Hi there! A 'friend' from Asheville here! Planning my first Camino - The Frances, and planning to have someone transport my 'big' bag for me so I can just carry a smaller one with daily essentials. Feeling a little guilt - - - so loved reading this first thing this morning. Today - snowed in and having frigid items, I'm going to tweak the plan of my approximate route. Starting on September 15. Can't wait...it's been 15 years in coming.
Note that there are size limitations for the bag that they will transport for you. And I also recommend packing light—even if you are having your luggage transported— as you still may have to lug it up a couple flights of stairs to your room, for example.
On my first Camino - Le Chemin de St. Jacques -, I did not realize or noticed that some people were not carrying a full pack. Maybe there was a service like that, probably not.
On my second, -The Norte-, now being fully past 70, I don't think there was such a service. Or not an obvious one.
Finally, on the Frances, I noted that some of the companions were not carrying their big packs. In particular, an Australian that I had picked up the first day called about his pack every evening in beautiful flowing Spanish. He had planned and planned and taken a day pack as well.
I thought that if it took calling every night and knowing enough Spanish to make sure I got my pack every day at the right place, I was going to carry everything.
Things have definitely changed. There are multiple luggage transport services on all of the major routes.
It can all be managed on your phone via websites and WhatsApp. And you don’t need to be able to speak Spanish to do it (because you can manage it online).
Speaking of which, I always tell people “never expect anyone to be able to speak English in Spain.” It’s definitely not as common as it is in some other European countries.
Yes, it has. They have a site where you can book and everyone uses Whatsapp to communicate, and we have Google Translate if necessary. Once you figure out the system, it gets easy to book.
As Rebecca and I have discussed in our recent Camino Conversation chat, I walked my first half of the Portuguese Camino with my pack. My body kept telling me to reconsider. I kept ignoring it until one of the larger hills, where a kind gentleman I had met earlier offered to carry the pack the last 5 miles to my destination. The difference was mind boggling. Although I had recently lost at least half of the pack weight off of my physical body, that pack weight carried differently. I sent my bags forward from that time onwards.
I *may* try one more with my pack (partial experiment, partial bull-headed me, lol), but it will require rethinking what I'm packing (not sure what I can drop as I used everything I had in there) and/or training differently, because the pack had contributed significantly to a shin splint and a cranky hip flexor which disappeared within 2 days of me dropping the pack.
Luckily, I got the pack from REI so I can return it and see if a lighter pack (pack-weight alone) works better, and to see if perhaps that one was just not a good fit for my body. I will be starting slow travel next year and will likely use a carry-on sized backpack so the change will probably be better for that whatever happens.
My biggest take-away was that I need to learn to listen more to my body as I get older. My preference would be to carry my pack because it will keep reminding me that I usually carry too much in life, and perhaps I will find a way to get my weight down to the 8-12lbs that the masters-of-packing achieve...which could be another lesson as well (How to find that balance of reality vs what I actually need). We shall see.
I DO feel everyone who is able should consider carrying a full pack for at least one day (you do it on a shorter day)...simply for the lesson of the consequences of carrying too much. It was one heck of a lesson for me that I don't plan to repeat. If I try carrying my pack again, I will most definitely send it forward if my body says no next time!
Beautiful insights. Our next stage on the Portuguese is coming late April. And the pack will be so much lighter! Lesson learned from our September 2025 adventure.
Hi there! A 'friend' from Asheville here! Planning my first Camino - The Frances, and planning to have someone transport my 'big' bag for me so I can just carry a smaller one with daily essentials. Feeling a little guilt - - - so loved reading this first thing this morning. Today - snowed in and having frigid items, I'm going to tweak the plan of my approximate route. Starting on September 15. Can't wait...it's been 15 years in coming.
Note that there are size limitations for the bag that they will transport for you. And I also recommend packing light—even if you are having your luggage transported— as you still may have to lug it up a couple flights of stairs to your room, for example.
On my first Camino - Le Chemin de St. Jacques -, I did not realize or noticed that some people were not carrying a full pack. Maybe there was a service like that, probably not.
On my second, -The Norte-, now being fully past 70, I don't think there was such a service. Or not an obvious one.
Finally, on the Frances, I noted that some of the companions were not carrying their big packs. In particular, an Australian that I had picked up the first day called about his pack every evening in beautiful flowing Spanish. He had planned and planned and taken a day pack as well.
I thought that if it took calling every night and knowing enough Spanish to make sure I got my pack every day at the right place, I was going to carry everything.
I am sure things have changed. Danny
Things have definitely changed. There are multiple luggage transport services on all of the major routes.
It can all be managed on your phone via websites and WhatsApp. And you don’t need to be able to speak Spanish to do it (because you can manage it online).
Speaking of which, I always tell people “never expect anyone to be able to speak English in Spain.” It’s definitely not as common as it is in some other European countries.
Yes, it has. They have a site where you can book and everyone uses Whatsapp to communicate, and we have Google Translate if necessary. Once you figure out the system, it gets easy to book.
As Rebecca and I have discussed in our recent Camino Conversation chat, I walked my first half of the Portuguese Camino with my pack. My body kept telling me to reconsider. I kept ignoring it until one of the larger hills, where a kind gentleman I had met earlier offered to carry the pack the last 5 miles to my destination. The difference was mind boggling. Although I had recently lost at least half of the pack weight off of my physical body, that pack weight carried differently. I sent my bags forward from that time onwards.
I *may* try one more with my pack (partial experiment, partial bull-headed me, lol), but it will require rethinking what I'm packing (not sure what I can drop as I used everything I had in there) and/or training differently, because the pack had contributed significantly to a shin splint and a cranky hip flexor which disappeared within 2 days of me dropping the pack.
Luckily, I got the pack from REI so I can return it and see if a lighter pack (pack-weight alone) works better, and to see if perhaps that one was just not a good fit for my body. I will be starting slow travel next year and will likely use a carry-on sized backpack so the change will probably be better for that whatever happens.
My biggest take-away was that I need to learn to listen more to my body as I get older. My preference would be to carry my pack because it will keep reminding me that I usually carry too much in life, and perhaps I will find a way to get my weight down to the 8-12lbs that the masters-of-packing achieve...which could be another lesson as well (How to find that balance of reality vs what I actually need). We shall see.
I DO feel everyone who is able should consider carrying a full pack for at least one day (you do it on a shorter day)...simply for the lesson of the consequences of carrying too much. It was one heck of a lesson for me that I don't plan to repeat. If I try carrying my pack again, I will most definitely send it forward if my body says no next time!
🥰 Lois 🤗
Beautiful insights. Our next stage on the Portuguese is coming late April. And the pack will be so much lighter! Lesson learned from our September 2025 adventure.