header image for Camino Planning and Logistics with a background image of a route map for the Valcarlos route

Camino de Santiago | Planning & Logistics

If you’re reading this then Yeah! You’ve probably chosen your route. You may even have chosen your dates. And suddenly there are a hundred new questions.

How far should you walk each day?
Should you book accommodation in advance?
How do you get to the start?
What about luggage transfer, rest days, or getting home again?
Are you fit enough, and how should you train?
Planning visits along the way

In this section I’ve gathered together the practical details. These are the questions I asked myself before my first walk, and the same ones I see asked week after week in Camino groups and forums.

Think of these posts as your groundwork. They sit alongside my stage guides and help you get to your Camino feeling organised, prepared, and ready to walk.

Want to learn more about the Camino? Then hop over to my Free Private Facebook Group | Walking The Camino De Santiago.

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train going over the iconic bridge in Porto

How to Get to the Camino de Santiago & Home Again (Workshop 3)

the famous Pilgrim Bridge, over the river Nive at St Jean Pied de Port in France. At night it is lit up in a French Blue

How to Get to St Jean Pied de Port to Start Your Camino de Santiago

Camino Portuguese Coastal marker with the bright yellow arrow, near the beach at Matosinhos

Starting The Camino Portuguese From Porto? A Complete Pilgrim Guide

wall art beside the pilgrim office in Ferrol showing 7 pilgrims at the marker for the start of the Camino Ingles

Starting the Camino Ingles in Ferrol: A Pilgrim’s Guide

interior of Colleen's Pilgrim Passport, full of different sello from the places I stayed.

Planning Your Camino: Distances, Days Off & Finding A Bed (Workshop 4)

bunk beds in the pilgrim albergue in Samos on the Camino Frances

Practical Guide to Sleeping in Albergues on the Camino de Santiago

colleen posing for a photo beside an enormous rucksack outside a shop in Astorga

How To Use Luggage Transfer on the Camino (From Experience)

What Are The Pilgrim Passport, Credential And Compostela?

Camino Training for Beginners: Couch to Camino in 12 weeks

Gerry travelling through India at the train station with his rucksack on his back

Our Guide to Currency Cards for Travel : Simplify Your Spending Abroad

Colleen hiking with her Osprey pack on the Camino Frances

Can You Take Hiking Poles On A Plane? We Did Some Research

The pilgrim shell, on display on a window in the pilgrim office in St Jean Pied de Port

The Pilgrim Office : St Jean Pied de Port

sweeping the view of the huge green fields in Spain, walking to our accommodation on the Camino in Hornillos

Accommodation On The Camino : Albergue And Hotels On The Camino De Santiago

colleen in hospital in Peru after falling sick on the Inca Trail

Essential Travel Insurance Tips: 7 Questions You Must Ask

painting on a wall in an albergue on the Camino of battered feet, taped and looking worse for wear

Foot Care and Blister Prevention When Hiking the Camino De Santiago

Old CIty Walls and the entrance to the old town in St Jean Pied de Port

St Jean Pied de Port : A Guide for Pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago

Cartoon statue of a bull in Calle Estafeta in Pamplona taken during my walk on the Camino de Santiago in 2014

Visiting Pamplona : Camino De Santiago Guide for Pilgrims

the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela at night

2 Days in Santiago de Compostela : My Perfect Itinerary

view of burgos cathedral from the window of my hotel

Burgos on the Camino de Santiago: Eat Sleep & What To Do

Getting Around Porto: From the Airport to the City & Beyond

sunset in Porto taken from the Cathedral in the Old Quarter

How to Spend One Day in Porto : Our Perfect 24 Hour Itinerary

vintage douro red port in a glass decanter

Is The Douro Valley Wine Tour From Porto Worth It?

food menu on a chalk board, fixed on a wall of a bar, somewhere along the Camino

Pilgrim Food on the Camino: Local Flavours And Special Diets

colourful hand painted camino shells for sale along the Camino Frances

How Much Does It Cost To Walk The Camino De Santiago?

What’s it Like to Walk the Camino de Santiago? This is Colleen starting the Camino Frances at Roncesvalles

Walking The Camino De Santiago : What’s It Really Like?

Beautiful bar near Santiago de Compostela in Spain

Do you Tip in Spain? What is the Tipping Culture?

yellow arrow and the expression Buen Camino on a sign in a bar along the Camino de Santiago

Camino de Santiago : Words, Phrases & Expressions Every Pilgrim Should Know

a statue of St James in the pilgrim museum in Santiago de Compostela

Who Is St James? The Story Behind The Camino De Santiago

Camino arrows leaving Belorado I always smile at the multitude of Camino Markers from arrows to posts to signs, all at the same junction!

How to Find Your Way: Camino Markers and Yellow Arrows

If you’d like more structured support, take a look at my online workshops and my one to one services

Feeling overwhelmed with planning your Camino?

Instead of searching endlessly, take a look at my Camino Planning Workshops. I turned over a decade of experience into a library of 20+ hours of practical, short, easy-to-follow videos, answering every question a pilgrim could have and plenty you’ve not thought to ask yet!

Take a Look At My Camino Roadmap

pilgrims in brightly coloured rain jackets and poncho leaving St Jean Pied de Port in the rain

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance

Whenever you travel, you should have great travel and medical insurance. None of us expect anything bad to happen, but in the event of an incident, you want to be sure that your insurance will cover you.

I’ve ended up in hospital in Peru, Indonesia, Portugal, Japan and Ireland. Every time my insurance took care of everything. I would never leave home without full and comprehensive insurance.

MondialCare : Due to increasing limitations, mainly due to age, we have recently switched to MondialCare for our travel insurance. We have taken an annual policy at a very reasonable cost that includes medical and other travel cover. There are no trip length limits and the upper age for cover is 84. For Camino walkers and travel in Europe they have a low cost Schengen policy with no age limit.

TrueTraveller : We have used this policy and were very happy with the cover, especially considering our ages and pre-existing conditions.

Globelink: We have used and recommended Globelink for years and not heard of any issues. They are a great choice for European and UK Residents.

Genki : This is an EU based company offering long term policies for nomads and travellers. Their monthly rates are very competitive for longer trips too.

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Colleen in Salamanca on the Via de la Plata

Author : Colleen Sims

Hey I’m Colleen. I’m married to Gerry, we’ve three fabulous kids and been living in France for almost two decades. I fell in love with Spain in the 1980s and I’ve walked 1000s of miles along the Camino de Santiago. Now we’re exploring and walking the world and I can’t wait to share what we’ve learned!