companions/family/friends

I struggle with social anxiety and I was wandering if anybody with the same issue had a positive experience on the Camino walking alone. I saw lots of posts and videos people talking about forming lifetime friendships and finding their "Camino" family, but at the same time I cannot ignore the...

Hi all, Very new to this so please excuse any ignorance or silly questions :) I'm walking my very first Camino in 2 weeks (iieeeek) - the countdown is on and excitement through the roof. I've been reading through various threads to get a feeling for the distance I'll be able to make in the...

Just a thought, I started walking the Camino Frances 2013, 11 times since, watched many blogs and videos, some good some poor. The one common thread throughout is the groups (Families) that form organically along the way. The social fabric of these Camino families is unique and deserves study...

Now that my walking is completed, I continue my Camino passion through the Forum, books and memories. The past few weeks I have been reflecting on my Camino Family experiences and I appreciate your thoughts and comments. It seemed a natural dynamic process of building a Camino Family on the...

My kid and I had a good time giving nicknames to the people we walked with but did not really talk to, the ones you pass and then they pass you and then the next day you see each other again. Here are a few of our favorites: Mr. Fancypants, who wore very bright cotton drawstring pants that he...

One aspect of the camino that I found interesting during the 3 years I spent planning and researching, was this notion of "camino families". The idea seemed nice, and also seemed to be quite important to many pilgrims. But I did worry a little bit leading up to my departure. Will I meet others...

I was told by friends who’d done the (French) Camino that there are plenty of pilgrims on the way and it’s easy to hook up with others. Not my experience on the Portuguese! My first couple of days I walked with some wonderful people and had such interesting conversations, but this has largely...

Hello, I have a question about forming relationships/being more comfortable. I knew that I had moderate social anxiety when I flew to Europe but I assumed I would be fine, and for the most part I have been. However, when it has come to making friends or staying in hostels with people you meet...

Dear all, I’ve first signed up for this forum a decade ago, shortly before walking the CF. Since then, I have only had one opportunity to come back to Spain - walking the VdlP just before Covid. Now it looks like I’ll be leaving Europe again for the foreseeable future, but before I would like...

@C clearly and I finished the Lana in Burgos on Saturday. On Sunday, @Juanma drove down to meet us at Los Trillos for lunch. It’s a bit out of the center but since we were going to visit the Monasterio de las Huelgas first, it was only about a15 minute walk. For those of you who are meat...

Two venerate, veteran pilgrims catch up for lunch in Estoril today. We both have been walking since 2010 and will continue to do so in some way shape or form, as well as offering advice on the Forum.

Hi! We lost a dear friend we met along the way named Joe, he got ahead of us, as I am a pretty slow walker, and we never caught up with him. We looked in Santiago for 2 days but never came across him. We feel like we didn't get closure in saying goodbye. Hopefully you read this Joe, We loved...

@C clearly and I will be walking into Burgos tomorrow, finishing the Lana (me) and the Requena (her). We will be at the Pilgrim statue in front of the cathedral at 7:30 PM. Hope to see a few forum members.

Hi, I am currently in Carrion de los condes nursing a shin splints injury. I am resting up for 4 days before I hopefully continue. Due to this I have had to reschedule and not stop at 2 locations. Would I still qualify for the Compostela Certificate in Santiago. Thanks

I need advice and please be gentle. I have been planning to do the Camino for 3 years but COVID delayed it. This year I met someone and he wanted to do it too, but things have not been great at all. I leave tomorrow and I am dreading him going. We are on the same flight. He is 20 years older...

Hello, So I will be starting in SJPDP on May 22. I am 20 years old and got the feeling that most pilgrims will be older than I am. I would love to learn from the experiences in the world and bond with them. However, I am afraid they will prefer to be with other old people. Have you experienced...

Hello all! I am a 28 yo American female planning to walk the Camino Frances SOLO in September. I’ll be staying in communal dorms the entire time. I am walking alone, bc I don’t know anyone interested in joining me, but I really want to make friends on this trip. I am curious to know about...

Hi, this is MJ Kim from South Korea. I am looking for my dear camino friends from Victoria, Canada. We walked camino in July, 2022. There is no way to contact them because I accidentally removed chat room without saving their email address. They are Richard and Darleen from Canada. They are...

My husband and I bicycled the Camino Portuguese this Fall, in September/October from Lisbon to Santiago, our first Camino. (It was incredible!) We met a delightful woman from Utrecht, The Netherlands along the way. Since we were bicycling, we did not often see walkers we met once we were...

Hello! I walked the Camino Frances in June 2022 from StJPdP to Santiago. Somewhere in the second half of Castilla y Leon and through into Galicia (before Sarria but after the Iron Cross) I met a German woman named Bilou who had stepped out of her front door in Germany and was walking to Santiago...