025: From Dreaming to Walking the Camino
Why you don’t need to have it all figured out to start your own journey
Hello Camino friends! Here’s what’s in this issue:
📆 “From Dreaming to Walking the Camino”
📸Scenes from the Camino: Camino Inglés
👀What I’m Up To
🎥My next Substack Live interview guest
🥾How to get help planning your Camino.
Are you getting my posts directly to your email or Substack feed? If not, click here to join us.
“What’s the Camino?”
❓Not even sure what the Camino de Santiago is? Start here.
🤔Heard of the Camino but not sure if it’s for you? Read this.
Let’s get started!
From Dreaming to Walking the Camino
“I’ve been talking about doing the Camino for a long time,” she told me.
“And this sounds like the perfect opportunity.”
That’s the thing about dreams—they have a way of showing up when you least expect them.
How I Learned to Hold a Vision
I grew up Catholic, so when I wanted something, I prayed for it. If it didn’t happen, I assumed God had better plans.
I’m not Catholic anymore, but I’ve since learned about vision boards, positive thinking, and the idea that you can put something out to the universe/God/whom- or whatever you believe and—eventually—it will come to pass.
Sometimes it’s fast: I’ve drawn at least two pictures of houses I wanted and moved into them within a year.
Sometimes it’s slow—like my dream of living abroad, which took twenty years.
You don’t have to know how it’s going to happen. Just keep taking baby steps.
The Long Road to Europe
Over the years, I took tiny steps toward living overseas—getting certified to teach English abroad, researching visas—but there were dead ends. Too old for one program. The wrong passport for another.
I kept the dream alive, sometimes just barely.
Then came Covid.
If it wasn’t for the pandemic, I might not be writing to you now from northern Spain. But Covid wasn’t the only reason. For years, I’d been holding the vision and putting small pieces into place.
The Visioning Exercise That Changed Everything
In January 2020, I did a guided visioning exercise.
Step one: Write down goals for 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 3 years and five years.
Step two: Circle the ones that would have the most positive impact.
Step three: Pick the single goal that would make the biggest difference.
I chose: "Become location independent."
The exercise said, “That’s your 2020 goal.”
Wait… what? That was supposed to be my three-year goal. I was in my fourth year of teaching—a job I loved, with supportive colleagues and wonderful students. Leaving by December felt absurd.
So I did the whole exercise again. Same result.
Breaking It Down
I continued to follow the instructions (Catholic school upbringing).
I made a mind map:
Declutter the house (to rent it out)
Find remote work
Update my résumé
Join Upwork and land my first online job
Each month, I tackled a small piece. Still not convinced—but still moving forward.
Then March 2020 arrived, and the world turned upside down.
By December? I had left teaching, started an online business, and was officially location independent.
That’s how dreams work. You hold the vision. You take the smallest step you can today. And one day, the opportunity you couldn’t see coming is right in front of you.
Why You’re Reading This Now
If the Camino has been your dream, but you can’t see how it’s possible—no time, no travel partner, too overwhelming to plan—let me just say:
I don’t think it’s a coincidence you’re here.
If you’ve been taking baby steps toward the Camino, this might be the door opening for you—just like mine opened in ways I never expected.
Walk the Camino With Me
Registration for my small-group Camino Inglés: Walk with Rebecca trip closes September 1—and spots may be gone before then. We meet in Ferrol, Spain on October 3 and begin our walk the next day.
I’ve taken care of the details—route, accommodations, four preparation sessions covering training, packing, medical care, Spanish culture, and more. Pre-trip checklist and call. Post-trip reflection.
We’ll start together. For the first three days, you can walk with the group, on your own, or mix and match. Then, like a mother bird, I’ll gently nudge you to fly solo for the last four days—though you’ll never truly be alone. Pilgrims from around the world will be on the trail, and our group will still be there in spirit.
You’ll have the tools, confidence, and space to make the Camino your own.
If you’ve been taking baby steps toward walking the Camino, this might be the door the universe is opening for you.
Before enrolling, I like to have a Clarity Call to make sure the trip is the right fit for you—and that you’re a good fit for our small group. It’s all about making sure everyone feels comfortable, supported, and ready to enjoy the Camino together. You can sign up for a Clarity Call here.
More details about this trip can be found here.
If this still isn’t the time for you to do the Camino, I’m sure another opportunity will come up (I’m doing more of these trips next year!).
And whatever dream you’re been holding? Consider this your reminder to keep taking those baby steps.
With love,
Rebecca
📸Scenes from the Camino
👀What I’m Up To:
I had a great conversation with Dave Whitson for my Camino Conversations series this past Wednesday. He gave me a lot to think about with regards to “brining the Camino home.”
I’ve been enjoying meeting with Camino hopefuls to see if the October Camino Inglés trip is the right fit.
I’ve been decluttering. As some of you know, I just returned from a walk on the Camino a few weeks ago. . . and there’s nothing quite like living with so little to inspire you to downsize some more when you get home!
🎥Camino Conversations:
I interview people on Camino-related topics every Wednesday at 11 ET.
Upcoming:
Wednesday, August 13, 11-11:45 EST: Hana Maris — Last August, at age 65, Hana walked the Camino Primitivo—one of the most challenging Camino routes. Click here to join us.
Watch my past interviews here:
Dave Whitson - Pilgrim, Author, Podcaster, Walkers of dozens pilgrimage trails around the world
Maria Seco of Spanish For Camino - Maria is a native Spaniard who lives on one of the Camino routes and teaches Camino hopefuls the Spanish they need to deepen their Camino experience.
Lois talks about her experiences walking over 500 miles on the Camino Francés at 72.
Tim Wesolowski shares his experiences about the Camino Portugués, which he walked at 65.
🥾Ready to start planning your Camino?
Rebecca Weston is an American who walked her first Camino in 2012.
She helps people 45 and over plan their own walks on the Camino de Santiago through her business The Camino Calls.
She and her husband live in Spain in a town of 6500 people on the Camino del Norte. She’s walked more than a dozen Caminos, spent many days volunteering along the trail, and if she’s not walking one now, she’s planning the next—and would love nothing more than to help you plan yours, too.