Traveling in groups

[kellyz]

Hi,
I'm a high school teacher planning to bring a small group of 2014 grads on the Camino from Astorga to Santiago. I'm wondering if anyone knows if there are restrictions on groups checking into albergues. (I know we can't reserve.)

Any other advice about walking with/ facilitating/arranging small (6-10) groups, especially of young people, would be greatly appreciated!
I've walked a few caminos on my own, but "leading" is new.
Thanks, Kelly

 

[Felipe]

Actually, it is possible to make reservations in *private* albergues. It is advisable for groups, and probably more or less mandatory after Sarriá, when the Camino gets really crowded.
The "no reservation" rule is for parochial and municipal albergues.

 

[hnguyen]

Hi,
I'm a high school teacher planning to bring a small group of 2014 grads on the Camino from Astorga to Santiago. I'm wondering if anyone knows if there are restrictions on groups checking into albergues. (I know we can't reserve.)

Any other advice about walking with/ facilitating/arranging small (6-10) groups, especially of young people, would be greatly appreciated!
I've walked a few caminos on my own, but "leading" is new.
Thanks, Kelly

Kelly,
During the first week of May last year I walked, off and on, with a group of about a dozen Spanish high school students, one teacher and 3 parents (this was after Sarria). The teacher told me that they had albergue reservations every night but I did not know if these albergues were private or not (perhaps some municipal/parochial albergues make exception about accepting reservations for Spanish groups?!!?) About your second request: Yes, I think taking a group of young people on a portion of the camino is feasible, with careful organization, preparation and expectation. In 2009 I successfully took 11 American college students on an extended study tour for the entire semester (15+ weeks) to 3 countries (Vietnam, Thailand and China.) Let me know if you want more details about how I went about preparing the group for this trip.
Ho

 

[CISSA69]

Hi,
I'm a high school teacher planning to bring a small group of 2014 grads on the Camino from Astorga to Santiago. I'm wondering if anyone knows if there are restrictions on groups checking into albergues. (I know we can't reserve.)

Any other advice about walking with/ facilitating/arranging small (6-10) groups, especially of young people, would be greatly appreciated!
I've walked a few caminos on my own, but "leading" is new.
Thanks, Kelly

Hi Kelly,

My understanding is that the only Albergue that does not allow large groups is the CSJ refuge at Rabanal. I think that they let in groups up to 6 or 7. Not aware of any others. From Saria to Santiago there are likely to be lots of school groups so the albergues are used to dealing with their needs. In Rabanal there are at least two other albergues to choose from, so accommodation should not be an issue.

With regards to reserving, it might be possible to reserve the private hostals.

I think there can be some prejudice against young people and groups on the Camino. Pilgrims are challenged by their youthful exuberance and maybe jealous that they are part of a group while they themselves are on their own. That said, I think it might be a good idea to give your charges some skills/techniques on how to put fellow pilgrims who are challenged by their behaviour at ease. I do not think that the young people should have to change their behaviour but learn how to defuse tensions with fellow pilgrims and bring them in. I came across a group of Danish pilgrims who did this with me, when I was challenged by their chatter and behaviour. They put me at ease and ultimately in my place (as I got to see the error of my ways) and we became best of buddies, keeping an eye out for each other the whole way to Santiago.

Young people may not be so good at taking care of their feet etc so a good idea to keep an eye on them. Then again it is good to let them learn and not molly coddle them the whole time.

Would it be possible to start at Hosptital De Obrigo. There is a really cool old world albergue there and the walk from Hospital to Astorga is magical, especially if your take the route away from the motorway (turn right outside Hospital) and head through little villages before having a morning coffee at Davids "House of Love" some 5 KMs before Astorga. A perfect way to start.

I also think it would be a great idea if you could derive some sort of "ceremony" to follow through when you get to Cruiz De Ferro; where pilgrims traditionally leave a stone behind symbolising something from the past. I saw a group of tourist do this once and it was lovely to see. The joined hands around the cross, the leader said some words/prayers, then each of the tourists said a few words, sang songs, cried, hugged ..... before heading off. It is a good place to have a picnic as you get to see how different pilgrims experience it. It is not a nice place to picnic but a good place.

The walk from Cruiz de Ferro is magical and very ancient. It would be cool if you could stay at Mandarin with Thomas who is a knights templor. Facilites are very basic, more like what it was like a 100 years ago on the Camino .... Thomas is a fountain of knowledge and the food is great. Looks terrible but it is a place to remember.

I have no doubt that you will have an amazing time as will the young people in your charge.

Regards

Cyril

 

[kellyz]

Hi Cyril,
I was a hospiterla at Rabanal, and that was my introduciton to the restriction. I was curious if there others. I guess it was specific to that albergue.
Thank you for these wonderful ideas. I was always personally challenged by the idea of staying at Mandarin by myself (and I mean no disparagement by that), but in a group that could be quite an experience. Also a great suggestion to start at Hospital. Hm. Lots of great things to think about.
If only I can get the liability issue dealt with first. I was hoping to be covered by my school's policy, but that is looking unlikely. Do you happen to know how difficult/expensive it is to get liability coverage and if I would need to incorporate and get DO converage...
Thanks again,
Kelly

Hi Kelly,

My understanding is that the only Albergue that does not allow large groups is the CSJ refuge at Rabanal. I think that they let in groups up to 6 or 7. Not aware of any others. From Saria to Santiago there are likely to be lots of school groups so the albergues are used to dealing with their needs. In Rabanal there are at least two other albergues to choose from, so accommodation should not be an issue.

With regards to reserving, it might be possible to reserve the private hostals.

I think there can be some prejudice against young people and groups on the Camino. Pilgrims are challenged by their youthful exuberance and maybe jealous that they are part of a group while they themselves are on their own. That said, I think it might be a good idea to give your charges some skills/techniques on how to put fellow pilgrims who are challenged by their behaviour at ease. I do not think that the young people should have to change their behaviour but learn how to defuse tensions with fellow pilgrims and bring them in. I came across a group of Danish pilgrims who did this with me, when I was challenged by their chatter and behaviour. They put me at ease and ultimately in my place (as I got to see the error of my ways) and we became best of buddies, keeping an eye out for each other the whole way to Santiago.

Young people may not be so good at taking care of their feet etc so a good idea to keep an eye on them. Then again it is good to let them learn and not molly coddle them the whole time.

Would it be possible to start at Hosptital De Obrigo. There is a really cool old world albergue there and the walk from Hospital to Astorga is magical, especially if your take the route away from the motorway (turn right outside Hospital) and head through little villages before having a morning coffee at Davids "House of Love" some 5 KMs before Astorga. A perfect way to start.

I also think it would be a great idea if you could derive some sort of "ceremony" to follow through when you get to Cruiz De Ferro; where pilgrims traditionally leave a stone behind symbolising something from the past. I saw a group of tourist do this once and it was lovely to see. The joined hands around the cross, the leader said some words/prayers, then each of the tourists said a few words, sang songs, cried, hugged ..... before heading off. It is a good place to have a picnic as you get to see how different pilgrims experience it. It is not a nice place to picnic but a good place.

The walk from Cruiz de Ferro is magical and very ancient. It would be cool if you could stay at Mandarin with Thomas who is a knights templor. Facilites are very basic, more like what it was like a 100 years ago on the Camino .... Thomas is a fountain of knowledge and the food is great. Looks terrible but it is a place to remember.

I have no doubt that you will have an amazing time as will the young people in your charge.

Regards

Cyril

 

[kellyz]

Kelly,
During the first week of May last year I walked, off and on, with a group of about a dozen Spanish high school students, one teacher and 3 parents (this was after Sarria). The teacher told me that they had albergue reservations every night but I did not know if these albergues were private or not (perhaps some municipal/parochial albergues make exception about accepting reservations for Spanish groups?!!?) About your second request: Yes, I think taking a group of young people on a portion of the camino is feasible, with careful organization, preparation and expectation. In 2009 I successfully took 11 American college students on an extended study tour for the entire semester (15+ weeks) to 3 countries (Vietnam, Thailand and China.) Let me know if you want more details about how I went about preparing the group for this trip.
Ho

Hi Ho,
Thank you. Yes, actually. My concern right now is liability. Were you covered by an organizations liability insurance or did you have to get your own. As I mentioned in my response to Cyril, I'd planned to be covered by my school, but that may not be the case. So, I'm trying to protect myself from my litigous culture and the mechanizations of insurance companies should one of my travelers become injured. But I want to keep participant costs as low as possible and I do not have extra funds myself... So, in short, perhaps a miracle But advice would be great, too.
Thanks,
Kelly

 

[dustylee]

I walked from Astorga in 2010 & after getting terrible blisters, I decided to send part of my luggage by taxi every day so I had to call ahead to the private albergues to assure that I would have a place. I had no problem making reservations one day in advance & I am sure you can do so if you plan ahead.

 

[Kiwi-family]

Could each participant get their own medical/travel insurance and if anything goes wrong they sort it for themselves?

 

[hnguyen]

Hi Ho,
Thank you. Yes, actually. My concern right now is liability. Were you covered by an organizations liability insurance or did you have to get your own. As I mentioned in my response to Cyril, I'd planned to be covered by my school, but that may not be the case. So, I'm trying to protect myself from my litigous culture and the mechanizations of insurance companies should one of my travelers become injured. But I want to keep participant costs as low as possible and I do not have extra funds myself... So, in short, perhaps a miracle But advice would be great, too.
Thanks,
Kelly

FYI, I'm an American citizen so I can appreciate your concern about legal liability!! I'm a faculty member (actually 'emeritus' as of this date) at a state liberal arts college. The key word here is "state" - which means my college (and the state) covers my liability should something happens during the study tour. In addition to that coverage, I also had my personal 'umbrella' insurance policy updated and upgraded. The college also provided health insurance for all participants (who were all students at the college.) As I recall, this travel health insurance was very reasonable in cost. You have a couple of obvious advantages over my situation: your trip is shorter and the number of participants is smaller. You did not mention how long (time wise) your trip is. If you have a choice, opt for shorter rather than longer duration - to minimize risk! Perhaps you can also shorten the length on the camino - maybe starting from Sarria?!! Also, is it feasible to include some parents (at their expense) or faculty for additional eyes/ears. Good luck and buen camino!

 

[kellyz]

Thanks for the ideas and advice! I'm still in limbo with my school but hopefully they will cover me. It is sad how complicated traveling with an organized group is within the American legal culture.

 

[indyinmaine]

If you are doing on your own have each of the parents sign a release form. It takes care of one level of liability and that is "your doing something" which jeopardizes them. All other facilities (busses, albergues, etc) should have their own liability insurance IF anything did happen. As for medical/travel insurance there are agents, including myself, which can write you a group policy for the duration of you walk.