The Camino as a vocation

[Jenoveva]

Hello fellow pilgrims
I just found out about this community and I'm thrilled to be part of it!
I walked from Le Puy to Santiago in 2018 and my journey marked me forever, like so many of you, I'm sure. I'm now living in Canada and I've been feeling this longing to go back on the Camino for quite a certain time now. My dream would be to bring our 2-year-old son with us on the Porto Route. Any recommendations? Our current circumstances don't allow us to go back anytime soon but I keep wondering if there would be a possibility for me to serve the Camino in the meantime, in a way that could potentially generate some income. Writing a blog about my pilgrimage, creating Camino-related souvenirs on Etsy, writing a memoir, and a children's book, are ideas that came to my mind. I would love to hear about your ideas and also if you've been having the same feelings/desires.
Thank you for your time in reading this. I look forward to reading your thoughts.
Gen

 

[Antnix1]

I don't want to be negative but I'm not you have a product. If you were an influencer and world traveller and featured your toddler in your youtube videos, maybe you could do well.. but I'm not sure how you'd make a living writing a blog about your camino 6 years ago.

And souvenirs are generally from the region you're writing about. Not shipped at a large cost from canada.

Maybe if you could arrange a camino for others to join you on you could potentially make some money that way. You would need to arrange get-togethers, pre-camino meets and hikes, transfers, accommodation, flights and visas, give advice and recommendations and generally share your expertise, first aid training, language skills, etc.

 

[trecile]

Maybe if you could arrange a camino for others to join you on you could potentially make some money that way. You would need to arrange get-togethers, pre-camino meets and hikes, transfers, accommodation, flights and visas, give advice and recommendations and generally share your expertise, first aid training, language skills, etc.

I believe that you would also need to have proper licensing and insurance.

 

[Tincatinker]

Pilgrim is as pilgrim does. So, start hiking your local trails. Take a long-picker with you and a trash bag. Pick up trash. Take photos of all your big bags of trash. Sell the story to your local newspapers and news sites. Get online and do the same thing. Put yourselves out there as good guys doing good stuff. In time you could start selling branded long-pickers and trash bags. T-shirts and Hoodies could go big. There are no short-cuts but commitment and graft could make a real impact, locally and then globally.

Once you have presence you can create worlds

 

[Jenoveva]

I don't want to be negative but I'm not you have a product. If you were an influencer and world traveller and featured your toddler in your youtube videos, maybe you could do well.. but I'm not sure how you'd make a living writing a blog about your camino 6 years ago.

And souvenirs are generally from the region you're writing about. Not shipped at a large cost from canada.

Maybe if you could arrange a camino for others to join you on you could potentially make some money that way. You would need to arrange get-togethers, pre-camino meets and hikes, transfers, accommodation, flights and visas, give advice and recommendations and generally share your expertise, first aid training, language skills, etc.

Thank you for your message, I really appreciate it

 

[Jenoveva]

Pilgrim is as pilgrim does. So, start hiking your local trails. Take a long-picker with you and a trash bag. Pick up trash. Take photos of all your big bags of trash. Sell the story to your local newspapers and news sites. Get online and do the same thing. Put yourselves out there as good guys doing good stuff. In time you could start selling branded long-pickers and trash bags. T-shirts and Hoodies could go big. There are no short-cuts but commitment and graft could make a real impact, locally and then globally.

Once you have presence you can create worlds

I love this, that was really inspiring, thank you for sharing!

 

[Peregrinopaul]

I love the title of this thread.

 

[dick bird]

to serve the Camino in the meantime, in a way that could potentially generate some income

I think some members would have a bit of an issue with this, especially as many of them already work for nothing or at their own expense volunteering in albergues or the Pilgrim Office or collecting rubbish. There are others who run albergues as a livelihood, this is usually a struggle and consumes a lot of time and energy and none of them makes much money out of it. There is also the fact that many people in Spain are looking to make an honest living by catering for the needs of pilgrims, and the bureaucracy involved in running any kind of business in Spain is a nightmare. If you want to write a book or a blog about the camino, go ahead but you´ll find it is a very crowded field. If, on the other hand, you want to give back to the camino, there are a lot of ways of doing this, for example volunteering as I mentioned above.

 

[Jenoveva]

I think some members would have a bit of an issue with this, especially as many of them already work for nothing or at their own expense volunteering in albergues or the Pilgrim Office or collecting rubbish. There are others who run albergues as a livelihood, this is usually a struggle and consumes a lot of time and energy and none of them makes much money out of it. There is also the fact that many people in Spain are looking to make an honest living by catering for the needs of pilgrims, and the bureaucracy involved in running any kind of business in Spain is a nightmare. If you want to write a book or a blog about the camino, go ahead but you´ll find it is a very crowded field. If, on the other hand, you want to give back to the camino, there are a lot of ways of doing this, for example volunteering as I mentioned above.

Thank you for your message, it was informative and eye-opening. My intention was not to create any issues amongst the members and I'm truly sorry if it does. I'll keep exploring the different ways to give back to the camino, thanks again!

 

[trecile]

@GenevieveDufour - If you could come up with a truly unique product that could help pilgrims, then I think that you might be able to make some money from it, but most of the things that people do when they fall in love with the Camino are usually just labors of love and not very profitable.

 

[dick bird]

not very profitable.

Which is something of an understatement!

 

[TravellingMan22]

I don't want to be negative but I'm not you have a product. If you were an influencer and world traveller and featured your toddler in your youtube videos, maybe you could do well.. but I'm not sure how you'd make a living writing a blog about your camino 6 years ago.

And souvenirs are generally from the region you're writing about. Not shipped at a large cost from canada.

Maybe if you could arrange a camino for others to join you on you could potentially make some money that way. You would need to arrange get-togethers, pre-camino meets and hikes, transfers, accommodation, flights and visas, give advice and recommendations and generally share your expertise, first aid training, language skills, etc.

Yes agree with all this. The souvenir market is so congested and margins are very small I wouldn’t go near it. I do think the inclusive tour market is probably a way to make some good money though it’s quite congested too, but judging by the quotes I have seen for a week or 2 weeks caminos, done properly it may be a winner financially. I think as per the post building a ‘broader offering’ with language, guest speakers, etc may be an opportunity. I think someone on here runs some escorted tours from the USA.

Also very upscale Caminos may be a gap too. I spoke to someone recently who said they were keen to do a Camino, but would want nice accommodation, good restaraunts, etc, when I mentioned dorms and shared bathrooms, she nearly fainted. I guess a high end, personalised escorted tour, if you like! Very common in South Asia and South East Asia. I sense there is a lot of folks like this, but put off by the ‘roughing it’ aspect as they see it. As numbers grow I do think this will become more in demand.

We have all seen Camino quotes for USD6-7k so the money is out there!

 

[Bristle Boy]

Yes agree with all this. The souvenir market is so congested and margins are very small I wouldn’t go near it. I do think the inclusive tour market is probably a way to make some good money though it’s quite congested too, but judging by the quotes I have seen for a week or 2 weeks caminos, done properly it may be a winner financially. I think as per the post building a ‘broader offering’ with language, guest speakers, etc may be an opportunity. I think someone on here runs some escorted tours from the USA.

Also very upscale Caminos may be a gap too. I spoke to someone recently who said they were keen to do a Camino, but would want nice accommodation, good restaraunts, etc, I guess a high end, personalised escorted tour, if you like! Very common in South Asia and South East Asia. I sense there is a lot of folks like this, but put off by the ‘roughing it’ aspect as they see it. The opposite of me and most of us!

We have all seen Camino quotes for USD6-7k so the money is out there!

Not long before it makes Conde Nast

 

[TravellingMan22]

Not long before it makes Conde Nast

5 Tips for Walking Spain's Camino de Santiago

There's a lot to be learned on a month-long medieval pilgrimage. Here, a few lessons gleaned from the dusty road.

www.cntraveler.com

 

[Bristle Boy]

5 Tips for Walking Spain's Camino de Santiago

There's a lot to be learned on a month-long medieval pilgrimage. Here, a few lessons gleaned from the dusty road.

www.cntraveler.com

I'm too late...Glamping for Wild Campers in red soled trailrunners

 

[David Tallan]

If you search Etsy you'll see a variety of offerings. That can give you a sense of what is out there. You can see if there is a gap yet to fill. There are so many Camino memoirs out there (and more being published every day) that I wouldn't expect it to be a noticeable source of income unless you are a famous movie star or get very lucky.

The book I would love to see is an equivalent of Gitlitz and Davidson's The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago: The Complete Cultural Handbook for the Portugues (or any route other than the Frances/Aragones. But I don't know that the financial rewards would be commensurate with the research effort.

 

[markie6]

I think for many of us it would be to buy or run a particular albergue. Most of us have favourite places

Not that I think that would be the road to riches. Probably a niche of a niche market in there somewhere though waiting to be found. Good luck tho

 

[Kitsambler]

writing ... a children's book,

Of all the avenues discussed so far, I believe this one has the most potential for you and might be the most accessible as well. There is apparently a big market for children's books right now, and there are many resources available to you (local writers groups and conferences, many YouTube channels, etc). You have the opportunity to create a bi-lingual work, which would be a unique product and therefore set you apart. There could even be a whole series, told from the perspectives of different children: modern, medieval, medieval builders, etc.

 

[Jenoveva]

If you search Etsy you'll see a variety of offerings. That can give you a sense of what is out there. You can see if there is a gap yet to fill. There are so many Camino memoirs out there (and more being published every day) that I wouldn't expect it to be a noticeable source of income unless you are a famous movie star or get very lucky.

The book I would love to see is an equivalent of Gitlitz and Davidson's The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago: The Complete Cultural Handbook for the Portugues (or any route other than the Frances/Aragones. But I don't know that the financial rewards would be commensurate with the research effort.

I didn't know of the book's existence and it's now on my Amazon list. I think it can and will me a lot of inspiration. Thank you for the share!

 

[Jenoveva]

Of all the avenues discussed so far, I believe this one has the most potential for you and might be the most accessible as well. There is apparently a big market for children's books right now, and there are many resources available to you (local writers groups and conferences, many YouTube channels, etc). You have the opportunity to create a bi-lingual work, which would be a unique product and therefore set you apart. There could even be a whole series, told from the perspectives of different children: modern, medieval, medieval builders, etc.

I LOVE THIS!!!! What a fantastic idea. I really love this because I could include my son as a character in the stories and read the books to him once published. I just subscribed to your blog. Thanks again!

 

[KariannNor]

I met a wonderful woman who had a stuffed animal with her. She put this around in funny places and took pictures of it there. On statues, buildings, fountains, on the shoulders of people she met etc.. I suggested to her to create a website called eg *name*'s adventures, but she wanted the pictures just for herself. Think of all the things this animal could do, an interesting person in an interview about their homeland, it could swim in the sea, its own bed in the albergue, shower, eat strange food, well, no limits really. It could travel the world.. And imagine what a success it could have been for a children's book or series.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

Reminiscent of the garden gnome in the movie Amélie, which disappears from the garden overnight and sends selfies back from all over the world….. .

Ok, that’s an over-simplification, but you’ll know what I mean if you’ve seen the movie!