No photos; just few lessons learned on the trip so far. Looking at this list, it seems largely negative. I post it in the spirit of “learn from my experience,” not as a warning against walking the camino. In a later post I’ll try to cover more of the pleasant surprises.

  1. Blisters. The absolute key is preventing them, rather than having to treat them. The best system is to use two layers of socks. A sock-liner (sometimes called an undersock) goes on first, then the regular sock. All the friction is between the two layers of socks, and not between your skin and the sock. It is very difficult to deal with blisters once they have formed, as some of the previous posts have shown.

  2. Language barrier. In spite of what some websites say, it is not true that you will find lots of english-speaking people in hotels and shops all along the trail. There are ways to deal with this if you speak no Spanish. For example, some hotels and other services have reservation web pages selectable in Spanish or English.

  3. Fitness. If planning to walk 14 miles per day, practice in advance walking 15 miles a day for several days. And consider that practicing on flat, level sidewalks does not equate to walking up and down the hills on the trail. It’s not mountaineering, but neither is it flat, level walking.

  4. Walking sticks. These are similar to ski poles. Many people use them. I bought mine in Spain (German Leki brand) for a little less than what they cost at REI in the US. These are quite useful, especially when going downhill with a pack.

  5. The Poop. It’s a real thing, and a nasty thing. There is a lot of human poop on the trail. Just left exposed there with the toilet paper. Sometimes right on the trail, sometimes just off the edge, but still visible and stinking. Come on, pilgirms, either do your business at your hotel, or at least have the decency to bring a trowel and bury this off the trail 6 to 8 inches deep. Just foul. And apart from that, a chance to spread disease. Norovirus, anybody? How about Cholera?

  6. Buying shoes and clothing. You will not find big American sizes in the stores. If you need a size 13 man’s boot (or relatively large women’s sizes of clothing or shoes,) you won’t find them. If you need even average/large shoes and clothing, don’t count on buying them on the trail.

  7. Store hours. Seem to be much more limited than in the US, and can be irregular. Plan accordingly if you need groceries or whatever.

  8. Unsmiling faces. Not every hotelier presents a cheery face to the tired traveler. But remember- some of these small places have very little staff, and some small towns are largely de-populated. So the person at the front desk may be a “one person show.” And may have been cleaning the rooms for hours just before you arrived to check in. So patience is needed all around.

  9. Off-camino lodging. If you’re booking your next day’s place by phone or internet, be sure you know how far off the camino trail it is. Some small places with have addresses in the towns that make you think they are right on the camino. But they may be miles and miles off the trail. Imagine- you make 8 miles progress along the trail, but then at day’s end you find your hotel or albergue is FOUR MILES off the trail. So you made 8 miles progress along the trail, but then had an 8 mile round trip walk to and from your lodging. You’re walking 16 miles to make 8 miles of progress!

  10. Rucksack transfer services. The rucksack transfer services (like Jacotrans) are very helpful. Needing just a small day bag on the trail, rather than 15 or more pounds of laundry and other stuff is a major benefit for the low cost of 6 to 9 euros per day. One downside- as you go from province to province, you may find that some hotels do not have pickup by your preferred service. You may have to rely on a different service, which may not take cash (and requires an online request for pickup.)

  11. ATM “Currency Conversion.” It’s not unique to the camino, but some ATMs will offer to let the ATM do the Dollar to Euro conversion. You probably don’t want to do it. You usually just want to withdraw in Euros and let your bank in the US do the currency conversion instead. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, then educate yourself on the topic before you go. Many websites describe this. You risk unnecessary fees and possibly poor exchange rates. Also, on the topic of fees- I generally try to withdraw only from ATMs right at a bank, and not one in shops or tourist areas.