• Get your Camino Frances Guidebook here.
  • For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here.
    (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation)
  • ⚠️ Emergency contact in Spain - Dial 112 and AlertCops app. More on this here.

Search 69,459 Camino Questions

Young woman looking for a walking friend or group

Clare L

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
None! (Planning on walking Spring/summer 2017)
I am a 22 year old graduating from college in the United States this May and planning on walking El Camino from SJPDP to Santiago between May 20–June 22/23 (but would be willing to adjust dates slightly!) Though I understand many young women walk alone, I'm hoping to get in contact with some other individuals or a group that may be starting around the same time and would be willing to start together. Please let me know if you are or know someone who might be willing!
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
If you are on Facebook there is a group just for women on the Camino called Camigas that you can join. However, it's really not necessary to "pre-book" walking companions. What if you find that you don't get along, or walk at very different paces? You wouldn't want to spend the Camino feeling obligated to them.
 
Hi Clare. This question comes up quite a lot. And I am sure many women who have walked alone will answer shortly, probably with the same/similar advice....... (already did whilst I was writing this)

There is no need to pre arrange a walking partner. In fact it is better not to.... I'll explain.

If you are starting in May on the CF, there will be a lot of people starting on the same day. In fact it's rather like half a dozen bus loads of people (300 or so) starting up the Hill in St Jean over the span of just a few hours. You are not alone.

Many of those people start out walking alone.

The natural cameraderie of the Camino starts it's work right away. People will be saying Hello asking where you are from, walking next to you.... Many of these being women walking on their own, also aiming to buddy up with another woman.

Within a few hours you have likely 'clicked' with a few people already and are walking together.

NOTE: For those who would dread this happening because you want to be alone, fear not. Engaging in conversation and walking with others is not compulsory! It's also easy to be on your own if you want to. But if you don't want to walk alone, it is very easy to have company on the CF.

WARNING. If you pre arrange to walk with someone (that you don't know) other of course than a friend you know, a life partner, the chances are high that it won't work out and you will drive each other nuts! Why?

#1. You need to walk with people who walk at your pace. Trying to 'keep up' with others is a sure way to get an injury. Or holding back all the time will be frustrating.

#2. It is highly unlikely they will want to walk the same distances as you each day. Meaning you will constantly be compromising on where to stay.

#3. Maybe they will talk all the time.........or not at all.....or be an irritating walking partner in a dozen other ways.

At that time of year on the CF you will literally have the opportunity to meet hundreds of people. You will naturally be drawn to those you like, rather than the ones you decided to meet online. In fact the CF at that time of year is a bit like Speed Dating on Steroids. If you want to, you can meet hundreds of people within a few days.

Again, for those wanting to be alone..........you can be. Don't panic.

As an example, over 40 days on the CF, I probably got to know about 150 people by sight. 100 by name and where they were from, and maybe 50 I had meals or coffees with more than once. And about 10 I walked with for a number of hours multiple times. That would have all been in the first 7-10 days.

And I was walking alone most of the time, by choice. If I had wanted to walk with others I could have, all the way.
 
Last edited:
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
I am a 22 year old graduating from college in the United States this May and planning on walking El Camino from SJPDP to Santiago between May 20–June 22/23 (but would be willing to adjust dates slightly!) Though I understand many young women walk alone, I'm hoping to get in contact with some other individuals or a group that may be starting around the same time and would be willing to start together. Please let me know if you are or know someone who might be willing!
Hi Clare, my wife walked also alone in 2013.
She walked alone and with other pilgrims.
No problem what so ever to find other pilgrims to walk with.
Wish you a wonderful time and a Buen Camino,Peter.
 
Very light, comfortable and compressible poncho. Specially designed for protection against water for any activity.

Our Atmospheric H30 poncho offers lightness and waterproofness. Easily compressible and made with our Waterproof fabric, its heat-sealed interior seams guarantee its waterproofness. Includes carrying bag.

€60,-
I am a 22 year old graduating from college in the United States this May and planning on walking El Camino from SJPDP to Santiago between May 20–June 22/23 (but would be willing to adjust dates slightly!) Though I understand many young women walk alone, I'm hoping to get in contact with some other individuals or a group that may be starting around the same time and would be willing to start together. Please let me know if you are or know someone who might be willing!
Greetings Clare, I am sure you will meet many people at St Jean Pied du Port and at Roncesvalles. We are starting 29th April from SJPP walking short daily distances this year to enjoy the villages and culture. You will probably sweep past us at some stage - if you see two older kiwis just call out Hi there :) Good Luck and have the best camino
 
I'm hoping to get in contact with some other individuals or a group that may be starting around the same time and would be willing to start together.
That is a good concept. Do not commit to "walk the camino" with someone you do not know well. Even someone you know well my be quite different when faced with the stresses of the pilgrimage. "Start together" is a good level of commitment. There are many gentle ways to shed someone who has become a millstone to your joy, so being prepared to part ways with him/her when it is not working out. Actually finding someone in the Forum to whom you might feel a commitment for the duration is likely one of the worst decisions you will make. :) Look on the Calendar and start a conversation with likely candidates starting at the time you start. Buen camino.
 
The first edition came out in 2003 and has become the go-to-guide for many pilgrims over the years. It is shipping with a Pilgrim Passport (Credential) from the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.
Very light, comfortable and compressible poncho. Specially designed for protection against water for any activity.

Our Atmospheric H30 poncho offers lightness and waterproofness. Easily compressible and made with our Waterproof fabric, its heat-sealed interior seams guarantee its waterproofness. Includes carrying bag.

€60,-
I am a 70 year old grandfather leaving Atlanta on May 15. I plan to leave St Jean Pied de Port on May 18 and walk alone at my own slow pace. Perhaps our paths will cross. I understand that there are 2 girls from NC about your age that will be leaving SJPDP about the same time as you plan. From everything I hear, you should be within shouting distance of others most of the time. You will be ok. Been Camino. Ed
 
Check out the Excel sheet calendar on the Camigas Facebook group... You might find someone there. Buen Camino!
 
This is really good advice .... commentary made on walking buddies is very true at 6:46 https of this video .. Andrew gives great advice ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIgMAs4-J8s
To be honest language and walking pace tends to sort out who you walk with... you will find plenty of companionship on the Camino
 
New Original Camino Gear Designed Especially with The Modern Peregrino In Mind!
Welcome Clare!
Congratulations on your upcoming graduation. Walking the Camino should be a great adventure for you. Enjoy the different cultures languages peoples you encounter. It may influence your path for some time. Don't be afraid of being alone! I'm sure you will have some periods of alone time, but most likely within a couple days with connect with some to spend your month with... Buen Camino!
 
Such great advice above. Clare, I'd second the Facebook Camigas site suggestion and the suggestion to wait to commit to any one person for the entire trip unless you're terribly concerned and it would help you feel better. Once you're heading out that first day among so many other happy people, you'll see how it is and feel more at ease/less alone. Someone wise told me at the start of my first Camino that "The Camino is about connecting and then letting go", which, for such a simple little sentence, helped me more than the person who said it will ever know. Even the most compatible people at some point need space from each other on a 500 mile/800 km walk, and sometimes even people who have lived together most of their lives hike apart for awhile. Something else that might help is exchanging email/phone information with others that you've met that you trust because then you feel connected and can arrange to meet up at lodging or even just exchange encouragement and well-wishes.
 
Don't worry about meeting pilgrims , you would find many of them every day on your journeys to Santiago.
The problem with getting attached to a group is that you might not be in the same tune with them in many aspects , physical, mentally, how many kilometers every day, and so on .
I think is better to get hooked to a group or to someone after you know your capacity and their capacity.

Don't worry you would find people to go with!
Buen Camino!
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.

Most read last week in this forum

When I hiked the Frances Route this happened. I was hiking in the afternoon just east of Arzua. I was reserved a bed at an albergue in Arzua, so I had already hiked all the way from San Xulien...
I am finalizing my packing list for Frances, and do not want to over pack. (I am 71) I will be starting at SJPdP on April 25th to Roncesvalles and forward. I was hoping on some advise as to...
First marker starting from Albergue Monasterio de la Magdalena in Sarria (113.460 km) Start: 2023.9.29 07:22 Arrival: 2023.9.30 13:18 walking time : 26 hours 47 minutes rest time : 3 hours 8...
A local Navarra website has posted a set of photos showing today's snowfall in the area around Roncesvalles. About 15cm of snow fell this morning surprising pilgrims on the way...
Hi! I’m a first time pilgrim. Is it possible to take a taxi from Astorga to Foncebadon? Thanks, Felicia
HI all, I will be starting my walk on March 31, taking the Valcarlos Route, and am having trouble getting in touch with the albergue in Valcarlos (tried email and what's app - no luck!). Does...

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Forum Rules

Forum Rules

Camino Updates on YouTube

Camino Conversations

Most downloaded Resources

This site is run by Ivar at

in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon
Official Camino Passport (Credential) | 2024 Camino Guides
Back
Top