If there’s one thing we don’t talk about enough when we talk about walking the Camino de Santiago, it’s the courage it takes to take on something like this pilgrimage.

For many people, walking the Camino is unlike anything else they’ve ever done before. It’s the first time they’ve traveled alone. The first time they’ve traveled internationally. The first time they’ve been away from home for so long. The first time they’ve carried everything they needed for the trip in one small backpack on their back.

It was no different for my guest today, Carie, who is walking the Camino Portuguese this spring. The fear and the anxiety are, I think, why we need to hear these stories from other first time pilgrims, from people who are in the exact same head and heart space – feeling all that uncertainty, feeling fear and anxiety, yet bravely doing it anyway.

My conversation with Carie takes us through all that plus some practical considerations. We also touch on the modern-day pilgrimage planning phenomenon called AI. Be careful with that, by the way, as AI doesn’t always understand the needs of walkers on the Camino de Santiago, and you may get some wacky stage and accommodation suggestions.

Here is the book Carie recommended: Pilgrimage: Lessons Learned from Solo Walking 3 Ancient Ways, by J.F. Penn

Some of my pilgrims would never walk the Camino without this support.

Others just want the camaraderie that comes with starting with people they already know and who are equally passionate and excited about the journey.

Still others love that starting this way takes the edge off of the fear and anxiety that comes with taking on something like a pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago.

Others love planning and preparing and appreciate doing that in an organized, linear, and thorough way.

How can I support you in making your Camino dream a reality? Walk with me in 2027! Go here to let me know you're interested.

#youonthecamino #caminodesantiago #firsttimepilgrim #thecaminoexperience #caminopodcast

It seems as though the default choice for walking the Camino de Santiago these days is to walk either the Francés route or the Portuguese route.

Now, that does oversimplify things, but the statistics from the pilgrim’s office in Santiago de Compostela do show that those have been the two most-walked routes in recent years.

My guest on the podcast this week,Chad, has walked both those routes, and now he has taken his pilgrimage practice to other less traveled routes.

What I love about talking with Chad is that he loves the spiritual practice of pilgrimage as much as I do, and it’s become a regular part of his life and his family’s life.

This time Chad will be talking about what he calls his “connector Camino”, which he shared with his 25 year old daughter and regular pilgrimage partner, Bonnie. What does that mean, connector Camino? Well, you’ll see.

Here are the routes Chad is sharing about:

• Camino Lebaniego
• Camino Vadiniense
• Camino San Salvador

The church he talks about with the the relic of the cross of Jesus Christ is at the Monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana.

The mountain location he talked about is called Fuente Dé, and it is located inside the Picos de Europa National Park.

If you'd like to get to know Chad from his first Camino experience to now, check out these previous episodes:

• Season 2, Episode 18: “A Conversation with Pilgrim Chad Before His First Pilgrimage on the Camino Francés”

• Season 3, Episode 12: "After the Camino with Pilgrim Chad”

• Season 5, Episode 6: "Chad writes the next two chapters of his pilgrimage story"

#youonthecamino #caminodesantiago #firsttimepilgrim #thecaminoexperience #caminopodcast

If the Camino starts when you say YES, which I think it does, what are the implications of that? If the moment you decide you are definitely going to do this thing is when the journey begins, what can you expect to happen next, after you commit?

In my experience, when I say yes to something big, something bold, something that will take me way outside my comfort zone, I have to expect some plot twists along the way. And that’s exactly what has happened for my guest today, Dara.

P.S. Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

If you're planning to walk the Camino with a friend, family member, or a group, you may want to have some specific conversations before you get too far in your planning. Check out this episode of the podcast - season one, episode 12 to sort out who will you walk with and what you'll want to talk about beforehand.

#youonthecamino #caminodesantiago #firsttimepilgrim #thecaminoexperience #caminopodcast