- THE CAMINO…..
- it can be done so cheaply…
- walk at your own pace, you don’t want to have to fly home before you get halfway because of blisters….
- take the time to walk alone and reflect, yet meet others, share stories and walk together
- you get used to communal living, you may even miss it when you get home (not the snoring though)
- don’t expect luxury, a hot shower will feel like heaven
- get a good guidebook, preferably one with a map which shows distances, routes and alternative routes (particularly if you are walking from to Finisterre/Muxia)
- download good caminoguide.net , the distances are a rough guideline, but it gives concise information
- you may develop a camino diet – lots of sandwiches, fruit, anything that is relatively light (not a kilo of carrots anyway, however tasty they are)
- drinking water from tap is fine! Bring a bottle to refill.
- From speaking with others from May onwards the Camino de Frances gets very busy. It also gets a lot hotter. September/October are meant to be beautiful, be careful of rain though. In winter it will be a lot colder, and from autumn onwards not all albergues will be open. You may want to factor these in when deciding when to go.
Here follows my ULTIMATE PACKING LIST (For April/May at least! Remember every year the weather can be different – expect and prepare for everything! And if not there are many shops you can pick stuff up on along the way.)
- wooly hat (mainly for your ears in the early mornings and the mountains)
- sunhat (to avoid sunburn and blisters on your ears and along the back of your neck, never mind heatstroke….)
- scarf
- gloves (seriously. just a cheap light pair)
- sandals (not flipflops, socks + flipflops = accident)
- 2 walking socks (bridgedale socks are good, mine did wear out though)
- 1 normal socks
- 4 underwear
- 1 GOOD raincoat (nothing worse then walking all day in rain when your jacket is useless)
- 1 rainpants (also keeps your feet/shoes a little drier)
- lightweight bag (for shopping/bar excursions when your backpack is unnecessary)
- poncho (useless when it’s windy, may save your sanity in a torrential downpour)
- sunglasses
- sleeping bag (Light and small but make sure it will be warm enough. They have woolly blankets in very few hostels)
- bottle (refill with water for night-time and emergencies)
- water bladder (incredibly useful, my 1.5L was enough)
- camera (someone I met didn’t bring one because they wanted to enjoy the moment. They really regretted not having any photos to remember the journey afterwards)
- phone (if it’s your smartphone you can download a few books and some music for the evenings)
- student card (where the peregrinio discount doesnt work in museums, this will) credit card, EHIC
- anti-blister cream, antiseptic cream, painkillers, some deep heat cream for your muscles
- micro-fibre towels (saves so much space)
- travel shampoo and conditioner (I used a 2-in-1 bar from LUSH, my hair was dying for some a decent treatment at the end, but it saved space)
- soap bar
- jogging pants
- shorts/long pants (useful when you are switching between cold mornings/warm day/hot afternoons)
- shorts
- longsleeved shirts (thermal, can be used like jumpers)
- 2 tshirts
- 1 jumper (make it a good one)
- no makeup
- no hairdryer (if it’s not absolutely necessary, don’t bring it)
- not 5 kilos of tinned salmon (honestly, a lady from Sweden because she though there wouldn’t be enough fish along the way)
- not a tent/cooking stove (unless you absolutely want to camp, there’s enough albergues)