I'm Off Then - Losing and Finding Myself on the Camino de Santiago

This guide to preparation for the Camino contains the following:

Planning and Preparation: advice on when to walk, which part to walk, what to bring (clothes, equipment, etc.), what not to bring (very important), travel to your starting point, internet resources and budgeting.

On the Camino: advice and information about what to expect on the Camino. Terrain, waymarkings, accommodation, food and drink, money matters, keeping in touch (telephone, internet, etc.), health – with advice on staying healthy and accessing the Spanish health service, Camino administration, etiquette and safety – staying safe and planning for any eventuality.

The Caminos: information about the other Caminos, a list of book about the Caminos (unfortunately, many of which aren’t available in English) and Camino statistics with the most popular starting points, nationalities, routes and busiest months.

History: the aim of the History section is to give you an understanding of the historical background to the Camino and the role it played in the foundation of modern Spain and Europe. It contains a history of Spain and a history of the Camino from its beginnings to its revival in the late 20th century. There’s also an account of life on the Camino in the middle-ages and the types of people who walked then, their motivations and the hardships and hazards they faced.

Society, Culture & Environment: gives a brief outline of the fascinating mosaic that is modern Spain, its politics, culture and peoples. The natural environment of northern Spain and the impact of the Camino on it. A description of the architectural styles and periods you’ll see along the Camino.

Communicating: advice on making yourself understood and understanding others, with a Menu Guide to help you decipher menus and the most useful Spanish words and phrases for Camino life plus a few phrases in Basque and Galician.

Glossary: a concise reference for many Camino-related persons and things.

Fat, 59 and fortified daily by red wine I follow my husband on his mildly epic adventure. Why? Because he challenges me! I cant pronounce Roncesvalles, so we get a taxi to St.Jean Pied a Port and start our Camino there. Day One: walk 1,000 meters up. That's right. Up. Over the Pyrenees or freeze to death in the snow. Only 786 kms to Santiago!

Guy Thatcher walked the Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrimage route, hoping to discover the reason for the compulsion that drove him there. What he found instead was the timeless land of northern Spain, beauty, silence, mountains and plains, rain and relentless sun, snow in May, heartbreaking climbs, fatigue and injury; friendly and welcoming people, new friendships, despair, transcendental joy, birth and death, and churros con chocolate. He came away with the renewal of his belief in the remarkable goodness of ordinary people from all over the world as they shared an extraordinary journey.

Relearn life's lessons with Guy Thatcher as he shares his days and his experiences on the Camino with you.

Half travel tips and half travel memoir, The Slacker Pilgrim Guide to the Camino de Santiago is a humorous book about the famous pilgrim trail across the north of Spain. In April and May 2012, Sunshine Jen walked 550 miles on the Camino Frances to Santiago de Compostela then onto Finnisterre on the coast. She went looking for answers, but she came back with more questions and no blisters.

What do you like most when reading about adventures: descriptions about the terrain, the culture, the challenges, the personal growth, the interactions between other adventures? Women of the Way: Embracing the Camino successfully combines all these elements in a heartfelt and personal recounting of Jane V. Blanchard’s 2011 five-hundred mile pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago—hiking from St-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France over the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles in Spain, and then westward across northern Spain to Santiago de Compostella.

For over a millennium, Christians have made this pilgrimage to the cathedral in Santiago, where the remains of St. James the apostle are entombed. Today, this journey is known as a European Cultural Itinerary, attracting people from around the world. In 2011, more than 183,000 people completed the pilgrimage; 44% of these pilgrims were women.

Though Women of the Way is about Jane’s journey on the Camino de Santiago (also known as “The Way”) and discussions with women she met on the pilgrimage, this is not a “chic” book. It is about embracing the Camino, the personal changes, and the beauty and appeal of the most popular of all the pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela, the Camino Frances.

•     Discover why people from around the world walk the Camino.
•     Learn how to prepare for the Camino, about the daily rituals in long-distance walking, and the camaraderie shared among these modern-day pilgrims.
•     Visualize the beauty of northern Spain through Jane’s vivid descriptions.
•     Understand why so many people embrace the Camino.

“An articulate, well-observed and thoughtful look at walking the Camino.” ~ Adam Nathan

“I felt as though I, too, was a pilgrim as I saw the beautiful landscapes Jane described,  felt the tiredness she experienced, enjoyed the food along with her, laughed and cried with her.” ~ Elizabeth Chandler

“My husband, John (62), and I are reading your book while we prepare to walk the Camino in May of 2013. We are loving it!  I like your honesty and factual approach. Your descriptions have caused us to laugh and almost cry at times. Thank you! We are reading a little each day and John reminds me to bring the book in the car or to bed. The spirit of the Camino is already appearing in our relationship as we prepare. I can see a change and it is wonderful!”
~ Kim Todaro

A wickedly funny account of a woman's pilgrimmage of self-discovery on the infamous "Camino", the ancient road to Santiago de Compostela.

To celebrate her 50th birthday, Jane Christmas joins fourteen other women to hike the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, a centuries-old pilgrimage route stretching 800 kilometers from southwestern France across the Pyrenees almost to the northwestern shore of Spain. Somewhat against her will, she ends up as the nominal leader of fourteen other middle-aged women. Before she leaves, Christmas consults with a psychic, who warns of catfights, lost jewelry, encounters with celebrities, a visit from Death, and a fair-haired man.

Here Paulo Coelho details his journey across Spain along the legendaryroad of San Tiago, which pilgrims have travelled since Middle Ages. On this contemporary quest, he encounters a Chaucerian variety of mysterious guides and devilish opponents and learns to understand the nature of truth through the simplicity of life. The Pilgrimage holds an important place in Paulo Coelho's literary canon. His first book, it not only paved the way for his phenomenal novel The Alchemist , but it also fully expresses his humanist philosophy and the depth of his unique search for meaning.

Devoted entirely to the subject of what to wear and what to carry on a Camino pilgrimage. You'll also learn how to create a lightweight backpack, so you can walk comfortably without carrying a burden on your back. 

Find out how to choose the backpacking gear and clothing that will work best for you, the route you take, and the time of year that you'll be walking. Examine the pros and cons for difficult gear choices, like should you use a poncho or a rain jacket? water bottles or backpack hydration system? sleeping bag or sleeping sheet? And what about taking a mobile phone or other tech-devices? Consider the options, then decide what's best for your journey.

You'll also find a "skin-out" packing list that includes the weight of each item—including the weight estimates for a picnic lunch, snack foods and water (typically the heaviest items in your backpack). Use this comprehensive list as an example checklist to organize your own lightweight Camino backpack.

A Camino journey can strengthen the body and refresh the soul. But when walking long distances, day-after-day, it's important to carry as little as possible. This is the book to help you do that.

About the Author: Jean-Christie Ashmore has walked over 3,200 kilometers (about 2,000 miles) on Camino pilgrimage routes in France and Spain.