A recap of my experience trekking across Spain on the Camino Frances, the French Way, to Santiago de Compostela! Thoughts, feelings, and takeaways from the journey.
Trekking nearly 600km across northern Spain on the Camino Frances—also known as the French Way—to Santiago de Compostela was one of the most transformative experiences of my life. In this post, I’m sharing the highs, the lows, the personal revelations, and all the moments in between during my Camino de Santiago pilgrimage.
What Is the Camino Frances?
The Camino Frances is the most popular route of the Camino de Santiago, a historic pilgrimage that ends at the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. Known as the Way of St. James, this route spans mountains, valleys, vineyards, rural roads, bustling cities, and quiet villages. For 16 days, I walked alongside pilgrims from around the world—each of us walking for different reasons, but all with the same destination in mind.
What Does “Buen Camino” Mean?
A phrase I heard constantly during the walk was Buen Camino—a greeting that transcended language, age, nationality, and pace. Whether whispered by a local, shouted by a passing cyclist, or exchanged between weary pilgrims, it became a symbol of connection and solidarity. No one says those words lightly—only fellow pilgrims know the thoughts and emotions that come with each step toward Santiago.
My Camino de Santiago Experience
Over 16 days, I walked approximately 600 kilometers through every kind of terrain imaginable: muddy riverbeds, steep mountains, sleepy towns, ancient forests, and busy urban centers. I met people from Italy, France, Japan, Canada, the U.S., Ireland, Australia, and beyond—all of us united by the path.
Lessons from the Camino Frances
- Embracing quiet, alone time: There were full days where I went without saying more than 1 or 2 sentences to someone else, mostly because of the language barrier. But having that time only with myself and my thoughts proved to be a great time to think, reflect, and truly take in everything I was feeling, seeing, and doing.
- Going with the flow: Whether it was the food that was available in the local village I was in, what the weather was on a certain day, or whether I was starting to run out of clean clothes due to lack of laundry facilities…this trip was all about taking things in stride and GOING WITH THE FLOW.
- Slowing down: As a person who is always GO GO GO, it was nice to have a reason to SLOW DOWN. Having a heavy backpack strapped to my back all day long certainly helped with that! HA! But I really embraced taking in everything around me and appreciating the details of every day. One thing I’ll say is that you can experience a country on foot. DO IT. Slowly moving through a country as opposed to driving by or even biking affords you the opportunity.
- Listening to my body: Whether it was the walking or the time change, there were some days when I would arrive at my destination and immediately take a 2-3 hour nap.
- Simplifying and unplugging: I had fun updating you guys when I could, but I can honestly say this is the FIRST trip I’ve taken in probably 5 years that I haven’t done some work each day. I made sure to give my clients plenty of advance warning about my trip and got them all set up before I left, so there was nothing to worry about in my absence. This made the trip SO relaxing and stress-free. It was so nice only to have one task each day: getting from one place to the next. It was SUCH a nice break for my mind, and now I can honestly say I’m looking forward to diving back into work again.
Some of my favorite parts of the Camino:
- Feeling SO LOST and then the instant moment of relief in finding a yellow arrow.
- Seeing two pilgrims walk barefoot: WHY and HOW?!
- Following a man playing a ukulele as he walked and hearing others sing along to “Over the Rainbow” no matter what their native language was.
- SO MANY ANIMALS! Cows, chickens, cats, dogs, sheep, goats, horses, slugs, lizards, BEAUTIFUL BIRDS…oh my!
- Being able to get into a REALLY good book series: I am this close to finishing the After book series by Anna Todd…I’ve been enveloped in it my entire morning, and it’s been a huge motivator to get up each day because I have to find out what happens to Tess and Hardin.
- Catching myself getting really focused on a tough incline or just in a “zone” and reminding myself to look up and around…immediately being in awe of everything above and around me.
- Camino “notes”: notes left on trees, rocks, and everything in between with wise words from pilgrims who had walked the path before me.
- Eating fresh cherries off the cherry trees lining the path!
- Coming across little stops where locals had left out food, drinks, and other nice things for pilgrims passing through.
- Leaving stones for my family at the Iron Cross…a Camino tradition!
- Walking through the Leon and Galician Mountains, I much preferred the mountain terrain to the flatter, more urban areas.
- Walking up to the Iron Cross (the highest point of the Camino) after a morning of rainbows, freezing rain, and wind.
Some funny/interesting cultural differences…
- motion lights in all buildings, rooms, and bathrooms (to save on energy, I presume!)
- no fans in the bathrooms (the bathrooms got SO steamy and fogged up when showering)
- no iced coffee (I can’t wait to have my first back home!)
- SMALL coffee (even the XXLs are no more than a 1/2 cup)
- very few obese people (I can count the amount of overweight/obese people I saw on 1 hand!)
- less variety in food (all grocery stores pretty much had the same products and food…same with restaurants!)
If you guys want MORE details on my journey, I can also share specifics on where I stayed (the hostels and villages), what I would change, and any tips I gathered along the way! I do plan on doing another post on my Camino “Essentials” in terms of gear. So stay tuned for that next! But for any other requests, please leave them in the comments so I know how much or how little you want me to cover about this experience.
If you see me out in Buffalo for the next couple of weeks, I apologize in advance for saying “ola” or “gracias”…both have become total habits now! But don’t worry, that’s pretty much the extent of my Spanish.
And how awesome is this? My parents were so inspired by my journey that they want to do their own pilgrimage next year! We’re thinking of doing the Camino Finisterre, but backward and ending in Santiago. I’m holding them to it! 😉
For more pictures and details from my days on the trail, head to my Instagram and search the hashtag #HealthyHelperTravels to see all the posts!
Do you have any questions for me about my trip?
Have you ever been on a ‘life-changing’ trip before?
Would you ever go on a backpacking trip like this?
If you’re interested in learning more about the Camino, I highly suggest the movie The Way!
DISCOUNTS ON MY FAVORITE HEALTH PRODUCTS! Stay connected:Instagram: HealthyHelperSnack Instagram: SnackLikeaChampFacebook: Healthy HelperTwitter: @Healthy_HelperPinterest: Healthy_HelperTikTok: SnackLikeAChampShop with me on Amazon. Favorite products, fun finds, and more!
Discover more from Healthy Helper
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
10 responses to “#HealthyHelperTravels: My Camino Experience”
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Wow that sounds like you had an amazing time.
It was really incredible!!
Wow! What an experience and great photos to show for it. Thanks for sharing at the Weekend Blog Hop at My Flagstaff Home! –Jennifer
Thanks Jennifer!
[…] I got back from my trip on the Camino, I was feeling great physically! Save for a few lingering blisters, my tibias and foot felt great. […]
[…] My Camino Experience […]
until recently I had never heard of this piligrimage, but now it seems to be more mainstream. I know a few folks who have done it and loved the experience. I hope to do it one day myself…pinned your post for future reference, and found you on saturday sharefest link up.
Thanks for stopping by, Mary!! I hope you’re able to do the Camino someday!
My mom and I are going to walk from Leon in June 2021. She will turn 71 on our flight out and I will have just turned 50 that April… we are going to kick some ass! Very excited!
Ahhhhh I am so excited for you!!! You will have so much fun!!