what was your most expensive "unscheduled" cost

[+@^^]

i sent at least one postcard home to my family most every day
so for 40 days that ticked up a bit
post card = circa 1Euro
postage stamp to south africa = circa 1Euro
total = 80 Euro

 

[anniethenurse]

- my glasses broke in El Burgo Ranero - it cost me €99 to get new ones in Leon.
- my purse was stolen in Fonfria - it cost me €40 to do a Western Union transaction in Sarria (+ the lost of €200 in my purse).
+ all the telephone calls to the bank and the insurance company.

When everything was re-organized I continued my camino to SDC.

 

[mamteabo]

The last dinner I invited my six camino friends to. But it was worth all the money!

 

[Janwood]

Mine wasn't so expensive but extremely aggravating. Because I booked my flight from Santiago to Madrid at an internet cafe with Ryan Air, I printed off my confirmation page and took that to the airport. Apparently being told on this form you "could" check in 15 days to 4 hrs prior to departure meant you HAD to print off the boarding ticket. This instruction was on a secnd email they sent that I didn't check for. At the airport, Ryan Air felt they were entitled to an additional 40.20 Euros just to print this boarding pass....Several others in line made the same mistake. this was in May...I can only imagine the additional money they make during the extremely busy months.....

Ryan Air passengers........BEWARE.....PRINT THE BOARDING PASS AHEAD OF TIME!!

The rest of the Camino was extremely affordable....Great experience!!

 

[joyfulpilgrim]

3 nights in a hotel in Leon. It was worth every penny to stay in one place for a few days and feel like my body, mind, and spirit were in the same place, and the journey became easier after that.

 

[Kitsambler]

Collectively, the several exploitations of motorized transport (taxi, transbag van, and local rail - on different days!) when my feet were not up to the ambitions of the scheduled reservations. That flexibility was a key to preserving my sanity!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Box of chocolate: 30 Euro.

 

[Anniesantiago]

In Santa Domingo de la Calzada in 2006, I arrived wet and freezing to a closed albergue.
I could not wait or I would have pneumonia.
So I got a room at the Parador.
It was like being in heaven.

When I got home, I got the bill in English.
It was over $300 :!:

But.. it was worth every cent!

I took 3 full tub baths that night and breakfast was unbelievable!

ULTREYA!

 

[Telluridewalker]

I was pretty bare bones most of the way but my biggest unscheduled cost was two unplanned postal parcels, filled with excess/heavy stuff, mailed from the Camino to a holding address in Madrid. Have you gotten the meta-message from this forum yet?: Pack less than you think you will need!

 

[Debinq]

Dentist bill in Salamanca to fix a broken crown - it was >160 euros I recall ^%*@##%$**&^ :x
Plus 45 euros for an extra night in a hotel. Thx for reminding me!

Peter

 

[evanlow]

55 Euros for a pair sandals in Burgos. My flip flop was too painful to wear due to the blisters in between my toes and I don't have much time to look for a cheaper pair.

 

[William Marques]

A hotel in Zafra for a couple of nights following an accident, the health care was free.

 

[Beverley]

Annie, great photo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My expense was due to not paying attention to my departure date back to Canada. Somehow I got it in my head that I had booked my flight for lets say the 13th of June and in fact it was the 11th of June. I was in Santiago on the 9th of June when I realized what I had done. So I had to make a mad dash to the airport and back in Santiago to re arrange tickets. Phone calls, taxi back and forth and changing my flight out of Santi was over $200.00 Canadian :lol:

 

[Portia1]

Buying a new pair of hiking pants in Leon because my old ones were constantly slipping down. Oh, and then the new camera in Astorga because mine had fallen out of my pack and despite all best efforts, could not be found......that one still really hurts. I am tethering my camera this fall to my pack!

 

[renegadepilgrim]

120 Euro for new hiking shoes in Logrono because my feet had swollen up so bad I couldn't fit in my trail runners.
25 Euro for a knee brace in Ponferrada when an old injury acted up.

All in all, it could have been worse, it could have been better....in the end, it was all good!

 

[methodist.pilgrim.98]

Having dropped my camera a 100€ for the replacement (which also got dropped!) :shock:

 

[CaminoGen]

19 Euros for a new pair of Regatta sandals because I couldn't walk around town in my Crocs and about 10 Euros every 4 days for for farmacia supplies once I started getting blisters. 600mg ibuprofens are the best. Pilgrim candy... Even with unexpected surprises, I never counted my money, never denied myself anything and I still manged to do the trip for less than 30 Euros a day.

 

[johnBCCanada]

65 Euros for trekking poles. I hurt my ankle and using a single walking stick didn't work so I bought a pair of trekking poles in Leon and they really helped (and of course the 6oomg ibuprofen). I still have the poles. I don't normally use them but I carry them collapsed strapped to the side of my pack in case I do need them.

John

 

[Anniesantiago]

A round trip to Rome where the sun was shining to recover from a flu I caught from a pilgrim in a tightly packed albergue.

PLEASE pay for private lodging if you get sick! :!:
I met sick people all along the Camino for several weeks who had been exposed that same night by that same pilgrim.

 

[Hedwig]

Hostal la Coruna in Astorga, 50 euros for a room! But it rained, I was totally wet.
But a bit off peregrina tears did wonders, and I got the room for 35 euros. Beautifull room with a rainshower and.........towels! Big white towels!

 

[sun is shining]

70 Euros for a night in a 3* Hotel in Burgos. When we woke up that morning in Hornillos my friend couldn't walk anymore due to knee problems and we had to catch a ride back to Burgos. Once we finished in the hospital it was to late for an albergue and all the pensions and cheaper hotels were full as it was during the week of the World Youth Day. After an hour of searching I found a free single room in a hotel that we could share. Thank god for credit cards

I have to say that I did appreciate the bath, hairdryer and 24 hours of watching the Disney Chanel in English!

 

[jirit]

5km just outside of O'cebreiro

I stumbled, fell and sliced open my hand. With a large open wound, and no clinic nearby, I had to take a taxi to Triacastela to the clinic there, to get 6 stitches and drugs

Total cost was 30 euro for the taxi ride and 20 euro for the drugs which was about equal to 1 1/2 times my daily budget, something I had not planned for.

The good news was that the clinic did not charge me for anything a nice pleasant surprise after what just had happened

Neville

 

[jimb01930]

I figured I would be able to buy Vasoline for my feet when I got to Spain so I did not bother to pack it. Cost me 8 euros (10.50 USD) for a tube that was about two ounces. Ouch!

 

[MichaelGeorgePhoto]

My boots bruised my achilles on the first day so I bought sandals in Pamplona and wore them the rest of the way. They cost about $110 US Dollars.

 

[StuartM]

120 euros surcharge for not having a preprinted boarding pass on the outward flights with Ryanair.

 

[longwalker]

sunglasses,
I broke my $5.00 dollar pair of sunglasses at Burgos. The only places I could find that sold sun glasses were optometrist shops. Replacement sunglasses end up costing me more than one hundred euros.

 

[Letsgocamino]

Thermal long sleeved shirts. We got in to Ponferrada and had no idea it was going to be that cold. Shame on us for not checking the Weather Channel. Almost blew them off but its a good thing we did not. Fitz Roy outfitted us. Good thing too because before we got to La Faba we knew we were in for bad weater. First we had hail then snow in O Cebreiro. Once over the pass a few days later we had beautiful springtime days. And this was mid May.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Texts. I couldn't figure out why my Vodafone account was depleting so quickly. Then I discovered the money was being eaten by international texts

To keep this from happening, go to your settings, messages, and turn the 'send as SMS' OFF. Them you can only send text messages where there is wi-fi and they won't cost anything. At least not on my plan.

 

[EviAnd]

Two completely unexpected costs:
1) I came down with a really nasty cold in Belorado and spent two nights in a hotel to rest and heal. Hotel Jacobeo - If memory serves it was about 50 euros a night - WAY more than I planned to spend each day. But, it was lovely and did the trick!
2) A dress. I was so tired of wearing the same two pairs of pants and two t shirts that I splurged (about 40 euros) on a lovely, comfy dress that I could wear each night post-shower and laundry. When I do the Camino again I will totally bring one. It was light and so barely took up any room in my bag and really was a great treat at the end of each day, especially the really hot ones as I hadn't brought shorts.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Hotel Jacabeo in Belarado is 40€ per night for a single, and a good value. Just around the corner is some of the best cordero asado.

 

[andandopronto]

what was your most expensive "unscheduled" cost

Ok, so this pilgrimage is starting really well for me...
I've just missed my flight out of Stansted so first unscheduled cost: £14 on taxi when I realised I was in the wrong train and second: £110 for a new flight taking me to Biarritz tomorrow - got lucky enough to grab the last seat. Plus they took all my toiletries as they made me try and make it with hand luggage only.
Sounds like L'Esprit du Chemin and Orisson won't charge me extra for putting me up the night after though, don't know what happens with Express Bourricot as I can't get through to them.

'Buen camino', they said! Lol

 

[freescot]

120 euros surcharge for not having a preprinted boarding pass on the outward flights with Ryanair.

That's two of you on this thread. The Spanish govt. have it in for Ryanair and magistrates have been fining them for this sort of thing and they are planning a law which makes this charge illegal. Unfortunately I don't have the link to hand.

My own unexpected charge was changing a bus booking on my return via Zamora. I arrived before the bus left and ALSA promise a refund up till the time of departure. I was refused my refund because I had made my booking online. This clause was hidden in very small print. No refunds at the bus station if you book online,

 

[Al the optimist]

First Camino I had a flight Heathrow to A Corruna that was overbooked and I was bounced off. Rather than taking the one the next afternoon I went from Stanstead the next morning. Cost? Can't remember, but train to central London and bus to Stanstead that night. But hey, I got an afternoon sightseeing, caught an evensong in Westminster Abbey and when I asked for a blessing I was taken into the "inner sanctum" to receive a blessing in front of King Edward's tomb. The priest (James) had also been on the camino with a BBc film crew! I saw a different TV series about the Abbey this year and it gave me great pleasure to see in that it included his wedding. So it cost little and I gained a lot.

 

[BeatriceKarjalainen]

Hotel in Pamplona as all albergues were filled up, €34, and the bus ticket to Ferrol (wasn't expensive but not planned). I spent half the money I had budgeted for (I guess I hadn't read so much on how little it would cost to be on the camino for 5 weeks) so I didn't care much. Spending €80 on a bracelet with charms to remember my journey and then loosing it at the gym 3 weeks after I arrived home could be counted as an unscheduled cost as well :-/

 

[Steeltown Pilgrim]

I lost out on a 80E flight to Paris from Santiago which I had pre-booked with Vueling. It was my choice though as I I decided to bus it and spend a few days in Bilbao with someone I had met on El Norte. Great idea and visit--really helped me de-camino, plus I got to spend a few extra nights in Spain. The midnight train from Hendaye also meant no waiting time for my morning Paris-Toronto flight.
I suppose the real unexpected cost was the bus to Bilbao (55E) and the bus/train to Hendaye and Paris (125E), so I was out 180E for this voluntary change--and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

[burritobear9]

My most expensive unscheduled expense was the ten day walking trip I ended up taking on the Jurassic Coast Trail in England after failing to make it across the Pyrenees.
I was incredibly fortunate that I was able to do this financially and it fuelled the drive to go to Spain and walk from Sarria to Finisterre. (Yes, I am one of those people).
Best unexpected expense ever.
It taught me that I am stronger than I believe myself to be, more self-reliant and more flexible.

Buen Camino
Cheryl

 

[IngridF]

My flight from Toronto to Paris was delayed due to "engine troubles", we had to wait for a replacement plane (lucky me they found out on the tarmac and not in the air) Resulted in 400 Euros for a one way ticket from Paris to Biarritz (because I missed my train connection) in order not to loose 3 days of lodging reservations (pre-booked and non-refundable)... and my tunnel vision of keeping to "the plan". Immediate Camino lesson = Don't make plans.

 

[jmcarp]

Approximately 150€ to have both my wife's and my backpacks shipped to us in the US after they were stolen in Santiago and then recovered by the gracious volunteers of the Pilgrims' Office. Sure, most of the stuff -- including the backpacks themselves -- could have been replaced, but the backpacks contained our pilgrim's credentials and all the photographs I had taken between St Jean and Santiago. The only way those could have been replaced was to go go back and do the whole thing over again, and that would have cost more than 150€. Of course, doing the whole thing over again (albeit for purposes other than sellos and photos) is not out of the question now that I think about it.

Jim