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A few suggestions:-
1. The last one's easy. No safety concerns, beyond normal caution (e.g. keep your passport and money on your person).
2. Unless you're very fit, give your body time to acclimatise. For the first week, moderate distances (say, 20 km a day) and a rest day after each three days' walking. You can ramp it up thereafter.
3. Don't try to keep to a schedule if you're not obliged to. It takes as long as it takes.
4. Hydrate. Plain water. Lots of it. Whether you feel thirsty or not. And...
5. If you have to "dehydrate" along the trail, so to speak, have a few ziploc bags so that you can bring your used tissues out with you. Far too many pilgrims just dump theirs on the ground under the bush behind which they ducked. It's becoming a serious problem.
6. In the albergues, after lights out thou shalt not play with thy smartphone, nor rustle thy plastic bags, nor hold whispered conversations, so that thy days might be long in the land.
7. Be very patient with yourself, and with everyone else.
8. Use as much Spanish as you possibly can. Even if you only know twenty words, and your accent is abominable. The effort makes all the difference.
9. There will be down moments, even down days. They don't last. Be prepared for them. If you're determined to reach your destination, you will.
10. Start at the beginning, wherever that is, and keep walking even through the seemingly boring bits until you reach the end. Some of the most interesting experiences and the nicest people I encountered were along stretches that a lot of people advised me to skip.
A few suggestions:-
1. The last one's easy. No safety concerns, beyond normal caution (e.g. keep your passport and money on your person).
2. Unless you're very fit, give your body time to acclimatise. For the first week, moderate distances (say, 20 km a day) and a rest day after each three days' walking. You can ramp it up thereafter.
3. Don't try to keep to a schedule if you're not obliged to. It takes as long as it takes.
4. Hydrate. Plain water. Lots of it. Whether you feel thirsty or not. And...
5. If you have to "dehydrate" along the trail, so to speak, have a few ziploc bags so that you can bring your used tissues out with you. Far too many pilgrims just dump theirs on the ground under the bush behind which they ducked. It's becoming a serious problem.
6. In the albergues, after lights out thou shalt not play with thy smartphone, nor rustle thy plastic bags, nor hold whispered conversations, so that thy days might be long in the land.
7. Be very patient with yourself, and with everyone else.
8. Use as much Spanish as you possibly can. Even if you only know twenty words, and your accent is abominable. The effort makes all the difference.
9. There will be down moments, even down days. They don't last. Be prepared for them. If you're determined to reach your destination, you will.
10. Start at the beginning, wherever that is, and keep walking even through the seemingly boring bits until you reach the end. Some of the most interesting experiences and the nicest people I encountered were along stretches that a lot of people advised me to skip.
My top tip is pack your bag and just go!
Try to plan on the trail, one or two days ahead. Anything else will fall apart.
You are guaranteed to visit great places. I can't tell you where that is going to be for you, the camino will show you.
Don't just pack light, pack REALLY light. And when you're all done try and skimp some more. And after that exchange some items with similar but lighter ones.
Bring NOTHING in bulk, not shampoo nor anything else. In a maximum of three days time you'll always find the right store for what you need.
A cucumber makes a great crunchable emergency water supply, it's 98% water. Dried fruit (figs, apples....) make a great supply of carbohydrates (better than their fresh counterparts). Shaky legs after the first day from St.Jean to Roncevalles anyone? A boiled egg is easy to carry. Try to find some easy to make meals (pancakes? a stew of everything? A thick soup as a main course etc etc.), it will greatly help you against the otherwise monotonously pilgrim menu's and make some new friends at the stove.
Use a pee rag, NOT tissues. A 'woman pee wee' seems like a good idea to me, but hey I'm a guy.
Everyone out of three snores.... bring ear plugs if it bothers you.
Try to remember you've been told that there will be crappy days, just hang in there and little miracles happen.
Wish you both the time of your lives!
My daughter & I will be walking the camino together from April-June. What would be the top tips you'd give to a first time walker? What should we avoid? What locations should we be sure to visit? How much should we expect to spend? Are there safety concerns I should be aware of?
Thanks for any tips you can give us!
Alice
Camino Tip: Break your trail shoes in.
Everything related to the Camino depends on these five short words. Trust me on this one.
If you don’t follow this sensible advice, your entire pilgrimage will revolve around what is happening south of your ankles. That gnawing irritation between your second and third toes will be trivial compared to what is happening on the sole of your foot, right where your big toe bent down to grip the edge of the tree root you almost tripped over. Your carefully pedicured toenails may soon have black edges peaking from beyond the magenta polish that glistened beautifully just a few days before. Funny looking water-filled marbles will appear on the tips of your toes and areas of your feet you never knew existed. Complete strangers will approach you with sharp implements and thread, insisting on piercing your tender skin, leaving tiny puddles of plasma on cold tiled floors.
The soft and cushy socks that seemed so wonderfully fresh out of the package will inflate like water balloons in the blistering sun, filling every last centimeter of space in your state of the art, breathable-unless-it-gets-dirty-wet-sweaty trail shoes. You will curse whoever invented GoreTex and wonder why you put that pair of flip flops back in the closet to save 6 measly ounces.
Don’t worry about finding a bed each night or whether there is any place open at 6 am for your morning caffeine fix. Train schedules? No problem. Sleeping next to snoring strangers? Not an issue. Rain jacket or poncho? Who cares?!
Worry about breaking your shoes in. Before you leave home.
Then get going. Throw a few things in a backpack, grab your passport and ATM card, jump on a plane and fly across the big, scary ocean. Relish arriving in a country where no one knows you, you don’t speak the local language and you are scared out of your bones. Grab it, live it, embrace it!
Take the first breath and step. Then another. And another. Until your rhythm kicks in.
Sure, there will be times when things get rough. Give yourself 500 steps for a pity party and then no more. Take a hundred more steps and get a sip of water as a reward. Eat chocolate for lunch and drink more wine than is respectable at home.
Look up at the sky and realize that Camino clouds are totally different from the clouds at home. And so are you.
Shout! Sing! Twirl!
Write the world’s greatest novel in your head. Or the love letter you never had the guts to send. The road is long and you’ve got all the time in the world.
Keep a diary in Brierly’s margins. Spill a little wine on it, write an address on the table of contents. Fold a page into a paper airplane for a local kid. Doodle on the back cover.
Stretch out at the end of the day. Lose all your regrets.
Respect other pilgrims. And yourself. Clean up and do your laundry, even when you’re tired. There’s a fine line between being a pilgrim and a hobo.
Appreciate your body. Treat it kindly and reward it with a long, hot bath at the end of the trail.
Pray. For forgiveness and grace and thanks and hope. Even for world peace, which seems in short supply these days.
But don’t forget to break in the shoes. Trust me on this one.
I love this!
Thanks Wally enjoyed your comments, I have been getting ready for my first Caminoi in May and have read all the forums and threads an your comments have calmed me down so that I will chill out and let things just evolve and happen. again thanksCamino Tip: Break your trail shoes in.
Everything related to the Camino depends on these five short words. Trust me on this one.
If you don’t follow this sensible advice, your entire pilgrimage will revolve around what is happening south of your ankles. That gnawing irritation between your second and third toes will be trivial compared to what is happening on the sole of your foot, right where your big toe bent down to grip the edge of the tree root you almost tripped over. Your carefully pedicured toenails may soon have black edges peaking from beyond the magenta polish that glistened beautifully just a few days before. Funny looking water-filled marbles will appear on the tips of your toes and areas of your feet you never knew existed. Complete strangers will approach you with sharp implements and thread, insisting on piercing your tender skin, leaving tiny puddles of plasma on cold tiled floors.
The soft and cushy socks that seemed so wonderfully fresh out of the package will inflate like water balloons in the blistering sun, filling every last centimeter of space in your state of the art, breathable-unless-it-gets-dirty-wet-sweaty trail shoes. You will curse whoever invented GoreTex and wonder why you put that pair of flip flops back in the closet to save 6 measly ounces.
Don’t worry about finding a bed each night or whether there is any place open at 6 am for your morning caffeine fix. Train schedules? No problem. Sleeping next to snoring strangers? Not an issue. Rain jacket or poncho? Who cares?!
Worry about breaking your shoes in. Before you leave home.
Then get going. Throw a few things in a backpack, grab your passport and ATM card, jump on a plane and fly across the big, scary ocean. Relish arriving in a country where no one knows you, you don’t speak the local language and you are scared out of your bones. Grab it, live it, embrace it!
Take the first breath and step. Then another. And another. Until your rhythm kicks in.
Sure, there will be times when things get rough. Give yourself 500 steps for a pity party and then no more. Take a hundred more steps and get a sip of water as a reward. Eat chocolate for lunch and drink more wine than is respectable at home.
Look up at the sky and realize that Camino clouds are totally different from the clouds at home. And so are you.
Shout! Sing! Twirl!
Write the world’s greatest novel in your head. Or the love letter you never had the guts to send. The road is long and you’ve got all the time in the world.
Keep a diary in Brierly’s margins. Spill a little wine on it, write an address on the table of contents. Fold a page into a paper airplane for a local kid. Doodle on the back cover.
Stretch out at the end of the day. Lose all your regrets.
Respect other pilgrims. And yourself. Clean up and do your laundry, even when you’re tired. There’s a fine line between being a pilgrim and a hobo.
Appreciate your body. Treat it kindly and reward it with a long, hot bath at the end of the trail.
Pray. For forgiveness and grace and thanks and hope. Even for world peace, which seems in short supply these days.
But don’t forget to break in the shoes. Trust me on this one.
I agree totally with this advice. 20k per day or less for the first week.Sometimes it made sense to plan rest days or take them as needed. Sometimes I didn't need a full rest day and would walk a short day, like 10k if possible.Yep. Footwear, weight of backpack, not going to far and too fast in the early stages. It sounds like you've already done your homework. You'll be fine.
Buen camino to you and your daughter.
I like the way you think Purple Backpack. Well said!Camino Tip: Break your trail shoes in.
Everything related to the Camino depends on these five short words. Trust me on this one.
If you don’t follow this sensible advice, your entire pilgrimage will revolve around what is happening south of your ankles. That gnawing irritation between your second and third toes will be trivial compared to what is happening on the sole of your foot, right where your big toe bent down to grip the edge of the tree root you almost tripped over. Your carefully pedicured toenails may soon have black edges peaking from beyond the magenta polish that glistened beautifully just a few days before. Funny looking water-filled marbles will appear on the tips of your toes and areas of your feet you never knew existed. Complete strangers will approach you with sharp implements and thread, insisting on piercing your tender skin, leaving tiny puddles of plasma on cold tiled floors.
The soft and cushy socks that seemed so wonderfully fresh out of the package will inflate like water balloons in the blistering sun, filling every last centimeter of space in your state of the art, breathable-unless-it-gets-dirty-wet-sweaty trail shoes. You will curse whoever invented GoreTex and wonder why you put that pair of flip flops back in the closet to save 6 measly ounces.
Don’t worry about finding a bed each night or whether there is any place open at 6 am for your morning caffeine fix. Train schedules? No problem. Sleeping next to snoring strangers? Not an issue. Rain jacket or poncho? Who cares?!
Worry about breaking your shoes in. Before you leave home.
Then get going. Throw a few things in a backpack, grab your passport and ATM card, jump on a plane and fly across the big, scary ocean. Relish arriving in a country where no one knows you, you don’t speak the local language and you are scared out of your bones. Grab it, live it, embrace it!
Take the first breath and step. Then another. And another. Until your rhythm kicks in.
Sure, there will be times when things get rough. Give yourself 500 steps for a pity party and then no more. Take a hundred more steps and get a sip of water as a reward. Eat chocolate for lunch and drink more wine than is respectable at home.
Look up at the sky and realize that Camino clouds are totally different from the clouds at home. And so are you.
Shout! Sing! Twirl!
Write the world’s greatest novel in your head. Or the love letter you never had the guts to send. The road is long and you’ve got all the time in the world.
Keep a diary in Brierly’s margins. Spill a little wine on it, write an address on the table of contents. Fold a page into a paper airplane for a local kid. Doodle on the back cover.
Stretch out at the end of the day. Lose all your regrets.
Respect other pilgrims. And yourself. Clean up and do your laundry, even when you’re tired. There’s a fine line between being a pilgrim and a hobo.
Appreciate your body. Treat it kindly and reward it with a long, hot bath at the end of the trail.
Pray. For forgiveness and grace and thanks and hope. Even for world peace, which seems in short supply these days.
But don’t forget to break in the shoes. Trust me on this one.
Thanks for such a simple and helpful advice. I start on April 6 and think about it every day. I wonder if plastic trowels (lightweight) are available for trail emergency burials? We always take a metal one when hiking in the wildernessA few suggestions:-
1. The last one's easy. No safety concerns, beyond normal caution (e.g. keep your passport and money on your person).
2. Unless you're very fit, give your body time to acclimatise. For the first week, moderate distances (say, 20 km a day) and a rest day after each three days' walking. You can ramp it up thereafter.
3. Don't try to keep to a schedule if you're not obliged to. It takes as long as it takes.
4. Hydrate. Plain water. Lots of it. Whether you feel thirsty or not. And...
5. If you have to "dehydrate" along the trail, so to speak, have a few ziploc bags so that you can bring your used tissues out with you. Far too many pilgrims just dump theirs on the ground under the bush behind which they ducked. It's becoming a serious problem.
6. In the albergues, after lights out thou shalt not play with thy smartphone, nor rustle thy plastic bags, nor hold whispered conversations, so that thy days might be long in the land.
7. Be very patient with yourself, and with everyone else.
8. Use as much Spanish as you possibly can. Even if you only know twenty words, and your accent is abominable. The effort makes all the difference.
9. There will be down moments, even down days. They don't last. Be prepared for them. If you're determined to reach your destination, you will.
10. Start at the beginning, wherever that is, and keep walking even through the seemingly boring bits until you reach the end. Some of the most interesting experiences and the nicest people I encountered were along stretches that a lot of people advised me to skip.
Camino Tip: Break your trail shoes in.
Everything related to the Camino depends on these five short words. Trust me on this one.
If you don’t follow this sensible advice, your entire pilgrimage will revolve around what is happening south of your ankles. That gnawing irritation between your second and third toes will be trivial compared to what is happening on the sole of your foot, right where your big toe bent down to grip the edge of the tree root you almost tripped over. Your carefully pedicured toenails may soon have black edges peaking from beyond the magenta polish that glistened beautifully just a few days before. Funny looking water-filled marbles will appear on the tips of your toes and areas of your feet you never knew existed. Complete strangers will approach you with sharp implements and thread, insisting on piercing your tender skin, leaving tiny puddles of plasma on cold tiled floors.
The soft and cushy socks that seemed so wonderfully fresh out of the package will inflate like water balloons in the blistering sun, filling every last centimeter of space in your state of the art, breathable-unless-it-gets-dirty-wet-sweaty trail shoes. You will curse whoever invented GoreTex and wonder why you put that pair of flip flops back in the closet to save 6 measly ounces.
Don’t worry about finding a bed each night or whether there is any place open at 6 am for your morning caffeine fix. Train schedules? No problem. Sleeping next to snoring strangers? Not an issue. Rain jacket or poncho? Who cares?!
Worry about breaking your shoes in. Before you leave home.
Then get going. Throw a few things in a backpack, grab your passport and ATM card, jump on a plane and fly across the big, scary ocean. Relish arriving in a country where no one knows you, you don’t speak the local language and you are scared out of your bones. Grab it, live it, embrace it!
Take the first breath and step. Then another. And another. Until your rhythm kicks in.
Sure, there will be times when things get rough. Give yourself 500 steps for a pity party and then no more. Take a hundred more steps and get a sip of water as a reward. Eat chocolate for lunch and drink more wine than is respectable at home.
Look up at the sky and realize that Camino clouds are totally different from the clouds at home. And so are you.
Shout! Sing! Twirl!
Write the world’s greatest novel in your head. Or the love letter you never had the guts to send. The road is long and you’ve got all the time in the world.
Keep a diary in Brierly’s margins. Spill a little wine on it, write an address on the table of contents. Fold a page into a paper airplane for a local kid. Doodle on the back cover.
Stretch out at the end of the day. Lose all your regrets.
Respect other pilgrims. And yourself. Clean up and do your laundry, even when you’re tired. There’s a fine line between being a pilgrim and a hobo.
Appreciate your body. Treat it kindly and reward it with a long, hot bath at the end of the trail.
Pray. For forgiveness and grace and thanks and hope. Even for world peace, which seems in short supply these days.
But don’t forget to break in the shoes. Trust me on this one.
Read all you can about blister prevention before you set off. It was sad to see people hobbling along in pain or to see the sad state of their feet in the albergues.
Ideally wear tape on the soles and heels on your feet, two pairs of socks and buy shoes at least half a size bigger than you usually take.
yep- the most important - I am amazed at the weight some people will carry - 7 kgs is doable - we always leave home with no more than 7 kilos - including pack. Bt have not added in food and water that you may need to carry - so yes slightly more but at least you lose the food and water weight progressively. We did the Mozarabe last year and that is a hard camino so weight is everything - it depends on terrain once you start walking - there are some good websites for light backpacking and some great suggestions - I know it sounds silly but I even cut my toothbrush in half and use the small airline toothpaste packs from Emirates - of course we go as a couple so you can share stuff as well - that helps the weight.Light, Light, Light backpack. 7kg sounds great! Sounds impossible, but try as hard as you can!!!
I went to do my 3rd Camino in January and once agawin my bag was FAR to heavy. At times with food and water 16kg. I know, I know, I should know better! However each time I get to Spain - 2 days in and I lighten my load. I get it down to 11 kg - still too heavy!!! But better!
So pack your bag. With everything you are taking and walk with it, for 10km. Then repack and see what you can leave behind.
Remember - you are constantly walking through villages that have stores! (and if you need to you can take a bus/train to the next store to get something you NEED!)
Pack Light! That is my most important point.
Camino Tip: Break your trail shoes in.
Everything related to the Camino depends on these five short words. Trust me on this one.
If you don’t follow this sensible advice, your entire pilgrimage will revolve around what is happening south of your ankles. That gnawing irritation between your second and third toes will be trivial compared to what is happening on the sole of your foot, right where your big toe bent down to grip the edge of the tree root you almost tripped over. Your carefully pedicured toenails may soon have black edges peaking from beyond the magenta polish that glistened beautifully just a few days before. Funny looking water-filled marbles will appear on the tips of your toes and areas of your feet you never knew existed. Complete strangers will approach you with sharp implements and thread, insisting on piercing your tender skin, leaving tiny puddles of plasma on cold tiled floors.
The soft and cushy socks that seemed so wonderfully fresh out of the package will inflate like water balloons in the blistering sun, filling every last centimeter of space in your state of the art, breathable-unless-it-gets-dirty-wet-sweaty trail shoes. You will curse whoever invented GoreTex and wonder why you put that pair of flip flops back in the closet to save 6 measly ounces.
Don’t worry about finding a bed each night or whether there is any place open at 6 am for your morning caffeine fix. Train schedules? No problem. Sleeping next to snoring strangers? Not an issue. Rain jacket or poncho? Who cares?!
Worry about breaking your shoes in. Before you leave home.
Then get going. Throw a few things in a backpack, grab your passport and ATM card, jump on a plane and fly across the big, scary ocean. Relish arriving in a country where no one knows you, you don’t speak the local language and you are scared out of your bones. Grab it, live it, embrace it!
Take the first breath and step. Then another. And another. Until your rhythm kicks in.
Sure, there will be times when things get rough. Give yourself 500 steps for a pity party and then no more. Take a hundred more steps and get a sip of water as a reward. Eat chocolate for lunch and drink more wine than is respectable at home.
Look up at the sky and realize that Camino clouds are totally different from the clouds at home. And so are you.
Shout! Sing! Twirl!
Write the world’s greatest novel in your head. Or the love letter you never had the guts to send. The road is long and you’ve got all the time in the world.
Keep a diary in Brierly’s margins. Spill a little wine on it, write an address on the table of contents. Fold a page into a paper airplane for a local kid. Doodle on the back cover.
Stretch out at the end of the day. Lose all your regrets.
Respect other pilgrims. And yourself. Clean up and do your laundry, even when you’re tired. There’s a fine line between being a pilgrim and a hobo.
Appreciate your body. Treat it kindly and reward it with a long, hot bath at the end of the trail.
Pray. For forgiveness and grace and thanks and hope. Even for world peace, which seems in short supply these days.
But don’t forget to break in the shoes. Trust me on this one.
Yes, FrancesI would assume the Francés, inasmuch as that is the forum in which this thread is posted.
I expect my daughter won't always want to go at my pace, either! I hope our paths cross. My daughter is 15, so I definitely expect we'll stay in the same towns!Thank you for this wonderful post and such great yet very simple advice. How fun to discover a family starting the Camino in April - my 20 year old son and I will also begin the Camino during that first week of April. I'm not anticipating that we'll always walk together or even stay in the same towns. I have almost 40 years on that young whipper-snapper and thus my pace will certainly be 'more relaxed'But I'm so very grateful for this opportunity to be on the same path with my son for those 7 weeks. Perhaps we'll see you there!!!
My misc. quick comments: Before you even get on the plane/bus/train do the following: Walk your town, city, whatever with EXACTLY the equipment you are going to use. Go in rain, go in sun. Carry the pack/bag you are going to actually use and fill it to represent the rough final weight. Walk in some areas where you live where you have never been. Of course, pack really light. Merino wool is the utterly magic material for me. Invest in protecting your head from rain and sun. With a little research and some clever purchases, you wake up and welcome any weather whatsoever. And, as others have said, everything falls apart if you don't really arrive with the right shoes (and socks) that already have 50 to 100 miles on them. I have been on long treks where wonderful people headed out the first day with their expensive new shoes with custom inserts that had been prescribed and measured by an orthopedist. I promise you that this is the recipe for utter and continued misery.... To end on a happy note, being comfortable ambling along day after day can be utterly transformative.My daughter & I will be walking the camino together from April-June. What would be the top tips you'd give to a first time walker? What should we avoid? What locations should we be sure to visit? How much should we expect to spend? Are there safety concerns I should be aware of?
Thanks for any tips you can give us!
Alice
Love the advice! Looking forward to my first Camino in September 2017 from Porto to Santiago and will remember these straightforward but wise words.
A few suggestions:-
4. Hydrate. Plain water. Lots of it. Whether you feel thirsty or not. And...
.
EASY - just enjoy it all, you will probably only do it once, do not forget it is not a race! - too many people treat it as it is, if you do you will miss a lot, so take your time and keep a journal, afterwards you forget so much, well you do at my age!!!My daughter & I will be walking the camino together from April-June. What would be the top tips you'd give to a first time walker? What should we avoid? What locations should we be sure to visit? How much should we expect to spend? Are there safety concerns I should be aware of?
Thanks for any tips you can give us!
Alice
Thanks for the tip -- and buen camino!No.4 is the most important.
I started the Camino on 14 March 2015 and despite the snow and cold weather, by 21 March I had to end my pilgrimage. I suffered severe muscle cramps and I could barely walk down stairs.
Took me three days to recover in Barcelona I was so dehydrated. Before you think of food or beer - think water. I am planning to do the Camino in May this year and I will take electrolyte with me as well as drinking copious amounts of water.
Cheers
Andrew
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