A senior pilgrim answers FAQs about el Camino de Santiago
A senior pilgrim answers questions people ask me about el Camino de Santiago.
One of the questions that I get regularly from people is “What is el Camino de Santiago?”
For devout Catholics, what the Camino is tends to be straightforward. They are aware of the existence of pilgrimage routes and generally know what the Camino is. It’s different for a lot of other folks. Many are not aware of pilgrimage as a part of their faith. Even those who embrace pilgrimage may not have knowledge of El Camino de Santiago, the Way of Saint James.
What el Camino de Santiago is can be a bit complicated. Click below for a brief version of my thoughts!
This is a great question, and one that I get often, but the answer is “it depends.” Please click on the video for a bit more of an answer.
Beyond my video answers, I’ll be adding links to useful transportation resources to my site over the coming months, so check back using the main page from time to time should you want even more information.
This is a difficult question to answer because there are a LOT of different conditions along The Way. Here, I describe what I have seen thus far in my 640 kilometers (400 miles) hiking el Camino del Norte.
Yes, I do believe you, a person in your 50s or 60s or 70s and even beyond, can experience el Camino de Santiago as a pilgrim, a peregrino.
A big part of why I’m working so hard on this website is to inspire you to join our Camino community. Another big part is to help you with the work that is required for you to make that happen. One big part of that is physical conditioning. You may call it training or exercise or just hard work. My advice, based on my own experience getting ready to step onto The Way, is available as Ruminations on Exercise on this site.
No, speaking Spanish is not necessary for hiking el Camino de Santiago, but there are a few caveats to that flat statement.
First, this depends to some extent on the route you choose to hike. The Camino Francés is the most popular route, has the most services, and is the choice where lacking Spanish will have the least impact on your Camino Journey. My understanding from casual conversation is that it’s important to have some Spanish on at least some of the other Camino routes.
Second, smartphone translator apps seem pretty commonly used in Spain, especially by service personnel in areas frequented by international tourists. While I’ve never used one on my device, they seem pretty powerful.
Third, English appears to be the lingua franca in Spain because so many people speak their home tongue, Russian for example, and English as their second language. This is especially common in peregrinos and my experience is that peregrinos are delighted to help each other.
Fourth, and finally, I do recommend memorizing a few words and phrases that you might need in a pinch. For example, “Los servicios” or “baño” will get you directions to the toilets. I may add a page of key words and phrases to this website sometime in the future, but that’s fairly far down the road at this point.
I spent about $80 per day during a month-long stay in Spain during August of 2022. That was enough to allow me the occasional treat at an upscale restaurant, including hosting friends, and a few nights in pleasant, and sometimes upscale, hotels. Most of the time, however, my meals were in restaurants filled with local folks and my nights were in albergues, hostels, and pensions.
There is a lot more discussion in this video.
The “Camino passport” and Camino credential” are different terms for the same thing. It is about being a pilgrim following The Way in search of something that can range from a Roman Catholic pilgrimage with the intent of obtaining a compostela showing your achievement to personal discovery. If you are hiking the Camino in search of something, even if you cannot define what it is you are searching for, I recommend obtaining a Camino passport. You can do that easily by requesting one from American Pilgrims on the Camino or by reaching out to a wide variety of other places.
This video covers my thoughts the Camino credential and a bit about my own Camino passport.
