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Seeking Booking dot Com Tips......

Robo

Always planning the next one....
Donating Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Frances 15,16,18
VdlP 23, Invierno 23, Fisterra 23
At Christmas lunch, it was suggested that a 'family' Camino might be a good idea!
Maybe they are sick of my stories and want to see what it's all about?

Obviously there is a lot to consider in planning.
Route, distance, end in SDC or not, time of year, ability etc etc.

But one thing I'm thinking might be 'tricky' is accommodation.
We are likely to be a group of 8-10. (all adults)
I've only ever walked alone or with Pat.

So to make things simpler and hopefully go smoother, I'm thinking I might break my normal preference and book all accommodation at the outset. Without going into current thoughts around early planning........I think I'll avoid the Frances, just too busy these days, and probably go with another route in Spain. Whilst they will all be OK with Albergues, finding 8-10 beds could be tricky, so my initial thoughts are to book private accommodation. Or at least 'bookable' albergues. Everyone will carry their own gear.

Whilst not the Camino I would plan for myself, I think that having an easy route all planned out, 20 kms / day, over 7-10 days would make things easier for all. Rather than 'Dad' having to stress out organising things on the fly........ This is all very route and time of year dependant of course. accommodation availability etc etc.

But my question is mainly related to Booking dot Com specifically. (or other ways of booking small groups) I have used it myself a lot over the years for both Camino and non Camino bookings. (though on Camino I tend to book direct now)

But given the numbers of beds I'm seeking I thought it might be worth trying to be a bit smarter about it?

So for the Booking dot Com 'gurus' out there, here are some 'conceptual' questions. Of course the practical aspect of seeking 8-10 beds may influence the approach)
Feel free to add more tips too!
Though please don't suggest using a Tour Company
we are perfectly capable of planning a trip.

  1. I presume that booking 2-3 weeks out gives better prices than months in advance.
  2. I suspect that like many online booking platforms (like airlines), cookies track your interest, and if you look keen about certain locations and venues, the prices start to increase? Should I research on one account and book via another?
  3. I seem to have Genius Level 3 on the platform, which supposedly gives discounts for some participating venues. Does this work in practice? Do you just see a lower price than normal or is it clear it's an added discount.
As I write this, I'm thinking it might all be a lot easier to just book direct anyway, but the benefit of booking dot com, and the hook of course, is the ease of booking.

Any thoughts / advice most welcome. Specifically about booking, or not, for a group.

Potential routes at this stage are. (would prefer a quieter route I think)

Madrid. (7-10 days only)
Sanabres (last bit)
Muxia-Finisterre, SDC
VdlP to Merida
Though as it's likely a one-off Camino for them, ending in SDC might be nice.

Advice from anyone who has taken a 'group' would be valuable.
Like @J Willhaus or @trecile with your 'push start' idea.
 
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Robo said:
I presume that booking 2-3 weeks out gives better prices than months in advance.
Click to expand...
Maybe, maybe not. I would start booking fully refundable places as soon as you have your dates set, but keep looking and if you find someplace better or cheaper book it and cancel your other booking.
Robo said:
suspect that like many online booking platforms (like airlines), cookies track your interest, and if you look keen about certain locations and venues, the prices start to increase?
Click to expand...
As far as I know, this is a myth, and definitely not my experience, both with flights and accommodations.

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There’s a lot of bad travel advice out there. But the one that always makes me cringe is when people insist that clearing your cookies will result in lower flight prices. It's just not true.
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Robo said:
I seem to have Genius Level 3 on the platform, which supposedly gives discounts for some participating venues. Does this work in practice?
Click to expand...
Yes, you do get discounts the higher your Genius Level is, and you also sometimes get better prices when booking on the app versus the website.
 
Robo said:
I suspect that like many online booking platforms (like airlines), cookies track your interest, and if you look keen about certain locations and venues, the prices start to increase? Should I research on one account and book via another?
Click to expand...
I have never read any authoritative source that gives credence to this theory of airlines increasing the prices based on your interest. It does not happen to me.

I see that @trecile has just posted the same!

Robo said:
I presume that booking 2-3 weeks out gives better prices than months in advance.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't presume this.
 
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And you will likely get push back about using a platform like booking.com versus booking direct, but having all or most of the bookings on one platform really streamlines the process, especially with a large group like yours. I used a mixture of booking.com and direct booking for my "push start" group, but it was a smaller group and I only booked 6 nights for the group, including two nights in Paris and two in SJPdP.
 
I have mainly walked on my own, but have had people (actual family and friends) join for short periods during a Camino, where I booked the accommodation for that week or so. It was all done very hastily so only days ahead, sometimes a night ahead.
I haven't booked for a number as large as 8, but I did find that booking for 4 or 5, often meant that an apartment was an option. This lends itself more to self catering than an albergue, but comes with the benefits of washing machines etc, and being able to turn the lights on when you feel like it. I was always able to find one close to the city centre. The costs divided up were pretty good, especially when you consider the other benefits.
There were also a couple of times on a different Camino when we (Camino family not actual family) booked a whole albergue room for 6 - shared bathrooms, but the sleeping dorm to ourselves. We were all on different budgets, and by doing this we were able to have a 'private room' of 3 bunks for 6.
 
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trecile said:
Try to teach the group the tips and tricks that you have used to walk a successful Camino, but be ready for them to completely ignore you and constantly rely on you for all the answers.
Click to expand...

Yes I intend to! And I fully expect to have to act as the tour guide and 'fixer'.
My first Camino with Pat taught me that very fast......
Oh the joys of walking alone.
 

I agree. I have used it in that way on extended overseas trips before.
Everything in one place is so much easier.....
 
Great points! Thanks.
 
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Much better to look for an apartment either on booking.com or Airbnb. You’ll not find many places offering a booking for 8-10 otherwise, Most booking options have some form of cancellation option and yours is a large number of beds to have potentially held then cancelled - even though that’s not your intention.

Pricing on booking does vary, but IMHO with number of bookings not degree of interest.

I’ve been ‘Genius 3’ for years. I really don’t think it makes a material difference.

For a first-time I probably wouldn’t do the C de Madrid.
 
I second, or third ;-), the AirBnB / appartment approach. It also has the added benefit of having no curfew which might be nice when out and about with people that might never return to that part of Spain. Also, I would change my mindset from planning a Camino to planning a mini vacation on a Camino aka shorter stages, more time to smell the roses, enjoy the culture/history. If you are not set on Spain and arriving in SdC I would consider two other options:

Le Puy to Concques
Pau to Puente la Reina

BC SY
 
Well I have done about 300 nights a year on booking.com for the last 4 years (mainly low end for 1 or 2 people) and have learnt a load.

In response.

1. Broadly the earlier you booking the cheaper it is. Not always of course as if bookings are slow, compared to expectations, price cuts may come in. Book a long way out and pay a little extra for a cancellation condition. Normally you can cancel up to a day before. The extra is usually no more than 10%. Trickier to rebook with a larger group of course.
2. Not true!
3. I am level 3 (doesnt seem too hard to attain) and not sure how much it discounts despite what is claimed and demonstrated on screen. I haven’t really looked into it that much.
 
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Family Camino, eight to ten? The horror!

Can't offer booking.com tips (though the genius discounts do seem to work) .. but would say it could be worth checking re festivals and so on as those towns can be seriously booked at those times

Re cookies ... their is definitely an online slant towards previous searches so, regardless of this epic itinerary booking you will be doing, it is well worth clearing browser data on a regular basis ..

.. but ... just one Q - why not the 'pilgrim experience' and use refugios?
 
If you want the Camino to be 'authentic' why book ahead. Just turn up and join the bed race like everyone else. Think of the joy of panic; getting the bottom bunk; snoring (obvs); and the crinkling of plastic bags at 5:00 in the morning.

You know you want to.
 
If you book a place that is cancellable you can always keep checking back to see if the product has gone down in price, and cancel your booked product and book at the new rate. I do it all the time, though a lot harder with a group where there will be less product of course!

Or if you book the cancellable product and you note a few days out that the non cancellable product is available at a cheaper rate (given your plans are now firm), you can switch too.
 
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A good question. Just not sure how hard it might be to get 8-10 beds.
As said, I think I'll avoid the Frances, as it's just too busy these days. (for me at least)
And the less popular routes have less beds.......smaller Albergues etc.

But as I narrow down the route, that's certainly an option for the 'full experience'
And fitter/younger men to carry the food for self catering!
 

Hmm. No thanks

I'm happy to do it that way alone or with Pat, but not 'herding' a group!
 
Once a year I go away for a long weekend with up to ten other people. There are a few pitfalls with using booking.com. Some places will not accept bookings for larger groups. I think based on an assumption that a group will be rowdy, even if in fact it's a bunch of (mostly)sober retired couples. I've also come across special booking conditions applied to groups e.g. a % of the deposit non refundable.

It can get complicated to cancel if people drop out. For that reason we now agree a hotel that has capacity, then everyone makes and manages their own bookings.That also can accommodate different budgets or preferences if, for example, a hotel offers basic and superior rooms. We've also found limited choice, usually booking 2-3 months ahead in cities, just because many places don't have many larger hotels.

Depending on who's in the group you need to check very carefully how many beds you need and are getting and who's happy to share a bed or room with who else. Twin rooms are harder to find than doubles, and single rooms often rare. As ever, there's usually a financial penalty for singletons.

These are good reasons for thinking about an apartment but again check beds carefully. Travelling with a female friend earlier this year we had one AirBnB flat where the owner had only supplied bedding for the double bed, and was most surprised when told that we had booked because the place offered a separate pull out bed so we each had our own. Make sure everything is clear to everyone.
Good luck.
 
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Another approach would be to agree places with a reasonable selection of accommodation for your overnight stops then let people sort their own. Presumably you won't all be walking in a cluster, so can agree where you will eat together, and maybe plan a lunchtime stop for the next day.
 
Hi @Robo,

Last year I planned a trip for 10 students and 2 teachers on the CF. We purposely did it over our winter break as that was when all our nursing students were most available. Due to different programs with varying clinical rotations, many of our students are tied up in spring, summer, and fall, but had several weeks off around the winter holidays.

We all met in Madrid the first night and we stayed at a Marriott hotel with a shuttle that did not require advance booking or a call to summon the shuttle. This was for students who didnt have a Spanish sim or service with thier US carrier. We stayed 2 or 3 to a room (twin beds).

We flew to Santiago the next day for $35 each, then took an inexpensive bus to Sarria. We booked one night in Sarria at an albergue directly with the owner (ended up with beds bugs that first night). During our walk we stayed in the mostly empty Xunta albergues and I went out each evening and arranged a place that would take a large party for a meal at a certain time. We booked one other place in Portomarin directly, but after we arrived realized we could have stayed at the big Xunta albergue there, too. We could not make reservations at the Xunta albergues, but that worked out fine. Very few winter pilgrims so plenty of beds. Good laundry facilities and we bought a pan to heat water and cook eggs for breakfast.

In Santiago I called and booked directly at San Martin de Pinario. In Muxia, I WhatsApped an albergue recommended to me and booked directly. In Madrid we stayed in an awesome AirBNB on the Gran Via with 7 bedrooms. I never used Booking.com at all although we have occasionally used it for just Phil and I.

Ours was a study trip so we also had lessons daily and needed to find a quiet place for the 12 of us to gather for about an hour each day. The albergues were quiet in winter so the common room worked well. We also self catered breakfasts and I cooked for everyone at least two nights to keep down costs for university students on a low budget.

I found I didn't enjoy this Camino as much as it was a working Camino for me in my professor role. Although I am super cheap and organized and most things went quite well, I missed the spontaneity of walking and staying where I liked. I didn't enjoy "riding herd" on a group (keeping Phil in-line is quite enough for me.)

So be careful what you wish for my friend. Although my biggest headache was the squabbles and tears amongst a bunch of 20 year old girls (only one male student), I can't imagine organizing for my family. University students are willing to be uncomfortable to save a buck to travel to Spain with me. My family would have all kinds of food likes and dislikes and would have completely wigged out over bed bugs. They would want a "vacation" at an resort and not a Camino.

Maybe more advice than you asked for, but here it is anyway. Good Luck!
 
Gosh, you're brave!

Quite apart from all the excellent advice already in this thread, I'll give a shout-out for casas rurales as a possible solution. They are easily found via Google Maps, and are often 'whole-house' bookings. A large number of them have their own websites too, so you can contact them directly, and I imagine they're fairly economical if costs are being divided.
 
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Many thanks @J Willhaus !

I will certainly be clear with the family to get their expectations aligned, but they have all travelled extensively 'back packing' overseas, (more than we have) so they won't be too precious about anything.

I'm thinking I'll avoid the Frances though. As I'm kind of 'over' the crowds, and would prefer not to walk too far 'off season'. So that points towards a less popular/quieter route.

Depending on the route we select, it might be a combination of Albergues, apartments and whatever else is available. Stopping points with enough beds will be fairly essential. (or accommodation options at least). Might not be sensible to aim to stop in a place that has only one Albergue with 20 beds and nothing else.
But I have a couple of routes in mind.

If this comes off, I recognise it will not be a 'walk in the park'.
It will be their Camino.
We'll probably leave them to go elsewhere in Europe whilst we head off on another route on our own!

You are a Saint undertaking that one last year!
 

Yes, nice idea. As I was thinking about routes, I recall staying in a couple that were great.
 
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Robo said:
I suspect that like many online booking platforms (like airlines), cookies track your interest, and if you look keen about certain locations and venues, the prices start to increase? Should I research on one account and book via another?
Click to expand...
Airlines and accommodation booking platforms use complex dynamic pricing algorithms behind the scenes to maximize usage, and consequently their profits, and minimize cancellations. There are various factors taken into consideration, with demand only one.

For airlines, a quick search brought up this page which offers a studied explanation. I suspect the likes of Booking.com use something similar?
https://illumin.usc.edu/the-algorithm-behind-plane-ticket-prices-and-how-to-get-the-best-deal/
 
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Well, maybe think about the Sanabres or the last 100 km from Montfort de Lemos. I think the Ingles or the Portuguese might be too popular and crowded. You could always bite the bullet and engage a company to plan and arrange for you. I didn't due to the cost to the students--even study abroad planning companies charge quite a bit. I was able to manage all the "sightseeing" we did on my own and we got a lot of discounts for being a student group, but even that took some concerted planning. As I said, it was a part of my job and not a labor of love like yours will hopefully be.
 
I have walked and organized twice with groups of 7, in mostly private accommodations Booking.com has a feature where you can book, but have the charge linked to a different credit card ( you need their email, expiry date, and CVV number), so if we had different rooms in a hotel I would do that. It’s much more common recently for your credit card to be billed a few days before arrival. When we could pay on arrival I didn’t bother with the separate card route, but I wanted to avoid massive accounting once we were all back home.

A noted problem with booking.com is that some places only list a room or 2 with them, not their full inventory. You can use Gronze though to check out the size of the place, and if it looks good, then contact the place directly. I probably booked half the time with booking.com, the other half directly, and in a few cases, where places had their own booking sites, asked people to book themselves. We used some apartments ( on booking.com,), it was nice for laundry as most had washing machines - occasionally found 2 apartments in the same building.


Also, it seemed the sooner places were booked the better, both for prices and inventory. I started booking in January for a September walk. A few places don’t come online that far ahead, but most do, at least on the Frances.

And walking with a group that size, was no problem. You don’t walk side by side, the split of who walked with who, or alone varied from day to day, and there was still lots of opportunity to interact with people outside the group. It was fun to share stories at the end of the day over dinner, which we always had together. It will be a great experience for your family!
 
Just to relieve @Robo 's stress levels, I'm going to offer a different thought. Why not offload the planning and booking-management chores to one of the Camino-tour type companies? You're essentially putting together your own tour group as a private party. That would give you someone else to blame if FamilyMember2 is unhappy, as well as insurance and backup in the event something goes sideways.
I recognize this approach is anathema to many, but for this particular situation, it might fit.
 
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I’ve led groups of up to 27 and as few as 6 over the years and booked successfully, well in advance I have to say with Booking.com, always using the free cancellation option. The Caminos were The Ingles, Primitivo both Portuguese Caminos from Oporto and the Frances. Never had any problems. Occasionally I used two hotels in the same place.
Main advice is book now as your choice will be wider.
Buen Camino
 
There are a couple of main advantages to booking your own family tour. One is the cost, it will be at least 50% more. The other is control, you can determine the places and match to your needs way better than a company could, for example varying hotels, apartments and albergues so your family can have a varied experience.
And it’s fun and not difficult to do the research!
 
As previously mentioned, with a group that size you might be better off looking for apartments (and maybe more than one) when you can find them. Depending on the time of year you might consider the Portuguese Coastal Route. During the high summer season it books up quickly months in advance but it does offer the advantage of more apartments or even houses for rent on a daily basis. In albergues you will also find places where you can book an entire bunk room for your group, but the key will be booking many months ahead. Trying to find bookings for a large group a few weeks in advance could be challenging. You might also consider breaking the group up between two or more albergues.

I have found Booking.com’s free cancellation very valuable when trying to plan a Camino for more than two people.
 
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I like to use Booking even though prices may be a little higher than if you booked direct. For any concerns you can actually call them! And they are helpful 888-850-3958 (I'm from U.S.). You will need to give them <any> booking number in the automated and then you will get a live person. You are a big group, my suggestion is to book early. But that's just me. My camino buddy calls me senora spreadsheet - I am a planner. There is no right or wrong way. Buen Camino! p.s. I never do the whole 'switch account because of tracking thing'. I never worry about that.
 
I booked ahead for the first two weeks for 6 of us family and friends to walk the Camino Frances this past late September - October. I used Booking.com (only people that ever called me Genius) and direct by email or WhatsApp to the establishment when I could. Yes, pay extra for free cancellation -- accommodation, trains, buses, tourist venues -- and changeable or refundable airline tickets. My wife tested positive for Covid the week before we departed. One down. My neighbor had a medical emergency two days before departure so she and her sister joined us a week late. They left us two days before they had planned to because Hurricane Kirk was just too much.

We preferred private albergues but found, as recommended above, a lot of apartments and casa rurals were nice inexpensive alternatives. But, a day or two before arriving at these, almost always unstaffed accommodations, you will spend up to an hour on your phone providing all the detailed private information for everyone in your party and a copy of their passport photo.

Please note, with four "first timers" in tow, I found the Camino Frances ideal. I cannot imagine --and could not handle -- the stress of bouncing from one Camino to another. Buen Camino
 
This is what I was going to suggest Airbnb apartments or houses
 
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I have used Booking.com for a variety of different trips and have found two things particularly useful:

1. The first is the ability to be able to cancel free of charge until relatively late in the day. Although I have rarely used this, it can be useful if the same accommodation is or becomes cheaper when booking direct. Increasingly, it is worth checking booking the accommodation directly - many now allow more flexible booking if you need it and they benefit from not having to pay booking.com if you book directly with them.

2. Being able to message your accommodation via the booking.com app seems to work well for both you and the accommodation provider, especially as it now appears to have a translation function if you are not so sure of your Spanish.

Hope this helps - I wish you all a Buen Camino!
 
Many have echoed the sentiment to look into an apartment (or several small ones together via booking.com. A kitchen will be handy as well. Be sure to look at their cancellation policy.
One trick that served me well on the Norte this year was to start with the Correos app & see where they deliver & pick up. This is useful even if you don’t send a bag ahead as most of their properties are along the Camino. Booking may say a place is near city center but that doesn’t mean it is near the Camino. And an injury can mean you do need to send a bag ahead & you don’t want to have to scramble around with bags. They are also helpful to send a bag all the way ahead to the post office in SdC for use on other parts of your trip. Have a wonderful experience.
 
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auburnfive said:
One more hint, if you look at the reviews on Booking,com, you can enter “ Camino” in the filters. That might give you any comments from past pilgrims. ( close to the Camino, welcoming to Camino walkers etc)
Click to expand...
Thanks for mentioning this. I often use this tip when searching for places on the Camino.
 
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My friend and I walked from Lisbon but were joined by 3 other family members (newbies) in Porto - for this section I pre booked all accommodation except for 1 donativo mostly by direct contact, occasionally booking.com. we were able to book a room for 5 in several albergues and a couple of times an apartment.
Even tho our group of 5 was relatively small the main issues for me was different walking patterns - some of us liked to stop for coffee whereas a couple of others kept walking. I was the only one with a spanish sim card making contact within the group difficult. Luckily on one occassion I spotted a note left on a bar sign so we were able to catch up with them I found I was often stressed from feeling responsible for the groups' enjoyment and thinking I had to be the problem solver - even tho I know my family wouldn't have expected this of me!
Just some added dimensions of group travel to think about wishing you a wonderful trip, Buen Camino, Linda
 
This highlights how important I think it is that every member of the group have the skills and information to walk on their own of necessary - and a data/phone plan that works in Spain, Portugal, France, or wherever they are walking.

When I went with my "push start" group I had everyone share their Google maps location with me and each other. That way if a couple of us were ahead of the others we could see where they were, and vice versa.

We also agreed that we didn't need to be "joined at the hip" to allow people to have their moments of solitude if they wanted.
 
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Thanks.

If we do this I'll stipulate some conditions. Like everyone has a Spanish Sim card and we are all on a Whatsapp group! (I'll buy them to make sure!)

I think it's natural to feel a degree of 'responsibility' for others enjoyment. Particularly if they are family. So I would plan it carefully to avoid any 'drama'......

But of course, stuff happens. So as 'Dad' it will fall to me to be the Fixer.

It will be their Camino..... . My enjoyment will be seeing them enjoy it.
 
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Good points!

I'll plan to have them all load Maps.me with the appropriate tracks.
And we would agree each evening the route, where we'll meet up etc.

I do the same when it's just Pat and I.
She needs to be able to get to the next stop without me.
Needs to know how to contact emergency services, etc.
What if I become incapacitated?

Time spent in planning is never wasted

(22 years in the Military.)
 

Interesting article. Thanks.

I think airlines might take a slightly different approach down in this part of the world. (Australia)
I haven't personally witnessed any 'bumping' of individual passengers, having flown many hundreds of domestic flights for work, but suspect it would escalate downhill very fast if they tried it!

But they do tend to 'bump' whole flights! Usually citing engineering problems.
This usually occurs between major hub cities, but as there are flights every 30-45 mins it doesn't create much of a problem. You just jump on the next one. Unless of course it is Friday evening and everyone is trying to get home......

The bucket pricing is interesting. I've seen that a lot. Trying to judge when to book fares to Europe.

I'm sure the article applies to many other industries.
I have done a bit of work with Cruise Lines, and just like airlines, it's all about maximising revenue per bunk. With a slight twist.
Last minute deals can be crazy low, as rather than let a ship sail with empty beds, they might sell them at cost, because they know they'll gain from the on board spending.

Useful tips.
Thanks
 
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A few other thoughts:

Download all the bus schedules along the route onto your phone. If someone doesn’t want to walk one day you can give them their options without having to search around to find out if there is a bus or not. Buses usually run early morning and late afternoon for schools and office workers.

Take photos of the taxi ads on lamp posts as you walk, in case you need to call a taxi for someone a bit further along the trail.

On the Primitivo in Sep this year I booked some fabulous private albergues, which often had 8-bed dorms (4 x bunk beds). Perfect for our group of 8. We agreed between us at the start that if you have a bottom bed one night, then at the next place you take a top bunk.

Carry a few of the baggage transfer envelopes on you. If someone can’t carry their pack next day, you can phone one of the companies to organize a bag transfer. Not all places have the envelopes in reception just when you need one.

Do all the bookings yourself. People not used to Booking etc, and especially “free cancellation” bookings, can book places that will amaze you – non-refundable, small double beds instead of twin beds, places that are 10kms out of town, unsuitably overpriced places, etc. I’ve given up trying to get any of my groups to do their own bookings – it’s too much hassle trying to fix them when I’ve found out what they’ve done. If you want something done properly do it yourself.

They will expect you to sort all the problems out along the way. When someone comes to you and says they have no hot water in their room, by all means go and see if they are turning the taps the wrong way. But I lose my patience a bit when they expect me to go off to report it to management. Tell them to go down to reception and complain about it themselves.

Doing your own evening meals is fun and cheap. Get 2 people ONLY to do the shopping and share the cost. It can be another 2 people the next day with their choice of groceries. Depending on the group people may prefer buying in their own drinks.

Have fun! Let us know which route you choose.
 
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