035: The Book That Tells Your Camino Story
The small, stamp-filled book that holds your treasured Camino memories
Hello Camino friends! Here’s what’s in this issue:
📔”The Book That Tells Your Camino Story”
🇪🇸Camino Walk with Rebecca 2026
📸Scenes from the Camino: The Camino Credential
🎥Live interviews for October and November
🥾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!
The Book That Tells Your Camino Story
“This means more to me than the Compostela you get at the end,” I said, holding up my Camino credential.
The group of us had just exited the tourism office in Ferrol, Spain, Camino credentials in hand. The next morning, we’d take our first steps on the Camino de Santiago.
Upon reaching the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela (seven days later), we could apply for and receive a compostela attesting that we had completed the journey. Our proof that we had indeed walked 60 or more miles? Our Camino credentials filled with stamps we’d collect along the way.
In my dozen-plus years of walking Caminos and volunteering on the Camino, I’ve come up with a list of things I wish every pilgrim knew about the Camino credential. And so, here you go:
Where do I get my credential?
Your home country — contact your national Camino pilgrim organization.
Your starting point — or nearby. I’ve gotten credentials from tourism offices and cathedrals. When volunteering in a pilgrim hostel, we had a stack on hand should a pilgrim be in need of one. Just ask anyone associated with the Camino (the hotel front desk, a café along the route, etc.) and they’ll be able to point you in the right direction.
Note that each country has its own credential. So if you order one from the Confraternity of St. James in Britain, it will look different from the credential you’ll receive if you get yours in Spain or France or Portugal. (See Scenes from the Camino, below.)
Where do I get it stamped?
Everywhere! Hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops, coffee shops, cafes, ice cream shops —just ask. On the most popular routes, often the stamp is sitting out on the counter for you to just “serve yourself.”
But what if I run out of room?
You can get another one! As you get to the last page or two, start asking around. Ask at your hotel. Ask at the tourism office if you’re in a town that has one. I actually asked once at a local bar and they pulled one out from behind the counter!
Do I have to get stamps?
As I’ve said before, there are few requirements on the Camino de Santiago. So getting stamps is not necessary. However, as one of the participants in my most recent Camino Walk with Rebecca said, “These tell the story of my Camino.” I look at them and think, “Oh, yes — that’s the place where we met that German guy who walked all the way from his house to Santiago!” or “That’s the place where they had a stone statue of St. James outside and I met the guy who carved it.”
If you want to get a Compostela in Santiago de Compostela, you are required to get 2 stamps per day for the last 100 km (for walkers; 200 km for bikers).
What if I lose my credential?
A few tips so your don’t lose it:
Determine where you’ll keep it. When you get it stamped, always return it to the same place.
Bring a plastic bag to keep it in for those times you find yourself walking in the rain.
Inside the front cover, there is a place for your name and other identifying information. Fill that in. Include your phone number with country code.
Join WhatsApp (a free text and voice messaging system used by most people around the world—with the exception of we Americans, for some reason). Write your phone number with country code in the inside cover of your credential. If someone finds it, they’ll simply send you a WhatsApp message and coordinate how to get it to you.
If you do indeed lose it, ask around for another and start again.
Do I have to pay for the credential? What about the stamps?
Credentials are usually issued for a 2-3 Euro donation. Some places give them away for free. You should never be required to pay for a stamp (sello). There are some people who are doing wax stamps, and they may ask for a donation for this.
If the person issuing the stamp isn’t too busy, ask them about their stamp. I’ve seen faces go from bored to delighted. I’ve heard great stories (see a few of them below).
If you’ve done the Camino already, do you have any credential-related tips or advice? What stories does your credential tell? Comment below to share your thoughts and stories!
With love,
Rebecca
Camino Walk With Rebecca in 2026
Before the end of the year, I’ll be sharing details about my next Camino Walk with Rebecca (in 2026). Before I announce it here in the newsletter, I’ll be sending the information first to those who have already expressed interest in learning more. If you haven’t already, click here to get on that list. You’ll not only be the first to know, but you’ll also receive access to an exclusive early-bird discount.
📸Scenes from the Camino: Credentials
When do we get the “full report” on the Camino Walk With Rebecca experience you just had?
The Camino is a trip that, at least for me, requires a period of reflection once it’s completed. I always recommend pilgrims take a day (or, ideally, two or three) to transition back into life post-Camino. However, sometimes that’s not possible in the rush of our day-to-day lives.
Whether we have a “transition” period or not, there are still things we don’t realize about the Camino until weeks or months after we’ve completed it.
All that to say that you will definitely hear about the trip, but maybe not immediately. And maybe not all at once.
For me, this was a Camino unlike any other in that 1) it was the first time I led a group on the Camino and 2) I intentionally did not finish the walk with the group. (I lead a hybrid experience—I walk with the group the first 3 days, giving pilgrims the skills and confidence to complete that last part of their Camino without my guidance. I believe there is something truly powerful in that.) So I’m still processing that part as well!
I’d like to have some or all of the participants join me for a post-Camino interview (I do live interviews about the Camino and Camino-related topics each Wednesday—see below). So hopefully some of them will take me up on that:)
Join me for live interviews here on Substack!
Wednesday, October 22, 11-11:45 EST: Lisa and Matt McMann of Footnote: Two Nomadic Authors Hike the World — Lisa and Matt make it a priority to find a local hike/walk everywhere they go. I look forward to hearing how they go about finding walking trails around the world — so that you can find more great walks wherever you are!
Wednesday, October 29, 11-11:45 EST: Dora Elias McAlister — Dora walked the 100km route from Lugo on the Camino Primitivo. She’ll share what surprised her, what she learned, and the little things she wishes she’d known before setting off. Spoiler alert: She’s got some funny stories of things that “wouldn’t have happened if we’d hired Rebecca to help us plan!”
Wednesday, Nov 5, 11-11:45 EST: Maria Andersen of The Perennial Immigrant - Maria first dreamed of the Camino from her couch in Coral Gables, Florida in 2020. Five years later she lives in Portugal and has just completed her first one.
Have you completed a Camino? Volunteered along the trail? Do you have something to share about walking locally or around the world? I’d love to interview you! Write a comment below:)
🥾Ready to start planning your Camino?
Rebecca Weston
Camino Planning & Preparation Guide (for People 45+)
Rebecca@TheCaminoCalls.com
Your Camino adventure should feel exciting, not stressful — here are some ways I can help you get ready:
Watch Camino Conversations for practical tips and advice from my guests who have done the Camino (or more than one!).
🗓️ Camino Planning Session (60 min): Get answers to your top questions and a notes doc created during our call.
📞 Full Camino Experience: 6 coaching calls with detailed notes to plan your trip with confidence and ease.
🥾 Walk With Rebecca: 7-day hybrid Camino walks — 3 days guided, 4 days independent, private rooms, preparation classes, and optional check-ins. Click here to be the first to be notified about my next trip.Rebecca Weston is an American who walked her first Camino in 2012.
About me: I’ve walked more than a dozen Caminos since my first in 2012. I’ve spent many days volunteering along the trail, and if I’m not walking one now, I’m planning the next—and would love nothing more than to help you plan yours, too. Originally from the US, my husband and I live in a town of 6500 people on the Camino del Norte.
On my third Camino (but the first Camino Frances), I showed up proudly to get my certificate of completion. I showed my "book" to a young man who proceeded to look at it very carefully. He looked at me and he looked at the book.
He found one place, one day, where I only got one stamp. Just plain forgot.
He said "What happened on ... such and such a date?"
I apologized profusely. "I just forgot".
Then he looked at me, maybe my white hair, and asked "Did you do the whole Camino?"
But I kept my cool, stared at him, stared at his name plate, and answered "I walked every mile, every kilometer of it."
He gave me my Compostela.
Best Danny