Illnesses on the camino; It cools my jets. You?

[MARSKA]

I have walked the CF from SJPDP to SDC twice (2023 & 2024). I stayed mostly in municipal albergues. Both times I became ill with respiratory infection about 2 weeks into the walk. I'm a nurse, so I well know how to modify my behavior to minimize the chance of contagious infection, however I was unsuccessful in preventing my own illnesses. And it is not pleasant to be alone and ill anywhere - esp in a country not your own.

Despite the occasional inconveniences I like staying in muni's. It is almost essential (to me) to the experience. But when I walk in 2025 I might need to rethink this - has anyone else dealt with this problem? How did it work out for you?

 

[dick bird]

If you are ill, see a doctor. I don´t know how many times I have said this but I am happy to say it again - the Spanish health system is very good and I know this from first hand experience (twice). The only issue there is that small villages do not have full time doctors but even medium size towns do. Pharmacists are also very good and easier to access. If you think you have a contagious disease then you should stay in private accommodation, obviously. For me, the most common problem was gastro, whether viral or bacterial I have no idea but because of that I always take my own supply of hand disinfectant. Having a walking companion or a camino family will also be a support if you get unwell, but don´t be afraid to ask local people to help - their instinct will almost certainly be to say yes.

 

[Roland49]

I never did experience the travel-sickness-syndrome.
Many people are prone to that effect.
I have stayed only in municipal or private albergues in dorms.
Especially my gastro is very robust and didn't complain about the food while travelling.

On summer-break '25 I'll be on the CF again (SJPdP -> Burgos) and will see how it is going that time.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

@MARSKA, as with so many things in life I think this is very individual.
I'm a little surprised that you as a nurse suffer in this way because I would have thought that your immune system would have been more robust or adaptable than the general populace, however it is what it is. Perhaps in your case it is the 'straw that broke the camels back' syndrome.

it is not pleasant to be alone and ill anywhere - esp in a country not your own

I could not agree more. It has only happened to me once in 40 years but when it did it was pretty rough.

I'm fortunate, I'm more like @Roland49 in this regard.

Whilst I appreciate your desire to stay in the munis perhaps you could break it up a little more right at the beginning (eg a private room every few nights) in order to give your body a little more chance?

You talk about modifying your behaviour, I assume that also includes the things that I do. By that I mean eat far more high vitamin C fruit (Kiwi etc) than usual, drink 2 or more wonderful fresh OJ daily, snack on dried fruit and so on. (Basically concentrate for the first week on eating more healthily than usual.) After that hiker hunger kicks in and I kind of figure that my body has adapted anyway!

As a nurse, perhaps it would be worthwhile asking a colleague who specialises in respiratory issues for preventive advice? I appreciate that you will probably know the majority of it anyway but who knows you might just be gifted a gem of information.

 

[dbier]

Marska, I'm a nurse (among other things), too. Here are our probable differences.

1. I'm old enough (63) that my immune system is failing, regardless of my line of work. Just facts.

2. While I have stayed in albergues , I mixed it up with private rooms.

I'm a little concerned for you about your insistence that staying in munis, in particular, is "almost essential to your experience" Sounds to me as if you're putting one more barrier up.to being completely open to Camino.

You know as well as I that your most intense disease exposures are during meal prep/ cleanup and in communal bathrooms.

Were i you, I would deliberately plan a stay in a private room at a donativo or private albergue every few days. Or, even a private room In a hotel in the smallest of aldeas, where you'll see everyone else in that town anyway at the one or 2 cafés open. Minimize your mealtime exposures, since that's where transmission tends to be greatest. Can't help you with communal bathrooms, since that's the second greatest.

But I'm not you.

You sort of know what you should do for you. If you're looking for permission, please remember that it's * your* Camino.

Buen Camino.

 

[Robo]

I have walked the CF from SJPDP to SDC twice (2023 & 2024). I stayed mostly in municipal albergues. Both times I became ill with respiratory infection about 2 weeks into the walk. I'm a nurse, so I well know how to modify my behavior to minimize the chance of contagious infection, however I was unsuccessful in preventing my own illnesses. And it is not pleasant to be alone and ill anywhere - esp in a country not your own.

Despite the occasional inconveniences I like staying in muni's. It is almost essential (to me) to the experience. But when I walk in 2025 I might need to rethink this - has anyone else dealt with this problem? How did it work out for you?

Maybe don't stay in Muni's?
There are other options.

Sometimes as 'experts' we are not great at taking advice about things we are expert in.
I include myself in this of course.

I recall meeting a Nurse on my first Camino, who had a terrible bout of Flu.
But she insisted on staying in Albergues, and 'knew' how to handle it.

A few days later, many other Pilgrims in the extended Camino family had it.........

Please don't read anything into this, other than sometimes we need to do what is right for us and those around us, rather than what we want.

As an aside. Confession time.

On my first Camino (alone) I never stayed in an Albergue other than a few that had private rooms.
But I enjoyed the company of a camino family.... only half of whom were staying in Albergues.

On my second and third, with my wife, same thing.
On my last one (alone) I made a point of staying in lots of Albergues (in dorms)

Was the joy of those Caminos, impacted either way by the type of accommodation I used?
No. Not at all. Zero......

Often. those whom I had befriended, were staying in different places anyway.
Sometimes we were in different Albergues, or different dorms. Sometimes different villages.
We had meals together, walked together, we just didn't sleep in the same room together.

Whatsapp is great in that regard.
Arranging meetups, meals, etc etc

P.S. The Albergues I enjoyed most last year, were actually Donativos.......
Stayed in a few Munis and privates too.

 

[Caomhin O Fearghaill]

I have walked the CF from SJPDP to SDC twice (2023 & 2024). I stayed mostly in municipal albergues. Both times I became ill with respiratory infection about 2 weeks into the walk. I'm a nurse, so I well know how to modify my behavior to minimize the chance of contagious infection, however I was unsuccessful in preventing my own illnesses. And it is not pleasant to be alone and ill anywhere - esp in a country not your own.

Despite the occasional inconveniences I like staying in muni's. It is almost essential (to me) to the experience. But when I walk in 2025 I might need to rethink this - has anyone else dealt with this problem? How did it work out for you?

I agree with others, if you feel ill see a doctor or visit a hospital.
In 2022 my walking companion fell and broke a collar bone. We were taken to hospital by ambulance, which attended the incident in about 20 minutes. We were seen at the hospital almost immediately and treated very well by medical staff. Health and wellbeing is important on the Camino so for comfort I usually travel light and use an assortment of albergues, pensions, casa rurals or hotels.

 

[J Willhaus]

Most respiratory illnesses are caused by touching a contaminated surface and then touching your mouth and eyes. It's less about the air we breathe. There are some exceptions of course. On the Camino there are just fewer opportunities to wash hands than at home or a Healthcare work environment.

My husband usually gets some kind of cold when we are traveling, but he also has a lot of nasal allergies, so it is hard to know if he is really sick or just sneezing and coughing more than usual. Even though we are together most of the time, it is rare for me to get sick, but the one time we did have Covid, it was in Spain after train travel near a man who was ill with fever, chills, and coughing. Who knows if we picked it up there or somewhere else along the way.

Being out of your usual environment and limited opportunity for hand washing is probably just a bad mix for some people's immune system. Carrying hard sanitizer is good, but remembering to use it is also necessary. Masking in some areas could also be an option, but it is of limited protection unless everyone else is also masking.

Like @MARSKA, I also like albergues and I like to work in albergues. I enjoy my Camino far less staying in private rooms. If I were sick, I would stay in a private room. Otherwise, I'd just as soon stay at home than have a Camino with only private rooms.