Hello and Tips

[Kitch]

Just started my search for the right tour next Sept/Oct. I want to do the French way so the whole 500 miles. Where do I find a tour or am I going about it wrong? Do I just show up and hope I can find somewhere to sleep? BTW I am 60 so that does not appeal to me. LOL

 

[dougfitz]

Where do I find a tour or am I going about it wrong?

Certainly suggesting that you are looking for a tour will not enarmor you to the many forum members deeply invested in the notion of helping fellow pilgrims.

 

[henrythedog]

Slow down and do some reading - perhaps even buy a guidebook and read that, or just read a few threads on here. Too often we get the ‘tell me what I need to know’ question.

And being 60 impresses virtually nobody here.

 

[J Willhaus]

Hi @Kitch and welcome. Many people on this forum plan their own Caminos, including making reservations. It isn't difficult and it is much less expensive than a tour.

There are tours and a few members have used various companies so maybe they will reply, but there are plenty of resources to do your own plan.

 

[trecile]

It's probably going to take you at least a month to walk from SJPdP to Santiago. In that period of time all kinds of things can happen to alter your schedule, like getting sick or injured, wanting to stay longer in a certain town or city, wanting to walk the same stages as other pilgrims that you meet along the way, etc. If you book with a tour company you are stuck with the stages and accommodations they choose.

It's quite possible and fairly easy to book private accommodations on your own, then if you need to make any changes you are in control. But I wouldn't recommend booking every night in advance. For the Camino Francés in September (one of the busiest months for pilgrims starting from SJPdP) I recommend booking up through Pamplona - the pilgrim traffic tends to spread out after that, and you'll have a better Idea of how far you can/want to walk each day so you can book day or two ahead.

P. S. Age 60 practically lands you in the "young whipper snapper" category on the forum.

 

[J Willhaus]

Some people find a Camino guidebook a bit old fashioned, but they are a good place to start in describing ways to set out on the journey, what you will need, and where you can sleep. There's also a good website for planning Gronze.com, which gives good information about the route and available lodging.

 

[Tincatinker]

Just started my search for the right tour next Sept/Oct. I want to do the French way so the whole 500 miles. Where do I find a tour or am I going about it wrong? Do I just show up and hope I can find somewhere to sleep? BTW I am 60 so that does not appeal to me. LOL

Hi Kitch, watch out we’re a rough lot on here. We never take prisoners.

If you want to make a journey along the Camino Francés to the shrine of Santiago you’ve joined the right forum at the right time. You have nearly a year to learn about the Camino and the pilgrimage; about the sorts of accommodations available and how to access them; about the support services available and how to use them and, to learn about all those who have made the journey before you young and old.

As others have alluded above at 60 amigo you are assumed to be still wet behind the ears

 

[trecile]

Since you are in the US I recommend contacting your local chapter of American Pilgrims if there is one close to you.

Local Chapters - American Pilgrims on the Camino

Local Chapters American Pilgrims on the Camino is a community of pilgrims organized in chapters throughout the United States. We share Camino de Santiago experiences, support each other, have fun and encourage one another to live The Spirit of the Camino in our everyday lives. We have nearly 60...

americanpilgrims.org

 

[Juspassinthru]

Just started my search for the right tour next Sept/Oct. I want to do the French way so the whole 500 miles. Where do I find a tour or am I going about it wrong? Do I just show up and hope I can find somewhere to sleep? BTW I am 60 so that does not appeal to me. LOL

Hello @Kitch, welcome to the forum, a lively, opinionated, sometimes humorous but always caring home for Pilgrims, wannabes and those searching.

I hope you’re getting the idea that you probably don’t need to book a tour. My first Camino (at age 60) I booked to Pamplona and from there handled it day to day. It’s a bit more crowded now so on my 3rd Camino, early this year (age 67) my 70 year old walking companion and I booked a day or so in advance. It’s easy.

There are many guides, I’m not in the referral business but for a first timer the Brierley guide to the Camino is a good start, about $20 I think. There’s also Gronze which is online and in Spanish but languages are no problem on the age of the internet.

For many of us in your position, this part was the most fun until you get off the train in St Jean where each day is the most fun, some admittedly after the fact.

You’ve come to the right place for ideas, opinions (lots of opinions) and support. Enjoy!

One last thought, before you run the gauntlet with questions about boots, packs, poles, socks, solar recharge packs or innumerable other questions, there are dozens, maybe hundreds of existing threads. Doing this will save you from us, you may not appreciate that now, but you will.

Buen Camino.

 

[Sd217]

Watch as many you tube videos as you can, read anyone of the large number of books about the Camino , then when you arrive in SJPPDP simply throw away all your preconceptions and have the adventure of a lifetime .
I was 47 on my first Camino and my only regret is i didnt do it before, im still doing it at 62 and as lots of contributors have already said 60 is only a number there are lots of much older pilgrims .
Buen Camino
Please post your thoughts after your Camino comparing it to what you thought it would be before, its the most life affirming thing you will ever do if you open yourself up to it.

 

[trecile]

Watch as many you tube videos as you can, read anyone of the large number of books about the Camino , then when you arrive in SJPPDP simply throw away all your preconceptions and have the adventure of a lifetime

I didn't read any books about the Camino or watch any YouTube videos about it because I didn't want to develop preconceptions of what it would be like.

 

[dougfitz]

I didn't read any books about the Camino or watch any YouTube videos about it because I didn't want to develop preconceptions of what it would be like.

Much the same. I found two other people* who had walked a couple of years before my first camino. When one of them wanted to walk again, I joined him from SJPP until Burgos, then walked the remainder of the way to SDC on my own. I didn't find this forum until I was looking for sources on walking the Gudbrandsdalsleden, one of the St Olavs Ways.

* The three of us went on the establish the Canberra Friends of the Camino, an informal group of like minded Camino addicts, to help others here prepare for their pilgrimages, in Spain and elsewhere, and to share our stories.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

On my first Camino in 2015, I had only seen "The Way" accidently or would not be a part of this forum today. I then only used Brierley's guidebook to plan my first Camino...a true newbie.
However, slowly since then, and with the scores of Youtube videos available and forum "Live Threads", I have not purposely kept my head "in the sand" and doubt the majority of forum members put on blinders as they plan future caminos. The plethora of apps and internet information are definitely helpful, especially in helping plan other routes.

 

[CTLawGal]

Hi Kitch -

Congratulations on having decided you want to walk the Frances and having discovered this Forum, both nearly a year in advance, so plenty of time for planning (and training).

I walked my first when I was 64. I originally thought I would do the Frances, then decided to add on Finisterre/Muxia, and then ultimately decided to do the Norte/Primitivo with Finisterre/Muxia. So, do your research, you have plenty of time and stay open to changing your mind (or just stick with your original intention!).

There's tons of information on this forum - I didn't discover this Forum until a few months before I left. Until scouring the posts I didn't even realize that many people (most?) plan rest days - it never even occurred to me, ha! I found lots of useful tips, changed my packing lists, acquired a few useful things I never would have thought of bringing, jettisoned a few others that I realized based on the information here were not really useful.

One thing you'll see (and have already seen a small sample of) is that there are very strong feelings about planning and booking your own trip and not using a travel service (I.e., an agency that books the rooms and provides luggage transfers). There are lots of good reasons to do it yourself, there are also good reasons to use a service. It really depends on your needs and concerns. I've posted on my experience using a service before and you should be able to find the posts through a search - feel free to dm me if you have further questions about it. There are also tours available if you feel overwhelmed by the idea of doing it on your own (and I think there are some members of this Forum who periodically do group things, but I don't know much about it).

After doing your research you may decide to follow the recommendations of the vast majority of the members here to have more flexibility and save money by doing it yourself, or maybe not. But don't feel bad about choosing a travel service or tour, it's your Camino so do the research and do it in a way that you are comfortable with.

 

[David Tallan]

Just started my search for the right tour next Sept/Oct. I want to do the French way so the whole 500 miles. Where do I find a tour or am I going about it wrong? Do I just show up and hope I can find somewhere to sleep? BTW I am 60 so that does not appeal to me. L

Welcome. Don't let the grumpy members deter you.

There is a broad range between using a tour operator and just showing up somewhere and hoping for a bed. It doesn't have to be one or the other.

One of the nice things about the Camino is that there are plenty of resources (guidebooks, apps, websites) that can give you all the information you need so you don't end up in a village unsure if there is a bed there. These resources will typically tell you how far apart the villages are, what is in them (places to stay, eat, shop, bank, go to a pharmacy), and, for places to stay, what they offer, whether they take reservations, how to get in touch with them, what they cost, etc.

Armed with this information, you can do as some people like to do and book all the accommodations for your Camino before you start. Some find that limits their flexibility too much and like to only book accommodations a day or two in advance. Others like to wing it and just show up looking for a bed. They may like the freedom; they may prefer to stay in the kinds of places that don't take reservations; it may be both. But they do that armed with the knowledge of where beds are to be found and how many of them there are.

It is, of course, up to you what approach you want to take, including using a tour operator. But I think we would advise you to use the resources available and research before making a decision.

 

[trecile]

Before my first Camino in 2016 I had no idea how to get started since I didn't know anyone who had done it. Google searches came up with different tour companies, but their prices deterred me from going that way. By some stroke of luck I discovered this forum and learned how easily one could organize the Camino on their own.

I primarily focused on learning about gear since I had never backpacked in my life. Secondly I researched how to get to the start of the Camino.

I walked from SJPdP to Finisterre that year, and have walked 7 more Caminos since. That first year I had a reservation at Orisson, then usually just showed up on town and found an albergue after that. I couple of times I reserved ahead and nowadays that's what I tend to do because I have enough experience to know how far I can walk each day.

When planning my trip I give myself at least 5 extra days as a cushion in case something happens to slow me down. This year I got a pretty bad cold and took one full day off, then walked shorter stages until I recovered. I made reservations and stayed in private rooms while I was sick.