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On the Camino Frances in Spain, your estimate sounds comfortable (excluding air and trains). You can probably treat yourself to something nice once a week on that budget, I would imagine. (waiting for someone more familiar with Spain to weigh in on this one.)how much do I spend...
Madrid seems to be popular....where do USA folks fly out of after their trip?
Dear Nicke,
I am going to go out on a ledge here, (and undoubtedly invite some criticism), but I think your estimate may be just a bit low. My husband and I are in our 50's and have reached a point where we have stopped sweating the bottom line in our adventures. If you are more budget-conscious or budget-driven, then I think that a reasonable amount would be more in the 35-40 Euro per day range average. Our routine tended to be a cafe con leche and a pastry as we left in the morning. After 2-3 hours of walking, we would have a second breakfast of cafe con leche, eggs and bacon, and a fresh squeezed orange juice (I quickly became addicted to these!). Please note that between Roncevalles and Santiago, we paid from 3 - 9 euro for the same breakfast of two eggs and 4 slices of bacon and some toast. Fresh squeezed OJ varied between 1.5 to 4 euro...By noon, we were more than ready for a beer and a bocadillo - and sometimes we bought for fellow walkers.
By late afternoon, after we had settled into our albuergue and had washed ourselves and our clothes, we gathered with friends and imbibed and snacked some more. Sometimes we even paid to have our laundry done so that we could spend more time with friends. We met many younger pilgrims who were on a tight budget and as a result we happily pitched in more than our share of the dinner check. When they objected, we humbly countered with the simple request that they pay it forward when they reached our stage of life.
When we weren't walking and eating and drinking, we visited churches and museums and paid entrance fees and lit candles and tossed coins into the hats of those busking their way. We bought trinkets that we didn't need from children along the way, we tipped more than most would consider acceptable, and our returns were so much more than our investments. Some days we even treated ourselves to a private room to spare the other pilgrims the power of my husband's snore.
Some days are cheaper, some days are more expensive. Some people are more in the position to leave more behind in gratitude of what their lives have become. We spent hundreds of dollars on high-tech gear, and yet we met a lovely girl who just threw what existed in her dresser drawers into her pack. Sometimes the people you meet along the way are not quite there yet, and if you want to enjoy their company, compromises must be made.
While you really can do the Camino at whatever price point you decide, to cover the basics I would say 10 euro for your bed, 4 for breakfast, 5 for lunch and 10 for dinner (with wine), so almost 30 euro with no additional fun, is as cheap as you should budget.
As far as flights go, I have found skyscanner.com invaluable for planning and booking flights. They provide insight into routes and airline combinations that you may have not considered. They saved me over $800 on flights from Denver to Lisbon for our last trip, and over $900 between Denver and Madrid for Caminos 1 and 2.
Buen Camino and happy budgeting!
Loaded question...I understand. Where am I staying, how much do I spend...etc? I have figured out travel expenses to SJPP. My plan is to try and do this trip at 25-30 euros per day. Am I off base here...too high, too low? Also where do most people leave from after they complete their way. I will stay anywhere but have learned from this forum that an occasional upgrade would be beneficial. Lastly...where do USA folks fly out of after their trip?
I'm from US and booked a flight last November with justairticket. It was only $443 for round trip to and from Madrid.Loaded question...I understand. Where am I staying, how much do I spend...etc? I have figured out travel expenses to SJPP. My plan is to try and do this trip at 25-30 euros per day. Am I off base here...too high, too low? Also where do most people leave from after they complete their way. I will stay anywhere but have learned from this forum that an occasional upgrade would be beneficial. Lastly...where do USA folks fly out of after their trip?
Your estimate of 25-30 is spot on, but as others say, it all depends......All in all: More money in the bank when I return than when I left.
Ditto. I said somewhere that I have more money in the bank when I come home from the Camino than when I left... And alcohol is so expensive here, we can barely afford clothing for our children.I am similar to alexwalker, alburgues, occassional cheap hotel, 20€ when cook for myself and 30€ when eat out in the evening. I do like my wine and beer though, so if you are teatotal then it could be lower.
The camino is pretty much "free" for those of us living in Scandinavia, i.e. just as expensive as being at home (pint of Guinness in Helsinki is 8€, bottle of cheap cooking wine 7€, drinkable 15€, decent 20€ i.e Campo Veijo generic spanish plonk is 5€ in Spain and 15€ in Finland. Wine in a restaurant in Finland is 30€ plus. Meal for two plus wine in Helsinki is always 100€ plus).
Loaded question...I understand. Where am I staying, how much do I spend...etc? I have figured out travel expenses to SJPP. My plan is to try and do this trip at 25-30 euros per day. Am I off base here...too high, too low? Also where do most people leave from after they complete their way. I will stay anywhere but have learned from this forum that an occasional upgrade would be beneficial. Lastly...where do USA folks fly out of after their trip?
My son (15 yo) and I averaged about $50 US per day. We stayed at albergues. We cooked our meals about half the time (often teaming up with other pilgrims), and ate out at restaurants (pilgrim's menu) about half the time. We splurged on a meal in Burgos. We did laundry almost every night in the washing machine and dryers. We could have saved money by hand washing and line drying. We also gave 15-20 euros per person at donativos. -- As for flying-- I use http://matrix.itasoftware.com to find a cheap flight. It's a very flexible search engine, and you can find some great deals. Last Spring we flew for $377 round trip from Toronto to Paris. We live about 4 hours from Toronto-- I found that flights are far cheaper departing from Canada than the US. You may find a similar situation with Mexico. I don't know.
Ultreia.
He, he, my friend, I see where you come from.Firstly, it is a pilgrimage not a cheap vacation. These kind of threads about how "low can I go" always drive me nuts. Sure most of us try to operate on a budget, after all it does take some planning to do your Camino, but this maybe the only time in your life you get to enjoy Spain for 10, 30, 45 days from a perspective most people will never see it.
I try not to spend more than 30 euros but at the end of my Camino I normally find I've spent something between 50 and 60 euros/day. I sleep in albergues most of the time but I'll take a private room if I feel I need some solitude and I'll splurge on a Parador at least once. I eat and drink to my hearts content, after all this is Spain one of the most notable places in the world for cuisine; so enjoy their wine and food. A bocadilla for lunch and dinner gets about as boring as steady diet of Mickey D's. My rant is over, enough said.
25-30 euros a day and you will be a comfortable pilgrimLoaded question...I understand. Where am I staying, how much do I spend...etc? I have figured out travel expenses to SJPP. My plan is to try and do this trip at 25-30 euros per day. Am I off base here...too high, too low? Also where do most people leave from after they complete their way. I will stay anywhere but have learned from this forum that an occasional upgrade would be beneficial. Lastly...where do USA folks fly out of after their trip?
Dear Nicke,
I am going to go out on a ledge here, (and undoubtedly invite some criticism), but I think your estimate may be just a bit low. My husband and I are in our 50's and have reached a point where we have stopped sweating the bottom line in our adventures. If you are more budget-conscious or budget-driven, then I think that a reasonable amount would be more in the 35-40 Euro per day range average. Our routine tended to be a cafe con leche and a pastry as we left in the morning. After 2-3 hours of walking, we would have a second breakfast of cafe con leche, eggs and bacon, and a fresh squeezed orange juice (I quickly became addicted to these!). Please note that between Roncevalles and Santiago, we paid from 3 - 9 euro for the same breakfast of two eggs and 4 slices of bacon and some toast. Fresh squeezed OJ varied between 1.5 to 4 euro...By noon, we were more than ready for a beer and a bocadillo - and sometimes we bought for fellow walkers.
By late afternoon, after we had settled into our albuergue and had washed ourselves and our clothes, we gathered with friends and imbibed and snacked some more. Sometimes we even paid to have our laundry done so that we could spend more time with friends. We met many younger pilgrims who were on a tight budget and as a result we happily pitched in more than our share of the dinner check. When they objected, we humbly countered with the simple request that they pay it forward when they reached our stage of life.
When we weren't walking and eating and drinking, we visited churches and museums and paid entrance fees and lit candles and tossed coins into the hats of those busking their way. We bought trinkets that we didn't need from children along the way, we tipped more than most would consider acceptable, and our returns were so much more than our investments. Some days we even treated ourselves to a private room to spare the other pilgrims the power of my husband's snore.
Some days are cheaper, some days are more expensive. Some people are more in the position to leave more behind in gratitude of what their lives have become. We spent hundreds of dollars on high-tech gear, and yet we met a lovely girl who just threw what existed in her dresser drawers into her pack. Sometimes the people you meet along the way are not quite there yet, and if you want to enjoy their company, compromises must be made.
While you really can do the Camino at whatever price point you decide, to cover the basics I would say 10 euro for your bed, 4 for breakfast, 5 for lunch and 10 for dinner (with wine), so almost 30 euro with no additional fun, is as cheap as you should budget.
As far as flights go, I have found skyscanner.com invaluable for planning and booking flights. They provide insight into routes and airline combinations that you may have not considered. They saved me over $800 on flights from Denver to Lisbon for our last trip, and over $900 between Denver and Madrid for Caminos 1 and 2.
Buen Camino and happy budgeting!
Cooking for yourself 2 or 3 times a weeks saves a lot, and it is very pleasant and fun to make a meal with new friends.
But beware of being too frugal: local people's expectations of you are coloured by the fact that they know perfectly well what your flights will have cost. So European young people and elderly can get away with spending very little, whereas a mature Antipodean or American would maybe be seen as a freeloader or a penny pincher if they spent the same. But equally throwing money around for the sake of it is seen as very poor taste in Europe, e.g. giving big tips in restaurants for no good reason. Following the sound budgeting advice on this thread will keep you on the line between these two extremes.
Go Team Colorado!!!Thank you so much for your insight and reply. I am turning 50 and can afford to spend what is needed, however I want to do exactly as you have said you and your husband have done. Pay it forward and on the trail and help others whenever possible. I appreciated the insight. I am from Denver but now residing in Austin. Great info from everyone! Thank you so much!
Thanks so much. Would be great to see you in London. Here's a heart warming tidbit for you. You might have heard of a certain incident in London this week. Tonight I went to an event run by Afghan and Iranian ladies, to celebrate their new year. It was so much fun, there was dancing and food. Two female police officers arrived and joined in the dancing, in their uniforms, and let the women and children try on their hats and jackets for photos. We don't sit around moping and worrying about terrorism. Come and see!Thank you! I have read many of your posts and replies and have found your information spot on much of the time, well all of the time thus far. I appreciate the feedback very much and am doing my due diligence with my guide reading and forum info. Also I have been doing Rosetta Stone for a few months...still sucking there but can't wait to put some of it to use. If I ever get to London, you are someone I'd love to share Camino stories with. Thanks again!
Nick
You definitely walk my kind of Camino!Dear Nicke,
I am going to go out on a ledge here, (and undoubtedly invite some criticism), but I think your estimate may be just a bit low. My husband and I are in our 50's and have reached a point where we have stopped sweating the bottom line in our adventures. If you are more budget-conscious or budget-driven, then I think that a reasonable amount would be more in the 35-40 Euro per day range average. Our routine tended to be a cafe con leche and a pastry as we left in the morning. After 2-3 hours of walking, we would have a second breakfast of cafe con leche, eggs and bacon, and a fresh squeezed orange juice (I quickly became addicted to these!). Please note that between Roncevalles and Santiago, we paid from 3 - 9 euro for the same breakfast of two eggs and 4 slices of bacon and some toast. Fresh squeezed OJ varied between 1.5 to 4 euro...By noon, we were more than ready for a beer and a bocadillo - and sometimes we bought for fellow walkers.
By late afternoon, after we had settled into our albuergue and had washed ourselves and our clothes, we gathered with friends and imbibed and snacked some more. Sometimes we even paid to have our laundry done so that we could spend more time with friends. We met many younger pilgrims who were on a tight budget and as a result we happily pitched in more than our share of the dinner check. When they objected, we humbly countered with the simple request that they pay it forward when they reached our stage of life.
When we weren't walking and eating and drinking, we visited churches and museums and paid entrance fees and lit candles and tossed coins into the hats of those busking their way. We bought trinkets that we didn't need from children along the way, we tipped more than most would consider acceptable, and our returns were so much more than our investments. Some days we even treated ourselves to a private room to spare the other pilgrims the power of my husband's snore.
Some days are cheaper, some days are more expensive. Some people are more in the position to leave more behind in gratitude of what their lives have become. We spent hundreds of dollars on high-tech gear, and yet we met a lovely girl who just threw what existed in her dresser drawers into her pack. Sometimes the people you meet along the way are not quite there yet, and if you want to enjoy their company, compromises must be made.
While you really can do the Camino at whatever price point you decide, to cover the basics I would say 10 euro for your bed, 4 for breakfast, 5 for lunch and 10 for dinner (with wine), so almost 30 euro with no additional fun, is as cheap as you should budget.
As far as flights go, I have found skyscanner.com invaluable for planning and booking flights. They provide insight into routes and airline combinations that you may have not considered. They saved me over $800 on flights from Denver to Lisbon for our last trip, and over $900 between Denver and Madrid for Caminos 1 and 2.
Buen Camino and happy budgeting!
Loaded question...I understand. Where am I staying, how much do I spend...etc? I have figured out travel expenses to SJPP. My plan is to try and do this trip at 25-30 euros per day. Am I off base here...too high, too low? Also where do most people leave from after they complete their way. I will stay anywhere but have learned from this forum that an occasional upgrade would be beneficial. Lastly...where do USA folks fly out of after their trip?
"Spot on" in breaking down the average daily costs. My experience was almost identical to yours.Hi @Nicke - I think you right on the money. A single Peregrino can survive quite nicely on €25-30/day if you are using Albergues. My normal routine was a café con leché and toast in the morning (€2-3), sandwich, fruit and drink for lunch (€5-7 or less if I found a bigger grocery store), Albergue (€7-12) and Pilgrim menu for dinner (€8-10). An occasional beer in the afternoon and a couple nice nights in a hotel were the treats I gave myself but overall, easily under €30/day on average.
I'm not from the US but I found my best prices out of Madrid flying back to North America but as we all know, spending a little time bargain hunting on the internet can come up with some great specials.
Buen Camino!
How true, it may also be the only time you ever get to walk through Spain so if it cost you a few more $ to enjoy your Camino then just do it. Remortgage the house if necessary.Firstly, it is a pilgrimage not a cheap vacation.
Ditto. I said somewhere that I have more money in the bank when I come home from the Camino than when I left... And alcohol is so expensive here, we can barely afford clothing for our children.
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