060: “What Do You Think I Am—Retired?”
The Camino Was Supposed to Be a Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience
Back in 2012, if you told me that in 2026, I’d have more than a dozen Caminos completed, I would have laughed and said, “What do you think I am—retired?!”
Yet here I am.
Not retired.
But with more than a dozen Caminos completed.
The Camino Was Supposed to Be a One-Time Thing
My first Camino (2012) was thanks to a self-funded and self-appointed sabbatical year. I spent thirty-seven days walking over 500 miles walking the Camino Francés.
It was love at first sight. French food and the Pyrenees will do that to you.
By Day 3, I was in Spain and was thinking what I’d do differently for my next Camino.
But I wasn’t even 40 yet. I had to get back to work! Who knew when I’d be back on the Camino. . .
The Worst Camino
My second Camino was because my then-boyfriend (of a mere 3 months) said, “Let’s move to France.”
I explained that unless we could get ourselves a visa or a European passport, we could only stay for 3 months.
My boyfriend worked online, but I hadn’t figured out how to do that yet.
I had saved up money so that I didn’t have to work for a few months. Entertaining myself wasn’t usually a problem, but after just a week in Aix-en-Provence, I panicked: What would I do with myself for 3 months?
So I took off for a familiar path: the Camino de Santiago (but this time: in Portugal).
It was my worst-ever Camino experience.
There was daily rain.
A lack of trail markers.
A lack of pilgrims.
A lack of open places to eat.
A lack of towns.
And that boyfriend? I really liked the guy. And missed him.
But I made it to Santiago, then back to the boyfriend waiting patiently for me in Aix-en-Provence.
The Camino Companion Who Said Yes at 73
After my first Camino, I said to my friend Lois, “You’d love the Camino. If you ever want to do it, I’ll do it with you.”
In 2015, she said yes.
She was 73.
Over 500 miles later, I walked into Santiago de Compostela for the third time in just over three years.
And then Lois and I kept going. (We walked out to the ocean at Finisterre.)
But I’m not the story, here.
Lois! 73! Over 500 miles!
(Watch her side of the story here.)
I should point out that I’ve always lived frugally. I don’t like shopping. Nor spending my money on much of anything except travel. And thanks to my decision not to have children nor buy a house (at that point), expenses were few.
And work? I’d work until the job no longer held any interest for me, then I’d ask my employer for something different, they’d usually be unable to help me, so I’d resign and head off to do some traveling (because beyond throwing money into some retirement accounts and paying my expenses, I didn’t have much else to use my money for. . . so travel it was!)
Summers Changed Everything
Then I took a teaching job.
They say you don’t take a teaching job just for the vacations.
But don’t let anyone fool you: those vacations certainly don’t hurt.
For the first time in my life, money was getting deposited into my account while I was traveling for the summer.
Thus Camino #4 and #5 happened—and I expanded into routes in France. This is also when I started volunteering annually on the Camino.
The Year Dad Understood
2019 was quite a year for me on the Camino.
I started in Aire-sur-L’Adour, France and spent a week walking to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port—arriving just a few days before I was due to start volunteering in the pilgrim office there.
A few days after I finished that, I went to meet my father in Pamplona. He wanted to see what the Camino was all about and why his eldest child was seemingly obsessed with it.
Little did I know Dad would turn into a Camino addict himself.
The Year the World Changed
In 2020, I realized my style of teaching was not going to work if I had to be 6-feet away from my students at all times (we did lots of hands-on activities).
So I resigned from my teaching job, started an online business, and by July, 2021 my husband and I (yes—the aforementioned boyfriend) were living in Spain.
Some thought it only logical that I move to Camino Central. But my response was always, “The only things I know about Spain are from the Camino. I have no idea what life is like in the rest of the country.”
We chose Spain not for the Camino, but because it was the second easiest place for us to get a visa at the time. (The easiest was Portugal. But I wanted to learn another language, and Portuguese didn’t appeal to me.)
Camino #8 was monumental. I met my husband just after I finished Camino #1. In his vows, he promised to one day walk a Camino with me. And in 2022 (less than four years after that vow) it finally happened.
Even if I wanted to stop walking Camino routes, it would have been hard to do because it’s hard to say no to my father.
After his first Camino (2019), he decided he wanted to do the route from St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago de Compostela (over 500 miles), but not all at once.
So nearly every year since his first Camino, we’ve done a week together.
Learning Spanish for a Different Kind of Camino
In July, 2023, I decided I needed a solo Camino again.
But I wanted to do one of the lesser-known routes.
I knew I’d meet fewer pilgrims on these routes, let alone English-speaking ones. In January of 2023 (a year-and-a-half after moving to Spain), I had committed to studying 2 hours per day of Spanish. By July, I felt I finally had the level I needed to embark on a route where I may not find anyone with whom to speak English.
That was the Camino Invierno (#10). I loved it—and can’t wait to lead a group on that one!
When the Camino Became Part of My Work
Speaking of groups. . . In 2025, I had planned to do the Camino Baztan (from Bayonne to Pamplona).
But by that time, I had started The Camino Calls—helping people plan their walks on the Camino de Santiago.
So I decided I’d do the Camino Inglés instead—to see if that would be a good walk on which to lead my first Camino Walk with Rebecca.
The majority of people on the route that summer were Spaniards, but I knew the popular time for English-speaking retirees to do the Camino was spring and fall, so I held my first Camino Walk with Rebecca in October, 2025 and we had a wonderful time!
Still Walking
So here we are. . .
In two weeks, Dad and I will embark on our sixth Camino together. Once he’s finished, he’ll be able to say he has walked the entire Camino Francés—over 500 miles across Spain to Santiago de Compostela.
After he heads back to the US, I’ll head off on my own Camino.
And in September, I’ll be leading a Camino Walk with Rebecca once again.
With love,
Rebecca
P.S. I’m hoping to announce details for my next Camino Walk with Rebecca in early June. If you’d like to be the first to hear about it, you can join the interest list here.
P.P.S. For those of you keeping track, the numbers won’t add up—there are a few Caminos I didn’t mention!
🎥Camino Conversations
And to continue the theme of people walking lots of miles/kilometers on the Camino, this week on Camino Conversations I’ll introduce you to Gideon Enok who left his home in Denmark to walk to Santiago de Compostela. He now has 7000+km/4350+ mi of Caminos under his belt—and a Camino love story to share.
Stay tuned to your email for the invitation to join us :)
Note: There were some technical difficulties that prevented last Wednesday’s live conversation from happening, so apologies to those who tried to join. I’m hoping this week things are better!
Listen to previous episodes of Camino Conversations on Spotify or watch them here.
From the Archives:
🥾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.