'm 64, not in terribly good shape physically but that will be remedied by mid-2015.

Not quite sure of route yet .. possibly want to start at Le Puy and do a week or so of non-pyrenees walking and then going to SJPP to start the Frances. Would Le Puy be a good place to start for a bit of realistic but not precipitous undulating country? If not, where? I realise I'll have to catch a bus/train to SJPP at some stage.

I've been told that it's a good idea to book about now for Sept/Oct 2015.

I've been told that arriving in Amsterdam / Germany can be cheaper for Australians who don't intend to go to UK. I'm not sure about that .. maybe it would be possible to travel fairly cheaply internally in Europe to UK briefly if I decided to do so after the camino?

In fact, I've been told lots of stuff. Is there a significant advantage for someone who has never been overseas before in trying to work out one's own travel plans and book that offsets the higher (by how much I don't know) cost if a travel agent works it all out?

I'm sure to have more questions, but I suppose I'm putting my toe n the water again to sort of cement my commitment.

Thank for any advice, Trisha

 

[Mike Savage]

I would just start at SJPdP or Roncevalles or any other point you choose and head for Santiago de Compostela. I plan on starting from SJPdP on September 7th. Maybe I will see you along the way.

 

[Brissy]

Is your reason for not wanting to start at SJPP due to wanting to get used to walking before going through the mountains? If so, I can appreciate your motive. I had previously considered starting at Moissac (on the le puy route) for the same reason, however I ended up deciding to start at Roncesvalles instead. I didn't want to risk injury on the first day through mountain walking up hill. I did spend some time in SJPP then got a taxi to Roncesvalles, stayed the night and started walking next morning.
You can get fairly cheap flights within Europe, eg Ryan Air from Santiago de Compostela to London Stansted, they are no problem, however they are a bit restrictive, particularly with luggage size.
Rail travel is also excellent. Buying a train pass before leaving Oz is much cheaper than buying tickets once you arrive, also easier. You can book a couple of journeys on the fast long haul trains too if you need to.
I have used travel agents before - they are fine and don't always cost much more than doing it yourself, eg Flight Centre.
Personally I wouldn't recommend booking everything in advance, I always like to leave some room for change, particularly re accommodation.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

The first five days out of Le Puy are among the hardest on any camino! It is beautiful, but quite challenging physically.

 

[Costas]

Hi to all similarly-minded peregrinos! I am also planning to walk the Camino Frances in September 2015. First time.

 

[Mike Savage]

Welcome Costas, I hope to see you on The Way!

 

[Costas]

Welcome Costas, I hope to see you on The Way!

Thank you Mike. Nice to be made welcome.

 

[Rosefrombrisbane]

Hello, due to medical and other matters, I'm now once again starting to plan a camino .. this time in European autumn 2015. I'm 64, not in terribly good shape physically but that will be remedied by mid-2015.

Not quite sure of route yet .. possibly want to start at Le Puy and do a week or so of non-pyrenees walking and then going to SJPP to start the Frances. Would Le Puy be a good place to start for a bit of realistic but not precipitous undulating country? If not, where? I realise I'll have to catch a bus/train to SJPP at some stage.

I've been told that it's a good idea to book about now for Sept/Oct 2015.

I've been told that arriving in Amsterdam / Germany can be cheaper for Australians who don't intend to go to UK. I'm not sure about that .. maybe it would be possible to travel fairly cheaply internally in Europe to UK briefly if I decided to do so after the camino?

In fact, I've been told lots of stuff. Is there a significant advantage for someone who has never been overseas before in trying to work out one's own travel plans and book that offsets the higher (by how much I don't know) cost if a travel agent works it all out?

I'm sure to have more questions, but I suppose I'm putting my toe n the water again to sort of cement my commitment.

Thank for any advice, Trisha

Hi Trisha and others planning to walk the Camino,
I am about to book a return airfare to Barcelona for early September 2015. Early bird airfares are now out ! I am allowing 5 weeks to walk to Santiago probably will start at Pamplona. Will do a bit of sight seeing at Barcelona then head over to Pamplona ...bus or train it. I intend to be flexible with distances walked each day and wing it as far as accomodation goes, as most people do I guess. It is exciting to now book the plane ticket, feels like this is really going to happen! So grateful for all the helpful advice which has been posted, first stop will be foot care. Really looking forward to meeting lots of different people from around the world. Good luck with your planning Trisha! Rose

 

[Siom]

Hi Trisha and others planning to walk the Camino,
I am about to book a return airfare to Barcelona for early September 2015. Early bird airfares are now out ! I am allowing 5 weeks to walk to Santiago probably will start at Pamplona. Will do a bit of sight seeing at Barcelona then head over to Pamplona ...bus or train it. I intend to be flexible with distances walked each day and wing it as far as accomodation goes, as most people do I guess. It is exciting to now book the plane ticket, feels like this is really going to happen! So grateful for all the helpful advice which has been posted, first stop will be foot care. Really looking forward to meeting lots of different people from around the world. Good luck with your planning Trisha! Rose

Hi Rose, which air liner are you booked with? Care to share how much it cost? I'm also planning CF in mid Sep 15. I'm intending to fly to Paris (CDG) and then catch Easyjet from CDG to Biarritz and then train/bus to SJPdP. Cheers.

 

[Rosefrombrisbane]

Hi Rose, which air liner are you booked with? Care to share how much it cost? I'm also planning CF in mid Sep 15. I'm intending to fly to Paris (CDG) and then catch Easyjet from CDG to Biarritz and then train/bus to SJPdP. Cheers.

Hi Siom, I have booked with Singapore Airlines, return airfare Brisbane to Barcelona was about $1800. Aifares vary a lot depending how long you want to take to get to your destination, the more stopovers and longer the journey, the cheaper it gets. I will have only one short stopover in Singapore ( a few hours), total travel time 26 hours which is pretty good from here. Kathmandu have some good specials on at the moment, 60% off. They have some great lightweight quick dry clothing which will be ideal. I love the preparation and planning stage of the trip, I tend to research and find things out online rather than hand over to someone to organise it all for me. Good luck with your plans. Keep in touch! Rose

 

[Siom]

Hi Siom, I have booked with Singapore Airlines, return airfare Brisbane to Barcelona was about $1800. Aifares vary a lot depending how long you want to take to get to your destination, the more stopovers and longer the journey, the cheaper it gets. I will have only one short stopover in Singapore ( a few hours), total travel time 26 hours which is pretty good from here. Kathmandu have some good specials on at the moment, 60% off. They have some great lightweight quick dry clothing which will be ideal. I love the preparation and planning stage of the trip, I tend to research and find things out online rather than hand over to someone to organise it all for me. Good luck with your plans. Keep in touch! Rose

Hi Rose, thanks for the information. All the best in your planning and research. Maybe we can exchange notes. Fyi, there's a Camino Brisbane meetup every month. Cheers, Simon

 

[Rosefrombrisbane]

Hi Rose, thanks for the information. All the best in your planning and research. Maybe we can exchange notes. Fyi, there's a Camino Brisbane meetup every month. Cheers, Simon

I didn't know about the Brisbane meet ups. Could you give me some details on that please? Thanks

 

[Siom]

I didn't know about the Brisbane meet ups. Could you give me some details on that please? Thanks

Hi Rose, http://www.meetup.com/Brisbane-Camino-Pilgrims/

 

[Rosefrombrisbane]

Hi Rose, http://www.meetup.com/Brisbane-Camino-Pilgrims/

Thanks for that, think I might check it out.

 

[NolaVulling]

Hi Aussie girls,
I usually fly into Paris then train it to either Bordeaux or Bayonne, overnight, then train to St Jean Pied de Port. The main thing to remember is to take it slow and easy. I have done both options of staying overnight at Huntto and walking straight over the top. But, any doubts take a taxi to Roncesvalles or just get your pack carried for around 7Euros. Keep your pack weight down, allow for your feet to swell in your shoes/boots, drink plenty of water and enjoy the journey. It will change your life. Buen camino.

 

[Rosefrombrisbane]

Hi Aussie girls,
I usually fly into Paris then train it to either Bordeaux or Bayonne, overnight, then train to St Jean Pied de Port. The main thing to remember is to take it slow and easy. I have done both options of staying overnight at Huntto and walking straight over the top. But, any doubts take a taxi to Roncesvalles or just get your pack carried for around 7Euros. Keep your pack weight down, allow for your feet to swell in your shoes/boots, drink plenty of water and enjoy the journey. It will change your life. Buen camino.

Thanks for the advice Nola, I will start in Pamplona or Roncesvalles due to time constraints and not wanting to rush. I am slowly getting my gear together for the trip and doing lots of research. It amazes me how many people go back year after year, as you have done. Do you take on other long distances walks as well (in other countries)?? I'm sure I will understand a bit better after I have walked the Camino.

 

[whariwharangi]

I've been told that it's a good idea to book about now for Sept/Oct 2015.

I've been told that arriving in Amsterdam / Germany can be cheaper for Australians who don't intend to go to UK. I'm not sure about that .. maybe it would be possible to travel fairly cheaply internally in Europe to UK briefly if I decided to do so after the camino?

In fact, I've been told lots of stuff. Is there a significant advantage for someone who has never been overseas before in trying to work out one's own travel plans and book that offsets the higher (by how much I don't know) cost if a travel agent works it all out?

I have found that it depends upon the travel agent. Some will go the extra mile to get you where you want to go for the lowest price. Others don't.

One advantage of working with an experienced travel agent is they know about the details. For instance, I didn't know about discount airlines such as Easy Jet the first time I went to Europe. If you get into trouble during your trip (such as if you miss a connection) they often are able to get you back on track with minimum hassle.

There are a lot of online resources that make it easy to find information about airlines, flights, and costs. If (IF) you are willing to spend the time trying out the different possibilities you can manage your own trip. It can get tedious.

Expedia.com is a useful resource for the long trips.

You can peruse the airport sites to find airlines that fly to and from your destination. Then you can check the individual airline to find ticket prices.

You can hear anything you like if you listen long enough.

 

[NolaVulling]

Thanks for the advice Nola, I will start in Pamplona or Roncesvalles due to time constraints and not wanting to rush. I am slowly getting my gear together for the trip and doing lots of research. It amazes me how many people go back year after year, as you have done. Do you take on other long distances walks as well (in other countries)?? I'm sure I will understand a bit better after I have walked the Camino.

Hi Rose,
I have trekked Pakistan, India & Nepal where of course there are usually porters to carry the heavy stuff. But now I just love the European trails. Villages are closer together and every day is a new adventure. As I get older I do like to have my coffee and good food but stay most of the times in the albergues. You can email me if you like for any more info.