Things to Consider When Planning Your Camino

Once you have decided to go on Camino there are a few things to consider.

The first is when to go - the Camino is at its busiest during the summer as a lot of Spanish walk then also around St James' day can be busy as people want to arrive in Santiago for that day.





 I've always walked April-May or August-September and have never had a problem getting a bed. There have been times when it has been too cold or too hot so think about your endurance for heat when you decide when to walk – the graph below shows how many people walk in each month.

Along with the weather and the busyness of the Camino you also have to consider when you can actually get time off work/study (hence Easter is a very popular time for teachers to go on Camino). This will also dictate how long you can go on Camino for.

The cost of the Camino can dictate how long you go for – the costs are about 5-15E for the albergue, 8-12E for a Pilgrim menu (maybe 5E a day if you cook instead), 1-2E for a midday snack so 29E a day maximum but I budget for 20E a day and know that some days I will spend more and some days I will spend less and this seems to work fine. Take extra money for souvenirs once you reach Santiago though.

Equipment is another cost that needs to be considered but I bought cheaper equipment from Decathlon and have replaced parts with more expensive equipment as I have learned what I need and what works well.

The distance that you wish to walk is an important consideration – this can be dictated by time and other considerations such as fitness (an altitude map for the Camino Frances is in the Brierly guide for each day’s walk or go to http://www.godsalco.com and click on ‘mapas del camino’ for maps or go to http://www.godesalco.com/plan for a tool which allows you to  look at distances between points as well as heights on the Camino Frances, Argones, Via de la Plata and Chemin du Puy – I haven’t used this site myself so let me know if its useful).

You have to think about the weight you will carry – I have been told that a good rule of thumb is 10% of your bodyweight but I’m pretty small and this would mean, for me, a weight of under 5kg which I haven’t found to be practical. Definitely you want you weight to be under 10kg (including the food and water you will carry each day) but the actual weight you have to work out. You can have your bag carried for you by various companies so this is another option you can consider.

Who to walk with is an important consideration – on my first Camino I set off alone but spent over half my time walking with other people. I have set off with my sister and with my sister and Dad and the most important thing to consider is if there is someone who you are sure that you can get along with for your Camino and who will be able to walk at the same speed as you (it can be annoying to have to walk more slowly than your usual speed and if the person you are with walks too fast and you try to keep up it can cause injuries).

Groups will not be allowed to stay in all albergues and what constitutes a group seems unclear – me, my sister and my Dad along with someone we have walked with for that day have always been okay so far though.

I think that these are the main points to consider but please feel free to add any other points that you feel are important in the comments below.