I usually struggle SO much to focus on videos of people talking to the camera but you had my attention the whole way through!! You are so engaging funny and love your expressiveness! Thanks for the amazing tips - I have added to my backpack a sarong (though not 2) !!!!
This is the best video about preparing for the Camino that I’ve encountered so far! So grateful for your honesty and directness (judgments included!), because it’s exactly what I was looking for. I confess to having some anxiety/concerns about sleeping in less than clean bedding, because I have a heightened sense of smell and that in itself can sometimes keep me from getting comfortable enough to sleep. Silly question, but did you find that having the silk liner felt like enough of a barrier to allow you to relax in a less than sweet smelling bed? Thank you for an informative and entertaining video!
Sorry, only just spotted your question. Yes, clothes pegs. Carrying so few clothes means being able to get laundry dry can become a bit of a preoccupation. 😊
Hi! Great videos right to the point. Just wondering I’m 60 an planning to do the Camino France on May of this year. Any advice to consider with my age. Thank you 🙏🏻
I'm sorry, but 40% of people give up? Did I miss hear that? Where did you get that figure from? Having walked the Camino Frances three times (plus other routes), I have seen very few 'give up'. And none giving up on Day 1.
Thank you for sharing. Family responsibilities have always prevented me from going on similar adventures, but there is nothing wrong in dreaming that one day I will be able to :)
Thanks for your kind words. I'm afraid, not being an Apple user, I'm not in a position to offer advice on an alternative app. Maybe your message will be viewed by someone who will be able to help. I did a quick google search and a couple, with high star rated reviews came up. Hope you find one. Good luck.
Hi. I am on a treadmill training for a yet unscheduled Camino. I like watching Camino videos. I learned some new tricks from your video that weren't in the countless other videos I have watched. The most useful tidbit was to bring a sliver of soap with me for the bathrooms. I ❤ hearing original tips!
My apologies, never managed to upload it. And now, post covid, not at all sure any advice I could give would still be valid. Other than, please bear in mind that the first day your pack will be at its heaviest (I realised I could manage without a lot of things and dumped them) and you are likely to be at your least fit. No shame in easing yourself in. Maybe take the coach up part way and courier your things ahead. If these services are still available. Good luck. So wish I could be joining the trail again.
Hey Theresa, thanks so much for your kind words. Can't believe four years have passed since I recorded that video. Hopefully, things haven't changed too much and the advice is still relevant. Good luck.
This might sound weird, but honestly I really hope that when I walk the Camino next year, people like you are the ones I meet there. I like your spirit and personality so much!
Thank you soooo much. This video was hugely helpfull and I have now added a sarong, phone adaptor, shampoo bar and nappy pins to my backpack. Just five days to go until we set off.
I took, and loved, the 48 litre Osprey Eja. www.ospreyeurope.com/shop/gb_en/eja-48-2018 A lot of people recommend the 38 litre, and I probably could have managed with the smaller size, but there were many mornings when I packed up in a hurry in darkened dormitories and was so grateful for the extra capacity. Meant I didn't have to fold everything up extra carefully. Also allowed for a bit of rummage room and handy if I bought a little more food than I could eat in one sitting. Other point to emphasise is that the Eja is designed for the female form and the straps don't crush your breasts. Hope that helps.
Thank you for sharing. Your honesty is very helpful. I'm planning ny first camino for next year. Would you mind providing the brand/models in your packing list? I'm very much interested in purchasing a a good backpack, a light skirt, cell chargers and silk blanket like yours. Thank you. 😊
Thanks Jacqui, my backpack was an Osprey, it's a while ago now so my exact model might be difficult to source, but try to find one that is specifically designed for women. They fit so much better on to fit on female hips. I went for the 48lt capacity. Many will tell you to buy a smaller one but I was often grateful for that bit of extra space when packing up pre-dawn, in a rush in dark dorms. The important thing is to "test-drive". Many stores, so long as you don't remove pricetags, will allow you to return. I tried several, taking them home and filling them up with heavy books, walking around the lounge to make sure I was happy before I decided on my one. The hiking skirts and silk sleepingbag liner, and so many other things, I bought from Decathlon. Their quality is great and their pricing is so much better than other retailers. They're French and you'll also find them in the larger towns along the trail. Again, on the charger, I think the technology has come on and the price has dropped since I bought. Try googling something like "portable charger, small power bank for mobile phone" and you'll find better choices. Good luck, let me know how you get along. xxx
Great recommendations. I already started down loading the map on my phone. Thank you so much for your video. Very helpful. Stay safe I love your honesty about making mistakes every day I make them. Bravo for that!
Thanks for the tips Stella. I’m still umming and ahhhing about whether to take sleeping bag or just liner and a lightweight down blanket. With Covid, the albergue blankets are not being used as much.
Thanks Claire, I guess it depends on the time of year. Yes, sleepingbags are heavy and take up a lot of space in your backpack. I set off in early September and finished mid-October. There were many nights, particularly in the higher altitudes of the Galicia region when, even in my sleepingbag, I was a bit chilly. There were lots of opportunities along the way to purchase one, and other warmer clothing, if you're still undecided.
My sister and I are planning May 2022. I 'll be turning 60 and she 67, so I appreciated your input. I m to start my walki training now, to get ready. She s done a bit of the Camino before, so she s my guide. We both don t want cell phones, so we 'll be using local help along the way. I m going to try and find someone who wants to 're sell their equipment, backpack, sleeping bag, etc, as I want to repurpose what someone else doesn t need. But everything will need to be in very good condition as well, no worries. It s just nice to dream of travelling again and have a goal during our third stay at home order in Toronto. Keep inspiring.
I do sympathise with your choice of travelling without a cell phone but, for me, it saved me so many times. Compass app, navigational apps, checking reviews on hostels, booking hostels (because I was slow many times hostels would have filled up before I arrived) and maybe most importantly, keeping in touch with the many Camino companions you will undoubtedly meet along the way. One of the most enriching things for me was making friends and although we went at often very different speeds we were able to arrange to meet up again hundreds of miles down the trail. Oh, and this was very personal for me, I loaded dozens of audio books. So soothing when sleep was evasive in crowded dorms in the middle of the night. I wish you well. Let's hope the world will return enough to normal to enable us to be able to Camino before too long. xxx
My computer hasn´t much volume and your video is quite low, so unfortunately I can´t hear enough to really enjoy/understand it. It looks very interesting. Best regards from Spain.
Hi Philippa, thank you. Yes, I wore Merrell Kahuna sandals. You can wear them in the rain. Apart from on a couple of very cold mornings, I never bothered with socks which greatly cut down on the laundry. Didn't get a single blister. I did train in them for a few weeks before I set off until my feet were pretty leathery though. A lot of people thought I was crackers but I felt more sure-footed than many people with big, heavy, hot boots. www.merrell.com/UK/en_GB/kahuna-iii/18638W.html?dwvar_18638W_color=J88800#cgid=womens-footwear-sandals&start=1
You are lovely and a breath of fresh air ... T shirts weigh next to nothing so certainly isn't extravagant hygiene is more important than a tiny weeny bit of extra weight ... there are special bags for lush bags and the tin is awful for travel lol! I would worry about chafing with the skirt x
Thank you. Good tip on the Lush bag, thanks. The skirt was soft cotton. Goodness, chafing? The skin on my legs soon became like tough old leather boots after being battered by all that Spanish sun and wind.
@@stelladessoy They are not specifically from lush they are made for all solid shampoo bars and solid toiletries... I was thinking more of skin on skin on the inner thigh area lol x
@@tijay8507 Oh, okay, understood. Ah, inner thigh, The skirt came with an inner shorts-type lining. I was baffled and cut it out. Now I get it. I lost so much weight nothing to rub. ;0)
@@stelladessoy I would prefer a skirt too but having the inner short defeats the object of easy weeing and keeping cool etc but even at my lowest weight i had a small pad of fat in that area and although it doesn't rub often it has done a handful of times x
I loved your video - very practical and honest assessments. You are quite funny too! I am doing some pandemic dreaming in Nova Scotia, Canada. Thanks for the tips.
Hi, thanks for your review, loads of helpful hints and tips. I'm using the same rucksack in May for the Camino! Did you check it in or were you able to use it as hand luggage? Thanks Cath :-)
Hi Cath, thanks for your kind words. Yes, although I think it is slightly larger than Easyjet's allowed measurements, I've taken it on many flights now on different airlines as hand luggage. I keep it on my back at the entry gate and I think because I look so comfortable wearing it nobody has ever queried it. Good luck.
Thank you for your very informative video. I just had a question. Will it be too crowded to do the Camino starting at Sarria sept 7-12? I don’t have the time to do the full Camino since I still work. At first I was going to do Camino Inglés but the Camino from Sarria looked so much prettier. This will be my first Camino. And since I’m not fond of snoring I was going to book my own room ahead. I know lack of spontaneity but I do like my sleep. 😀. Thank you and keep up the solo traveling. I plan to do that once retired next year.
Thanks for your kind words. Difficult to guess how busy the Camino will be this year. I'm wondering if concerns about Coronavirus will reduce numbers? Although in September 2018 the Trail became noticeably busier once we went through Sarria, getting a bed for the night, if anything, became easier as there were far more hostels. I'm certainly not fond of snoring but after all that strenuous exercise in such beautiful scenery in fresh air, with the use of good earplugs I slept like a log and didn't hear a thing. But if you have the budget and would prefer to sleep in a private room then load the booking.com and airbnb apps on your phone. I saw lots of people pairing up into room buddies so they could share the cost of a private twin-bedded room. Most people were only having to book one day ahead so you can still be reasonably spontaneous. Enjoy!
Thank you so much for sharing your tips and experience! A lot of the 'Camino packing list' videos tend to be quite repetitive and obvious, but I've learned quite a bit from yours. So thank you again for sharing this. It's through videos like this one that I gain more and more courage to set off and do the Camino.
I'm 62 years old and when I walked the first leg from SJPDP to Roncesvalles I thought it was a doddle... .....Er, that's a lie. I've never walked the Camino but will be setting off next April. However I'm under no illusions that first stage is going to be hell, sure you're walking over the Pyrenees carrying a full backpack on your first day so how could it be anything else? If there's anyone out there who's not aware of the difficulty of that first stage, there's a very good youtube video someone made of walking that entire first leg, speeded up so it doesn't last for hours and complete with a map showing the current position. After watching that you will know the magnitude of what lies ahead. I fully intend pacing myself and if I end up staying in Orrison that first night then so be it because it's not a race. Some interesting thoughts and advice given in this "after" video too, and a few things to mull over in the coming months. Thanks for the input.
