20-Days Out

Prep List

The route to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, to the tomb of Saint James the Greater, has developed over the past 1,200+ years. Early pilgrims used to literally risk life and limb to make the trek as bandits roamed the area and extracted high tolls for passage – or sometimes their lives in lieu of it.  Over the centuries the path has been made safe, groomed, and is now well-marked so that safe passage is all but ensured and water, shelter, and food options are abundant.  One can just toss a few basic supplies in a backpack and head out for the trail!

…If only it were actually that easy!  Over the past five months or so I’ve been ‘gearing up’ to be able to take five weeks off for this journey.  In addition to actual gear, which I researched and outlined in the 40-Days Out post, here are a few other modern-day considerations:

1. Home team. It’s important to me that this is a positive, healthy experience.   I’m grateful that my family members support my desire to do this pilgrimage and we landed on dates that, in theory, seem to work for everyone.
2. Time off. I’m blessed to work for a company with a generous vacation policy.  I spoke with my boss early-on and got his approval to take most of my days for this year at one time, plus use two established holidays in the mix as well.  It means I won’t have a lot of surplus days for the rest of the year – but it’s the only way to make it happen.  Trying to get everything set up before I go but am outsourcing responsibilities that might need attention while I’m away to a couple different individuals.
3. Valid passport. As unstable as our world is, a valid passport is something to consider for any serious emergency plan.  I get squirrelly when mine is expired – even if I have no plans set to leave the country.  In the US it takes $110, a few pages of forms, valid I.D. and photos, and several weeks (so it’s best not to leave this until last-minute) to get or renew a passport.  More details here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports.html
4. A plan. There are several different routes one can take to make the journey – depending on how much time you allow and what starting point you take.  I’m starting in St. Jean Pied du Port and am allowing just over five weeks, including time to travel there and back, which is very standard for Camino Frances, the most popular of the routes.  This is one of the better maps I’ve found: https://www.caminoadventures.com/camino-maps/  I’m also taking a guide book to follow day-by-day.
5. Plane tickets. I booked early and used http://www.Kayak.com to search for a great deal.  I travel well and am okay with a couple stops along the way, so that also helped.  Direct flights, when available, are always more expensive.
6. Training.  Some people head off the trail without training in advance.  While they can still make it, it’s not recommended and the first week, especially, is completely miserable.  The best training for walking – is walking.  Daily hikes during the past five months have been getting easier with time.  My dogs have been my training buddies and are, by nature, migratory animals.  We typically cover about 3-5 miles in 60 – 90 minutes on the prairie path, depending on weather.  It’s been great to be out in the fresh air rather than on a treadmill and to be able to see wildlife.  I’ve personally found it to be rejuvenating and my dogs have never been happier!  I’ve also been attending yoga practice classes a couple times a week at our local park district.  And, I’ve joined a few group hikes in my area that I located thru http://www.MeetUp.com.
7. Medical checkup. Just wanted to be on the safe side and confirm that any general aches and pains are just that and nothing prohibitive.
8. Learning Spanish. I don’t think I’m fluent by any stretch – but this year I’ve been accessing free Spanish lessons on www.duolingo.com to learn many basic words and phrases.  I’m hoping that I’ll have ample opportunities to practice during my trip and to come back more well-versed than I am when I head out.  While on the road I’d love to also learn some of the linguistic basics in Basque (euskara).
9. Phone access. To stay connected with folks at home I’ve decided to take my cell phone with me.  My carrier has been notified to switch me to an international plan so that I don’t incur exorbitant roaming charges.  In many of the smaller towns Wi-Fi is not available, so I’ll stay in touch as best I can but it won’t be 100%.  I’ll be taking a battery backup to be able to charge my phone (which is also my music source and blogging connection) from the road and I’ll also be taking along an international phone adapter to be able to charge my phone from outlets in France and Spain – as it’s a different system.  Once I get to the first major metropolis in Spain, I’ll look for a phone store where I can swap out my SIM card.
10. Simplify travel finances. Staying as a pilgrim in the designated hostels (also called albergues) is relatively inexpensive.  They can range anywhere from a voluntary donation up to a designated 20 euros per night.  And even nights in historical spots (paradores) are quite reasonable.  But, as it’s basically a cash economy, getting foreign currency in the states to start out is not a straight-forward as in other parts of the world.  In my area of the country, even just a few euros need to be ordered in advance from a local bank and takes about a week to be delivered.  Our bank rep actually also recommended a Capital One card (even though it wasn’t through them) as he said it’s one of the few that doesn’t charge extra penalties just for international use.
11. Put expenses on hold. Some routine home expenses are month-to-month and / or voluntary.  For the month of June, I put a hold on my monthly train pass and also my gym membership.  They are both set to automatically resume in July.  If I had newspapers delivered I’d put those on hold as well so I didn’t come home to a pile of old news.
12. Volunteer coverage. I volunteer for a minor task in my community.  I typically tag-team month by month with a counterpart.  She’s graciously agreed to sub for me during the last weekend in May and the first weekend in July so the task is not left un-done.
13. Start a blog.  While not a necessary step in travel, I’ve had enough people ask me to keep them posted that it seemed prudent to record my progress on a blog rather than risk spamming people with unwanted email updates.  It also gives me one place to keep track of my trip-related news without having to check in to email (something I’m actually trying to disconnect from on this adventure).  I’ll be keeping a journal of more private notes but figured trip-ralated details are ok to post.  I used http://www.wordpress.com and, for a nominal charge, get a designated domain, ad-free pages, and am able to list it as ‘hidden’ so it’s out of view of search engines.  I have been pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to set up.

It’s a lot of minor details – but they add up.  Getting things ironed out in advance will hopefully help with peace of mind along the way.  What did I miss – what would you have to take care of before heading out?