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Imagine living close to Spain and being able to walk a camino whenever you like...

JustJack

Active Member
Time of past OR future Camino
CF: May/June 2023
VDLP: April/May 2024
For those of us that don't live in Europe, walking a camino in Spain is a big commitment in terms of costs and time. Because the cost of getting to Spain is so high it doesn't make sense to go for a really short camino, but being able to get away for a longer period is often difficult.

No point to this post I guess except to express envy for those that can catch a cheap Ryanair flight (or train) to Spain, be there in a couple hours, and spend a one, two, or more weeks walking, all at an extremely low price. Versus the rest of us that must save and plan for years to make it a reality.

So those living close enough to pop over for a quick camino whenever the mood strikes - I hope you fully appreciate how fortunate you are!
 
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More 2024 Camino Guides available
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
I am fully aware and indeed very grateful.
A TGV from Brussels to Hendaye/ Irun only takes me eight hours.
And end of next month I have a direct flight from Brussels to Santiago with Vueling which only takes 2h 20 min.
When retired my plan is to walk from home in Belgium to Santiago.

On the other hand I will most probably not be able to visit Canada or Australia.
 
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cf. The recent thread about pilgrims from New Zealand.
 
Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
I could hop on a bus directly to Bayonne three times a week. I definitely feel lucky to have that opportunity. I even live close enough to Santiago to have been able to walk there from home.

I still had to plan and save money for my (very cheap) first Camino for several years, though, because of very low income. Also had to plan and save for the walk from home for years.

So, being closer to Santiago doesn't necessarily mean for everyone that it is easy to go and walk whenever you want. But less travel costs make it much more accessible for mainland Europeans than for those from overseas.

I met many people with limited financial means from different Europeans countries. It's one reason I love the Camino. It welcomes even those who don't bring much money.

Travel costs of course make that more difficult. I'm always impressed of how far people travel to the Camino.

My 24hr bus ride is probably not much faster than travelling from Australia or the US but it's certainly cheaper!
 
JustJack said:
Because the cost of getting to Spain is so high it doesn't make sense to go for a really short camino, but being able to get away for a longer period is often difficult.
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I live in Australia, and the cost of getting to Spain is ludicrous. But the second issue (getting away for a long period) actually holds me harder, given responsibilities at home and with family.
For that reason, I totally changed my mentality about it making sense or not to go for a short camino. It does! It is super expensive, but i remember every step with love and the experiences were the best of my life!

My frances was 2 weeks, the Portuguese was 3 weeks and the lebaniego was 9 days in Spain. I was called crazy for all my colleagues for spending so much for only 9 days there. I don't regret - better a week in Spain than zero days in Spain.

It requires a ridiculous amount of planning and budgeting for a few years, but I thank Santiago every day for having a job and being able to do it. And once I reach the amount to buy the tickets, I measure my trip in amount of happiness, not days.
 
Great post.
 
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JustJack said:
So those living close enough to pop over for a quick camino whenever the mood strikes - I hope you fully appreciate how fortunate you are!
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Thank you and yes indeed.

I have made four long pilgrimages walking from home(s), and I'll do a Home to Rome in 2025.

I try my best from time to time to point out that those living on other continents have better options than they think to do similar, such as walk home > airport then airport > Compostela, or even more ideally via cargo ship or ferry, but not many outside Europe will do such things, even though foot pilgrimages starting in Great Britain, Ireland, or Scandinavia require them.
 
A cheap plane from Norway to Barcelona, 3 hours waitng there for my train to Pamplona, arriving in the evening, enjoying Pamplona, and start walking next morning. No restrictions or passport control, being inside the EU. Cost will be approx. 300 Euros max. A glass of wine on the train, enjoying the passing landscape. Life is good.

America, Canada, South America, Australia, New Zealand, etc. is out of my reach: All are places I would love to go. Too expensive, unfortunately. But the Camino is a short and inexpensive distance away.
 
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Anamya said:
I live in Australia, and the cost of getting to Spain is ludicrous.
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I live in the UK so my view of this is reversed. I am very glad that I was able to make an extended journey to Japan and Australia in 2019. Just before the combination of COVID and massive inflation made long-haul travel prohibitively expensive. Walking the Camino Frances in January this year I was very surprised to find that at least 1/3 of my fellow pilgrims were Korean. I imagine that was a serious financial outlay for most of them.
 
More 2024 Camino Guides available
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
Bradypus said:
Walking the Camino Frances in January this year I was very surprised to find that at least 1/3 of my fellow pilgrims were Korean.
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Ah !! You exaggerate !!

Yes, I can remember that you found yourself in a particular collection of them, so that they will have accompanied you along the Way ; but going in the other direction, I found Koreans, Japanese, Philippinos, Singaporeans, even Vietnamese and a couple of Chinese among the South-East Asians ; but I found that the Asians tended to be found on every third section of my own Way. Otherwise absent except as solo individuals.

I guess that you just get caught in the midst of one particular Asian Wave.
 
JustJack said:
So those living close enough to pop over for a quick camino whenever the mood strikes - I hope you fully appreciate how fortunate you are!
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I think those that live further from Europe think like this, but I wonder whether those who live relatively close are really able to just do a quick camino 'whenever the mood strikes'. I say this having just come back from living in Portugal for 12 weeks where I walked the CP(VE) from Valenca, and the Camino Sanabres from Ourense. The first of these was planned before my wife and I left Australia, the second was 'planned' on a Wednesday and I started walking on the following Saturday.

So it was possible to get on a train and bus, and get to a start point for the second pilgrimage that I did at short notice. It was also easy to find accommodation in Xunta albergues, which were never more than half full, for most nights and booking was only required for two places, and even that might have been an insurance measure because there was no lack of beds in either of the places that I booked.

But in all that, I was only able to do this because I have retired, but even then, the week that I took was only freed up in my schedule because of other changes to our plans. While there may be some people who, like I did, can pick up and walk at relatively short notice, I wonder whether for the vast majority this is in any way a realistic proposition. I'm sure they would appreciate it if they could, and perhaps they might find it easier to arrange when they can. But I do think that they will face similar constraints when it comes to finding the time and money to undertake a camino as those of us who travel from more distant places. I think I would be taking off my rose-tinted spectacles, and not urging people to appreciate what mightn't be a practical reality for many of them.
 
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JabbaPapa said:
I guess that you just get caught in the midst of one particular Asian Wave.
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That may be so. Because of the limited number of albergues open I tended to meet the same people at my night stop for several days at a time. But the SJPDP pilgrim office figures for the first three months of the year show that Koreans were the largest national group, closely followed by Americans. Oddly although I met Koreans in significant numbers almost every day I met no Americans at all and only a couple of Canadians. Perhaps the other nationalities were a few days or weeks later in starting out.

 
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I can step out of my front door and within a few miles join pilgrimage routes: to Canterbury, Winchester, Salisbury, Stonehenge & Avebury, Walsingham, Holy Island, Skara Brae. After that it gets tricky: there’s big wet bits in the way, as there has been ever since Doggerland gave way to the tides. Yes, I’m “fortunate “, I can get to just about anywhere in Europe by spending a few quid and a few hours playing with border control. What I’ll never do is get to taste the wines of Washington State or the Barrosa Valley or Hawke’s Bay in situ. That kind of travel cost is way beyond me. I’m not sure I’m even capable of spending that much time on an airplane. Three hours is about my limit. Two hops with a day or two off has got me further than you’d think but…

I think, for me, the puzzle is why does someone who lives “half a world away” even want to go to all that trouble and expense just to walk a dusty path to the shrine of a Saint that few of them believe in and who probably isn’t there anyway.
Yes, @JustJack, we’re fortunate. Just as all those who do not spend their days in getting and begetting mere survival are fortunate: “We few, we happy few” ( he misquotes with true abandon
 
dougfitz said:
But I do think that they will face similar constraints when it comes to finding the time and money to undertake a camino as those of us who travel from more distant places.
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I am in the very fortunate position of living in the UK with very cheap transport options to Spain. I also have a small but adequate pension and no work or family commitments which tie me to home for much of the year. That means that I can usually decide on a whim to walk a Camino. My personal best was deciding to walk the Via de la Plata on a Sunday afternoon and being on the ground walking by Thursday morning. With all the logistics of travel and insurance dealt with inside an hour. The internet is a marvellous thing (mostly)! I am very aware that other people make great sacrifices in time and money to walk perhaps just one Camino and I am very grateful for the circumstances which make it possible for me.
 
Tincatinker said:
What I’ll never do is get to taste the wines of Washington State or the Barrosa Valley or Hawke’s Bay in situ.
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Sometimes it comes down to timing and serendipity. I have long been fascinated by Australian wildlife but a visit always seemed out of my reach. However I stumbled across a marvellous flight deal in summer 2019 which allowed me to fly from London to Dubai with a 20 hour stopover for a bit of sightseeing. Then on to Osaka to walk the Kumano Kodo and some more sightseeing. Then Tokyo to Sydney to meet @Kanga before going on a long anti-clockwise loop - mostly by Greyhound bus - that eventually took me to the Barossa and McLaren Vale before flying home from Adelaide. A mix of wild camping and backpacker hostels for most of the trip and a complicated multi-city flight ticket from Emirates for £700! Sadly those days seem long gone just 4 years later.
 
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Train on the 4-day Catalina Camino
Train for your next Camino on California's Santa Catalina Island March 16-19
And the regular vacation time Canada and the US don't get near the same amount of.
 
As one of those who does so, I doubt I could give you any convincing explanation either. It is still very much a puzzle to me too, 13 pilgrimages and a short stint as a hospitalero later.
 
Tincatinker said:
, the puzzle is why does someone who lives “half a world away” even want to go to all that trouble and expense just to walk a dusty path to the shrine of a Saint that few of them believe in and who probably isn’t there anyway.
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The reasons are exactly the same of those people who live near Spain and do it. The only difference is that it costs more and takes more time.

Being a bit repetitive, I long gave up about thinking in absolutes about the days and distances. Australia is far, no matter what I think of it. So I set my goals and go. The time and money are just two of the steps to get everywhere else. Big ones, but still, just steps.
 
Train on the 4-day Catalina Camino
Train for your next Camino on California's Santa Catalina Island March 16-19
OTH86 said:
Maybe not taste a Washington wine IN Washington State, but... Red or white? I'll leave it with either Ivar or at the Pilgrim House with your name on it in November. ...for all you've done and do for the Forum.
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Wonderful idea.
I think we all should bring a bottle from our home State for @Tincatinker
 
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According to statistics from the Oficina de Atención al Pergrino in Santiago in 2022 people from 197 countries received Compostelas. As in the world there are 206-211 countries (depends on the font you look at), that means that in the camino is represented more than 90% of the people in the world.
That cultural mixture is one of the aspects that attracts most to the Camino and I think It's also one of its great attractives and one of It's biggest riches.
I can meet in the walk people from all around the world, from places I will never be able to visit but I would like to.
And what I've found is that as as we all have a common goal and interest, It's very easy and satisfaying to stablish connection and learn something from everyone.
I live in Spain, so for me is very easy (Camino de Madrid begins in my City). So I've always had the deepest respect and admiration for those who come with great personal, economic and time-consuming effort to walk the Camino.
So my deepest thank you to all of you who come from far away. You are doing the Camino what it is right now.
 
We live in Wales, and we get over there every year. When I lived there, in the South nr Albox/Arboleas, I went on Pilgrimage less! Spain can be expensive in allot of ways, cheap coffee and Beer / Vino seems to trick Brits and other ex pats living there, but they soon realise they have to put their hands in their pocket in other ways...

I lived in Australia twenty years ago, a few years in Sydney, and I can tell you Australia always seems a long way from anywhere! especially if you are on the West coast....
 
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The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
jgiesbrecht said:
And the regular vacation time Canada and the US don't get near the same amount of.
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Vacation time in Canada is generally pretty generous. I get 6 weeks offer per year plus another 2 weeks of "personal" days (ie kid's home sick, dentist appointment, etc). I was able to take a full 8 weeks off this spring to walk the CF which was fully paid.
 
When I go to the supermarket, I cross the Camino from Arles and Toulouse that head to Oloron Sainte Marie, the Somport pass and Spain. Each time that I see the red and white banner, it reminds me to be humble and modest in my ways and to start another Camino.
I have no wish to return to the US now but would like to visit New Zealand and hike the 88 temples on the Island of Siskoku in Japan.
 
I am in Canada, most jobs aren't that good unless it's a good professional job. The average job for lots of people doesn't even have benefits..... 6 weeks off per year for you, that's definitely rare
 
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jgiesbrecht said:
I am in Canada, most jobs aren't that good unless it's a good professional job. The average job for lots of people doesn't even have benefits..... 6 weeks off per year for you, that's definitely rare
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6 weeks is on the high end, but I think everyone I know gets 4-5 weeks (yes, professional jobs, not entry-level positions). The norm (in Vancouver) is to start with 3 weeks vacation and then move up from there over time. I've been with my company for a long time, hence the 6 weeks.
 
I used to get 30 days annual leave. Never allowed to take more than 10 consecutive. I also earnt TOIL to compensate for the additional hours and weekends and Bank Holidays I worked. When I finally got around to resigning I had 46 days of untaken leave and around 50 days of TOIL. Enough for a couple of Camino and a thorough exploration of the better bars of Andalusia.

I guess we’re all lucky sometimes
 
Get a Spanish mobil number + data while on the Camino
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
I've alluded to this as well previously. I got full 6 weeks (which is practically UNHEARD of in US)
Took me 2.5 years to string it together and The Gods of Camino were on my side for my boss approved
There were 3 things about it - 1. He was impressed with my overall planning, 2. he is a Devout Catholic and 3. (perhaps the most important ) - he is an avid hiker!
So off to the CEO he went and I got my 6 weeks.
 
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For us, it was more the hassle than the cost of travel (although the cost is becoming prohibitive, too). Our typical flight from California had 2 layovers and took 25 - 30 hours. I'm getting too old for that nonsense.

And now, there's a camino marker in the sidewalk outside our front door
 
Camino Preparation Guide
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Yes, NZ is a long way away. 18000 km and change. And yes, it's expensive. Plus, our normal holiday time is 4 weeks - it used to be 3. And travel time,!!! Don't get me started.
Since 2000, my wife and I took one and a half years vacation time (6weeks) every 2-3 years to fly to Germany to visit her friends and family. Bar once when some of them came to us. We weren't rich. It took sacrifices, but we made them, because family comes first. Luck had nothing to do with it.
For some, the Camino is the same. When it calls, you just start saving. You make sacrifices, like we did. No fancy TV's, restaurant meals only on special occasions, old cars/ biking to work, learning DIY skills. Saving vacation time, working extra hours.
I met a man from South America in Santiago in April who'd saved 7 years to come. And others who came on a whim, who can afford hotels. It's the beauty of the Camino. On the trail it's the friendly smile, the helping hand, the cheerful banter that counts.
I finish my Camino tomorrow. My crew is Irish, English, Czechoslovakian , Taiwanese, Chinese, Kiwi - all held together by an irrepressible Italian woman. Some of us sacrificed more than others to get here, and yes, some paid less. But I wouldn't swap one of them for the world
 
I live in Spain, roughly in between the Norte and the Francés. And yes, I feel privileged. Mostly because I have been able to move and live here (I wasn't born in Spain). I will walk the Sanabrés in a couple of days and travel there in my own car. That is a luxury.

But it is all relative of course. Going to neighbouring Galicia is a lot less exotic than travelling to another continent or even another country. If the Camino is in your backyard, it is also just that: your backyard. Well known terrain.

There are so many places I would like to see in the world that I'll never see. Also because of climate change I now try to limit myself to trains, cars and buses which means that I have been spending my holidays in Spain and the south of France the last couple of years (apart from travelling to my home country every once in a while). No complaints, on the contrary, but I will know Canada, New Zealand and Japan only from books, images and documentaries.
 
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I recently booked a ticket from Hobart to Paris Return... $2000 AUD. And that was cheap. In 2018 I paid $1250.

Ah well, sold my grandmothers wheelchair, visited the bank after hours and arranged for my pets to stay in a local beach resort.

Funny, a German friend who I walked with previously decided to walk with me the first week, on the spur of the moment.

 
Luka said:
But it is all relative of course. Going to neighbouring Galicia is a lot less exotic than travelling to another continent or even another country. If the Camino is in your backyard, it is also just that: your backyard. Well known terrain.
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That's a very good point, thanks for raising it. I was too busy complaining about how far/expensive it is to get to Spain to think about the fact that its distance is one of the things that make it so interesting and exotic to those if us living on the other side of the world. Truly, you can't have your cake and eat it too...
 
Probably living in another European country is best of both ways: easy to travel, but still a different country and culture
 
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CWBuff said:
...And Andre Rieu for X-mas?
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An acquired taste. But not for me! Though I have a very funny story about me walking in Maastricht when I heard some older ladies screaming when I approached them. Now, I am a likeable person but reality was that mr Rieu himself was coming from another sidestreet and those ladies were big fans of him!
 
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Camino Cleanup Program & Retreat
Join the Camino cleanup. Logroño to Burgos May 2025 & Astorga to OCebreiro in June
Luka said:
But it is all relative of course. Going to neighbouring Galicia is a lot less exotic than travelling to another continent or even another country. If the Camino is in your backyard, it is also just that: your backyard. Well known terrain.
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When I was involved in my American Civil War Re-enactment & living History I was spending a lot of time in Gettysburg PA... me and a good group of us that cemented a friendship over the Hobby & Topic, some being Reenactors\Living Historians and some just members of the ACW Forum (sort of like this but theme-appropriate) we all frequented.
Some of the group were Gettysburg locals. And one time one of the ladies somewhat teary-eyed told us (out-of-towners) that she TRULY THANKS us, because "being here every day and having go to work and do shopping and deal with kids and all other ever-day-mundane chores" she simply forgot where it is she lived and the beauty and magic of the place. Every time we enthusiastically spoke of the town - it 'reminded' her try not to take things for granted.
 
I assume from your post that you walked it. Did you do all 88 temples? How long did it take? Did you need a special Japanese visa to stay there? So many questions….
 
SabsP said:
On the other hand I will most probably not be able to visit Canada or Australia.
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This is me, but not for the same reasons. I have a brother in Quebec and my sister and her family, have lived in the outback in Australia for about 14 years. Would love to see Australia and would like to see Canada (the pacific side). But other things are higher up the list than both of those (like Everest base camp, Kilimanjaro, Machu Picchu, to name some). Live your dreams.

I wouldn't like to live in Spain near a camino route.
 
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WalkingInGers said:
I assume from your post that you walked it. Did you do all 88 temples? How long did it take? Did you need a special Japanese visa to stay there? So many questions….
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I walked the full circuit in 2018. It took me about 6 weeks to cover roughly 1200km. I do usually walk quite long days and most people would choose to take a bit longer. I'm from the UK and I did not need a visa - I think I was allowed a 90 day stay without one. If you would like more up to date information there is an excellent Facebook group for the Shikoku pilgrimage: https://www.facebook.com/groups/30817087712/
 
I actually believe he is right about the Koreans.

I walked from Astorga this year in February and was surprised how many Koreans I met.

PS. I am a "fake" Korean myself
 
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The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
I appreciate! And I have been on different paths 9 times since May 2018.
 
You are so right. It's not just distance. Other commitments bulk large in getting away, whether it's Camino or other travel.
 
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LilleTyksak said:
I actually believe he is right about the Koreans.

I walked from Astorga this year in February and was surprised how many Koreans I met.
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There are many Koreans and "Koreans", but not quite as many as walking along in the midst of a "wave" of them can give the impression of.

I walked from Santiago to SJPP (and then Lourdes) last year, so I had a rather different perspective -- and they really do pass in waves rather than being a constant massive presence all of the time. BTW @Bradypus and I met at SJPP in the very beginning of 2023 at the start of his Camino and near the end of mine, which is how I know that he was in the midst of one of those waves ; the Albergues the previous nights at Zubiri and Roncesvalles, from my perspective, were packed with Asians.

I don't know why it's like this, though I suppose it must be something to do with Korean customs for taking leave from work or whatever or travel date customs that lead to many departures within a brief period, then things calming down 'til the next wave ? Possibly they have a greater tendency to choose end/start of the month for a Camino start date than Westerners do ?
 
It doesn't surprise me. A few years ago I was a hospitalera in Albergue San Nicolás de Flüe in Ponferrada during the first 2 weeks of January. I kept a tally of nationalities staying with us and the the Koreans by far were the majority. I was told by one of them that Universities are on vacation in January, hence the numbers in winter.
 
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Also from Canada, Vancouver specifically combined two cycles of vacation. I just did the Frances April 14 to May 25. Hopefully in a few years I can do the Camino agai.
 
Yes tis going to be very expensive for the flights from New Zealand! About NZ$5,000 (US$3,080) and about 34 hours to get to London, let alone getting to SJPDP. After that you need a night or two just to recover and that's at the start of the trip! It's expensive to travel anywhere from NZ. I last travelled to Europe about 2001, so it has been a long time.

Advantages though - we get a decent amount of leave here, I get 5 weeks annual leave - I have hoarded my leave a little and it's time to use it!
 
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re: selling your granny's wheelchair: I do hope she was finished using it!

I live right on the Camino Frances, and I used to enjoy that "get up and walk a camino" privilege to the max! But Real Life happens even here on the Meseta. Health troubles, pets, commitments, parents, children, work... I can't leave the house for more than a couple of days without engineering for someone stay in my place.

I often wave goodbye to a pilgrim in the morning and long to be setting out, too. Maybe someday again...
 
Rebekah Scott said:
Health troubles, pets, commitments, parents, children, work... I can't leave the house for more than a couple of days without engineering for someone stay in my place.
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There is a ten year gap in my walking history. I adopted a one-eyed three-legged dog from a rescue centre and he became very attached to me. Too dependent to be left in kennels for any length of time. While I would love to have another dog I would find it too much of a tie to home.
 
Hi JustJack
We are kiwis who love these crazy camino’s…and not just the Spanish ones. We are on the Le Puy at the moment, having waited four years to get this trip underway. It’s a damn long flight for us too, so we are having 11 weeks to enjoy ourselves in Europe. And yes, Europeans are a lucky lot to have easy access to these beautiful trails.
 
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Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
SarahTheKiwi said:
Yes tis going to be very expensive for the flights from New Zealand! About NZ$5,000 (US$3,080) and about 34 hours to get to London, let alone getting to SJPDP.
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Sarah's exactly right - time and cost to travel to and fro were major considerations behind our move to Europe ( see my earlier post above). But just because we're here doesn't make it all a bed of bed of roses
Well, maybe it does - because Roses have thorn's!!
I've just finished my second, short Camino. Planned at relatively short notice, justifying @JustJack 's comments.
So why am I writing this?
Well, my first Camino, in April, cost me just €350 return. And I was able to both leave and, at the end, return home in around 8 -10 hours.
This time was a tad different.
First, it's July, so it was always going to be more expensive. €530. Ok. Except I agreed to let a friend of a friend book it for me through her travel agency. The theory being, it would cost me no more, but help her out.
Except all this took 48 hours. And in the last 4 hours of which, the price jumped. €880. Bear in mind, I'm only flying from Berlin!
Then they cancelled all trains to the airport from my regional station, to work on the lines. Neatly spanning the entire time. Yes, both going and return.
My second leg - no, even I can't go direct - was delayed 45 minutes. Sitting in the plane. With a screaming baby beside me ( actually, sometimes even in my arms. No relation, but I seriously felt for the poor mother).
So I arrived late. And missed my bus. No worries, there was another due soon. Except... Yep, that's running late too.
Still, I got there, walked a wonderful Camino ( Primitivo) . So what's the problem, right?
Well, leaving Santiago my plane was delayed. Half an hour. Again, in the plane ( but no baby this time) .
Flight two - yep. Delayed. In the plane. Half an hour. And the cancelled train? Replaced by a bus. Which takes literally an hour longer to get home. Except....
Yep, the last one left at EXACTLY the time I walked off the plane.
So I'm writing this on a train into Berlin. If all goes well, I can make an alternative connection, and I will be home at around 1.45. Yes, in the morning. Work starts at 08.30....
Fortunate? Right now, I'm just tired!!
 
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