The urge to walk

[Sara T]

Hey everyone! This is my first time posting on this website, but I feel like I need some guidance. Also, please let me know if I'm posting this in the wrong place, and I'll be happy to delete and go elsewhere. (a different thread, website, forum, etc.)
I've never walked to camino de santiago, but I've been interested in walking it for years. I've looked into it now and again since I was probably about 20 years old (I am currently 28 years old), but recently, the urge/calling/will (whatever word you want to use) has been overwhelmingly powerful.
Over the past 6 months or so, I've thought about it multiple times a day. I won't go into all the detail I want to about the signs I've seen and heard that have lead me to believe I need to go asap, but I feel as if it needs to happen soon.
All that being said, here's my dumb question: how do you all finance your trip? I live in the United States, so just the plane ride over there is going to be pricey. I have absolutely no equipment purchased, no plans, and no money saved. (Well, some money, but certainly not close to enough to get me from Connecitcut to SJPP)
I'm recently coming back from being unemployed for close to a year. My savings are shriveled up. I currently have a part time job, and I'm hoping to stash away as much as I possibly can. So any money crunching/saving tips would be greatly appreciated. And any dollar amounts you all spent (from equipment, to airfare, to food while walking, etc.) would be hugely helpful. So I know how much I need.
Thank you all so much!
Buen Camino,
Sara

 

[cher99840]

Sara, welcome. You've shown amazing restraint to have just posted your first question after having been around for 6 months. My recommendation is to start with footwear. Do you know at this point if you prefer walking in boots or shoes? Getting good footgear will probably cost from 1 to 2 hundred dollars. The next important item you will need is a good backpack. You may be able to find a used one. If purchased new it will probably also cost over a hundred dollars. With those two mainstays of your kit, you can begin training while you save for travel expenses. Airfare varies so much that I won't even guess, but you need to plan on needing about €30 per day while walking.

 

[Bajaracer]

Don't say I can't afford it. Ask yourself, how can I afford it? Only you can answer that.
Make a plan and WRITE IT DOWN, find a way to earn the money to make it happen and sell stuff that you don't need or use.
www.rome2rio.com is a great travel tool, www.urcamino.com is a decent Camino planner.
Daily expenses: albergue-€7-10 per night, food-€15-25 per day if you eat out, cheaper if you shop for groceries and cook your meals in the albergue kitchen (some albergues don't have kitchens)
Get footwear that works for you, everyone is different.
Start looking at thrift stores, craigs list, and eBay for hiking clothing and , specifically the quick drying type, brand new, this stuff is pricey.

 

[SYates]

Hi Sara,

I can't help you with flights, but here some tips regarding equipment and money saving on and for the way.

Equipment
Start with 'wardrobe shopping' meaning have a look at what you already own. Yes, easy-drying function wear is great, but pilgrims walked the Camino even before it was invented for example with cotton t-shirts.
No-name brands, I walked over 3,000 km on my last walk with two walking trousers I got for 20 Euro each in a supermarket, some with t-shirts, they were like 10 Euro each from a sport discounter/supermarket. All my clothes were still in pretty good shape when I arrived, only they were a bit bleached out by the sun.

Gifts, presents, borrowing, second hand. Tell all your family and friends that normally give you some thing for Christmas, birthday ect what you plan to do and what you still need, then ask them to give you please only Camino related things aka specific things you still need (if you are nerdy you can even put together a wish list and put it up as a Google document so that people can access it and you don't get the same thing twice).

Contact your local Camino association and see if there are meetings in your area. Try to find out if they have a 'for sale' section or event or ask there if somebody that is not walking at the moment can borrow you for example their walking sticks.

Money Saving
Cut down on everything that isn't absolutely essential (Starbucks coffee comes to mind) and put that money into a special saving account. This way you already train also 'living with less' for your Camino.

On the way. Like others have said, an overnight stay at an albergue is between 5 and 10 Euro. Buying your own food and resting the temptation of having a snack in a bar can greatly reduce your costs. Those Cafe con leche and bocadillos do add up over time.

Hope that helps, anything else, just ask.
Merry Christmas and Buen Camino! SY

 

[Sara T]

Wow, thanks everyone! Amazing tips so far!

 

[scruffy1]

Shalom Sara and Greetings from Jerusalem!
Good ideas from everyone, don't save money on your hiking boots they will become your best friends - the bocadillo sandwich is easily given up buy the makings from the tienda and make your own, don't even consider giving up the coffee – great stuff anytime of the day, a straight to the vein shot of caffeine which will see you through the rough spots, ration if you must, but coffee is an absolute necessity! Save a bit more on the albergues, the cheaper ones fill up fast – count 10-12 Euro to be on the safe side. Fill your waterbottle(s) at the albergue tap or any fountain/faucet/spring marked aqua potable – buying water gets very expensive too. Set double aside for Santiago-you can find lodging cheap enough say the Seminario Menor de Belvis but its out a bit from town and at the top of an overlooking hill, the Seminario Mayor is much closer in but open seasonally. Food is more expensive in Santiago, check out the wonderful market there, Mercado de Abastos- Praza de Abastos, and then you might want to purchase souvenirs. Buen Camino!

 

[SYates]

Forgot to mention two things:

http://www.skyscanner.net is great for finding cheap flights, especially if you are flexible with dates and airports. A bit of searching and I found, for example, a flight next August from Washington to Barcelona for $470. Travelling in Spain itself isn't too expensive, so if you play around with dates and airports you can save some serious money, especially if you book early.

Recycling things. No need to buy a specially designed screw top bottle for taking your shower gel, shampoo, soap with you. I am sure you will sooner or later buy something that comes in the right sized bottle, just wash bottle and use that. I took a plastic bottle for this purpose with me that previously contained fish oil for our elderly cat ;-) Took a bit of cleaning to get the smell out but worked then great.
Tupperware. Great for transporting food that you don't want to get smashed and / or to take the leftovers from last nights dinner with you for today's lunch.

SY

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Hello Sara, You have already gotten wonderful advice. I also wanted to suggest you local your local 'Camino Chapter' to see if they might be holding a garage sale of some sort, especially for the backpack which you should ideally try on before buying (to take advantage of Craig's List of Ebay, consider going out to a few shops to determine the size and type that fits you best, and then you can shop for used ones on line).

Regarding the shoes/boots, two things: assuming you want to do the Camino Frances, and that you don't have particularlt weak ankles, you do not need boots. In fact I walked the Frances in hicking sandals similar to Tevas (with velco straps) which are easy to find as well as another pair which resembled the current Merrell Azura, both under 100$. But since I apparently need custom orthodics in my shoes I have also walked with a pair of Columbia trecking running shoes, lined with Goretex, that I got for 20$, yes, twenty dollars, at a Columbia outlet, so hopefully you can get to outlets once in a while to see what great find there might be. (You don't say where you are from).

If you plan on walking in May through September you will not need a sleeping bag (this being said, there was a year where it was miserable in May and I had to buy a sleeping bag ;0( ). A liner is just fine, and you can even make one yourself by sewing a bed sheet. When I only use the liner I also have one of those super thin, airplane like blankets. Probably easy to find on Ebay as these are often given out as promotional gifts with company logos.

Walking sticks are really nice to have (some say they take off 25% of the stress of your feet) but you would want to make sure they collapsed to fit in your backpack or else you would have to pay about 6$ to have them "saranwrapped" to you bag at the airport or for those that don't collapse you would have to check in separatly which would be costly.

I have seen people walk the Camino with very little means. They often opt to only sleep in albergues that only ask for a donativo or even sleep outdoors. I have also seen pilgrims invite them for the night, paying for their night, but I would not count on that. Just know there are kind people out there who will help if you get in trouble. Not sure I would recommend sleeping outside unless you had a tent with you, and then tent would probably cost you as much as the albergues unless you already have one or can find a super good deal. This being said, I believe that "camping" is not permitted in Spain.

I hope this helps.

 

[Mark Lee]

As far as equipment goes, if you walk the Camino during the summer (June-September) you carry less. You don't need to buy equipment from the expensive, high end outdoor stores (in other words, don't believe the hype). The same fleece pullover you buy at one of them you can buy at Wal-Mart or Old Navy for literally half the price. The same goes with the synthetic, quick drying running/exercising type shirts, etc. I have found there is no noticeable difference between the brands. You don't need an expensive, high end backpack either. What's more important than the backpack is how much stuff you carry and how that weight effects you. The most expensive, high tech backpack is no help if you are carrying too much stuff. You don't need a $100-$200 pair of shoes if you can't afford them. There are some good hiking shoes and trail runners out there for less than $100. Asics makes a great trail runner (Gel Kahana 7) for under a hundred bucks. Just make sure you get a pair that fits you well and add a little room for foot swell. You really don't have to have a sleeping bag to walk the Camino during the summer. You can get away with a fleece type liner and they are cheaper.
Check out web sites like eBay and Amazon for some good deals on equipment.
At the most you will probably be walking the Camino Frances for 40 days. No need for super expensive, high tech equipment for a 40 day summertime walk through northern rural Spain. It's not a trek up Everest. A lot of walking is through cities, villages and towns. Concrete and blacktop under your feet. Travel light and smart and minimalist. On my second Camino I met one peregrino whom I saw on several days that was carrying the smallest of school type packs on his back, wearing running shoes and shorts everyday. Nothing high tech and he was quite happy.
My first Camino I did with a frameless, cheap military style rucksack. My second Camino I used an expensive one from REI. Honestly I can't say one was better than the other. They both got me from SJPdP to Santiago.

 

[KinkyOne]

Hey everyone! This is my first time posting on this website, but I feel like I need some guidance. Also, please let me know if I'm posting this in the wrong place, and I'll be happy to delete and go elsewhere. (a different thread, website, forum, etc.)
I've never walked to camino de santiago, but I've been interested in walking it for years. I've looked into it now and again since I was probably about 20 years old (I am currently 28 years old), but recently, the urge/calling/will (whatever word you want to use) has been overwhelmingly powerful.
Over the past 6 months or so, I've thought about it multiple times a day. I won't go into all the detail I want to about the signs I've seen and heard that have lead me to believe I need to go asap, but I feel as if it needs to happen soon.
All that being said, here's my dumb question: how do you all finance your trip? I live in the United States, so just the plane ride over there is going to be pricey. I have absolutely no equipment purchased, no plans, and no money saved. (Well, some money, but certainly not close to enough to get me from Connecitcut to SJPP)
I'm recently coming back from being unemployed for close to a year. My savings are shriveled up. I currently have a part time job, and I'm hoping to stash away as much as I possibly can. So any money crunching/saving tips would be greatly appreciated. And any dollar amounts you all spent (from equipment, to airfare, to food while walking, etc.) would be hugely helpful. So I know how much I need.
Thank you all so much!
Buen Camino,
Sara

Hi, Sara and welcome to the forum!

Lots of good advices in previous posts and I'll try not to repeat them.
I've been freelance artist almost all my adult life and constantly fighting with financial situation. Some years were better and some worse but since the beginning of this last financial crisis it's even worse. Still I managed to do 2 whole Caminos in past 4 years. I guess my great wish to do them was the best spiritus agens. How did I saved enough money? I'm still asking that myself
Here are some tips:
- after my first unfinished Camino (2009) I realised how little material things I really need and that all those years I was moving lots of my stuff from one leased apartment to another and haven't used most of them for years. So I decided to sell them online. First year of doing this I got 800€. In three years one of my Caminos were paid-off.
- not only that, I also began to collect and sell other peoples used stuff, but I do have a car and storage, so that was kind of easier for me. Apart from living in an apartment that looks like a storage unit
- I simply stopped to buy brand new things or at least narrow the list down to minimum. For example, in last two years I bought exactly four new items: spare part for my car, two pairs of shoes and smart phone. Clothes, PC, furniture, even pots & pans I got for free or second hand. In this way I also kind of excuse myself from over-buying and making even bigger heap of garbage as it is common in these days in "modern" world. Not to say that things made years ago are in general of better quality - today most of them are made to brake down and you have to buy a new one. One other example: torned and bleached old T-shirt can be adequate kitchen towel and also you don't have to buy those paper towels.
- Although books are my great love and have plenty of them I stopped buying them, instead I go to the library.
- I rarely eat in restaurants, instead I buy ingredients and prepare meals at home. It's true that I have always enjoyed that but in last couple of years I increased home-cooking. And also I feel better because I get ingredients from family garden or buy them from farmers. Another love of mine is beer and hanging out in the taverns, pubs, bars. But if I drink let's say 3 beers per visit, that would be 7€ whereas for three cans of beer I buy in a market I pay about 2€. So I saved 5€/day (with the same amount of beer I've drank).
- I don't buy stuff when "sales" or "reduction" signs appears, because salesmen know that you'll be tempted to buy more than really needed. Therefore I buy only when I need something.
- It could be a nice surprise once (or more) a year if you regularly put minor spare change (cents in €) in a tin-can. You wouldn't notice it day-by-day but I get additional 50€ each year

And when on Camino:
- I'm not really familiar with overseas flights but I do remember from posts on this forum that return flights are cheaper if your flights are in&out from the same city in Spain. Bus and train connections within Spain are very good and still cheaper even than low-cost internal aifares.
- You don't have to buy a guide book especially if you're planning Camino Frances for your first Camino. All informations are available on the web. You just need some time to collect them, put them in some sort of a book and print it.
- It has been said before something about equipment. I haven't bought single part of it, I just use what I have. If that means 100% cotton T-shirts, so be it. But that works well for summer months, otherwise cotton wouldn't dry as quickly as modern type of fabric without help of the sun and heaters!
- Keep an eye on your belongings where ever you go, even in the shower. It can ruin your Camino if something would get stolen. Just don't get panicky over this Statisticaly there are (x 1,000,000) much more forgotten or lost things than stolen on Caminos

I hope you'll soon be able to live your dream, urge, need, whatever you name it.

Ultreia!

 

[david g]

Just like in the movie Field of Dreams (if you build it they will come),thinking about the Camino has a way of making it happen. Imagine yourself on it, walking, meeting people, carrying a pack. The more you think about it, the closer and more real it becomes. Once you do this, you'll be amazed at the items needed for the Camino that will begin to find their way to you. It might be a quick stop at a yard sale and there is the perfect pack. Stopping by a mall to find that the outdoor store is clearing out last years clothes/sleeping bags/etc. at unbelievable prices.
As for putting the money together to get these things, try designating a month as a "no spending month". Of course you always have certain bills, utilities, rent and such, but try to not spend on anything outside of those. And ask yourself which you want more....a night out with friends, maybe buying lunch or coffee at work or a day on the Camino? Those seemingly little things sure have a way of adding up. (If you spend $10.00 a day, that's $300.00 a month-more than enough to get your gear.) and you'll not be missing much. I don't know of anyone whose lunches or coffees are so good that they have fond memories and photos of them. But I DO know a lot of people who have Camino memories that will last a lifetime.
Getting things you need and making it happen will be just like getting from SJPD to Santiago.....one step at a time. You can do it.

 

[FlechaCadaDia]

I've found that it's much cheaper to fly to transAtlantic to the UK/Ireland than to Spain or France. If you fly into Dublin or London, you can save several hundred dollars. (In France anyway, there's a big airport tax that makes incoming flights expensive.) Then you can take a budget airline like Ryanair or Aerlingus. Ryanair used to have a flight to Pau, France, which is a short train ride away from SJPP. (And Lourdes) . Ryanair also flies out of SdC. Have you ever tried Priceline? If you have some flexibility with your dates, it might be a good way to go. Also maybe you can be flexible with departure locations. (Priceline or no Priceline) I frequently find cheaper flights out of Chicago than I do closer airports, so sometimes I'll take a bus (a cheap one like the Megabus) to Chicago, ride the L to O'Hare, and fly from there. Maybe JFK for you?

Much of your equipment you could buy used or borrow from friends maybe. Maybe even people on this forum. But boots--you'll want new ones, as they adjust themselves to a person's foot, and you won't want someone else's shape.

On my recent Camino of 75ish days, I slept outside half the the time. It was fine. I didn't have a tent.

One thing about the Camino--you're bring many of your habits with you . If you tend to spend a lot at home, you probably will there too. If you have a penny-pinching habit, you'll find ways to do it there too.

 

[Brisbanegee]

Sara,

Amazing advise and take time to digest it all. My wife's name is Sarah and we are doing it in 2 months time. As we are at the end of winter, we had to spend $$ and get lightweight clothing, but i must say we can wear it afterwards as normal clothing.Wishing you all the best.

Buen Camino

 

[Saramago]

Depending on where you live in CT, the local (or not so local) chapter would be Boston or NYC. www.americanpilgrims.com/ I'm in CT but close to Manhattan (short train ride) so my airport would be JFK. I would say that setting aside 1000 USD. for getting to SJPP from JFK is a reasonable target. Tomorrow, I could jump on an 831.$ flight direct to Madrid (Iberia) for instance and arrive in 7-8 hours (roundtrip). I could also jump an Aer Lingus flight to Dublin tomorrow for 650. USD (round trip price) but then connect with a short flight to Paris if wanting to go that route. I recommend rounding it up to 1,000 due to added taxes/insurance. If you live in northern CT, your airport would be Logan. Another thought - if you are involved in local hiking groups such as Sierra or AMC etc etc , it's a good connection not only for hiking but to make friendships and possibly acquire at little or no cost equipment that other hikers have extra or have upgraded (to borrow). Good saving tips above. There is no CT chapter.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Hello again Sarah,

I have been thinking about your questions over the last few days and remembered this blog that teaches you to get cheap flights. Mind you, I think it requires the heavy use of credit cards and other type of points. I have not really looked into it because this is mostly applicable for people in the US (US credit card and points systems) but here it goes, you never know: http://www.extrapackofpeanuts.com/ The author's sister has been living in Santiago for 2 plus years now and I know he helps her come back home for visits using his tips.

I also saw a FB page dedicated the the resale of used Camino equipment. The page I saw in based in Australia, but there may be one in the US.

 

[Marti93]

On my recent Camino of 75ish days, I slept outside half the the time. It was fine. I didn't have a tent.
habit, you'll find ways to do it there too.

....I'm interested in this. I plan on doing the Catalan route where there are less albergues apparently. How did you find sleeping outside? ..Like on park benches or in fields?

 

[SYates]

....I'm interested in this. I plan on doing the Catalan route where there are less albergues apparently. How did you find sleeping outside? ..Like on park benches or in fields?

Make sure you pass bigger towns / settlements during the day and not the evening, it is safer to sleep outside in the country side than on a park bench in a big town.
Go off the Camino for some meters, don't sleep directly by The Way, unless you want the very early risers to wake you. You are also less visible this way.
Absolutely leave nothing behind then a bit of flattened grass.
Wherever possible ask for permission from the landowner.

Buen Camino, SY

 

[alexwalker]

Can you get sponsors for equipment/funding? In exchange for a speech, illustrated with Powerpoint/pictures, at your local parish/supplier/other? I did (not for the money, though), and the interest was phenomenal.

BTW: SYates (and others) have already given you fantastic advice! But bring a sleeping bag: I have experienced lots of rain and even snow, and cold winds 2 years (2012/2014) in May in Spain...

 

[FlechaCadaDia]

As SY says, maybe not park benches.

Maybe a couple km out of town. Keep your eyes open as you walk. fields are fine I think. So long as you're not bothering anyone's land or crops! You can find privacy behind lines of trees. Or maybe just within a patch of woods between fields. With time, you find yourself throughout the day saying, "Oh that would be a good place to sleep!" I'm a slow walker, so I would often find a spot as sunset approached and set it up--then no one notices you. Since pilgrims are up with the sun, you're gone before people would notice you Not that they probably would anyway. Remember the ground can be hard/bumpy. You may want a lightweight mat. I got a pool mattress, the kind you float on, and slept on it. But it leaked air.

 

[SYates]

Forgot to add, wild camping is forbidden in many parts of Spain, see http://thespanishbiker.wordpress.com/bed-n-board/camping/free-camping/
Depending where you plan it, you must ask the landowner for permission. Buen Camino! SY

 

[Former member 42123]

Sara,it may take you a long time to achieve your dream of walking the Camino,but never loose the dream,no matter how long it takes.I was a much younger man when I became aware of the Camino,but life,in the form of work,agrowing family,and lack of enough cash kept getting in the way of my dream.I eventually realised that my Camino would have to wait until I retired,so I planned for that.When I got to 65 I walked the full French Camino,then from Lyon to SdC last year,and this year I will walk 2 sections please God.So once you have a dream,keepdreaming.