YOU on the Camino de Santiago

THE COURAGE TO TAKE THE FIRST OF *MANY* BIG STEPS
If there’s one thing we don’t talk about enough when we talk about walking the Camino de Santiago, it’s the courage it takes to take on something like this pilgrimage.
For many people, walking the Camino is unlike anything else they’ve ever done before. It’s the first time they’ve traveled alone. The first time they’ve traveled internationally. The first time they’ve been away from home for so long. The first time they’ve carried everything they needed for the trip in one small backpack on their back.
It was no different for my guest today, Carie, who is walking the Camino Portuguese this spring. The fear and the anxiety are, I think, why we need to hear these stories from other first time pilgrims, from people who are in the exact same head and heart space – feeling all that uncertainty, feeling fear and anxiety, yet bravely doing it anyway.
My conversation with Carie takes us through all that plus some practical considerations. We also touch on the modern-day pilgrimage planning phenomenon called AI. Be careful with that, by the way, as AI doesn’t always understand the needs of walkers on the Camino de Santiago, and you may get some wacky stage and accommodation suggestions.
Here is the book Carie recommended: Pilgrimage: Lessons Learned from Solo Walking 3 Ancient Ways, by J.F. Penn
JOIN ME ON THE CAMINO FRANCÉS IN 2027?
Some of my pilgrims would never walk the Camino without this support.
Others just want the camaraderie that comes with starting with people they already know and who are equally passionate and excited about the journey.
Still others love that starting this way takes the edge off of the fear and anxiety that comes with taking on something like a pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago.
Others love planning and preparing and appreciate doing that in an organized, linear, and thorough way.
How can I support you in making your Camino dream a reality? Walk with me in 2027! Go here to let me know you're interested.
 
#youonthecamino#caminodesantiago#firsttimepilgrim#thecaminoexperience#caminopodcast

THE DEEPEST QUESTION OF ALL: AM I A REAL PILGRIM?
What is the story of your life that you’re writing right now? That’s one of the questions my guest this week is asking as she counts down to her pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago.
Today I am talking with Danya, who is starting her pilgrimage with my May Camino Experience group in just over a week.
As a wife and mother of two daughters who is approaching the end of her 40’s, Danya is asking some big questions – some profound questions that will accompany her on her pilgrimage.
Questions like, “is it selfish to ask, what do I want?” “What does it mean to be a real pilgrim, and am I one?” And, “what is the story of my life that I’m writing right now?”
I love the conversation Danya and I had, and I especially love that her family was able to join us at the end, to weigh in with their perspective on what mom is heading out to do and how they can support her in making this significant journey.
JOIN ME ON THE CAMINO FRANCÉS IN 2027?
Some of my pilgrims would never walk the Camino without this support.
Others just want the camaraderie that comes with starting with people they already know and who are equally passionate and excited about the journey.
Still others love that starting this way takes the edge off of the fear and anxiety that comes with taking on something like a pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago.
Others love planning and preparing and appreciate doing that in an organized, linear, and thorough way.
How can I support you in making your Camino dream a reality? Walk with me in 2027! Go here to let me know you're interested.
#youonthecamino#caminodesantiago#firsttimepilgrim#thecaminoexperience#caminopodcast

SEEING THE WORLD AT THE PACE OF WALKING
What comes after the Camino de Santiago? What do you take on next, after you’ve shown yourself that you can do big and hard things and when you realize that you are physically, emotionally, and mentally strong?
And what do you do when you realize that the practice of pilgrimage is now completely a part of you, and your favorite way to travel is to move at the pace of walking?
You do what my guest today, Fiona, has done, and you find other pilgrimage and trekking routes in other parts of the world, and you keep walking.
Fiona refers to herself as a “rogue pilgrim” – someone who walks to explore life’s deeper questions but who doesn’t have a religious reason for going on pilgrimage.
In this episode, Fiona is sharing about her Kumano Koda pilgrimage in Japan, plus an extraordinary story of survival and camaraderie on her journey to Everest Base Camp.
Here are some helpful links:
Kumano Kodo website - tb-kumano.jp/en/lodging/list/ 
 
Information on the Larapinta Trail - https://www.larapintatrail.com.au/
 
Check out the previous episodes with Fiona:
Season 3, episode 3
Season 3, episode 20
Season 5, episode 9
 
JOIN ME ON THE CAMINO FRANCÉS IN 2027?
Some of my pilgrims would never walk the Camino without this support.
Others just want the camaraderie that comes with starting with people they already know and who are equally passionate and excited about the journey.
Still others love that starting this way takes the edge off of the fear and anxiety that comes with taking on something like a pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago.
Others love planning and preparing and appreciate doing that in an organized, linear, and thorough way.
How can I support you in making your Camino dream a reality? Walk with me in 2027! Go here to let me know you're interested.
 
#youonthecamino#caminodesantiago#firsttimepilgrim#thecaminoexperience#caminopodcast

SLOWING DOWN, TAKING IT ALL IN, HEALING FROM LOSS
Sometimes what drives people to go on pilgrimage is the need to make sense out of an unbearable loss and to heal our hearts so we can move forward with some sense of peace.
Losing a loved one can be disorienting, devastating, knocking us to our knees and throwing us off course. Now imagine losing not just one person who is dear to you, but instead losing multiple people and having that happen in an unusually short period of time.
My guest today, Bec, is in the unenviable, awful position of grieving the loss of several family members over too short of a time and to be coming out of some very difficult years. The Camino is the perfect place to take her broken heart.
The pilgrimage is going to give her the chance to slow down, take it all in, and heal.
JOIN ME ON THE CAMINO FRANCÉS IN 2027?
Some of my pilgrims would never walk the Camino without this support.
Others just want the camaraderie that comes with starting with people they already know and who are equally passionate and excited about the journey.
Still others love that starting this way takes the edge off of the fear and anxiety that comes with taking on something like a pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago.
Others love planning and preparing and appreciate doing that in an organized, linear, and thorough way.
How can I support you in making your Camino dream a reality? Walk with me in 2027! Go here to let me know you're interested.
 
#youonthecamino#caminodesantiago#firsttimepilgrim#thecaminoexperience#caminopodcast

CALLINGS, EXPECTATIONS, AND OTHER PILGRIM THOUGHTS
When you feel called to walk the Camino de Santiago, what are you being called to? And what is this thing, the pilgrimage to Santiago?
I ask myself that question a lot, especially when I am on the Camino. And it turns out that I am not the only one asking these questions.
In this episode I am talking with Neil from the United Kingdom. Neil has the gift of a long lead up to his pilgrimage, allowing him to contemplate meaning and motivations, and to take his time choosing which route to walk.
That might be the biggest challenge of all – which route to walk first, when you suspect you are going to want to eventually walk them all.
 
MAKE YOUR CAMINO DREAM A REALITY IN 2027
You don't have to start the Camino alone, even if you ultimately want to walk the Camino solo. You don't have to figure out everything yourself just to get packed and to your starting point. Instead, begin your pilgrimage with the Camino Experience and get yourself off to a great start!
Let me know you are interested in walking with me from Saint Jean Pied de Port in 2027 here: https://forms.gle/py2bcdQqtqKvJT1e6
You can also drop me an email: nancy@thecaminoexperience.com
 
HEAR MAURICE'S CAMINO STORY
This May I was blessed to have an assistant guide with me and my Camino Experience group in Saint Jean Pied de Port and on the trail to Pamplona. You can hear Maurice's Camino story in season 2, episode 12 and in episode 107.
 
#youonthecamino#caminodesantiago#firsttimepilgrim#thecaminoexperience#caminopodcast

WHEN YOU CAN'T DO THE "WHOLE" THING
Let’s just say you have exactly four weeks for your Camino trip. Not just the walking part, but out the door from home . . . to the Camino . . . walk . . . travel back home . . .  and then back at your desk at work on day 29.
Is that enough time to walk the Camino Francés?
My guest today worries that it’s not. So what are his options? And how does he make the right decision on how to put together your Camino itinerary, given what feels like a limitation?
That's what we explore in this episode of the podcast, along with other interesting questions like:
Is it cheating if you don't walk the whole way?
What are you really afraid of when you feel fear around your Camino plans?
GET YOUR CAMINO ON THE CALENDAR
Want to walk the Camino Francés 2027? I will have the dates on the calendar in July for my 2027 Camino Experience groups. You can let me know you're interested in joining me here: https://forms.gle/zMS8hVbKJZwsoYRaA 
Or reach out to me at nancy@thecaminoexperience.com
And here is the whole story on the Camino Experience program: https://thecaminoexperience.com/walk-with-me/ 
 
#youonthecamino#caminodesantiago#firsttimepilgrim#thecaminoexperience#caminopodcast
 
 

WHAT IS THE CAMINO, FOR YOU?
There are so many different ways to answer the question, what is the Camino? Do we define it? Do we explain it? Do we talk about what it is for me?
We know that the Camino is an ancient pilgrimage route. Or more specifically, it is a collection of routes that end at the Cathedral in the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela, and we know that millions of people have made this pilgrimage over the last thousand plus years.
But what is it? 
In this episode of the YOU on the Camino de Santiago podcast we explore what the Camino is and what happens when you say YES to the call of the Camino.
I also share about how I support people in making their Camino dreams a reality.
GET YOUR CAMINO STARTED RIGHT
I have just announced the dates for my 2027 Camino Experience groups. You can learn all about what it means to start your Camino with one of my groups and let me know you are interested here: https://thecaminoexperience.com/2027 
Registration for the May 2027 groups opens on Monday, July 20th and on Monday, August 3rd for the September groups.
 
#youonthecamino#caminodesantiago#firsttimepilgrim#thecaminoexperience#caminopodcast

REAL PILGRIMAGE, "REAL PILGRIM"
If you've been dreaming of walking the Camino, my conversation with pilgrim Danya will likely push you over the edge and inspire you to get your Camino on the calendar.
If you're a mom who wants to walk the Camino but can’t see how to juggle everything to make it possible, Danya’s family has a message for you.
And, if you have already walked the Camino, I think you will find yourself in Danya’s story somewhere.
You may remember Danya from episode 148. We talked shortly before she was leaving her home and family in Colorado to join my May Camino Experience group. Danya is going to share how her pilgrimage went, what she learned, and why starting this way was the perfect choice for her.
IS THIS THE RIGHT WAY FOR YOU TO START YOUR CAMINO?
For some people, starting the Camino with a guide and a small group is the perfect way to walk through the overwhelm and uncertainty that is part of every first pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago. 
Learn what it means to start your pilgrimage with the Camino Experience and to let me know you are interested here: https://thecaminoexperience.com/2027
GOT QUESTIONS? 
Join me for a Q & A call on Tuesday, July 28, at 4 pm PDT (if you are in a different time zone, you can confirm your time here)
RSVP to my email and I will send you the Zoom link shortly before the call: nancy@thecaminoexperience.com  
 
#youonthecamino#caminodesantiago#firsttimepilgrim#thecaminoexperience#caminopodcast