BUDGET 2025 - Chemin du Puy (GR65) to Santiago 1 adult 2 kids :)

[KatKatGo]

Hello, NEWBIE here

I am hoping - after an eon of wanting to do the Camino - to start in Le Puy and walk the Chemin du Puy / Via Podiensis / GR65, then the Frances all the way to Santiago, next year / 2025, myself and my two then 11 year old boys.

Hoping to straddle all the reasonable weather so assuming June-August, allowing a generous 90 days for all.

KMs: Hoping to start slow and small and increase our Kms as we get into the flow of it. We will take some "half days" for rest and the chance to explore where we stop rather than full rest days as it seems from what I've read that a full day off can negatively impact the momemtum. But I'm hopeful 90 days will give us the leeway to stop as and when we need to - including the odd full day.

BUDGET: This is where I am finding it hard... from what I read, it would seem that 50 euros per day per person is ideal on the Frances, but that on the Chemin du Puy, we need to allow more. HOW do people budget with children? I am assuming full cost for each of us so basically I will need to budget for x 3 persons? Should we come to a point where accommodation is tight - I am hoping if necessary I can negotiate for the boys to sleep top to tail if they only have 2 beds left (do they allow this?), but would of course pay the full tariff given food and amenity usage would still be x3. I can fudge the budget for any picnics we take as both my boys do not eat like a full adult - but I cannot guarantee this given how active we will be and they are growing.

Any guidance on how to account for one adult and two kids in budgeting, for the Chemin du Puy and the Frances - will be enormously helpful for this Mama's spreadsheet.

By way of background, we are coming from Australia so for us the exchange rate is not as favourable.

Thanks in advance, cheers, Kat

 

[Jarrad]

I cannot see a gîte or auberge giving you a bed for the cost of one and putting two boys in it. Also, I've never seen different pricing for youth than an adult in such accommodations, although I've not walked the Le Puy. And face-to-foot after a day of walking? Regardless of age, that's punishment. And then there's the issue of 'negotiating' when food costs are involved -- that's just not realistic. Yes, assume full cost for 3.

Just as an aside, I do a lot of travel, especially backpacking, with youth. Three months of walking, even with copious rest breaks, is asking much of an 11-year-old, not to mention that you are planning to walk during the hottest part of the year.

If you think you may be biting off more than you can chew, consider perhaps trimming to two weeks or looking at a shorter route that provides a high-level of interest (check out the Camino Portuguese or (if pilgrimage is less important) the Tour du Mont Blanc or any section of the GR system). Just something for consideration.

 

[KatKatGo]

Thanks for your response. I do not thank you for your tone however. To save you the time I said "...I am assuming full cost for each of us so basically I will need to budget for x 3 persons" and "...but would of course pay the full tariff given food and amenity usage would still be x3" so if you could reconsider your response to the actual questions asked, then this NEWBIE would be better served by your contribution. I was not asking for advice on suitability for my boys of sleeping that top to tail, but if in an extreme occasion a hostel would allow it. I am also trying to work out best dates to do that journey, knowing full well August is the hottest part of the year. We have had up to 45 degrees where I live so are somehwat accustomed. My core question relates to budgeting for one adult and two children, so hopefully those more able to respond in kind will come along. All the best.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

@KatKatGo, welcome to the forum. A similar budget issue has a arisen on another thread, rather than repeat myself my response is here: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/primitivo-vs-le-puy.87974/post-1276394

Frankly whilst you may save a few euros a day because the kid's eat less, I'd leave it in the budget. Better to stretch things now than stress when you're on the trail. When travelling with my boy I'd sometimes get him unexpected treats. Nice to have the money available.

I'm sure others will be along in due course.

I'm hoping to hit the trail myself next year, time frame as yet unknown ( it's part of a longer project and depends on what I can complete this year). Might see you on the way....

With two 11 year olds you won't be hard to spot!

 

[KatKatGo]

Thank you fellow expat kiwi! I think it is wise to just assume same daily allowance for each of us, I have assumed anywhere from. 50-100 euros per person per day for the Frances but finding it more difficult to assess for the Le Puy section given the variations.

I have seen a pretty wide range of prices for accommodation on the Le Puy, and given that we are three not as easy without booking ahead. Perhaps those who have done the Le Puy section with two children can assist. I’ve seen a few family variations on YouTube but again hard to work out a healthy average daily amount of euros per person to budget for on that stage.

Don’t think I could carry a tent and would love the shared evening meals but happy to picnic and cafe for lunches. I’ve already started dropping hints regarding potential multiple icecream stops daily hehe. No skimping on food or treats, and happy to have money left over if it turns out that way.

Just learning how this forum works so will try and post other particular queries in the relevant spot if I can’t find an answer



I am hoping that 90 days all up provides a more generous leeway.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

Once you hit Spain you'll have the advantage in that there will be accommodation options where it will sometimes be cheaper ( per person) to book a private room for the three of you. Because it is so popular, the Frances has the advantage of very good infrastructure. With €60 per person, per day, you should be comfortable. There are some recent reports on here from people walking in Spain on a budget of €30 per day. Obviously, that type of budget precludes private rooms!

 

[KatKatGo]

Thank you Peter - good to know there is a range heading down to the more modest budget for the Frances where one can still have a decent experience, from what I've seen so far it did not seem so. I think it is the Via Podiensis which will have all the price variations to allow for, given I'm not yet clear on our optimum start date, and the issue of popularity with the French / holidays, etc. Luckily I have good enough French to get around (lived in France for a year). Interestingly when I have had a cursory look at booking for next year, via booking dot com, most of the accom in France just says not available. This leads me to believe it imperative to contact each Gite etc. individually, which will make doing the financial plan a bit more cumbersome. A lot do not have that many beds. Will do a few practice walks with lightweight tent to see if I can bring one along as I know camping is more acceptable, which I could post home at SJPP. But - would rather have the full experience of accom with lovely three course meals etc. So yes - my search continues - for a solid, per person amount to at least plan from on the Le Puy / Podiensis section. I love the idea of doing some shorter walking days with exploring in the afternoons, secure in the knowledge that my two are robust little walkers - and icecream is the best incentive

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

Kat, I have no idea how far ahead you can book because I've never tried more than a month at most. I seem to recall somebody else saying that the booking system doesn't go that far ahead but I'm not sure about that. I assume you have Dave Whitson's guidebook for the VP, or Miam Miam Dodo - only available in French or German but highly rated. Either way I often see people suggesting you simply email the Gites directly ( in French). Explain that you're coming from Aus, or they may request a deposit cheque ( yes, really!).

This incredible resource has kindly been made available by @Dave ( Dave Whitson), maintained by @BlackRocker57

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/accommodations-and-services-on-the-le-puy-route.72418/

If you haven't found this resource yet, you should probably browse it.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/the-way-of-le-puy-all-the-stuff-you-wanna-know-or-oughta-wanna-know-before-starting-out.65375/post-1176323

Incidentally to search the forum the easiest way is to tap on the magnifying glass top right, choose advanced search, enter one or two keywords and then limit your search to title only. If that doesn't bring up enough then choose the next option. When you've found something that suits you'll see at the top of the thread something highlighted in blue - currently on yours it says 'introduce yourself or say hello'. There's one for the VP for example, logically everything for that tends to get collected under there.

Re: carrying a tent. In your situation I wouldn't, I would keep it as light as possible. Because along with the tent comes sleeping mats, half decent sleeping bags etc. Too much weight. Comfort is King on Camino. That doesn't just relate to a decent backpack, good shoes and reasonable clothing, but also to keeping things moderately light.

I don't know if you're aware but there aren't an awful lot of small towns etc during the day on this route, so your ice cream options may be limited! I believe it's why so many of the Gites offer a picnic lunch - there are days where you will not pass a bakery- or at least not at the right time. (This is not from experience just comments I've read from others).

 

[KatKatGo]

Thanks again Peter - you've highlighted some important differences between the Le Puy and the Frances, notably the longer distances between cafes or other snack destinations. Will always have the snacks packed, and I like to have a few things up my sleeve to surprise my two with - they have learned over the years not to expect treats but know they will get them usually at just the right time so they are not naggers haha. But they will need to have foooooood to fuel them on this trip for sure. And yes, I'd rather not have to pack a tent if I don't have to. Thanks for the two threads will study those. As for guides - I'm going to get the Miam Miam Dodo as it does crop up a lot, but will check our Dave Whitson's too. And thanks for tips and tricks re using this forum - much appreciated. Cheers, Kathrin

 

[Precentrix]

Just for reference, Booking.com is unlikely to show accommodation for next year yet, which is why everything is showing as unavailable. You may encounter the same with SNCF and Renfe (regarding trains). Even flights are only usually released a year in advance, not further.

That doesn't mean you can't plan; it just means you remember that there will be accommodation and it's just not showing up yet. You can usually contact places directly and ask, and there are also places that aren't on booking.com .

Depending on where you're from you may not be aware of this: in France, it's not uncommon to have to bring your own sheets, especially if staying in a hostel or gite. I'd suggest bringing sleeping bag liners, ideally silk as it's light and breathable but also fairly insulating on a cooler night. They're far lighter than a full sleeping bag and less hassle than actual sheets.

 

[KatKatGo]

Thank you - makes sense. I’ve always used booking dot com so was worried the French and others were booking up next year well in advance given Olympics this year etc. Plan on getting silk liners for sure, and lightweight quilts too. Happy to carry as I’d be quite the sook in the event there was no blanket available on a cooler night

 

[Mananath]

Hello, NEWBIE here

I am hoping - after an eon of wanting to do the Camino - to start in Le Puy and walk the Chemin du Puy / Via Podiensis / GR65, then the Frances all the way to Santiago, next year / 2025, myself and my two then 11 year old boys.

Hoping to straddle all the reasonable weather so assuming June-August, allowing a generous 90 days for all.

KMs: Hoping to start slow and small and increase our Kms as we get into the flow of it. We will take some "half days" for rest and the chance to explore where we stop rather than full rest days as it seems from what I've read that a full day off can negatively impact the momemtum. But I'm hopeful 90 days will give us the leeway to stop as and when we need to - including the odd full day.

BUDGET: This is where I am finding it hard... from what I read, it would seem that 50 euros per day per person is ideal on the Frances, but that on the Chemin du Puy, we need to allow more. HOW do people budget with children? I am assuming full cost for each of us so basically I will need to budget for x 3 persons? Should we come to a point where accommodation is tight - I am hoping if necessary I can negotiate for the boys to sleep top to tail if they only have 2 beds left (do they allow this?), but would of course pay the full tariff given food and amenity usage would still be x3. I can fudge the budget for any picnics we take as both my boys do not eat like a full adult - but I cannot guarantee this given how active we will be and they are growing.

Any guidance on how to account for one adult and two kids in budgeting, for the Chemin du Puy and the Frances - will be enormously helpful for this Mama's spreadsheet.

By way of background, we are coming from Australia so for us the exchange rate is not as favourable.

Thanks in advance, cheers, Kat

Can't speak to the children aspect but I walked Le Puy to SJPP (and then on to Finisterre) this past June. I spent 3100eur on the Via Podiensis route, staying in a mixture of gites and hotels. That doesn't include expenses getting to le Puy.

It took me 33 days to arrive in SJPDP and that included one rest day in Figeac to visit Rocamadour (it rained so I didn't make it to Rocamadour) and the Cele variant.

while I agree with the short days in lieu of taking a full rest day and I try to do that I did have to take an unplanned rest day on the Frances due to illness (I think I was dehydrated) which messed up a few of my bookings.

good luck!

 

[KatKatGo]

Thank you Mananath - yes awkward for you and anyone when bookings get skewed due to unforeseen changes!! Will try and have days up the sleeve just for that. Def want to do the Cele variant!! What were your rough dates and how did you find the season changes from Le Puy to Finisterre? I’m still unsure as to best start time - we’ll have to cop the heat just not sure when/where we’ll be, and how cold we can go at the end. Not afraid of either extreme but organising / packing are affected, so it would be great to hear of your date range and whether you would change it should you repeat the walk

 

[Mananath]

Thank you Mananath - yes awkward for you and anyone when bookings get skewed due to unforeseen changes!! Will try and have days up the sleeve just for that. Def want to do the Cele variant!! What were your rough dates and how did you find the season changes from Le Puy to Finisterre? I’m still unsure as to best start time - we’ll have to cop the heat just not sure when/where we’ll be, and how cold we can go at the end. Not afraid of either extreme but organising / packing are affected, so it would be great to hear of your date range and whether you would change it should you repeat the walk

I started walking on May 27 and finished on Aug 3rd. The weather in France was colder than I expected (5-10 deg the first week or so) and rainier. Spain was hot but not unbearably. My first camino was in July 2022 and it was 40f on the meseta so that was my baseline. It was a lot cooler this year, I needed a light jacket most nights.

I probably wouldn't change anything. I survived though I was certainly cold some days.