This isn’t the video we ever thought we’d be making, but here it is: I’m sharing why we decided to quit the Camino Frances after six days of hiking in Spain. As a pilgrim, we encountered challenges and want to share some camino tips we learned along the way. This travel experience was not what we expected and we hope this video helps others.
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Hi everyone, thanks for tuning in. This isn’t the video I ever thought I’d be making about our Camino journey, but here it is. After six days, we decided to quit the Camino. We were walking uh the Camino Princess and started in St. John and 6 days later, we packed it in. I’m doing this alone because it was my decision to quit. So, I thought it was up to me to share my thoughts and experience of why we decided to quit the Camino. Is not meant to discourage anyone from walking the Camino. I just want to share my honest and personal reflection on the experience that I had. This isn’t my first chamino. It’s actually my third. So, I knew what I was getting into. I knew exactly what was all in store. I walked the Camino in 2014. I walked the last 100 kilometers into St. into uh Santiago and I also walked the complete Camino from St. John to Santiago in 2019 and I also walked with my daughter again uh in 2022 this uh Portuguese Camino. So I knew what I was getting into. I was looking forward to it. I was looking forward to the scenery. meeting people, hearing the birds, the smells, all of it. I was so excited for it, but reality didn’t didn’t match my expectation of this commamino, and I’ll share why. First off, let’s talk about the cost. I knew the commamino wasn’t free, and I guess I underestimated the true costs of how quickly they add up. Even staying in the basic Alberes, that was expensive. eating at Pilgrim Meat menus, which are no longer cheap and the quality is really poor. Those add up, too. The daily costs just were higher than we anticipated. We are seniors living on a budget, but the chamino just was a bit more pricey than what we thought it would be. Especially when you factor in the snacks, the extra supplies that we needed, the coffee stops that we had. We were spending more than what we budgeted for. It’s not like we weren’t willing to spend the money. I just couldn’t shake the feeling that we were overpaying for the items and services that we were getting. in order to weigh on me. Then there was a sleep or the lack of sleep. When you’re sharing a room with 20 to 100 people, you’re gonna have constant interruptions, your snoring, the rustling, the alarms going off at 5:00 because people want to get an early start. I thought I’d get used to it, but I didn’t after 6 days. And it was I was starting to wear out. I just was tired. I started to feel drained. and it made walking so much harder. Then there was the weather. It had rained a number of days and at first we embraced it, telling ourselves it was just part of the adventure. But after hours of walking in soggy shoes and wet clothes, it it stopped feeling fun and the adventure started to feel miserable. Honestly, I was so worried that I was going to slip on the muddy paths. I had had ankle surgery earlier in the year and I was walking with tension like my body was so tensed up for fear of falling and reinjuring my ankle and I just don’t know if that was worth it. Then we got colds. The rain got to us and we got cold. Len got one first and woke up one morning with a sore throat and a fever and then the next day I got the cold and we landed up taking a day off just to rest and it gave us a lot of time to think about do we continue do we continue walking? Was it really worth our energy, our time, our money? We just started work thinking about the worth of it and our desire to keep going. And finally, the hardest part was admitting I just wasn’t feeling it. I wanted to love the commamino. I loved the previous ones, the transformation, the people we met. I loved it all. But instead, I felt disconnected. It just felt like I was going through the motion. I just wasn’t really present. I was dreading it. Every step I was dreading it. Sometimes it’s okay to admit it isn’t right for you. For me, the commamino wasn’t right for me. Not at that moment. People say when the commamino calls, you go. But maybe it doesn’t work the same way if you go when you’re not called. I wanted to go. The commamino didn’t call. I don’t know. Quitting wasn’t an easy decision. I felt guilty. I was letting myself down. I was letting our viewers down. I was letting Len down. Len was wanting to continue. He loved walking. It was me that wanted to quit. I was just over it. But looking back, I know it was the right decision. The chamino will always be there. Maybe I’ll try again someday. Maybe I won’t. And that’s okay. I’m okay with that. For anyone considering the chamino, my advice would be to prepare, but not just physically. You need to be prepared mentally and financially. And remember, it’s your journey, and there’s no right or wrong way. Thanks for watching and letting me tell my story. If you’ve done the Camino or you’re thinking about it, I’d love to hear your thoughts and your comments. Until next time. Bonamino.
26 Comments
Recently completed the challenging 40 days from Sevilla to Santiago. We were so fortunate to have 3 hours of rain ( 1 day ) in the 40. What almost broke my wife was the 5 am starts to beat the 35+ degree heat through much of Sept. I get it re: pulling the plug. We also cannot do the albergue life today like we did 10 years ago…. I need sleep daily to walk 25 km day after day. Costs have increased significantly in the past 10 years. A basic private room will average 60 euros, inexpensive compared to North America but with food, snacks, wine it adds up over 40+ days. Go into the Camino knowing what you can and can’t do, re: albergue, menu del dia, hotel, etc…. And budget accordingly.
Try Camino Ingles. It is only 6 days. A full Comino and beautiful.
I'm not one of yur regular viewers, but I'm so glad this video popped up in my feed. Maturity brings wisdom. Clearly, this trip wasn't meant to be. If you had continued, I fear something disasterous may have happened. I've never done the camino, but the main reason I probably will never do it is the lack of sleep scenario. I can barely sleep in the same room as my husband for a full night. All of the interuptions you talk about would have me awake all night staring at the ceiling. Then to try and walk miles on top of not getting a recharge? No way–I know my limitations.
Good for you!!!
Thank you for sharing your journey even if it was just 6 days. I have walked the camino Frances from Astorga back in 2015. I was by myself and that was the time I had to experience the camino. I was called to go. I had prepared myself I thought…but I ended up hurting my foot, and had knee pain for 80% of the walk from Astorga to Santiago. I am not complaining, I had to change my shoes and the arch support wasn’t enough. So Roxanne, to connect with your mental-emotional preparation:it is true. The Camino is a physical « task » for many people wanting a physical challenge. It is also so much more (spiritual, emotional, mental, etc also). For me, I kept walking because I wanted to finish it. I have never done it before and the weather was nice (only one afternoon of rain). I would change one thing in my training and it would be length of it…plus walking boots/shoes. Starting training a year in advance instead of 6 months. I am sure the prices have increased in 10 years. I also know there is more people on the Camino Frances. I don’t know if I would do it again. I loved my experience and it was also a big accomplishment for myself going alone. I loved meeting fellow Pelegrín on the way. Thank you!
Just finished my 3rd camino and I will agree, the prices have gone up dramatically.
The Camino can only call people who can afford to go… most people in the world cannot afford to travel overseas so it's hard to find sympathy
Thank you for this video and you are absolutely right that there is nothing wrong on deciding this wasn't it. Sometimes it is better to stop and leave. You can return another time when things are more favorable or decide to do something else. Six days hiking is still a good effort in my opinion. Actually it is quite a lot. Much support to you two.
Stopping with honesty is not quitting. Knowing one's limits is not quitting.
I’m on the Portuguese Way now. I started in Tui. I walked the entire French Way (for my 67th birthday), in 2023. It took me 40 days. I’m currently walking the final stretch of the Portuguese Way, before a transatlantic cruise later this month. On this Camino, I always book hotels over Albergues. Today, I’m spending a second night in Redondela, after walking in the rain yesterday. But, I have the time. I think sometimes walking the full Camino, never taking public transportation, always carrying your own backpack, and only staying in an Albergue, gets in stuck in a pilgrims’s head. In medieval times, wealthy pilgrims sometimes had servants to assist them. Why are we now all caught up in there being only one true way to walk the Camino? I get that it’s become a secular hiking experience for some. But, there is still a spiritual aspect for many of us walking. I see things as a test or as a lesson. Yesterday, in the rain, it took me nine hours to walk 10k. I’m 69. I have bone on bone arthritis, in both knees. So, I’m staying in Redondela, in my own room, for a second night. Then, I will continue tomorrow. I get that I’m not meeting other pilgrims and that I’m missing out on the whole “shared” experience. Still, the short encounters that I’ve had so far were all amazing. I wouldn’t trade them for the world. Walk your own Camino and stop walking, when it tells you! Buen Camino!
To every turn there is a season…
Fully agree with you and your comments,this was my 4th Camino and I can honestly say it's getting more expensive to do the Camino,it's not what it use to be meals for example the pilgrims meal you can't find it in most places,, main courses are expensive even the drinks and coffee has shot up,the albergues and hostels are getting expensive and you can't even get a night's sleep.,we done Porto Santiago in October gone, there were 3 of us,but anyone we met we're all asking about how you found the day to Day cost, you really have to factor in , prices because they ain't what they were last year, even the beer has got expensive 😢loved the Camino but now it's time to venture to other countries, for New adventures. Buien Camino ☘️
I was hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro but knew my limits and stopped at Kibo Huts, which is the base camp last stop before the summit. I knew my limits and when my body said enough. Luckily money wasn't an issue 20 years ago.
Glad I didn’t run into her. Debbie Downers need counseling not the Camino.
Thank you for being so honest. I would love to do the Camino and you have made me realise that it’s not as easy as I have fantasised in my mind that it’s tough going at times. There’s absolutely no way I could spend a night with other people in the room, absolutely no way so I might not even be able to do six days but who cares, if that’s what you can do so be it, don’t beat yourself up about it. I do appreciate your honesty and it has helped me to realise that you walk at your own pace , you do what feels right for you at any particular time on the journey. God Bless and take care
Wasted 21 seconds to fly through that nonsense and type my comment.
Who cares what others think… It's not fun at all when you know you are overpaying for the limited quality of food and accommodation – we live in Australia and want to spend at least 6 months in Europe from October till April to escape the ugly, never ending heat and humidity that is the summer here in Brisbane. We are staying in low season and off peak season and yet accommodation ALL across Europe is now eye-wateringly expensive, especially for what is on offer – we are wanting to stay in a smaller city in France and sooo many holiday rentals only have double beds that couples find too small and often the mattress is uncomfortable, places are not as spotless as Eastern European countries, it's very hard to find a comfortable sofa to relax on after a loong day outdoors, instead you get horrible sofa beds that are almost painful to sit on and just as many places don't have proper tables and chairs to eat from, instead you get bar stools at a counter… and a lot of the bathrooms are just downright awful – BUT time is not on my side and I want to go travelling before it becomes hard work…
Six days is still a lot.
Might have been covid, not a cold. Best to rest.
Thank you so much for your honest report. I have thought about going on the Camino for years, but I realise I just love the idea of it. I know I would hate the reality. Truly, thank you for confirming this.
I hope to find a pilgrimage that's not quite as overwhelming or commercialised.
I'm a 75 years old woman and wanted to do the camino, unfortunately in April I got diagnosed with breast cancer and after finishing the 5 months chemotherapy sessions I developed neuropathy on my feet and now can't hardly walk. It's been very disappointing to say the least. Now everything is on hold.
Thanks for sharing
I applaud you for decision. It takes guts to recognize: I don’t want to continue!
I thank you for your honest review of your experience, it is very helpful and eye-opening. I had a full reconstruction of my left foot last year and was wondering what it would be like trying to undertake this endeavor, yours is the first video I've seen that gave me a true account of what it could be like for me.
Well! This was so interesting.
I walked the Camino after my father’s death in September 2016. My first day it poured rain. At Orison I was given a bottom bunk in the former cowshed building. No heat. I woke cold, damp & very unwell. Still, I walked to Roncesvalles in heavy wet fog and drizzling rain the next day, arriving absolutely soaked and shaking with fever. But I walked again the next day to Burguete. There, I collapsed for 2 days, very very ill. The proprietors were very kind but told me I could not stay another night as it was ‘against the rules’. I did feel slightly better that third day, enough to walk to Zubiri but it was a surreal experience. It took 6.5 hours and I felt like I wasn’t moving at all (hard to explain). The next day walking was easier, I got to Pamplona but in the afternoon I began to limp. My right hip seemed to have seized up and the ache (never had such a thing before) radiated down to my shin. I loved Pamplona but could not walk at all to explore it or see any sights. I felt totally defeated.
I had spent nearly 6 months preparing for my walk … easily walking 17 km every other day at home… obsessing about my pack and what to take … reading voraciously about the Camino and other people’s experiences. I had decided to go in September because the weather was supposed to be ideal. The rain I started out in was, apparently, atypical. And then, in Pamplona, looking ahead at the weather, very hot conditions were expected across the plateau ahead of me … and heat is one thing I have difficulty with. My second night in Pamplona, I decided to take a bus to Logrono because my whole right side was aching unbearably, despite a session with a masseuse, and I was daunted by the atypical hot weather expected during the next week on the trek ahead. In Logrono conditions did not improve and my mindset was now beaten. I felt such a failure. I was simultaneously outraged at my physical difficulties and in disbelief at my circumstances. I went to the cathedral and sat in the back and wept. I felt so discouraged. So disappointed in everything – including myself. I felt very lonely. Isolated. Far from home for no good reason. I knew I would never have this opportunity again … I had saved and saved for the experience and am not financially likely to try again. So I took busses and trains. I limped from stations into albergues in the evenings … most wouldn’t stamp my paper because I didn’t actually walk. I arrived by train at Santiago de Compostela 11 days after I began my pilgrimage. It was about 7 pm and the walk from the station to old town was very very long. I didn’t realize it was so far and was nearly in tears again as I finally passed through the old town walls. There, it was a huge party atmosphere. I don’t know what celebration I walked into but it was loud and packed with people. I had trusted I would find an albergue … but every one of them was full. By 9 o’clock I was faint with hunger and stopped at a crowded cafe that I’ve never been able to find again, somewhere to the west of the cathedral. There was an old woman there, behind the bar and she spoke no English but she communicated with her hands that she had a room to let upstairs. She could see I was in a desperate state and she led me up the back of the establishment, up some rickety stairs, to a short narrow hallway with a couple of closed doors. My heart was pounding thinking ‘what have I got myself into??’ But the very old, rather worrisome looking woman opened the far door and … there was a perfectly clean and charming room. Bathroom was the other door down the hall. The woman beamed at me, nodding and smiling and made me understand she would bring me some food shortly. I dropped into a small chintz covered chair when she left and just sat there, kind of dazed and even disoriented. Before I knew it, the lady was back with a tray … delicious paella, some sparkling water, tea and a small bottle of red wine. So I ate. I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth, washed my face and went back to my room, collapsed on the bed and was enveloped in cozy comfort. I fell asleep instantly – though the carousing outside had not at all diminished.
In the morning, it was so peaceful and the view out the window was out to the garden of a former abbey of some sort. It was beautiful. I got myself organized and made my way downstairs. The woman was not there, but there was a grey haired man there I took to be her son. He would take no money from me. No matter how I insisted. He would not let me pay for my room or for the food they gave me. He insisted on giving me a chocolate croissant and coffee to go before I left … but he would not take money from me.
I have no words to describe my gratitude for the kindness these people, these strangers gave me.
I couldn’t get a flight home until two days later and found a regular albergue for that night. My husband was surprised to know I was coming home., but, of course, no more than I was.
So this was my Camino. I listened to your story with great interest and want you to understand that you are not alone having a very different experience of the Camino, one that entailed not doing it. I certainly don’t understand why, just that it is what it is. Thank you for sharing your story. 💐
Losers.
Money grab from pilgrims, the world has lost its innocence, the Camino hosts choosing mammon, its ubiquitous, the love of money.