Walking in 2009!

[Peggy]

Hello,

I am Peggy. My sister Sarah and I are planning to walk the Camino almost a year and a half in advance. Sarah lives in New Jersey and I live in Scotland.

We need to start planning this far ahead for assorted domestic reasons.

For me, the biggest immediate hurdle is I am going to be applying to my employer to allow me to take all my annual leave in one lump. Has anybody had difficulty with this one? Any words of advice?

Kind regards

Peggy

 

[Deleted member 397]

Greetings Peggy
Getting time off depends on your employer I suppose but maybe if you play up the spiritual aspect they will be more sympathetic-you'd also be giving them plenty of time!
Have you decided on which route? I'm not very keen on the camino frances TOO crowded. I walked the via de la plata but thats about 40 days. Next year I'm planning on from Granada than the camino del norte. The latter is about 800 kms and is along the coast and is not nearly as crowded as the CF. Don't forget decent shoes and don't take more than 6 kgs. You'll be singing my praises on the camino if you follow the latter piece of advice!

 

[madrid12]

Hi Peggy
I walked the Camino Frances from Roncesvalles to Finisterre in 2002, I had mentioned this to my manager lots of times and eventually arranged 2 months unpaid leave in March and April, this was the best time to go due to monthly pay dates and less staff being off.

 

[Peggy]

Thanks for the replies - I'm going to speak to the director about all of this in January. Wish me luck! I think I'll take up the last suggestion and ask when would be a convenient time for the business for me to be away.

 

[Arn]

Peggy,

You have the right of it...planning ahead IS the key! Let them know as early as possible so they can plan...make them part of Your Camino. I don't know who you work for...but, early planning makes for better results.

Yes, the Camino Frances is most crowded...but early on... we will find out. I am going in April of 2008...so I'll be better able to answer your questions.

Please, take the time to review all the fantastic threads that are here. When you have a question...rather than just getting in the forum, seek out the threads already there. Look at the "wiki". See what Sil, Johnny Walker, Br David, Rafferty, Deirdre, Vinotinto, Hilda and our Host Ivar have asked and have given to make your Camino the best...til the next time you walk the Milky Way.

Buen Camino
Arn

 

[WolverineDG]

Hi Peggy! Welcome to the forum! Lots of us started planning to walk the Camino at least one year out, so don't feel like this is something weird. I have friends who've got cruises planned for 2010! :shock:

As for your work, I suppose you could schedule some time to speak with the person in charge of granting leave time. At my work, we can accumulate up to a certain number of hours, which we can use all at once. I had initially planned to take an entire month off to walk the camino, but because of personal responsibilities, I couldn't do that. So I divided my trek into 3 parts. I've completed the first 2; I'll finish the Camino next September.

Feel free to ask away. We're here to answer your questions. As for the CF being crowded, yes there are a lot of people on it, but if you avoid the "high" pilgrim season (June-August), you'll do okay.

Kelly

 

[cecelia]

Hi Peggy,
I have walked in April and although there are lots of people, it was seldom too crowded. It's easy to spend lots of time alone if that's what you want. It's also easy to spend as much time as you want with others. People walking the camino seem to quickly develop a sensitivity to others - at least as far as alone time vs group time. How crowded it will be in 2009 is still a big question of course. Many devoted Catholics will likely hold back for the 2010 Holy Year but many others may decide to jump in before the Holy Year to avoid the crowds. The worst that will happen is that you may occasionally need to find accommodation outside of the albergue system. Look for a "hostal" (a clean but bare basics hotel), a "pension" (your own bedroom and shared bathroom down the hall) or a newer "casa rural" (your own bedroom and most times bathroom as well). All work well and can occasionally be a nice change from sleeping with a dozen or two others in the room.
AS far as the planning ahead - I suggest that you pick your areas that need planning (like your work situation, and definitely your feet and backpack, where you will start and how to get there) but don't overplan everything. The camino journey for you will be what it will be regardless of your planning. Some aspects may be quite difficult, others will undoubtedly be wonderful.
I have noticed that some people who have overplanned have had quite a stressful time when the reality of the camino didn't fit the plan. Get yourself as much time off as you can - anything over 40 days is glorious and then absorb yourself in the actual experience - and yes the planning is part of that. Enjoy, enjoy! Your camino started with your decision to go. Open up to change and growth, new friends and experiences.
Muy buen camino (and yes - if you don't speak Spanish, you've got lots of time to learn some basics - it's worth it)
cecelia

 

[vinotinto]

For me, the biggest immediate hurdle is I am going to be applying to my employer to allow me to take all my annual leave in one lump. Has anybody had difficulty with this one? Any words of advice?

I took a leave of absence from my job during July-August of 2007 to do the Camino. My workplace has a leave of absence program, and having been there for 10 years, I figured the time was right to go for it. And since they are a Catholic organization, I suppose they supported the idea of the Camino. Indeed, it was approved the same day I submitted it, which was definitely unexpected.

While on the Way, I had to use up all my vacation days, and the remainder of my time was unpaid leave. Luckily the Camino is a cheap way to find yourself... ;-) I took a full two months off so that I would have plenty of time to do the Way (it ended up taking me 40 days to get from St. Jean to Santiago, including some break days). I also chilled out in France before and after walking, and spent a couple days in Santiago relishing the completion of the walk. It was nice to have some preparation/decompression time before and after the pilgrimage.

Indeed, I recommend planning for extra time. You may need it to recover from pain, illness, or even injury (my break days certainly helped me to get up to speed). As others have stated, it seems that those who are rushed often run into problems for that reason. Don't let that happen to you.

It's hard to know what specific advice to give you for your specific situation, though. I don't know how long you've been with your employer, your standing with them, your corporate culture, or how they (& your coworkers who'll have to cover for you) will react to your request. But if you feel strongly enough to do it, then go for it. You only live once, and the Camino is definitely something worth a leave of absence. It would be good if you can somehow link your request to a benefit for your employer, although that may or may not fly.

Some things I did to help prep my company for my leave, and to help out afterwards: 1) I communicated with my customers about the situation - the timeline, who to contact while I was gone, etc. 2) I took extra oncall shifts and helped others with their workload before I left, 3) I checked company emails while on the Way at internet cafes & responded as needed, and 4) I took extra duties upon my return to give my coworkers a respite. In fact, I hoped that doing the Camino would give me a better attitude towards my job, and it did just that. Fulfilling a dream and living an adventure that people write books about can have that kind of effect on a guy, especially when he's having a mid-life crisis... :wink:

Hope all this helps - Buen Camino! :arrow:

 

[brendan nolan]

Hi Peggy,
Re getting time off. Obviously it all depends on your situation and your employer, but I did hear of one pilgrim, (Canadian I think), where the employer was not being at all co-operative. So the pilgrim began his pilgrimage immediately, there and then - he walked out :!:
Hope it doesn't come to this in your situation. Enjoy the planning.
Buen Camino
Brendan