YOU on the Camino de Santiago

WALKING THE CAMINO WITH FAMILY Meg from Tacoma, Washington, USA, is planning a walk on the Camino Francés with her mom and sister - in the heat of July. How does the weather impact your Camino? Is it better to walk alone or should you be recruiting family and friends to walk with you? And if you do walk with "your people", how do you ensure each person has the experience they are seeking? In this episode, Meg shares how she and her family are preparing for their Camino walk, leveraging each person's strengths and interests. WALK WITH ME! Is this your year to walk the Camino de Santiago? Let’s begin this journey together, with expert guidance getting ready and getting started on the Camino Francés route. And let’s get you connected to the pilgrim community before you start your walk, with a small group of pilgrims who are, like you, embarking on their first ever pilgrimageon the Camino de Santiago. Start here. JOIN MY EMAIL LIST And get your FREE copy of Nancy's Top 10 Camino Tips (that don't usually make the top 10 lists). BE A GUEST ON THIS PODCAST Are you ready to share your getting-ready Camino story and get some personalized advice on your planning and preparations? Let me know you are interested here. Related: Who will you walk the Camino with? #youonthecamino#caminodesantiago#firsttimepilgrim#thecaminoexperience#caminopodcast

A CONVERSATION WITH PILGRIM KATHIE Join me as Kathie from Dallas shares her experiences walking the Camino Francés in Fall 2022. Last summer I had the pleasure of talking with Kathie as she was getting ready for her first-ever Camino pilgrimage. We talked about her fears, doubts, and concerns about walking the Camino de Santiago, plus her hopes and aspirations as she headed off into the unknown on what would be for her, a significant religious pilgrimage. You can listen to that conversation here. Did Kathie’s greatest fears come to pass? Did she get lost on the meseta? Did she find a "Camino family"? And was it the walk with God, the Mother Mary, Jesus, and Saint James she hoped it would be? Find out in this episode of the YOU on the Camino de Santiago podcast. YOUR Camino Experience What about you? Are you getting ready to walk your first Camino pilgrimage? You are invited to take advantage of all the getting-started resources available on Nancy’s website. Learn all about the Camino de Santiago and how to go from ‘yes, I want to do this!’ to your first steps on the trail. JOIN MY EMAIL LIST And get your FREE copy of Nancy's Top 10 Camino Tips (that don't usually make the top 10 lists). SHARE YOUR STORY Would you like to share your story of getting ready to walk the Camino, and get some expert input on your planning and preparations? Be a guest on this podcast and let's spend some time together talking about your Camino dreams and answering your most urgent questions. Let me know you are interested here. #youonthecamino#caminodesantiago#firsttimepilgrim#thecaminoexperience#caminopodcast

PACKING FOR THE CAMINO What do you really need to take with you when you walk the Camino? How much should your pack weigh? What happens if you take too much stuff? Pilgrim David Guiterrez shares how he answered these questions while walking the Camino Francés in Fall 2022. There is some solid packing wisdom in this episode! MAKE A DIFFERENCE David shares with us about his upcoming fundraiser to build awareness about the Camino and his mission work with Damien House in Ecuador. Damien house serves people with Hansen's disease (leprosy), giving them love and medical care as they navigate life under the stigma of this disease. David is co-hosting a dinner on February 11, 2022, to raise money for Damien House. He and 30 other pilgrims will also be sharing with the attendees how the Camino impacted their lives and is leading them to make a bigger difference in their communities and the world. ***Donations welcome after the event, at any time.*** If you would like to make a financial donation in support of this organization, please go here: http://www.thedamienhouse.org/index.html Donations welcome at any time. COME WALK WITH ME! Are you getting ready to walk your first Camino pilgrimage? You are invited to take advantage of all the getting-started resources available on Nancy’s website. Learn all about the Camino de Santiago and how to go from ‘yes, I want to do this!’ to your first steps on the trail. BE A GUEST ON THIS PODCAST Would you like to share your experience of getting ready to walk the Camino de Santiago and receive some personalized guidance on your planning and preparations? If you have not yet walked a Camino and would like to be a guest on this podcast, please let me know you are interested here. #caminodesantiago #caminofrances #santiagodecompostela #camino #pilgrimage #travel #santiago

7 STEPS TO TRANSPORTING LUGGAGE ON THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO One of the most frequently asked about topics in the Camino Facebook groups and on the online forums is the luggage transport services on the Camino. You have probably heard pieces of information on this topic but I bet you've been left with some questions. In this two-part episode, we are going to cover this topic from end to end. You might have some questions like: How does it work? What can I send with the transport services? Is it safe? What company should I use? Do I have to book in advance or can I just wing it? Is it easy to set up or is it complicated? I don't speak Spanish so how's that going to work? What if I have things I won’t need while walking? Here is the whole story, broken down into seven easy to manage steps. It is so much information that breaking it into two smaller episodes seemed to make sense. Part One has steps 1 & 2, and Part Two has steps 3 through 7. UPDATE: There is a new company serving Refuge Orisson starting in April 2024. Orisson will accept transported bags only from this company: Donkey Service ALL THE DETAILS ON CASA IVAR, CORREOS, AND MORE Here is a link for the details on some of the luggage transport companies plus information on shipping and storing items in Santiago de Compostela: JOIN MY EMAIL LIST And get your FREE copy of Nancy's Top 10 Camino Tips (that don't usually make the top 10 lists). BE A GUEST ON THIS PODCAST! Let's spend some time together talking about your Camino dreams and answering your most urgent questions. Let me know you are interested here. READY FOR PART TWO? Here are steps 3 through7 on how to use the luggage transport services on the Camino. Related: How do you select your backpack for the Camino? #youonthecamino#caminodesantiago#firsttimepilgrim#thecaminoexperience#caminopodcast

How much does it cost to walk the Camino? How does the amount you spend for your pilgrimage influence, or even determine the experience you will have on the Camino? Or from another perspective, think of the experience you want: how much will that cost? The costs on the Camino are what they are, and in episodes 14 and 15 I shared with you what I paid for food and accommodations on the Camino Francés in 2022. That second question, though, is meant to suggest that you can spend however much – or little – you want on the Camino, in order to have the experience you want. Your on-the-ground Camino expenses are largely made up of two categories: where you sleep and where and how you eat. When people ask how much does it cost to do the Camino, I think this is usually what they are asking about, so I am going to talk about those expenses first. Then, I will look at how much your travel expenses might be, to get to the Camino and to your starting point, and then back home again. And finally, I will talk about those expenses that come before you get on the plane or train to go to the Camino, what I call preparation costs, or pre-travel expenses. There is a fair amount of detail coming your way in this episode, so you may want to have handy a pen and paper to make some notes. Also, you may want to open the webpage with the sample budgets I put together for you, so you can refer to them as we go. When you look at the sample budgets, you will notice that in order to put together your Camino budget, you will need to know a few things. For example, you will need to know how many days you expect to be on the Camino, how many days you want at you starting and ending points, and if you will continue on to Fisterra or Muxia after you reach Santiago. There are a few other things you will need to know, and I will walk you through those in this episode of the “YOU on the Camino de Santiago” podcast. Resources Mentioned in This Episode Learn more about Eating on the Camino Learn more about Sleeping on the Camino Shop for flights, buses, trains, and taxis with Matrix ITA Software here. Compare and shop for travel insurance policies on Squaremouth here. Related: How can you save money while traveling (and not just on the Camino)? JOIN MY EMAIL LIST And get your FREE copy of Nancy's Top 10 Camino Tips (that don't usually make the top 10 lists). #youonthecamino#caminodesantiago#firsttimepilgrim#thecaminoexperience#caminopodcast

Where do pilgrims sleep on the Camino? And What is an Albergue? In this episode I give a full run-down on the what, the where, and the how-they-work of the pilgrim’s hostels, or albergues, on the Camino. And I explore the other sleeping options, in case sleeping in shared dorm rooms isn’t for you. What about the idea that the albergues are the heart of the pilgrim community, and that true pilgrims stay only in the albergues? We will look at that, too, in this episode of the “YOU on the Camino de Santiago” podcast. Camino Resources Here are my favorite websites that have up-to-date lists of albergues: - Gronze - Eroski Consumer Here are the most popular Camino Apps: - Camino Ninja (not available in some places, and not updated since summer 2022) - Wise Pilgrim - Buen Camino Ready to Upgrade from the Albergues? Discover the Spanish Parador Hotels JOIN MY EMAIL LIST And get your FREE copy of Nancy's Top 10 Camino Tips (that don't usually make the top 10 lists). Correction: According to the list of albergues handed out by the Pilgrim's Office in Saint Jean Pied de Port, roughly 40% of the albergues on the Camino Francés are open all year (not roughly half, as mentioned). Related: What else do you need to know about staying in the albergues? #youonthecamino#caminodesantiago#firsttimepilgrim#thecaminoexperience#caminopodcast

When you imagine yourself on the Camino, who is there? Are you on your own? Is your spouse or partner there with you? Are you with a big group of your favorite people, perhaps family, perhaps not? The question of who are you doing this with is, I think, broader than it appears at first glance. That’s because there are so many parts to getting ready for and walking the Camino, and so many points at which you may want or need someone to do it with you. This episode of the “YOU on the Camino de Santiago” podcast has a lot of detailed information to assist you as you determine with whom you will walk the Camino. Click here for the promised lists of questions and other resources discussed in this episode. Are you somewhere in between wanting to walk the Camino on your own and wanting to start the walk with a few people? The Camino Experience might be exactly what you are looking for! Learn about starting your pilgrimage with the Camino Experience here. Related: In case you missed it, Pilgrim Amanda shared her plan for walking the Caminho Português with a friend. She shared with us the questions they are talking about before they leave home, to help make the journey go smoothly. P.S. This episode is dedicated to my dear friend, Heidi Fowler, who is blessing me by bearing witness to my journey and allowing me to bear witness to hers. JOIN MY EMAIL LIST And get your FREE copy of Nancy's Top 10 Camino Tips (that don't usually make the top 10 lists). #youonthecamino#caminodesantiago#firsttimepilgrim#thecaminoexperience#caminopodcast