Category: Articles

Clarifications

Before starting with the frequently asked questions, I want to cover 2 general questions:

First, “99% of the questions starting with ‘Can you’?” have an answer of YES, CAN YOU. The Camino is a personal experience where you enjoy maximum freedom…

You can do whatever you want and whenever you want, as long as you respect others and the rules and laws of the place.

Second, to understand that there is a difference between doing the Camino and obtaining the Compostela (the official certificate).

Although it seems strange, it is possible and very common to do the journey without obtaining the Compostela and to obtain the Compostela without doing the journey.

Furthermore, while the Camino is a free experience, obtaining the Compostela requires fulfilling specific requirements, which we will see later.

Frequently Asked Questions:

I have to be Catholic or be Christian in order to do it?

No. There is people of multiple religions and creeds or as well as atheists.

They are official statistics that indicate that a large amount of people do it for “religious reasons”.

These statistics are intentionally distorted. And I would even dare to say that practically no one does it for said “religious reasons”, although there is religious people who do it.

I am going to have to go to mass every day?

Not at all. No pilgrim is obliged to anything. In many places of the road, especially the French Way, there are religious services aimed at pilgrims… but they are optional.

In fact, it is exactly the opposite. The Catholic Church is noticeably absent from the Camino. The majority of the churches are closed and several of those that are open are exploited in a tourist way.

From where can one start the journey?

Ideally, the purest path is made from the door of the house. Nevertheless, due to matters of money, time and location, this option is within reach of very few people. It is normal to move by public transport to a city where a established path begins and to start from there.

There are marked paths from very remote locations, such as Norway, Poland but the most normal thing is to start in Spain, Portugal or France.

What is the best time of the year?

For a first-time pilgrim, we would recommend spring or autumn. The days are long, there is less people and it doesn’t make much cold or much heat. In summer it can make too much heat and there can be much very people. But it can be done at any time of the year and the experience will be very different.

How many days do I need?

The time required depends on several factors, such as the number of days to travel and the means.

It is estimated an average of 25km per day for the walkers and about 50km per day for those who do it on a bicycle.

To put an example: if you want to cover 200km, you would need 8 days on foot and about 4 in a bicycle.

On the other hand, if you are not in shape and want to walk only 10km or if you are a super athlete and want to do 40km each day, you also can.

If you go by bicycle and want to do few kilometers, you can have restrictions to enter public and parish hostels, where preference is made to the pilgrims on foot.

How much money do I need to do the Camino?

The required money depends on several factors, including the level of comfort and the amount of days. It is a very complex topic, so we made a specific video about it. We left the link in the description.

Can I do it with other people?

The way is a more purely experienced alone, although that does not mean one will be alone.

In fact, one often meets many people.

The experience becomes more closed as there are more people in your group. Our brief advice is, the less people, the better. However, this is another very complex topic, so we made a specific video about it. We left the link in the description.

How can it be done?

Traditionally one can do it in 3 ways: Walking, By Bicycle and on Horseback.

Nevertheless you can find some person who does it on skateboard, on electric bicycle, or in kayak, as has been seen sometime in the news.

If you want to do it in a uncommon way, nobody is going to prevent you, but they are not going to give you the Compostela.

This leads us to…

What is the Compostela?

It is one of the certificates issued by the Cabildo of Santiago that says that the requirements of the pilgrimage have been fulfilled. It is written in Latin and it is free.

What are the requirements to obtain the Compostela?

* To arrive in Santiago

* To have used an official pilgrim credential issued by the Catholic Church, which can be purchased in some parishes.

* To have done 100km on foot, 100km on horseback or 200km by bicycle (non-electric)

* 2 stamps per day: the normal one at the beginning of the stage and another at the end.

* and finally, to say that you have done it for “spiritual” or “religious” reasons.

Two stamps per day requirement applies only to short distance pilgrims. If you come walking from far away you don’t have to worry.

If you say that you have done it for other reasons, instead of giving you the Compostela, they will give you a Welcome certificate, which is written in Castilian and is also free.

Do I have to train to do the Camino?

It depends on the personal situation, but it is recommended for the majority of cases.

The body needs several days to adapt to the new exercise routine and the more trained you are, the less you will suffer each day and the more you will enjoy it.

There is an option for those who have extra time and money, which is to do short stages during the first few days, while the body gets used to it.

Accommodation

Where will I sleep?

Something that distinguishes the road from other experiences is the network of low-cost accommodations, in many cases exclusive for pilgrims.

There exist 3 types of hostels, according to who manages them… the parish ones, the municipal ones, and the privates ones.

Furthermore it is possible to stay in hostels and hotels, as well as rural accommodations…, all of these options with a greater cost.

Do I need to book in advance?

Historically, it was not possible to make reservations at public and parish hostels and the order of arrival was respected. Today it is possible to reserve in many public and parish hostels. In a few cases, it is even mandatory to reserve the day before. We recommend using some guidebooks to see the situation of each hostel.

Regarding whether it is convenient, it is a personal choice.

Booking may give you the security that you will have a place, but it takes away spontaneity from the experience.

In high season and in very busy sections it may be necessary, but in the majority of cases it is not.

Can I camp freely?

It is forbidden in Spain, but there are people who do it anyway. In case of choosing an unestablished route, it can even be almost mandatory.

If I cannot/do not want to walk one day… can I stay longer?

Public hostels and parish hostels have a rule of 1 night per pilgrim.

There exist 2 exceptions:

* in case the pilgrim is sick

* in case the pilgrim has walked more than 30 days consecutively,

in these cases it is permitted for the pilgrim to stay a second night.

On the other hand, there is no problem that the pilgrim may sleep the nights that he wants in private lodging, hostel or hotel.

I have a dietary restriction (e.g., severe allergies, celiac disease, vegetarian diet, vegan diet). Can I do it?

Yes. The majority of hostels include equipped kitchens so you can buy food in the town’s supermarket and cook according to your needs.

Furthermore, many of the parish hostels that include meals usually ask in advance for these cases…

The big exception is the public hostels in Galicia, which have a kitchen but it is not equipped. If you plan to use them, we recommend that you bring a camping kitchen kit.

I have to cook something for myself every day?

If you have money, you can go to restaurants. On the way, restaurants usually offer the “pilgrim menu,” which is usually the set menu, at most with a discount of 1 or 2 euros and that usually includes starter, main course, drink, dessert and/or coffee. The important difference is that in normal circumstances many restaurants only offer it for lunchtime on weekdays, the peregrine menu is offered lunchtime and night, the 7 days of the week.

What do I need to do the journey?

The only thing required to take the road is a pilgrim credential, which can be obtained in some parishes and in associations of friends of the road. Then, it is normal to carry a backpack with some changes of clothes, water, personal hygiene items and other things you may need… The lighter it is, the better, and it is recommended that it weighs no more than 10% of your body weight. Assembling the perfect backpack is a complex topic and that’s why we made a video about it. We left the link in the description.

Do I need to carry my backpack?

It depends on the trail and the stage. There are undoubtedly backpack transport services on the French route for a small price. On less popular trails, it may not exist or it may be considerably more expensive.

Furthermore, in some parish hostels or public hostels, they do not admit pilgrims without a backpack or have less priority. This is due to a principle of justice that is served by order of arrival. To avoid misunderstandings and bad moments, we recommend that when using backpack transport service, you stay in private hostels.

On the other hand, we recommend always bringing the backpack to have a more spontaneous and freer experience.

If I don’t want to walk one day, can I take a bus or a taxi?

Nobody is going to prevent you from it.

Nevertheless, you are going to miss living a day of the experience, of visiting monuments and of talking with people.

The most common complaint that we notice among the pilgrims, even more common than the mistreatment in the Xunta’s hostels, is the existence of “overprices and overcharges” in all sections of the Way, regardless if it was a rich town or a poor town or if the pilgrim is Spanish or foreign.

This “pilgrim tax” is a growing problem, which affects all regions, not just Galicia, where it becomes more evident.

In this video, we are going to try to define the concept with precision, the conditions where it can happen, and how to fight against it.

What is the “pilgrim tax”?

The “pilgrim tax” is an additional charge or extra money for a product or service that you would not be charged if you were a local.

It may be evident, as happens when there is no published price list or it is disguised in an inconspicuous category, for example, in a product that is only intended for a pilgrim and not a local.

Examples where we noticed it personally:

• Cold drink
• Microwave food
• Daily walk to some activity (example pool)
• a high price per unit of some product that is sold in packs, such as yogurts, beverage cans, bananas, etc.

The Pilgrim in Antiquity

The pilgrim in antiquity suffered all kinds of abuses, including frequent thefts, and being overcharged was the minimum.

On the other hand, it is probable that the pilgrim would receive recommendations of where to sleep and where to eat, in order to avoid them effectively.

Where can it happen?

This is likely to happen in a place where there are no options or it is a monopoly or oligopoly, for example, a single bar, or a single store in a significant distance, either within a population or in the middle of nowhere.

Still fulfilling those conditions, it is not necessary that it will happen…

How to fight against the “pilgrim tax”?

Then, in our opinion, there are several mechanisms to fight against pilgrim tax in order to reduce and eliminate it.

The first technique is via positive actions, such as “recommending places where pilgrims are treated well,” which is quite natural, in person, on social networks and travel sites.

There are famous restaurants among the pilgrims such as “Casa Manolo” in Santiago and “Casa Ezequiel” in Melide that were recommended even by the guides of the different associations of friends of the Way.

The following technique is the same, with the opposite purpose, to leave comments on travel sites and social networks about the abuses suffered in order to inform future pilgrims.

Also speaking of these abuses with the hospitaleros (said in the strict sense, not private inn owners or state inn officials). Many hospitaleros are in contact with earlier and later stages of hostels to notify their community of potential problematic pilgrims and of this types of incidents.

We have visited dozens of hostels (hosted by true hospitaleros) and only once were we prevented from a single place. This practice should be normalized.

When you sit down to consume in a bar or restaurant, ask for the menu whenever it exists, in case it does not exist, ask for the price of each item.

If we know that it is annoying, but it is annoying for the merchant also.

If everyone does it, it will be more profitable for him to have a menu.

Avoid spending the night in small/isolated places with little competition.

Avoid small shops without prices.

If you pay in cash, always check the change.

Conclusion

Fight against these bad practices not only benefits us directly as individuals, but also the entire pilgrim community.

“The tourist demands and the pilgrim thanks” is one of the most well-known phrases of the Camino, but one of the most misunderstood and it is used to manipulate and abuse the pilgrims.

In this article, we analyze its origin and the consequences of the current misinterpretation.

NOTE: The original article was written in 2023 and was updated in 2024.

The origin of the phrase

Act to with respect and gratitude, was a maximum imperative in the antiquity, where really one depended much of the kindness of the people, as well as during the recovery of the road, during the 80s and 90s, when there lacked the necessary infrastructures and one slept where one could due to the lack of shelters.

to be a pilgrim in those times was very hard and suffered…

However, the times have changed, in many things for better and in some other things for worse.

Now there is much infrastructure on many roads and it is no longer mandatory to sleep outdoors, nor to spend days without showering and being a pilgrim is definitely not so difficult.

Humility, austerity, simplicity, and gratitude are valuable attitudes not only for when one walks the path, but also for life in general.

Seneca said:

“The true happiness does not consist in having everything, but in not desiring anything.”

The loss of respect towards the pilgrim

What is spoken about less is the loss of respect for the pilgrim. And that has a certain sense/logic. Seeing a person making the journey is not so exotic. For a local, it is not the same to see 1 pilgrim a year than 1000 a day.

This is remarkable in the difference of the treatment of the inhabitants of the villages, as we are approaching Santiago, as well as in the traveled and untraveled roads.

The problem lies not in a lack of special treatment because one is a pilgrim, but in inferior or disrespectful treatment because of being one. And the pilgrims accept these mistreatment because of misunderstanding this phrase.

the offenses

This disrespect towards the pilgrim and the pilgrimage comes primarily from 3 reasons:

1. by commercial interests,

2. by disruption of the historic route

3. by the inconsistent attitudes of the Galician Board and the Santiago Chapter

Let’s analyze each one in detail and how to combat them.

Commercial Interests

Always there have been unscrupulous individuals who try to take advantage of the pilgrims; this happened in antiquity, happens now, and is likely to continue…

The attitude, although immoral, has logic…

The pilgrims have to choose without knowledge of the service provider and only consume once.

The best strategy from an economic point of view (even if it is selfish and immoral) is to extract the maximum benefit from that interaction.

This implies charging you more or giving you a lower quality service…

Another type of mistreatment, although it does not constitute fraud, is that they refuse to provide you with service; this is rarer, but it can occur.

These attitudes today are very easy to combat; everyone has their reputation on the internet, both on tourist sites and on travel sites.

It is important to keep a record of our experiences at the sites, both when they were excellent, and when they were bad, so that other pilgrims can benefit from our knowledge.

These actions will not protect us from the fraud nor repair the mistreatment suffered, but we can help to prevent these situations in future pilgrims.

The dilemma lies in the fact that numerous pilgrims resist divulging such incidents or abuses, due to the fear of being labeled as “ungrateful” or “tourists.”

In some cases, these events are reported months after they occurred, while in other cases, they never become reported.

Disruption of the historical route

The disruption of the historic route occurs as a result of large infrastructure projects such as the construction of a dike or a highway. And it is the responsibility of local governments to try to preserve the routes as much as possible.

In many cases, deviations of several kms, can be solved with a tunnel or with a bridge for pilgrims.

And relating to the first point there are cases where the people themselves divert the arrows towards themselves to make the pilgrims’ journey unnecessarily long…

From Spanish to English: Of these, the most famous case is that of Ventosa, in the stage Logroño-Nájera of the French Way; which, by forcing the arrows to deviate, has managed to include itself as part of the route while the original route has been renamed “Direct Way”.

The way to combat this type of mistreatment is with knowledge of the situation and avoiding these localities.

From the Xunta and from Cabildo de Santiago

And to finish the most serious offenses to the essence of the path come from the part of the own church, and of the commercial interests of the Government of Galicia that have the emission of the Compostela as hostage.

This becomes evident in the creation of arbitrary rules that clash with tradition and the spirit of the way.

Let’s look at several examples:

Inferior facilities in the hostels of the Xunta.

The pilgrim, by tradition, is usually austere and able to sustain himself with few means. Therefore, all true pilgrim hostels have a kitchen.

Nevertheless, the vast majority of public shelters in Galicia do not have linens, which forces the pilgrims either to eat badly or to eat in restaurants.

They don’t have blankets, nor heating, nor light switches…

100km for the Compostela.

In antiquity and during the revival of the road in the 80s, there was no minimum amount of kilometers to obtain the Compostela. According to the tradition, the road begins at the door of the pilgrim’s house.

Now, what happens on the stage that the pilgrim lives less than 100km from Santiago? It would be logical that the tradition prevailed but it doesn’t. If a Galician pilgrim wants to obtain the Compostela and lives less than 100km, it is not given to him walking from his house. He has to go to an arbitrary point at 100kms and walk from there.

Two stamps a day rule.

Official Reason is to force people not take buses and walk.

Extraofficial Reason is to force people stop in bars to consume.

After which it is argued that it is not necessary to seal in bars since it can also be sealed in churches.

You cannot stamp at churches.

The reasons are multiple but putting them all together one arrives at that conclusion.

1. Many churches are closed permanently.

2. Those that are open, they open for a short time.

3. Many of those you can find open, they cannot seal you because they do not have a seal… The most common official excuse: it is that the seal was stolen by a “pilgrim” and they have not wanted to replace it…

4. If it is open, and if it has a seal, they seal you with total reluctance.

Then there is a change of attitude of 180 degrees regarding the relationship with the pilgrim…

In antiquity, the attitude of the church towards the pilgrim was one of respect and support. In the present day, it is exactly the opposite, it is of exploitation and seeing the pilgrim as a source of income. One pays to see all the cathedrals along the way. Many parish hostels have been commercialized to the point of losing all essence.

Conclusion

The conclusion is that we not only must respect the traditions of the way, the locals, the hospitable ones, and the other pilgrims, but we must also demand that we be respected as such.

Therefore, to close this article, I propose to modernize that famous saying of “The tourist demands and the pilgrim thanks.”

to:

“When you are treated as a pilgrim, be grateful; when you are treated as a tourist, be demanding.”

A question that many first-time pilgrims ask themselves is whether they should do the journey alone or accompanied, where the idea of doing the journey without company seems challenging to them, but doing it with company seems restrictive.

It is important to understand that the decision to do it with one or more people, whether a partner, friends, family, or strangers, will affect how to plan and enjoy the experience.

In this article, I will cover some common questions, including the advantages and disadvantages of each choice, as well as the factors you should consider when choosing companions or companions.

The purest experience

The Camino was (and still is), primarily, a personal introspection experience, and in its purest form, should only begin ALONE.

Nevertheless, in recent times, the experience of the road has been changing and people do it for all kinds of reasons, including sporting challenge, cheap vacations, or for posing or status, so if introspection is not sought, it can be done with companions.

Now, starting the Camino alone does not imply that it is done alone because we will meet a lot of people along the way and it ends up being a communal experience, where one meets and lives with strangers from all over the world.

There is the possibility that you find yourself making the path completely alone, if you choose a secondary way or if you walk outside of season, (or both), but with the growing popularity of the path, this is becoming increasingly rare…

What are the advantages and disadvantages of doing it alone or accompanied?

Personally, I have made several paths alone and several paths accompanied, I can say that both options have certain advantages.

If you do it only, you only have to worry about yourself: you can walk until you get tired, eat when you want, etcetera and you will also be more open to meeting people.

This is preferable for popular ways, such as the French, the primitive, and the Portuguese, to give some examples.

On the other hand, doing it accompanied may also have its advantages.One can share tasks such as planning the day, buying food, cooking, washing the dishes, (and if one has confidence) washing the clothes or sharing a washing machine well, which makes the logistics more bearable.

But, on the other hand you have to be more attentive to your companion and their needs and limitations and it is most likely that you will not meet people in the same measure as if you had only done so.

Furthermore coordinating with another person makes the planning more difficult and you have to consider many factors; for example, find common dates to make the journey, be in similar physical condition, have a similar idea of the experience they want to have.

It seems important to make clear the expectations that each one has and to define rules of coexistence from early on.

The idea of having an experience with other people is that everyone has a good time and that the relationship between the people remains the same or improves.

Nevertheless, doing so accompanied me seems an excellent option for less traveled ways, such as the Madrid way, the Aragonese way, the inner Basque way, and the way of San Salvador.

Another good reason for doing it accompanied is if you do it by bicycle, since it is very difficult to coincide with other pilgrims.

With how many people should do it?

If you want to make the journey accompanied and minimize the drama, my advice is to reduce the amount of people to the minimum and that it be very close and of extreme trust.

Furthermore, while you do it with more people, you will interact less with other pilgrims, and you will lose the communal experience of the road.

With more than 5 people in the group, it is normal that the group interacts only with each other and with no one else; and it considerably complicates the logistics of getting a place, since it is not the same, getting a bed for 1 person than for 8, or it increases the cost, since it has to reserve private hostels in each location, in advance.

If your intention is to make a group trip and not interact with other pilgrims, perhaps a better alternative is to make one of the less developed paths, such as the Forgotten Way or the Camiño do Mar, where there are very few pilgrim hostels (or none) and it is necessary to sleep each night in rural houses or hotels, which can prove very expensive and discouraging for solitary pilgrims.

Then in a separate category, there are groups organized by parishes, which have support trucks that carry the backpacks, as well as coffee and breakfast, and which use private accommodations to stay.

It is possible to do that with children?

In my opinion, the Camino is not for children, although I have seen children who have had a very good time.

To do the Camino with children, one must have certain extra considerations.

As a father or guardian, you have to have an idea of what distance the creature can walk without getting bad-tempered and plan accordingly.

That may involve making short stages, and/or reserving places in private hostels, to guarantee a place, which takes away spontaneity from the journey, in addition to increasing the costs….

Because therefore, for those people who want to make the path with children I would recommend choosing ONLY the routes with a lot of infrastructure, and with stages short and of little difficulty, for example, the French Way and the Portuguese Way.

And there is one last important topic to consider:

the Archbishopric of Santiago does not grant the Compostela to young children who have not received the communion.

It is possible to do that with older people?

To do it with older people, you have to have similar considerations that you do when doing it with children.

On the other hand, a lot of older people have much more free time than young people, so they prefer to do it in shorter stages and starting very far from Santiago, and it’s quite common to see that older people enjoy it more and suffer less than people with more problems.

With whom to do it?

It is most normal to see couples and groups of 2 or 3 friends.

Personally I have done it alone and in couple.

Nevertheless I have seen:

* Father and son (adults)

* Father and daughters (girls of 11 and 13)

* Brothers

* Grandmother and granddaughter

* Complete families (father, mother and young children)

* And groups of friends of up to 8 people.

I am a young girl alone. Is the way safe?

And finally, if you are a young single girl and you are wondering if the path is safe, I would say that the path is as safe and probably safer than a medium-sized city.

That does not mean that things do not happen; all things that can happen in a city, also happen on the way.

The greatest risk to personal safety on the road is not crimes, but traffic accidents, which are the cause of the vast majority of deaths each year.

Furthermore, there is a police force dedicated to monitoring the Camino, especially the French way, and they were seen a lot between Logroño and Burgos.

More than that, it is probable that you will find dudes who try to hook up with you all the time.

In recent times, numerous newspaper articles have been published about the misconduct of pilgrims: from assaults on hospitaleros (hostel workers); to unruly behavior at local festivals; to antisocial behavior upon arrival in Santiago, and more specifically, in the Plaza del Obradoiro; all real, sad, and regrettable situations.

In fact, some time ago, media outlets in Santiago published a ten-point code of good pilgrim conduct, drawn up by a residents’ association in the San Pedro neighborhood, which, in my opinion, falls far short.

In this article, I would like to review the rules of pilgrim conduct…

Clarification

It’s worth clarifying that these rules are not presented in any specific order, and many are more guidelines than official regulations.

Camino Maxim

First, all the rules can be summarized in this maxim:

(My own, and if you think of a better one, feel free to write it in the comments)

“Respect and consideration for the environment and for other people (whether they are other pilgrims, staff, hospitaleros, or locals), and when you can help, help.”

This maxim can serve as a guide for situations where there isn’t a specific rule…

In hostels and with staff

Regarding behavior inside hostels, it can be summarized as taking care of the facilities, as well as respecting the staff and other pilgrims…

We can mention some specifically:

Rule #1 is NEVER put your backpack on the bed. This is not only to avoid dirt but also to avoid bedbugs, which affect so many pilgrims…

Leave your boots and walking sticks outside the hostel, if the hospitalero requests it. This is to reduce dirt, as well as to free up some common areas.

And speaking of shared spaces, don’t leave your things lying around everywhere! Keep your personal space to a minimum…

Keep your shower short, both to conserve water and to free it up for other pilgrims.

If you use the kitchen, and there are many pilgrims, use the fewest items possible, and after cooking, immediately wash and dry everything you’ve used.

If you have leftover food and leave it in the refrigerator for other pilgrims, put a date on it; that way, the next pilgrim will know whether the food is still good or not.

If you find food in a hostel, you can eat it if you think no other pilgrim needs it more than you.

If you use disposable sheets, remember to throw them away the next morning if the manager or hospitalero asks you to. There’s probably a specific trash can for that purpose.

Respect other people’s sleep and don’t make noise or turn on the lights in the morning; some pilgrims need to sleep a little longer than you do.

If you’re traveling as a couple or in a group (and the manager allows it), don’t just choose the bottom bunks. Alternate between top and bottom bunks in different hostels.

Regarding the hostel managers:

Be grateful and considerate; many are volunteer hospitaleros who dedicate part of their vacation time to helping other pilgrims.

Pay attention to their instructions.

Respect all schedules, such as:

check-in (usually between 1 and 2 pm)

kitchen use (opens around 9 or 10 pm)

sleep time (10 pm)

wake-up time (5 or 6 am)

check-out time (5 or 7 am)

If you’re staying in a parish hostel and they ask for help, offer it. This might include cooking, setting the table, serving food, clearing the table, and washing and drying dishes.

If you stay in a donation-based hostel, give an amount equivalent to the service you received, and if you can, a little more.

If you’re unsure how much to donate and are torn between two figures, give the higher one.
These hostels face the problem that people leave too little or nothing, which is why they have been disappearing.

On the Way and with the locals…

Regarding behavior on the Way and with the locals…

Try not to make unnecessary noise, especially early in the morning in villages. Remember that the residents are asleep…

Take care of the signs; don’t write on them or take them for walks. They are very important for guiding future pilgrims…

And respect all historical heritage, including monuments and statues. Don’t climb on them or write graffiti…

If you plan to cross roads at night, wear reflective gear and be very careful when crossing. Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death on the Camino.

Greet the locals politely, even if it’s just a nod. If they say “buen camino” (have a good trip), say thank you!

Don’t leave your trash along the way. Pick it up and throw it in the bins in the next town.

And the same goes if you need to use the restroom along the way; collect the used toilet paper and put it in a bag to dispose of in the next town.

If the locals won’t let you sleep for some reason (for example, because they’re having a party)

Intermittent fasting is a technique that has become very popular in recent times for the multiple health benefits that include weight loss, cholesterol reduction, promotion of cellular autophagy, and also keeping you in ketosis (that is, using fat as fuel) and feeling full of energy.

Now, is it possible to do intermittent fasting when you do something as intense and demanding as the Camino de Santiago?

In this article, I’m going to tell you about my experiences with intermittent fasting on the Camino de Santiago, how I did it and what results I had, as well as other side effects.

This article also exists in video format.

Clarifications

And before we begin, I want to make 3 clarifications…

First, I am not a doctor or health professional and I recommend that before trying it on your own, you talk to a doctor and investigate the subject thoroughly to clear up all doubts.

Second, if you haven’t done intermittent fasting before, don’t go experimenting with fasting along the way. I have 8 years of experience doing intermittent fasting, which includes windows from 16 hours to multi-day fasts.

Third, my experiment is anecdotal and lacks scientific rigor. The scientific method requires precise measurements and a controlled environment and I didn’t have any of that (on the other hand, it’s the perfect way to do the experiment also because it’s ridiculous to think about having a controlled environment on the Camino de Santiago)

My reasons for intermittent fasting were mainly not to suffer energy drops during the stages and to second lose weight, if possible.

Experiment in 2022

During this experiment, I walked 26 days in a row where I rode approximately 700km (670km in official stages, plus post-stage rides).

My experiment included days of total fasting (water only), food fasting (only coffee or tea before starting the stage), partial fasting (broken in the middle of the stage, at km 20) plus some non-fasting days

I didn’t have any kind of dietary restriction, and I tried to cook and eat as healthy as possible, whenever possible…. (This selection of days was not intentional but entirely natural… Normally I don’t have breakfast but I enjoy having a tea or coffee during the morning but on the way it wasn’t always possible…)

The fasting windows were between 16 and 21 hours…

Let’s talk about the results.

Regarding hunger, I walked almost all the stages without hunger, which was not surprising.

Of the times I broke my fast in the middle of the stage… some was out of gluttony, and others were because he had food in his backpack and he didn’t want to carry it anymore.

About the energy levels, of the 26 days, I walked 24 feeling full of energy; Of the 2 days I felt low on energy, one attributed it to breaking the fast with poor quality food (more precisely, a supermarket potato omelette) and the second to not fully recover from having done a double stage the day before.

And about weight, I started the road with 86.4kg and finished it with 79.3kg, so I lost weight 7.1kg, in 26 days.

Experiment in 2024

After the success of the 2022 experiment, I decided to repeat it in 2024, but in a more relaxed way. We walked more than 1000km (about 960km in official stages), spread over about 40 days.

On this occasion, I had breakfast in almost all the traditional shelters that offered breakfast, which must have been about 9.

The rest of the days, if there was a kitchen in the hostel and it was possible, she would make me a tea; if not, he did not eat or drink anything other than water until he reached his destination.

This time, I lost approximately 5.5kg, from 90kg on day 0, to 84.5kg, on day 34.

Side Efects

Doing intermittent fasting on the road has other, non-health-related side effects.

On the positive side, you’re going to save a lot of money. Let’s say you stop 1 time a day for breakfast, and you end up spending 3-4€.

If you multiply it by the number of days (let’s assume 30 as is the French way from SJPP in France) it is a saving of 90-120€, and if you stop more than once, much more…

And it also simplifies and improves your oral hygiene, since you don’t have to brush your teeth as often.

On the downside, a good part of the socialization of the Camino happens in bars when we make stops; If you don’t stop at the bars, you’re missing out on those opportunities to meet and chat with other pilgrims.

The Camino de Santiago is a centenary experience that has become very fashionable in the last 30 years, but there are some confusions on the part of the general public, pilgrims, and governments.

The misunderstandings that I am going to name today are not in any kind of order.

NOTE: This article was originally written in 2022, but updated with experiences from 2024.

Misunderstanding #1: “That there is only one Camino de Santiago” (for the general public)

This misunderstanding is the least common and it is by people who have barely heard spoken about the path or who have learned about the path through the film “The Way”…

Also the confusion arises because one usually speaks in the singular: THE WAY. On the other hand, many times, when speaking in the singular, it usually refers specifically to the French road.

It is, in reality, that there are many Santiago routes; it is an interconnected network that, although it ends, in Santiago (or in Finisterre) and covers not only Spain, but also Western Europe. This network reaches very remote sites such as Poland and the Arctic Circle and includes other European itineraries such as the Via Francigena, which goes from Canterbury in England, to Rome and the Camino de San Ola, which goes from Oslo to Trondheim (and which goes backwards, from Trondheim to Oslo, is a route to Santiago).

Misunderstanding #2: “That one can walk alone in the direction of Santiago/Finisterre” (for the general public and pilgrims)

That the road leads to Santiago does not imply that it can only be done in the direction of Santiago. The road can be traveled in the opposite direction. In fact, it was the way that pilgrims in antiquity returned to their home.

Although a little uncommon option, it is becoming more popular. When I did my first path in 2011, I saw in total two people that were doing it backwards.

In this last path in the year 2022, on the French path, I could see between 2 and 3 people EACH DAY.

Misunderstanding #3: “The road is overflowing with people in the summer” (of the general public and even of the pilgrims)

This misunderstanding is spread by the media and is only valid for a few points of the way, such as the French Way from Sarria or O Cebreiro or the English Way from Ferrol.

Other paths and other sections of path usually have very few pilgrims in summer, such as the Basque Interior Way, where I walked completely alone for 5 days, like the Madrid Way, where we were almost alone, the Aragonese Way where we coincided, as maximum, in the same albergue 8 pilgrims and the Winter Way, where we coincided 9 of the 12 pilgrims that we were doing the route.

Misunderstanding #4: The Camino is “cheap” (by the general public and pilgrims)

It is true that the path is more accessible than other travel alternatives, especially due to the low cost of hostels, but in order for it to be “cheap” it requires a lot of discipline.

Assume the following prices in 2024…

• Bed: 10€ (range 5-17€ in shared room)
• Breakfast(s): 4€ (people usually 1 or 2 stops in bars to rest)
• Lunch menu: 12€ (range 10-16€ menu “accessible”)
• Dinner menu: 12€ (range 10-16€ menu “accessible”)
• Others: 6€ (laundry, dryer, beers between meals)

We could assume a daily expense of 44€ per day.

If we multiply that by the number of days, the French route from Saint Jean can cost quite 1320€, that without counting the cost of transport to arrive and leave the route…

If you want it to be cheap, you have to:

• Minimize the stops at the bars…
• You have to cook lunch and dinner as much as possible

(and this is not always possible, since there are hostels that do not have a kitchen) or eat badly.

If you are interested in the topic, we have made a video about it.

Misunderstanding #5: That the Camino is made based on arrows… (by the administrations and governments)

Multiple administrations, both in Spain and in other countries, seeing the success of the Way of St. James, have taken advantage of creating their own paths or their own variants to boost their economies, such as the Ignatian Way, which goes from Azpeitia in the Basque Country to Montserrat, or the Maritime Way which goes along the Catalan Coast to Barcelona, to give some examples.

Unfortunately these administrations, only have concerned themselves in signaling the path and in providing tourist information.

The reality is that the paths are made of shelters and not of arrows.

In order for a road to succeed, it is necessary that there be accommodations at low cost in a large percentage of the route.

Misunderstanding #6: That the tracing of the path does not change… (for the general public and the pilgrims)

There are several reasons why the road changes place…

On one hand, due to the appearance of new variants signaled, such as to avoid road sections (Montejurra variant, between Estella and Los Arcos) as to that you pass by some famous monument (examples Monte Juan de la Peña or of the Abbey of Javier, on the Aragonese way, the latter not appearing in some guides…)

Another common reason is due to the construction of large infrastructure works that do not respect the historical route, as often happens with highways or dykes.

Also for a desire of the administrations to make it more touristically attractive, making it easier and reducing kms. Or well, for the same route to also be accessible to cyclists. This is the case of the new route of the English Way.

And finally, and saddest, by human speculation…

The road is business and that the road passes through your town can be a very good source of income. It has been known for a long time, the case of the town of Ventosa, in the stage Logroño-Nájera, which had diverted the arrows so that they went to the town to spend money, something that guides like Gronze have already formalized and that have renamed the original road as “direct road”) but there are also newer cases (at least from my perspective) of Cirueña, in the stage Nájera-Santo Domingo de la Calzada…

Misunderstanding #7: the physical end of the Camino de Santiago (by the pilgrims)

It seems a foolish question, but the vast majority of pilgrims do not know where “exactly” the road to Santiago ends, the KM 0.

Many pilgrims think that it is the tomb of the Apostle or well the cathedral of Santiago.

It is curious that every pilgrim INSTINCTIVELY ends his road at KM 0, and that he finds himself in the center of the plaza del Obradoiro…

There is a bowl on the floor that says Camino de Santiago, European itinerary.

A very satisfying detail of design, I must admit, is that if we see a satellite photo of the Plaza del Obradoiro, we see how the paths unite in the center, in the same way as the hyper-simplified design of the star.

Misunderstanding #8: The sense of the phrase “The tourist demands, the pilgrim thanks” (by the pilgrims)

The tourist demands and the pilgrim thanks is one of the most well-known phrases of the Way, but nowadays it is used to manipulate and abuse the pilgrims.

To this misunderstanding, we dedicate a complete article.

Misunderstanding #9: “That every person who takes the path is a pilgrim.” (by the media and the general public)

There exists the mistaken custom of calling “pilgrim” “every person who does the Camino de Santiago,” while the term “pilgrim” should be used for the person who behaves with respect to the Camino and to its traditions, to the sites by which he passes, to the environment, to the inhabitants of the populations, and to the other pilgrims.

To understand how a pilgrim should behave, we wrote a decalogue of good conduct.

Misunderstanding #10: “That everyone who works in a albergue is ah hospitalero.” (by the media and pilgrims)

In the same way, there exists the mistaken custom of referring to any person in charge of a shelter, regardless of the type, with the title of “hospitalero,” a term that should only be used EXCLUSIVELY for those who offer what is said in the name: “hospitality”. We’ve written another article where we explain this in detail.