Hello Camino friends! Here’s what’s in this issue:
🌀“When The Camino Changes Your Plans”
📸Scenes from the Camino: The Camino Credential
🎥The Camino Primitivo, the Camino Portugués: Live interviews for October and November
🇪🇸Camino Walk with Rebecca 2026
🥾How to get help planning your Camino.
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“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!
🌀When The Camino Changes Your Plans
In the first week of our 500+ mile walk on the Camino de Santiago, while taking a coffee break, Lois and I met a pilgrim in his mid-forties. We enjoyed talking to him, but figured we’d never see him again—he was on a tight timeline as he had to get to Santiago de Compostela and immediately hop a flight back home to go to work. He was, therefore, walking a lot further and faster than we were each day.
So a couple weeks later, we were stunned to run into him in the Gaudi palace in Astorga. “I thought you’d be miles ahead of us by now!” I said.
“Well, I realized I wanted to enjoy this trip—not rush it. So maybe I’m not meant to get to Santiago this year. I can come back to finish my Camino. Why rush this?” he said, looking up at the incredible structure that surrounded us. We had one of those deep conversations you can so easily fall into on the Camino: how much of our lives in the US is lived in a state of hurry — to get to the end of something so that we can get to the next thing. “I realized this is what I’m meant to learn on this Camino—to slow my life down, to enjoy the journey.”
One of the things I love about the Camino is the variety of ways in which you can do it. If you want to walk it quickly, go for it! I’m not saying that’s wrong—I’m just saying that, like much in life, what works for one person is not necessarily the answer for everyone.
But more importantly: listen to your inner voice. What do you want from your Camino? You may not know the answer before you leave—you may discover it along the way, as in the above story.
I’ve long wondered how this man’s journey would have been different had he been doing the Camino with someone else—someone who absolutely wanted to get to Santiago de Compostela.
As long-time readers of this newsletter know, I highly recommend doing your first Camino on your own. Is that the best decision for everyone? Of course not. Choose what’s best for you. If you’re going to walk the Camino with someone else, please read “Don’t Walk the Camino de Santiago with Someone Just Because You Love Them.” Your Camino will be much more enjoyable if you’ve had a discussion, prior to ever getting on a plane, about the possibility that one of you may want to reach the goal and the other may find a different “goal” along The Way.
You can’t plan for every possibility along the Camino. But if you go with an openness to listen to whatever the Camino has to tell you, you’ll understand why we say, “The Camino doesn’t always give you what you want—but it always gives you what you need.”
With love,
Rebecca
P.S. If you’ll be near Asheville, NC, I’m giving a Camino talk at the REI there on November 5 at 6pm. Would love to meet you!
📸Scenes from the Camino: Astorga
Join me for live interviews here on Substack!
This past Wednesday, I had a great conversation with minimalists and nomads Lisa and Matt McMann, who are planning a walk on the Camino Francés for 2026. After living the typical “American Dream,” they downsized and took off. We learned about how they find hikes around the world and so much more!
Coming up next:
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!” Click here to join us!
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 or email me at rebecca@TheCaminoCalls.com
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 be the first to know and you’ll also receive access to an exclusive early-bird special.
🥾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.