walking it solo

[sweet-disposition]

Hello,
I'm a university student from the States starting the Camino Frances alone this summer. As a young woman, many people have discouraged me to do this... To those who have walked the Camino: What are your opinions on walking it alone? Do you have any tips? What have you observed about others walking alone?
I'm pretty confident and friendly, so I'm not too worried. But I also want to make sure to be cautious and practical. Thank you for your input I'm so glad I discovered this site, and can't wait to read more!

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Covered many times. This link brings you to a page where you can check out the other threads on the the topic: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/search/6490378/?q=solo&o=date&c[title_only]=1

 

[MTtoCamino]

Hello,
I'm a university student from the States starting the Camino Frances alone this summer. As a young woman, many people have discouraged me to do this... To those who have walked the Camino: What are your opinions on walking it alone? Do you have any tips? What have you observed about others walking alone?
I'm pretty confident and friendly, so I'm not too worried. But I also want to make sure to be cautious and practical. Thank you for your input I'm so glad I discovered this site, and can't wait to read more!

Welcome to the site, you will not be alone. Most people find others to walk with or meet up with at days end. You will be fine just use common sense.

 

[sweet-disposition]

Covered many times. This link brings you to a page where you can check out the other threads on the the topic: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/search/6490378/?q=solo&o=date&c[title_only]=1

Okay, thank you. I will check it out! Still learning how to use the site

 

[sweet-disposition]

Welcome to the site, you will not be alone. Most people find others to walk with or meet up with at days end. You will be fine just use common sense.

Thanks for the feedback! Good to know

 

[Mikel Olivares]

Welcome to the Forum
In summer it will be impossible for you to walk alone.
You will always be accompanied by dozens of pilgrims.
Do not worry and enjoy it.

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

Hello,
I'm a university student from the States starting the Camino Frances alone this summer. As a young woman, many people have discouraged me to do this... To those who have walked the Camino: What are your opinions on walking it alone? Do you have any tips? What have you observed about others walking alone?
I'm pretty confident and friendly, so I'm not too worried. But I also want to make sure to be cautious and practical. Thank you for your input I'm so glad I discovered this site, and can't wait to read more!

Hello and welcome to this wonderful Camino family.
My wife walked also alone in September 2014 and it was no problem what so ever.
In summer is it almost impossible to walk alone.
Wish you a wonderful time and a Buen Camino,Peter.

 

[Fritzi]

I am walking alone as well and to be honest, I am so much looking forward to do something just solely by myself. Not having to talk to colleagues I am not even interested in, not having to listen to another guy story from my single friends, not hearing any stupid, propaganda news story or having to watch another cat video clip that people are sharing. I will cherish this time so much and be fully egoistic

After a couple of days I might get nuts not having talked to others and will be the weirdo who starts random conversations with strangers

Regarding your question and should you or your friends question the safety, I am sure everything will be fine. Although doing the Camino this year for the first time as well, Spain is a super safe country. Compared to the States, the health care system is even better
For any case of emergency, I have my mobile phone with me and recently bought a whistle, thats all. Last one probably only because I already have everything to start the Camino already today and just felt like buying something additionally to shorten the waiting time (plus it matches my backpack )

So don't worry, everything is going to be alright. If you want to walk solo, do that. Are you up for company, you'll find plenty. And safety should be fine as well.

Enjoy and have fun!

 

[trecile]

After a couple of days I might get nuts not having talked to others and will be the weirdo who starts random conversations with strangers

There's nothing weird about starting random conversations with strangers on the Camino!

 

[Bradypus]

A woman who I know is constantly criticizing me for risking my life by going to Europe several times a year. I always assure her that I know which areas are safe and which are dangerous and I always avoid the dangerous areas.

Does she ever explain quite why she thinks Europe is so deadly? And why the USA is so safe in comparison?

 

[DurhamParish]

sweet-disposition, you'll be fine. I give it two days, three at the most, before you have a "camino family" to walk with. You'll soon find out what a "camino family" is.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Let me ask, those who suggest you not so this ... how much international travel experience do they have?

 

[linda piso]

LOL Sweet-Disposition! I went to the Holy a few years back and for six months before I left there was not a day that passed that someone didn't tell me "You have to change those plans, it's dangerous there" and each and every day my response would be to hand them the local newspaper and reply, "I'm just sayin'".
Go, go, run! People will hold you back if you let them - they are afraid, you do not have to be. I told my best friend who cried "I might not see you again, what if you die" when I was leaving. I replied, "Be at a my funeral and say with a smile, 'Linda died while living' ". Follow your heart, pay attention to the arrows!

 

[trecile]

People say the same thing when we go to Mexico.

 

[MTtoCamino]

Fear holds people in place, just realize the time to fear is when action or reaction from a true threat is at that moment. Only instinct & your mind will get you out of it. Try not to let what if turn into fear.
Buen Camino

 

[Pcav182]

When will you be going this summer? I'm also a college student who will be walking this summer. Maybe our trips will coincide?

 

[AbbyDee]

Hello,
I'm a university student from the States starting the Camino Frances alone this summer. As a young woman, many people have discouraged me to do this... To those who have walked the Camino: What are your opinions on walking it alone? Do you have any tips? What have you observed about others walking alone?
I'm pretty confident and friendly, so I'm not too worried. But I also want to make sure to be cautious and practical. Thank you for your input I'm so glad I discovered this site, and can't wait to read more!

I, too, will be walking alone and I don't feel particularly concerned about it. My husband cannot accompany me due to heath reasons, and I am looking forward to accomplishing this solo, Well, hardly solo, I look forward to the people that I will meet along the way, the stories I will hear. The Camino is not wilderness hiking, and I daresay, a lot safer than a lot of places.

 

[AbbyDee]

After a couple of days I might get nuts not having talked to others and will be the weirdo who starts random conversations with strangers



Enjoy and have fun!

I AM the weirdo who talks to strangers. I have never regretted it.

 

[Bradypus]

After a couple of days I might get nuts not having talked to others and will be the weirdo who starts random conversations with strangers

I like to walk very quiet routes and times. Last year on the S:T Olavsleden I met 3 pilgrims in 17 days (and 2 of those were a couple together). Last month I walked 200km of the Camino Sanabres over 8 days and met 2 pilgrims in total. 6 nights alone in albergues. I like solitude but I know I've had enough when I start talking to my feet as if they were separate personalities.....

 

[VNwalking]

You go, @sweet-disposition, and never mind the fear-mongers! You'll be fine.

As a young woman, many people have discouraged me to do this...

The fearful ones may just need to get out in the world a bit and understand that other places are just places, too. They have no idea what they are talking about, and what the reality is in Spain.

 

[C clearly]

To those who have walked the Camino: What are your opinions on walking it alone? Do you have any tips? What have you observed about others walking alone?

The camino is almost certainly safer than your neighbourhood. Bad things occasionally happen, but that is true almost anywhere. People are often just afraid of the unknown. Of course you should take precautions when you are walking, anywhere! Carry a phone, know the emergency number (112), be aware of where you are, walk in sight of others if you are uncomfortable, don't alone walk in the dark, watch for cars before you cross the street, etc., etc.

Maybe a majority of pilgrims start out alone, so it is hard to make observations on them. In the summer you will have a lot of company.

 

[Shanblistered]

Hello,
I'm a university student from the States starting the Camino Frances alone this summer. As a young woman, many people have discouraged me to do this... To those who have walked the Camino: What are your opinions on walking it alone? Do you have any tips? What have you observed about others walking alone?
I'm pretty confident and friendly, so I'm not too worried. But I also want to make sure to be cautious and practical. Thank you for your input I'm so glad I discovered this site, and can't wait to read more!

As a woman, it is doable. Use a lot of common sense. You will always have someone ahead of you and someone behind you walking the way. You will be friends who will be lifetime friends and friends who come and go. It is definitely worth every step and every tears when you walk the Camino! People will care for you like none other and you will also help others along the way... I say go and do it. Find you along the way.

 

[nycwalking]

University student, welcome.
I wish I'd heard about camino at your age. The rules applied to safely navigate your college campus are same as walking camino: keep a sharp eye out and enjoy the experience.

 

[Aidan21]

Hi SD,
Life is too short to live it according to someone else's fears. Fear is sometimes an appropriate response, e.g. a short lived reaction to a certain situation. No one will need to explain to you when such situations (very very occasionally) appear in your life. But to live your life in anticipation of such fear is a monumental waste of your life energy. Use that precious life energy to live and experience all the good things this world has to offer. The Camino is one of the most wonderful things you may ever experience. Go, walk, enjoy, live. Trust that life (or the Camino) will bring to you the experiences you need.
Aidan

 

[Deleted member 12253]

Hello,
I'm a university student from the States starting the Camino Frances alone this summer. As a young woman, many people have discouraged me to do this... To those who have walked the Camino: What are your opinions on walking it alone? Do you have any tips? What have you observed about others walking alone?
I'm pretty confident and friendly, so I'm not too worried. But I also want to make sure to be cautious and practical. Thank you for your input I'm so glad I discovered this site, and can't wait to read more!

Most people walk solo Buen Camino you will be walking with lots of hike

 

[Aurigny]

I walked the Francés by myself last summer (I'm a man, btw). I saw many, many women, young and less-young, start off alone at St Jean. With a single exception, none was still by herself at the end. Not because of any dangers involved, but simply because she'd made a friend along the way and decided to continue as a pair, or a member of a small group. By contrast, a lot of the guys, myself included, continued ploughing our solitary furrows all the way to SdC.

If you'd like to walk entirely by yourself, but still be within hailing distance of help if you should need any—should such an eventuality occur, it's almost certainly going to be because you've twisted an ankle rather than because ne'er-do-wells are in evidence—it's tremendously easy just to maintain a respectful distance of thirty or forty metres behind the next party that happens to be ahead of you. Believe me, during daylight hours in the summertime, they'll never be further away than that.

If anything, your chief problem will be getting out of the line of vision of your fellow pilgrims for a moment, should you need to disappear behind a convenient bush.

 

[Ian and Helen Miller]

Hello,
I'm a university student from the States starting the Camino Frances alone this summer. As a young woman, many people have discouraged me to do this... To those who have walked the Camino: What are your opinions on walking it alone? Do you have any tips? What have you observed about others walking alone?
I'm pretty confident and friendly, so I'm not too worried. But I also want to make sure to be cautious and practical. Thank you for your input I'm so glad I discovered this site, and can't wait to read more!

I was 75 when I did my camino. I can not run, can not walk fast, was not afraid, was not alone ( in all senses ) within 24 hours of walking I had a new family that was their for me if needed, go, do YOUR camino , enjoy, give thanks, become part of something so wonderful, that will change you and your life, Buen Camino

 

[Rhun Leeding]

I know it has been mentioned so much here, but you are probably safer on the Camino than you are walking through the streets of any major city in the world. Although not a woman, I've walked two caminos, the second of which I did by myself, and generally found that people will talk if you want them to.

The idea of walking by yourself and having time to think is a nice one for me, and I found that I could find space if I needed it, but could talk and find friends easily. You will find it opens your mind, and meeting people from all over the world with so many different stories bringing them to Northern Spain is a fantastic thing. Go with an open mind and enjoy!

 

[Avega]

Hello,
I'm a university student from the States starting the Camino Frances alone this summer. As a young woman, many people have discouraged me to do this... To those who have walked the Camino: What are your opinions on walking it alone? Do you have any tips? What have you observed about others walking alone?
I'm pretty confident and friendly, so I'm not too worried. But I also want to make sure to be cautious and practical. Thank you for your input I'm so glad I discovered this site, and can't wait to read more!

Hey, don't let people discourage you! it is amazing and brave to travel solo. My advise, because I've seen it in my friends from the US a lot, is: when in town, keep your money, smart phone and passport on you! not in your pockets; get a small light crossbody purse. It wouldn't hurt to keep them in ziplock bags in your backpack while walking.
Good luck and enjoy!

 

[tomnorth]

You may go alone, but you don't need to be alone on the Camino unless you want to. I went alone but had two marvelous Camino families that I walked with most of my days.

 

[JSA51988]

Hello,
I'm a university student from the States starting the Camino Frances alone this summer. As a young woman, many people have discouraged me to do this... To those who have walked the Camino: What are your opinions on walking it alone? Do you have any tips? What have you observed about others walking alone?
I'm pretty confident and friendly, so I'm not too worried. But I also want to make sure to be cautious and practical. Thank you for your input I'm so glad I discovered this site, and can't wait to read more!

I am a female doing the Camino in June 2017. I am feeling positive and keen. I hope to meet lots of new friends on the walk. I know I can do it, so I know you will do it too>

 

[Jeff Crawley]

There's nothing weird about starting random conversations with strangers on the Camino!

In fact one might say it's compulsory!

 

[Richmond Gardner]

Let me ask, those who suggest you not so this ... how much international travel experience do they have?

Exactly. People are always trying to warn you about doing something THEY are not familiar with. New or foreign equals scary. Well, fortunately YOU have other plans. Enjoy your Camino!

 

[JSA51988]

Hello,
I'm a university student from the States starting the Camino Frances alone this summer. As a young woman, many people have discouraged me to do this... To those who have walked the Camino: What are your opinions on walking it alone? Do you have any tips? What have you observed about others walking alone?
I'm pretty confident and friendly, so I'm not too worried. But I also want to make sure to be cautious and practical. Thank you for your input I'm so glad I discovered this site, and can't wait to read more!

I have stopped overthinking this. I am booked and I am going. I have booked only accommodation for the starting night and the finishing night. I am going to let it just happen. I won't put myself in danger but I will open up my mind to wonderful things that may happen.

I will NOT walk in the dark - ever! I will not race from one albergue to the next, but I will try to relax and enjoy. I want to meet people and I want to enjoy my time on the Camino.

I will NOT listen to the Naysayers and negative people around me (while they care, they don't understand - and it is not up to me to change their minds). So, let it happen and enjoy!

 

[piggyhinton]

LOL Sweet-Disposition! I went to the Holy a few years back and for six months before I left there was not a day that passed that someone didn't tell me "You have to change those plans, it's dangerous there" and each and every day my response would be to hand them the local newspaper and reply, "I'm just sayin'".
Go, go, run! People will hold you back if you let them - they are afraid, you do not have to be. I told my best friend who cried "I might not see you again, what if you die" when I was leaving. I replied, "Be at a my funeral and say with a smile, 'Linda died while living' ". Follow your heart, pay attention to the arrows!

As they say in the film The Way - you dont choose a life, you live one

 

[piggyhinton]

There's nothing weird about starting random conversations with strangers on the Camino!

Talking to complete strangers is one of the best bits of the Camino! It helps to break down pre conceived barriers, and shows that where ever you come from we are all just human under the skin! buen camino to all pilgrims

 

[iona]

I am really exited to be walking the camino as a single female but very very nervous aswell! Is it rural? For example, if I had an itinerary and was going to be 'late' to the next stop as I'm not used to hiking, is taxi / public transportation accessible on camino frances?

 

[trecile]

I am really exited to be walking the camino as a single female but very very nervous aswell! Is it rural? For example, if I had an itinerary and was going to be 'late' to the next stop as I'm not used to hiking, is taxi / public transportation accessible on camino frances?

In most areas there is a village or town every 5 to 10 km.

 

[sweet-disposition]

I am a 22 year old woman and will be doing my 2nd full Camino Frances in June 2017! I walked my first Camino with my father but we walked at different paces and I ended up seeing other pilgrims more than my father the whole trip! The Camino is such a personal experience and I believe that a lot of personal growth can come from doing the Camino on your own! You will be very safe and you end up forming close bonds with others as if you came with them any way. I am doing the Camino this time in June on my own and cannot wait to meet even more amazing people with such fascinating life stories and reasons for doing the Camino!
Buen Camino!
Marie-Claire

Thank you for the response!! I'm feeling so much better about walking the Camino this summer I'll be walking in June too .. maybe see you on the path buen Camino

 

[wcsjms]

Hello,
I'm a university student from the States starting the Camino Frances alone this summer. As a young woman, many people have discouraged me to do this... To those who have walked the Camino: What are your opinions on walking it alone? Do you have any tips? What have you observed about others walking alone?
I'm pretty confident and friendly, so I'm not too worried. But I also want to make sure to be cautious and practical. Thank you for your input I'm so glad I discovered this site, and can't wait to read more!

Apparently, you have already moved past the naysayers concern by the fact that you are going to trek the Camino this summer. GOOD FOR YOU !!! As it is no matter where you are, be aware of your surroundings and if you have any concerns, allow yourself to become part of a group trekking the Camino which is almost impossible not to. The Camino family is amazing, I can give you multiple instances where YOUNGER people made sure myself and my wife made it to the next alburgue safely. Some even stopped along the Way to make sure we made it through some difficult sections of the trail. Our packs were to heavy, we were to out of shape and had some medical issues. At one point of the trail where we had a difficult climb, when we got to the top we got a standing ovation ...lol This is what you will find along the Way, people caring and looking out for each other. Maybe not 100% of the people along Camino are like this, but I will say 90%. Oh ... be wary of the bicyclist, so you don't get run over.

Buen Camino ( Camino Frances September 2016 & next one August 2017)

 

[sweet-disposition]

Apparently, you have already moved past the naysayers concern by the fact that you are going to trek the Camino this summer. GOOD FOR YOU !!! As it is no matter where you are, be aware of your surroundings and if you have any concerns, allow yourself to become part of a group trekking the Camino which is almost impossible not to. The Camino family is amazing, I can give you multiple instances where YOUNGER people made sure myself and my wife made it to the next alburgue safely. Some even stopped along the Way to make sure we made it through some difficult sections of the trail. Our packs were to heavy, we were to out of shape and had some medical issues. At one point of the trail where we had a difficult climb, when we got to the top we got a standing ovation ...lol This is what you will find along the Way, people caring and looking out for each other. Maybe not 100% of the people along Camino are like this, but I will say 90%. Oh ... be wary of the bicyclist, so you don't get run over.

Buen Camino ( Camino Frances September 2016 & next one August 2017)

Thank you so much for the kind response and sharing some of your stories (..and advice - I'll watch out for bicyclists) Buen Camino to you as well!

 

[Rachel Woods]

Hello,
I'm a university student from the States starting the Camino Frances alone this summer. As a young woman, many people have discouraged me to do this... To those who have walked the Camino: What are your opinions on walking it alone? Do you have any tips? What have you observed about others walking alone?
I'm pretty confident and friendly, so I'm not too worried. But I also want to make sure to be cautious and practical. Thank you for your input I'm so glad I discovered this site, and can't wait to read more!

I am a 21 year old female from Australia that will be starting the Camino mid-June this year! Im also going by myself but from what i can tell we will be just fine Hope to see you there!