sending ahead clothes to come home in

[Nanc]

I will be checking a bag as there are things I want to take that require it - like scissors or a knife.

since there will already be a bag, I am thinking about packing a pair of jeans, sweater and fresh shoes for the trip home, something I could send to Ivar upon my arrival and pick up on arrival in Santiago. The duffle I put those things in could go too.
gee maybe even a skirt!
any thoughts about this?
and where could I ship from? the CDG airport or from SJPdP??
nanc

 

[Kanga]

Hi Nanc - except that it is so much fun to buy new stuff in Santiago! And that way you can take home some stylish Spanish shoes and clothes. Always a bargain for us.

 

[HeidiL]

I wouldn't send any shoes! I know that after even a week's walking I can't wear my regular work shoes for several days - and there are lots and lots of nice shoe shops in Santiago.

If you are a generously-sized person, you may have problems finding clothes that fit you in many smaller Spanish towns, but the Corte Ingles chain does sell what my Spanish friends euphemistically called "American sizes" when I lived there. It was the only place I could find jeans that were long enough, and I'm not particularly tall for a Viking....

 

[spursfan]

Why - you can buy a knife and scissors in France - and keep on looking like a pilgrim for your journey home as well

 

[peregrina2000]

I will be checking a bag as there are things I want to take that require it - like scissors or a knife.

since there will already be a bag, I am thinking about packing a pair of jeans, sweater and fresh shoes for the trip home, something I could send to Ivar upon my arrival and pick up on arrival in Santiago. The duffle I put those things in could go too.
gee maybe even a skirt!
any thoughts about this?
and where could I ship from? the CDG airport or from SJPdP??
nanc

Hi, Nanc,
I think you'll find that shipping from France to Spain is an expensive proposition, but there are post offices in CDG. http://www.aeroportsdeparis.fr/en/passengers/services/money-mails-health/post-office
I've never been to a post office in SJPP but I know many people who have, so there is certainly one there as well.

You may find that it's cheaper and easier to just carry everything on the plane and buy a small knife (Swiss army knives have models with small scissors inside) on arrival in SJPP.

Buen camino, Laurie

 

[mspath]

As Laurie said there is certainly a Bureau de la Poste in SJPdP. It is on the rue de La Poste which you pass walking from the rr station up to rue de La Citadelle and the CF. See more and a map HERE.

 

[t2andreo]

Send stuff ahead to Ivar. See "Services in Santiago by Ivar" here. I do it all the time. In fact, I do it so much when on Camino, that I am a charter member of his "Frequent Idiots Club." I typically send 50% (weight wise) of what I originally start with to him. I was embarrassing at first, but after several Caminos, we both just laugh it off. All in all, he provides the best value for service in this regard.

I agree about not sending street-size shoes. Your feet will swell and splay from weeks of walking with a rucksack and your old street shoes will not fit for several weeks or more. Either wear your off-time sandals/Crocs, etc, or buy a new pair of suitable footwear in one of the hundreds of shops in either the ancient center or the new town part of Santiago. Spain has a HUGE leather and shoe making history and industry. The styles, and value for money are fabulous. You get Italian design and construction for Asian prices. Woman can make a killing at this sort of shopping. And DO make a point to visit El Corte Ingles...

As for the knife, last year I carried-on board through TSA inspection, a Gerber Dime "Travel" multi-tool. It weighs 2.2 ounces, and has pliers, scissors, openers, screwdrivers, and a box opener...everything BUT a knife blade. Gerber designed this specifically to satisfy TSA requirements. See this link: http://www.gerbergear.com/Multi-Tools/Butterfly-Opening/dime-travel_31-002777

My logic is that everyone around me will have a folding knife. All I have to do is ask. This tool does 99 percent of what my Camino needs have been to date. Besides, if the need for a straight blade exists, I can buy a suitable basic knife inexpensively almost anywhere, and dispose of it before flying home, or including it in checked luggage.

I hope this helps.

 

[newfydog]

Once you finish. you'll wonder why on earth you ever thought you needed all those clothes you own.

 

[vgen5122]

I will be checking a bag as there are things I want to take that require it - like scissors or a knife.

since there will already be a bag, I am thinking about packing a pair of jeans, sweater and fresh shoes for the trip home, something I could send to Ivar upon my arrival and pick up on arrival in Santiago. The duffle I put those things in could go too.
gee maybe even a skirt!
any thoughts about this?
and where could I ship from? the CDG airport or from SJPdP??
nanc

NO, Don't send them home! In 2013 we were on the Camino Frances and by the time we got to Pamplona we realized that we were carrying far too much. We put our clothes and items in a box and sent them home. What a mistake!! We might as well have donated them or thrown everything away. We paid about what the items would have cost new by mailing them home! Send them to Ivar in SJPdP. My lesson was a lesson well learned.....the hard way..Buen Camino.

 

[gracethepilgrim]

I have to agree with Kanga - the shoes in Spain are gorgeous and (for us Kiwis anyway) very well priced and great quality. I always take home several pairs. A self-confessed shoe-lover.

 

[Susan Peacock]

I was so glad that I had sent fresh clothes and running shoes ( which still fit) to Santiago. My campanion did not and was definitely envious. I didn't want to spend time shopping for clothes. Not sure if I handled it the best way, but I just used the bag transport service until Pamplona where I sent it on to Ivar. He even delivered it to my hotel in Santiago before I arrived. It worked beautifully. I will say that if you plan on using the postal service (Correos) it must fit into one of their boxes. My bag did not and they wouldn't let me mail it. I called JacoTrans and arranged to have it taken all the way to Santiago.