Ready, Set, Go!
Timing
The Camino can be done year-round, but during off months, accommodations and restaurants may be closed. For weather, the best times to walk the Camino are April, May, June, September, and October. The Camino Frances can be completed in 35 days, but I have included some rest and exploration days that will take me about 40 days to reach Santiago. I did not want to go too far into October when the area gets rainy and cold, and because of my excitement, I wanted to go as soon as possible. So, with only a month and a half to go, August 21st was the date set to start on the Camino. This means that we'll hit some hot Summer days, but it should get cooler as we head into September.
Catherine and I will be on the Camino together for 17 days from SJPP to Burgos. From there, we separate. She will rent a car and visit towns in Spain and France, and I will continue on the Camino with plans to reach Santiago on October 1st. I'll be going at a relaxed pace with four rest days, and have allocated 40-43 days to reach Santiago.
Flight Arrangements
Once the date was set, we back tracked on the date to fly out of SFO that will give us travel time and a couple of days to recover from jetlag. We fly out on Aug 17th, arrive in Bordeaux on the 18th, spend a day each in Bordeaux and in St Jean, then we should be ready to go on the 21st.
I will travel on United Airlines. While UA's fare is higher than other airlines, my frequent flyer status allows me to take advantage of better seats and extra luggage at no additional cost.
Accommodations
The Alburgues are an important experience of the Camino de Santiago. These are hostels for Pilgrims that are located right on the Camino. Some have rooms that hold 40 pilgrims in bunkbed, and others are smaller with 4 to 8 people in a room or have private rooms. These have a dorm-like setup, with shared common areas like bathrooms, sitting and eating areas, and kitchen. Besides the low cost (~10 Euros/night), an advantage of staying in the alburgues is the comraderie from staying with other pilgrims and the communal meals.
Due to the Pandemic, Spain opened up to travelers in late June. COVID-19 safety protocols are in place and many alburgues have remained closed or operating with max 50% capacity to comply with Covid-19 protocols. To minimize risk, Catherine and I decided to stay in separate rooms in hotels that have private bathrooms. A month before the trip, we made our reservations through Booking.com.
Travel Insurance
Even with free cancellations that the airlines and hotels are offering, travel insurance is still needed to cover any medical issues that might come up. The newest clause to travel insurance is a rider for pandemic-related issues which will cover travel changes and cancellations, medical care, quarantine accommodations, evacuation costs, and cost of travel for a family member or friend to be with me.
There are many travel insurance companies out there, some that specialize on Camino travelers. I went with the company I have always used: Allianz.
Spain is categorized as Level 4 Health Notice by the US State Department, that placed Spain on the "Do Not Travel" list on July 26th. Allianz has state that this has no impact on their insurance coverage
Some tips:
Check with your credit card to see what kind of travel insurance they cover. Mine covers lost luggage and car rental damage.
If the airlines and accommodations offer free cancellation, then you will most likely not need full coverage on these costs.
Check if your medical insurance covers international travel.
Backpack
To determine which backpack to use, I had to decide how much weight I would carry. The advice from other pilgrims is to carry no more than 10% of your ideal weight. Others say carry as light as you can go, but it's OK to go above the 10% guideline as long as you can comfortably carry it.
Some pilgrims believe you are not a true pilgrim unless you carry everything you need. I am not in that camp. Besides, I plan to meet friends in Barcelona and spend another six days in Spain. So I will use one of the baggage services to carry the majority of my things between my rest stages. This allows me to carry six to seven days of supplies, and still have a lighter load.
My backpack is the 32L Deuter that I purchased 5 or 6 years ago. Everything fits nicely, with extra room for food, water, or other things I might pick up along the trail.
Packing List (excludes food and water)
In my daily pack:
One change of clothes
REI Pullover for warmth
Two Pairs of Socks
ASICS Accelerate rain jacket/windbreaker
Teva Sandals
Shower Slippers
Travel Blanket/Cocoon
Scarf (for coverup or privacy)
for the week: toiletries, laundry soap, First Aid Kit, weekly prescriptions
Lekke Trekking Poles
Deuter 32 L Backpack
Total Weight: 4.5 kg/10 lbs
On me:
The day's clothing
Socks
Hat
Altra Lone 5 shoes
Wallet, passport, pilgrim's passport
Cellphone
Training and Conditioning
Working full-time in a demanding job, I always found excuses to skip staying fit. Any uphill walk or climbing stairs would leave me winded with the need to stop to catch my breath. I've always had a pretty healthy diet, I just needed get more physically fit. When I stopped working, I had no more excuses!
Gyms were still closed due to the pandemic, so I started with neighborhood walks and workout videos. Then added in weekly hikes in March 2021. Once the decision to walk the Camino was made, I started hiking three times a week on trails that are 6 to 10 miles long, sometimes over 10 miles. Eventually, the hikes were increased to 5 times per week. I feel very fortunate that there are many hiking trails in the SF Bay Area. The stage from SJPP to Roncesvalles had me worried, so I made sure to hike trails with at least 1200 ft elevation twice a week.
The Shakedown - Equipment Testing
My husband and I have done a lot of hiking and camping so I already had much of the gear I needed, but I did have to purchase some new clothing and gear. A month before leaving for the trip, I made sure to test everything by using them on my hikes to make sure they fit properly, didn't rub, pull or pinch in strange places, would dry overnight. I also practiced using my new poles, packing/unpacking my backpack, and getting to things in my pack during a hike.