{"id":281167,"date":"2025-06-08T09:30:05","date_gmt":"2025-06-08T09:30:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/camino-de-santiago-10-easy-steps-to-prepare\/"},"modified":"2025-06-08T09:30:05","modified_gmt":"2025-06-08T09:30:05","slug":"camino-de-santiago-10-easy-steps-to-prepare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=281167","title":{"rendered":"Camino de Santiago – 10 easy steps to prepare"},"content":{"rendered":"


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For many people walking the Camino de Santiago is a lifetime experience. When it comes to planning an important trip that you have been dreaming about for years it can be stressful. You might feel overwhelmed without knowing where to start.\u00a0And it is absolutely normal. You are not alone in that. Thousands of people walk the Camino every year and you can be one of them. If they can do it you can do it too on your own or with some help. <\/p>\n

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A sculpture of a pilgrim on the Coastal Route of the Camino de Santiago<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I have planned many Camino trips (not only for myself but for other people). In this post I give the main steps for planning the Camino de Santiago so you can do it yourself.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Step 1. Decide how much time you have and when you want to go<\/h2>\n

Some people have only two weeks of holiday a year, some might have unlimited time frames. Decide how much time you have for the Camino and when you have it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I recommend having at least 1 week to walk the Camino to have enough time to experience it. You will probably need at least 1 day to get to the Camino and 1 day to get back home. So if you have 1 week it leaves you with 5 days to walk.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t worry if you don\u2019t have enough time to complete the entire route. You can do it in parts or start somewhere closer to Santiago<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Step 2. Decide how far you want to walk every day<\/h2>\n

Outline your desirable daily distance. Base the decision on your level of fitness, don\u2019t chase other people\u2019s itinerary. If you are comfortable walking 10 miles\/16 km a day then it\u2019s your distance. Don\u2019t worry if it\u2019s shorter than the standard itinerary. You should be comfortable with the walk.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Once you know how much time you have and how far you want to walk, multiply the two numbers to get the total distance of your walk. E.g. you have 10 days to walk<\/strong> and want to walk 10 miles\/16 km per day<\/strong>. We get a total of 100 mi\/160 km<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Step 3. Choose the Camino route<\/h2>\n

Now when you have your total distance you can decide on the route. Choosing the right Camino is important. There are 7 main routes in Spain and Portugal<\/a>. Their sceneries, distances, and facilities vary greatly. For first-time pilgrims who have never done a long-distance walk I suggest choosing the Camino Frances<\/a> or the Portuguese Camino<\/a> from Porto. These are the two most popular routes that have good infrastructure for pilgrims. They are easier to plan and break down into shorter walking stages.<\/p>\n

Remember, you don\u2019t have to begin the walk from the official starting point. You can start pretty much anywhere along the route. Let\u2019s say you choose the Portuguese Camino and want to walk 100 mi\/160 km so you can start from Ponte de Lima which is around 100 mi\/160 km from Santiago de Compostela.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is the end of all Camino routes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Step 4. Start training for the Camino<\/h2>\n

Walking the Camino de Santiago requires preparation. You can start preparing for the Camino as early as a year in advance but usually, 4-6 months is enough<\/strong>. It\u2019s possible to do the Camino as a last-minute walk but in this case, you should be ready to face some difficulties if you are not used to long walking days.<\/p>\n

We have a detailed post with easy training steps<\/a> that you can follow to prepare for your walk.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re an outdoor person, and used to hiking and walking long distances you don\u2019t need any special training.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you want to have more insights of your training process<\/strong> I recommend buying a fitness watch. We use our Garmin Fenix watches<\/a> for training, hiking, and walking. They give a lot of information such as distances, total elevation gain\/loss, calories used, heart rate, route maps, recovery time, etc.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Step 5. Get the right shoes<\/h2>\n

Having the right shoes for walking is very important. You shouldn\u2019t walk in a new pair of shoes<\/strong>. Even the best shoes will likely give blisters if they are new and you walk over 10 mi a day in them. If you already have a pair \u2013 great, you can start training in them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you need an advice on the right shoes for the Camino\u00a0please, check our post on the best walking shoes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Blisters are a common problem on the Camino. I recommend wearing Merino wool socks<\/a> to minimize your chances of getting blisters.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Shoes play an important role in the walk. There is even a wooden shoe sculpture on the Camino de Santiago.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Step 6. Decide on the luggage\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Decide if you want to walk with a big backpack and carry all your stuff<\/strong> or rather use a luggage transfer service<\/strong>. Walking with a big pack is a lot more difficult than with a small day pack. It is ok to use a luggage transfer service on the Camino, it doesn\u2019t make you less of a pilgrim. There are several companies that offer the service on different Camino routes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you have some extra luggage that you won\u2019t need on the Camino you can send it straight to Santiago de Compostela<\/strong>. It will be stored at the post office near the Cathedral till your arrival. Check the Correos website<\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n

If you decide to walk with a big pack then make sure to choose a good one<\/a> that is comfortable to walk with for hours every day.<\/p>\n

Step 7. Book your trip<\/h2>\n

Now you know when you want to go and what route to walk. Find out how to get to the starting point (the place from where you want to start) of your chosen Camino route. What is the nearest airport? Check what airlines fly there from your hometown?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Depending on where you\u2019re coming from your international flight might be your biggest expense. If you come from overseas e.g. the US, Australia, Canada, or South Africa I suggest starting looking for tickets several months before the trip<\/strong>. Use Skyscanner<\/a> to look for flights and find which airlines serve the route.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re going to fly with one of the European budget airlines check their luggage allowance<\/strong>. Usually, they\u2019re different for international and local flights. Cheap local flights include only hand luggage if you have check-in luggage you have to pay extra.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Distance poles are one of the route markers on the Camino de Santiago in Spain and Portugal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Step 8. Outline your itinerary<\/h2>\n

Plan your walking stages<\/strong> according to your desired distance<\/strong>. You can use our PDFs<\/a> and plan it yourself or use our Camino planning service<\/a> if you want a customized itinerary. If you are planning to walk the standard stages (as suggested in the PDFs or guidebooks) then it is very easy \u2013 just download the existing itinerary and follow it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you want to stay in private rooms<\/strong> it is a good idea to pre book<\/strong> them, maybe not for the entire route at once but some time ahead. Once you have your itinerary start booking accommodation.<\/p>\n

Step 9. Download everything you need on your phone<\/h2>\n

Download useful files and apps that you will need for the walk<\/p>\n