In my happy place<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nChanging Camino Packing Lists<\/h2>\n\n\n\n My first experience on The Camino, like anything new was a\nlearning curve and even with the best of planning and watching countless You tube\nvideos I still made mistakes .I took things that I didn\u2019t need at all (and\ncarried them all of the way!) but more importantly were things that I didn\u2019t\npack and were a big miss. Staying in the hostels \/albergues was an experience\nfor me and I met some of the most amazing and inspiring people. I enjoyed\nlistening to their stories, but equally staying in private accommodation on\nother Camino trips didn\u2019t stop me meeting the same great variety of characters.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I suppose I\u2019m a creature of habits and I like my comforts, maybe I\u2019m getting old lol! Having a suitcase transferred from inn to inn daily allowed me to have all I needed clothes wise and luxury items wise without losing any of the whole walking experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Which is best – Booking Yourself or with Mountain Ways Ireland?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Having\npacked and walked the Camino a few different ways I can honestly say every trip\nand day spent on The Camino is something I will never forget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes, its slightly\nmore expensive to book with a company but you get what you pay for. Don\u2019t\nexpect to book into a municipal albergue\/ refugio for \u20ac 10 and get the same level\nof comfort or night’s sleep as you would in a casa rural.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t go without\npre-booking and expect a bed to be available in every town or village that you\ncome to. Believe me I\u2019ve been there and done that and it’s not a nice experience\nafter 25 km of long hard walking, with a sore knee to be told in hostel after\nhostel that all beds are taken for the night!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I actually thought ” am I in Bethelem here ” ! Unfortunately there were no wise men to help ,only my husband Lol #notwise <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you reach a town or village that is full to capacity then even the thoughts of walking another 4 or 5 km to the next town at the end of a tough day is heartbreak and god forbid taking a taxi! This actually happened to me on my very first Camino because a municipal albergue was closed for a festival that I hadn’t been aware of.<\/p>\n\n\n\nA small daypack instead of a large heavy rucksack on a day like this makes all the difference<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nA Real Peregrino<\/h2>\n\n\n\n I have no\nproblem admitting that part of me felt like I was cheating a little bit by\ngetting my luggage transferred and lying down on a real double bed every night instead\nof a hard-single bunk bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did I miss the snoring, the queues for showers, the lack of privacy, the micro fibre towel, the daily hand washing of clothes\u2026\u2026? EHH \u2026 No.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I wondered was it frowned upon by the hard-core pilgrims that passed me on the road to see me carrying a small day pack instead of a large backpack? Where they judging me?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On my first couple of trips I used my 33 litre Osprey rucksack and to be honest I could stil have used this even with having a case transferred daily because its really lightweight.However, I did down size to a smaller 20 litre day pack which was more than enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Everyone is on the Camino for their own reasons and everyone has a story to tell.It doesn\u2019t matter if you are carrying everything on your back or just a small day pack, every mile you walk is the same! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
How far should I walk every day on the Camino?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n There is not and should not be any fixed rule as to how far you walk everyday because it should be your choice. I\u2019ve seen peregrinos who are walking 40 kms everyday with blisters that would make you weep and I\u2018ve spent the evening with other pilgrims who are walking 10 kms a day and enjoying every moment at their absolute leisure so there is no such thing as a real peregrino.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I like many others fall somewhere in between these two distances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Everyone\nto their own\u2019, \u2018Live and let live\u2019, the Camino teaches you that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The goal\nto get to Santiago and enjoy the journey is the same for all! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The walking is really the only thing you should have to worry about, I am already planning my next walking adventure and will be booking with a company like Mountain Ways Ireland again. It\u2019s the best of both worlds!<\/p>\n\n\n\n