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What do I mean by “Camino-style traveling?” Specifically, on the Camino a pilgrim walks a modest distance each day, followed by eating a good, but not gourmet meal off a pilgrim’s menu in a small pueblo after having completed his or her distance of approximately 15 miles per day. Then, the pilgrims queus up in line for showers and laundry. Finally, it’s time to bunk down in some rather modest quarters, often with up to 100 other pilgrims lying in bunks nearby.
This ‘Camino-style’ traveling can be differentiated from, for instance, a conventional hand-held tour on the one hand, in which a tourist’s agenda is completely laid out in advance. The main activity is getting on and off tour buses and cruise ships for sightseeing, as well as four-star meals.
On the polar-opposite end of the spectrum would be a journey up either the 2,181 mile Appalachian Trail (where I lost 33 pounds) or the 2,663 mile Pacific Crest Trail (where I lost 43 pounds). These journeys are grueling, ascetic, and very much about chosen denial.
‘Camino-style traveling’ falls somewhere between these two extremes. It gives the pilgrim a great deal of exercise, although an amount that the average person is capable of doing with a good deal of effort. However, there is nowhere near as much denial, given that pilgrims eat off pilgrim menus and sleep inside every evening in albergues. Heck, pilgrims don’t even smell bad like Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trail hikers. They shower every day.
So what do you think? If this sounds appealing, you’ve got company. The Camino de Santiago has become wildly popular in Europe, drawing 200,000 pilgrims per year. All nationalities on the old Continent of Europe are well-represented. Better yet, other countries are developing caminos (meaning, ‘the way’) of their own. For example, in Italy a route is gaining popularity that runs from Assissi (Francis’ hometown) to Rome, with albergues and refugios to stay in along the way.
For many people, this is not only the richest way to travel and meet others in authentic situations. It is also the most economical way. Thus Camino routes are bound to proliferate, hopefully to all over the European continent. It really is best way.
Bill Walker is the author of ‘The Best Way–El Camino de Santiago’. He also previously authored Skywalker–Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail (2008) and Skywalker–Highs and Lows on the Pacific Crest Trail.
The Best Way: El Camino de Santiago 