6 Things to Know Before Walking the Camino de Santiago Alone in 2024
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Following my first solo trip to Andalusia, I decided to use part of my sabbatical to walk the Camino de Santiago alone. Since I love hiking, nature, and spending time by myself, I figured, why not.
Needless to say, this was one of the best decisions of my life. Although, there are a few things I wish I had known before walking the Camino de Santiago alone, so here they are.
What’s the Camino de Santiago?
For those not familiar with the Camino de Santiago, it is a pilgrimage of Medieval Origin to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. People used to do it for religious reasons, but nowadays it's become a bit more casual. I did it as I was going through a tough time in my life and I felt I needed time to be in nature and reconnect with myself.
There are different routes to get to Santiago, I choose to do the Camino del Norte, starting from San Sebastian. What attracted me about this route was the landscape and the fact that it wasn’t a popular trail, meaning it would have fewer people than others.
Walking the Camino de Santiago alone: everything you should know
Is it safe to walk the Camino de Santiago alone?
Unless you act carelessly, walking the Camino de Santiago alone is pretty safe.
Just like you would do in your everyday life it’s important to be aware of your surrounding and not put yourself under unnecessary risks when walking the Camino de Santiago, especially if you are alone. For instance, I would not recommend anyone to walk in the dark, or without a mobile phone at hand, but other than that the Camino del Norte was pretty safe.
As a Black woman, my experience was also very positive. I walked the Camino del Norte which is a less popular route with a lot fewer pilgrims than for example the Camino Frances. I actually never felt like my presence was welcomed negatively, even in tiny villages in the North of Spain where a few people I spoke to had never left their village. This was a pleasant surprise.
The fact that I speak Spanish also helped me better communicate with locals, but even if I didn’t I don’t think it would have made a big difference.
Also read: 5 Ways to Improve your Spanish without Spanish Classes
2. Is it easy to meet people and make friends?
Making friends won’t be a problem, the hardest part is to embrace being alone.
The crowd you will meet on Camino is pretty international, so it’s quite easy to meet someone you will get along with. For me, the hardest part was to be comfortable not always being with people. If like me this is an experience you want to enjoy on your own, it’s important to be intentional about who you spend time with.
There were many times during my trip when I started spending time with people that I didn’t really connect with. But because we are all following the same road, it can be hard to ditch people because ultimately you will end up meeting them again along the way.
But the thing is, I quickly realized I didn’t owe it to anyone to spend time with them unless I really wanted to. Even though sometimes I did feel lonely, I forced myself not to hang out with people out of desperation. This meant I had to learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable and learn to be with myself.
3. How difficult is the Camino de Santiago?
It depends, but it’s all about learning to be comfortable with being uncomfortable
I started the Camino in San Sebastian to Santander, and in total, I walked a bit more than 10 days and about 250 kilometers. Although I love hiking, and I am in pretty good shape, some days were harder than others. At the start, I use to wake up at 8.00 am and start walking at 9 am, but I quickly realized that if I wanted to avoid walking under the sun, I would have to wake up around 6.30 am.
To be honest, I am not much of an early riser so at first, it was tough. Plus carrying your backpack every day, the constant smell of sweat, the aching feet, and the lack of sleep can make it harder and harder to get by. So mentally, you really have to work on yourself to embrace your situation and adapt even if that means you will sometimes feel uncomfortable.
4. What to bring on the Camino de Santiago?
You will realize that less is more.
Spending 10 days with nothing but a backpack is a really humbling experience. It just makes you realize how little you really need in life to be happy. Once you really get into the Camino de Santiago mood, you really start forgetting about your normal life. Your only preoccupation quickly becomes: where will I sleep? What will I eat? How many kilometers are there to the next stage?
It really allows you to put things into perspective and makes you question why we accumulate so many things when really we only need a few to function. Of course, once you get back to your day-to-day routine, you will most probably get back into your old habits. The only difference for me is that now in the back of my mind when I am tempted to buy a lot of stuff, I remind myself that sometimes less is more.
5. What’s the best thing about walking the Camino de Santiago alone?
Experience nature’s healing powers
This one might be a bit corny, especially coming from a city girl like me, but being in nature for days, watching the sea, looking at the birds, and just being surrounded by spectacular greenery had a magic effect on my soul.
I actually read somewhere that spending time in nature reduces stress, lowers our blood pressure, improves our mental outlook, and gives us good nutrients like oxygen and vitamin D. Studies even say that being in nature increases dopamine and serotonin in our brains – I can attest to this.
I just felt so calm and at peace. Some days I could spend hours just watching the sea or enjoying the smell of nature. There is something quite unique about stepping out of the city and just being in harmony with nature. I actually think this is the best therapy anyone could wish for.
6. Where to hire the organized Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain
If you find it a bit cumbersome everything that involves organizing and preparing the Camino de Santiago (especially in high season when there is a lot of affluence and it is necessary to book services in advance), there is an easy way to solve it: hiring a company dedicated to organizing the Camino de Santiago.
For that, there are companies like Tu buen Camino that take care of organizing the Camino de Santiago with all the formalities: hiring accommodation, booking breakfasts, luggage transfers... This has several advantages:
- Save time in the preparation of the trip (believe me, you lose a lot of time in the management).
- Make sure that everything will be under control (the Camino companies have been working for years in this area).
- In the high season, not having to depend on being the first to arrive at the public hostels to get a place.
These companies, besides, also help to guide in the distribution of the stages according to personal needs: if you want to do a more relaxed Camino, with higher quality accommodation, if there is someone with a specific physical condition or previous injuries.
This makes it the best way to travel to Spain with everything prepared. You can see the packages available for the Camino de Santiago here.
