LESSON LEARNED...I think I could have actually easily knocked off $2k on the cost but now I know! Remember that this budget is for TWO FULL months on the Camino so if you are only walking for 35-ish days and have dorms rooms or share a room it will definitely be more budget-friendly! Was this more than you thought?
Thank you for this video. Very informative. Did you post periodically whilst walking The Camino, or did you wait until you were done to look over all the footage and make the videos we now see on UA-cam?
I walked the Camino Frances 900km (3 days extra from Santiago to Finisterre) and I paid (without going to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port or back from Finisterre to Germany) 600€ for the entire 5 weeks, including everything But I slept at the albergues municipal, I found other poor student friends like me so we cooked together every evening (they were Italian so the food was always great xD) and around 4€ a day for coffee and tortilla on the way. So if you want to, the Camino can be an extremely cheap holiday, especially for students like me And I must say the evenings in the albergues were the best part of the Camino, it was like a party with wine, food and friends every evening, so so fun
Great vlogs, Cristal! But should you ever come back to Spain, I would highly recommend the half-destroyed monastery at San Antón, 30 kms outside Burgos. It is donation-based (no hot water unfortunately), but one of the warmest welcomes on the Camino by a Spanish pilgrim, who has completed all 3 of the major pilgrimage routes (Santiago, Rome and Jerusalem). For a relatively cheap donation, I received the privilege of a night sleeping in a monastery, a mouth-watering paella, homemade cake and as much wine as I could drink plus heartwarming anecdotes from the Camino. For example', an American couple who arrived at the albergue only to find one available bed. In a typical act of Camino unselfishness and selfsacrifice,a Spanish guy opted to sleep outside.
Wow that sounds absolutely lovely. One thing that was so profound on the Camino to me was the sharing and compassion everyone had towards each other. It really made a mark on my life.
Honestly, even if you did the walk at a slower pace than most and stayed in private rooms, the amount you gave for 2 months seems reasonable at the more expensive side of doing the Camino. I am giving myself a few more years before I do the Camino and I plan to be flexible. Seeing this video gives me an idea now of how much I should set aside if I want the option of staying in a hotel or private room sometimes.
Glad it is helping with your planning :) I think so too - compared to the US it was quite inexpensive for a life-changing 2 month trek. I feel that every dollar was worth it.
Thanks for sharing & I’m sure many people will find the costs very helpful. Amazing feat with great food wine & comfy accommodation & I hope your feet have healed ? 💜🤗🍻🇦🇺
Hello, i have loved watching your adventure. I am leaving end of August to walk the Camino for 2 months by myself as well. You have been a delight and an inspiration. I was wondering if you would be willing to send me a list of the places you stayed each night. I am debating on booking some as well as just letting the Camino lead me. Did you pre-book everything and would you recommend it, or just see where the trail leads you? Thank you so much.
Hi Crystal, Congrats again on successfully completing your Camino journey. Well done, you can see it was a life changing experience for you. Quick question, I’m struggling to find a good/basic/durable and reusable plastic poncho where I live. Are they very easy to come by on the trail? Hate to encounter rain halfway through a days walking and have nothing to throw over my clothing and pack. Thanks!! 🙂
Thank you! Yes I would wait until you get there as long as you start in a bigger city like Saint Jean, Pamplona, Burgos, etc. they all have pilgrim shops. I remember Estella did as well. Ponchos can be found there. Have you checked Sea to Summit? They seem like they might have a good one or REI (if you are in the USA) or Backcountry.
Thank you, I’m in Sydney Aust so I’ll take your advice and wait until I get there. I’m starting in Leon which appears to be a good sized town. Really looking forward to following your next adventure in Scotland. Buen Camino!
Which airport did you arrive at, and where did you buy your SIM card? Do you suggest already buying euros from banks in US. If not, where did you buy your euros after arriving at your airport of destination?
We are really good at racking up points via credit cards so I generally don’t purchase airfare and only use miles. So no airfare except maybe $10. That’s why I didn’t list it. Our situation is slightly different but we will be putting out a video, probably in April about how we travel for free a lot.
Wtf how much did you spent WTF ? Im Rly shocked. I throw out Money at my First camino where 70 dass in my trip from alicante to finsterra and i still didnt use more than 3k . (And there gleicht etc is included). So youre more a Tourist than a pilgrim Right ?
Hi. I'm a nurse and on my camino frances I got the inevitable blisters... best treatment for them at night is to soak your feet in heavily salted warm to hot water.. it stops infection and it also hardens your feet... I noticed my blisters healed faster than other people's. I'm about to leave for the camino portuguese from Lisbon and even though it will be heavy I am taking a bag of salt for the first couple of weeks. Bom caminho everyone!
I had already watched a few camino videos from other people and then yours popped up on recommended. Wow, I watched them all from the beginning (Leaving the USA) to the end and your videos finally pushed me into wanting to do this so badly. I am planning on doing the Porto to Santiago de Compostela first to get a feel for it. I'm not religious either, for me it's the challenge. This was an amazing adventure you did, I'm in awe, congratulations 👍
Good video! When I walk the camino, I will be looking for hotels or B&B - not young any more to use hostels and dorms. Thanks for the total cost breakdown.
I watched the whole series. Planning a solo trip soon. Curious if you planned all your stays out a head of time. How did it work if you needed to change plans? Would it throw off all your stays going forward. I would do the same as you, private rooms and bag transfer.
I walked the camino at the same time and I only booked 3 or 4 albergue. Just to feel comfortable you should make a reservation in Saint Jean, in Orrison or Larrasone and after the really long way (The Meseta) in Calzadilla. Stay flexible on the. Otherwise you will regret it if you find a lovely place to stay or people you want to walk with
Loved following your Camino adventure! Did you post the lodging video? If not, do you have a list of where you stayed? I am totally in sync with your choices on everything, starting my solo camino May 28. Would appreciate any lodging recommendations from you! 😊
Thank you for sharing your whole journey. It’s been so inspirational for me. I’m planning to do the 100 final kms. because of time but at least I think I will have a little taste of what the Camino is. I’m going by myself and I think it’s the best way to do it. I have 2 concerns that maybe you could give me a better idea. First, it’s the safety during the Camino…I saw how you walked by yourself for long periods of time during so, did you ever feel unsafe?? And my second is “bathrooms” I need a bathroom often so I want to make sure I will have it available or at least to know where to go if I have the emergency. Thanks again I really enjoyed your whole Camino. You’re brave and made me feel more like to go!!!
Hi. For bathrooms, I've heard that sometimes, you'd need to do it in nature. If you want to pee standing up, you can buy a "she wee". You'll have to practice using it while you're still at home. Good luck!
Thank you so much for putting this together, Crystal. Loved following your journey and really liked the places you stayed so this vlog was really useful for me to get an idea of cost. I would love to know what you do for a living as I think you said you travelled full time and this would be my dream but can’t think of anything that would allow me to do this. Your tips and advice would be super appreciated! Looking forward to Scotland vlog! (I hope you had your midgie net!0
Wow. You are amazing. What a fabulous idea to post your costings. You are forever the "Teacher." For me I will be doing my Camino in May 2025 which is some time away (28 months and counting) but this still helps me to get my head around the costings. I have so many other questions :-) Will you be listing your favorite accommodation as well? Thanks Gorgeous.
@jenniferseitianidis9610 Only 7 months left. I am almost certain that I will do the camino myself in the future. Have a great Camino. Best from Norway😊
Wowsers - that’s a luxurious Camino Frances ! I think I spent €25 a day maximum ( albergues / some cheap pensions ) all meals self made from supermarkets) but lots of coffee out obviously.
I’m planning on my Frances Camino for April/May 2024. Can you advise how you paid for your daily expenses: was it all in cash or were you able to charge a lot of it on credit cards? Did you get your Euros in the US before flying to Spain, or did you convert once you were boots on the ground in Spain? Did you use ATM’s in Spain and if so, were the service charges reasonable. Do you speak Spanish? If no, did you have any issues not being able to speak Spanish, especially at lodging checkin, restaurants, etc? Thanks!
Hi. Most albergue take cash. If you book online, then they'll accept credit card. They usually ask for payment upon checkin (if you walk in). As for language, most hotels, hostels and wait staff know a bit of English. But it's always polite to learn a little of the language, even if it's gracias, por favor & una cerveza. 😊 Re: banks, if you have a Charles Schwab acct, they'll reimburse the ATM fees at the end of the month. If you don't have it, you can get euros at your bank - ask them in advance. Exchange rates at airports aren't good. Safe travels!
Thanks, I appreciate your making this video. I'm doing the camino and wanted to get some sort of rough idea about the overall cost. I would prefer my own private room wherever I go so I'm with you on that one. The trial runners Is a good heads up, another person gave me this advice too. I'm very non fussy with food and can happily exist on a very spartan diet so my food expenses will be very minimal. Thanks for the information 👍
Thanks Crystal, really enjoyed watching your journey. How far ahead did you book your accommodation? For example, was it a day ahead each day? I am a lady of a certain age and would prefer to have my main bag transported each day, so would like to know how much notice the transport company needed. Were there any occasions when you had to change your plan for the day at short notice, for example due to an injury, and were unable to make it to your accommodation?
Thank you for making this video! I found it very helpful. I was wondering how your experience was as a solo woman traveler and if you recommend doing it alone to other females or if you think going with at least one other friend would be better? I can see advantages to both, but am very curious as to your advice from your personal experience. I would think certain times it was nice to be alone, and vice versa with being with others but it sounds like you had no issues making friends from what I saw in your full length video 🤗
Thank you thank you thank you Crystal. You have been such an inspiration to me as i will be walking the Camino end May next year alone. Im a bit nervous about getting beds and how to book in advance whilst on the Camino. PLEASE tell me how to go about bookings which app should I use and how you did the luggage transfer. Please and thanks....Ramona ❤😊❤
I understood that you used the transport service for your luggage. I noticed that your backpack was fairly large. What items were you carrying in your backpack?
My eyes had to adjust seeing you so cleaned up 😄 thanks for the great info. If you think about typical monthly rent and expenses in the US, your experience was a steal. 👍
😂😂😂ME TOO! When I got my bag of clothes I nearly lost it - I was so happy to have a new shirt to wear! Yes totally. I wouldn’t spend this on every trek but for my first one I feel good about it. No regrets. Plus I got to sleep every night with no fellow snoring pilgrims waking me up 🙈
Hi, I've watched all your Camino videos and have now planned to do it exactly as you've done it!! Thank-you for sharing everything!!. You've mentioned you will share how you broke up your trip i.e. which village/town you spent each night? I would find this so helpful as I want to do it in about 2 months too. P.S. I'm coming from South Africa.
Can you share how did u do your room bookings ? Was it in advance or is it better done in advance ? Since not every stop over was a single night at per your sharing . Please can you draw light on this 💕🙏🏽💐thanks
You have inspired me to do this trek. My husband and I have a van and we’re already planning for a year off from work for a US van tour. However, now I want to start with the Camino for 2 months then back to US for the other 10 months. Curious for the private rooms, was the price per person or if you are travelling with two people would the lodging be the same price? I notice you mentioned a few places included breakfast so I wasn’t sure. Also I would prefer private rooms with some stays as well in towns. I was curious how far ahead you booked since other videos I’ve watched talk about how part of the magic is not having a plan. Was curious your experience.
So exciting! I’m so happy for you 😀 if you are traveling with 2 people the price would increase at some places. When I arrived some places assumed I came with a friend and other places it was going to be $10 or so more. It really just depends. I used booking.com and liked doing it that way so everything was neat and tidy in one place and I could book rooms with no upfront payment then after the entire thing was booked I could see the final price. From there I adjusted a few bookings to ensure I was in the budget bracket I was expecting. I landed in Saint Jean Pied de Port France and stayed there for 4 days and booked it all right before I took off (except for Orisson and a RONCESVALLES - i booked those months in advance). The one place you need to book is Orisson (highly suggest not walking to RONCESVALLES from SJPDP in 1 day) as that is one of 2 places to stay and it’s such a great community vibe. I would book those first 2 nights as soon as you have your date locked in (a few months in advance). I am VERY happy I booked ahead. Here’s what I will say: I saw a lot of people that were on tighter budgets almost running to get to the next town so they got a bed at the free or inexpensive hostels. If you have a higher budget you probably have more wiggle room BUT there is not as many private rooms unless you go to larger cities. Some places have very few accomodations as well and if you don’t book ahead you will need to walk further or back-track. I think at the very least get the first 2 nights booked and any other towns that have limited lodging as well as any places you really want to get a specific room. I personally found booking ahead helped me have a nice leisurely pace. I could stroll in at 6pm and not feel rushed. To me that was magic. But everyone is different. Does this help? Buen Camino!
@@vanhallaadventures very very helpful. I’m excited to think about it and I wish it wasn’t so far out for me but saving for a year of travel takes alot of money and time. Some of the places you stayed looked amazing. I’m going to go back through your videos as I think you mentioned what many of them were. Looking for to your lodging video and hopefully a few more details. I’m going to see if my library has any guide books. Afraid to buy one too early because they go out of date quickly. I’m hoping you’ll share you’re favorite locations and must do. I think I’d love to plan for 45 days to 2 months. I love Sunday mornings with a cup of coffee and books and videos. That’s when I love to plan. I got a us atlas with spots marked off and now I can start a list for this. I truly appreciated your honest view of this experience. I’ve since watched a few other videos and some romanticized the experience. I’ve been watching you for a long time and it’s been fun to watch your video skills get better and better. Appreciate you and my husband Bryan is a drummer and I think he envies your hubbies job :) He’S still trying to figure out how to fit a drum set in the van lol. If you are ever in SC, we’ve got plenty of room on our property for you!
This video helped a lot as we prepare our Camino budget as we will travel similarly. Fortunately the Camino Frances is still less expensive than the Via Francigena. 😆 Buen Camino!
We have a video about that! Please click link below and thanks for watching! HOW WE MAKE MONEY ON THE ROAD & AFFORD VAN LIFE | van life jobs ua-cam.com/video/Bw6nnkvDlXY/v-deo.html
Wow that's like 3 years of property taxes ect... I won't be going anywhere anytime soon! Lol thank you for sharing! Always a pleasure to see you and your videos! Much love to you! Glad you are doing well! Congratulations on your achievements! 😊❤👍
Good breakdown of the cost for a de-lux camino based on private room, rest days and a vegan diet. For 100 dollars a day you get a lot. Sure there might be cheaper options. But as there's enough information on the shoesting side of camino travel already available this is a valuable add on as 'hike your own hike' should also inclusive for all :)
Thank you lovely for giving out so much info through your video's and in the comments below, much appreciated.... this really helps me with planning my trip Sept 2023. Hope Scotland was a great adventure as well 😊
I would like more information on long term baggage storage and shipping to Santiago. I don’t need daily baggage handling but I would like to send a package ahead. Please let me know what you did!!!😊
Is there any foot wear that you would recommend I heard that you need really good walking shoes, also I'm on a strict budget I don't think I'll be getting private rooms to often is there camping, I want to spend the bulk of my money after I walk as I plan to go to Greece, Germany an maybe Serbia
I would check out this video to learn more about wha to pack: ua-cam.com/video/NxdryW1NIx8/v-deo.html From my knowledge you aren't really suppose to camp however beds in a dorm are $15 or even free in some places. You can find cheaper accommodations along the way if you book far in advance or you get to the towns very early and grab a bed. I know some people do camp though It isn't really a 'thing' on the Camino HOWEVER I really believe in the saying "if there is a will there is a way". A lot of people show up on a tight budge and make it work so don' let the money detour you! You can do it!
I brought 3 - 1 for each camera though every night I uploaded the footage to my laptop and erased the SD card. I had my laptop in my luggage transport. In all I had 2 TB worth of footage. But I was filming A LOT and not everything made it into the vlogs. So your needs may be quite less.
Hi! It would be nice also to give not only US-Prices but also EUR “on the sheets” in the video for example for European viewer like me. Thanks for the Videos and the inside in your life! Great to see your personal developments from day one to today! Very inspiring:)
Thank you! Because I use my credit card for everything it will only ever show up as US amounts for me. Thought to do the math you could look up the euro to USD exchange rate last year in May then convert it from there. Hope that helps!
I'm so happy you finished !!!! You are an inspired to me, I start looking at your videos from the beginning, and then I went to do the camino in October, I finished also, but at the last day in Finisterra I broke my anckle, so all the time to recovery, I see your videos, now I'm start walking again, and thank you for share !!!
That is a great way to put it! I definitely felt like I could've spent less but I have ZERO regrets! It was well worth the experience as the Camino shifted my entire viewpoint in life. Buen Camino :)
100%!!! I have several treks coming up this year and plan to walk the Via Francigena in 2024. Amazing experience and probably the best thing I could’ve ever done for myself. Well worth every penny, ounce of sweat, and tears.
Both for this video I believe. Our drone fell from the sky at the end of the trip so I had to get some clips from online to show the cathedral and what not. Though I can't remember each clip on here.
I walked mid-May through mid-July. I would definitely walk in May and June again. July was REALLY hot though June was too but as long as I started early it was totally fine and I’m not a hot weather person.
This is super helpful to me because I’m thinking I will take two months and also want private room and eat out. It actually seems very frugal considering how long you spent. I’ve really enjoyed see all your vlogs about the camino. Do you have a particular guidebook you found useful? I have subscribed to your channel and look forward to the Scotland hikes. Oh, because of some physical limitations I might not be able to walk only six miles a day. Will I be able to find accommodations for those intervals or would I need to take a taxi for part of the day?
Glad to hear it’s helpful Beverly 🙂 The Brierely Guide is good if you want more info on historical areas and places you visit but I personally found the Michelin guide very travel friendly. You can look at each day ahead visually and see the elevation gain and loss along with water stops, etc. I used this daily and found it to be perfect! I also found stingynomads.com to have a great outline of days on the Camino. I used their website to piece together my stops when I was booking. Combined I found their website + Michelin guide to be the best UNLESS you really want to dive into the history of places, spiritual insights, etc. In regards to walking…I would print out a list of the usual stops with distances in between (stingy nomads has this on their site) then see what towns are in between. Start looking at distances based on your needs and then book from there. You can use the Camino Ninja app to look at each town and do this too and it will give you a list of places in that town. You can email the accomodation or book online at booking.com. Staying in the less popular stops for the day was one of my fav things! I loved the small towns. Does that answer your questions? Buen Camino!
@@vanhallaadventures this is exactly the information I needed. There were so many guidebooks I was overwhelmed. Now I know what to purchase. Thank you for taking the time to reply. You are genuinely sweet.
@@beverlyschiffler9649 I felt that way too. A lot of treks have SO MUCH information out there is can be hard to navigate where to put your time and energy. It takes me HOURS (well, months really) to plan every single trip for us so I really want to get our YT + new website to be a helpful resource for everyone. I know how it can be. Thank you for the sweet compliment!
LESSON LEARNED...I think I could have actually easily knocked off $2k on the cost but now I know!
Remember that this budget is for TWO FULL months on the Camino so if you are only walking for 35-ish days and have dorms rooms or share a room it will definitely be more budget-friendly!
Was this more than you thought?
Camino will stay with you forever. Camino only enters hearts with no exits. You’ll see. ☝️
I’m going back this year again. In August. Want to do it in summer. I love the heat. Camino is life.
Thank you for this video. Very informative.
Did you post periodically whilst walking The Camino, or did you wait until you were done to look over all the footage and make the videos we now see on UA-cam?
I walked the Camino Frances 900km (3 days extra from Santiago to Finisterre) and I paid (without going to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port or back from Finisterre to Germany) 600€ for the entire 5 weeks, including everything
But I slept at the albergues municipal, I found other poor student friends like me so we cooked together every evening (they were Italian so the food was always great xD) and around 4€ a day for coffee and tortilla on the way.
So if you want to, the Camino can be an extremely cheap holiday, especially for students like me
And I must say the evenings in the albergues were the best part of the Camino, it was like a party with wine, food and friends every evening, so so fun
Great vlogs, Cristal! But should you ever come back to Spain, I would highly recommend the half-destroyed monastery at San Antón, 30 kms outside Burgos. It is donation-based (no hot water unfortunately), but one of the warmest welcomes on the Camino by a Spanish pilgrim, who has completed all 3 of the major pilgrimage routes (Santiago, Rome and Jerusalem). For a relatively cheap donation, I received the privilege of a night sleeping in a monastery, a mouth-watering paella, homemade cake and as much wine as I could drink plus heartwarming anecdotes from the Camino. For example', an American couple who arrived at the albergue only to find one available bed. In a typical act of Camino unselfishness and selfsacrifice,a Spanish guy opted to sleep outside.
Wow that sounds absolutely lovely. One thing that was so profound on the Camino to me was the sharing and compassion everyone had towards each other. It really made a mark on my life.
Honestly, even if you did the walk at a slower pace than most and stayed in private rooms, the amount you gave for 2 months seems reasonable at the more expensive side of doing the Camino. I am giving myself a few more years before I do the Camino and I plan to be flexible. Seeing this video gives me an idea now of how much I should set aside if I want the option of staying in a hotel or private room sometimes.
Glad it is helping with your planning :) I think so too - compared to the US it was quite inexpensive for a life-changing 2 month trek. I feel that every dollar was worth it.
Thank you! You definitely worked so hard to film the entire thing girl! You are amazing 🤩
Yes - including the invisible drone pilot
In the end happiness and good health is worth more than the amount of money spent. Great video.
Very helpful! Thank you so much for sharing! Buen Camino! 😁🙏🏼💜
Glad it was helpful! BUEN CAMINO!
Thank you so much for an Excellent and detailed breakdown of your costs! Our travel styles are similar so this was very helpful 😊
Glad it was helpful!
Great info
I like how you travel
Thanks for sharing & I’m sure many people will find the costs very helpful. Amazing feat with great food wine & comfy accommodation & I hope your feet have healed ? 💜🤗🍻🇦🇺
Thank you for the information. My wife and I are planning for September through October 2024. Same route as the one you took.
Buen Camino! It changed my life. I would do it again. Have fun! and may the path be everything you need and more.
Hello, i have loved watching your adventure. I am leaving end of August to walk the Camino for 2 months by myself as well. You have been a delight and an inspiration. I was wondering if you would be willing to send me a list of the places you stayed each night. I am debating on booking some as well as just letting the Camino lead me. Did you pre-book everything and would you recommend it, or just see where the trail leads you? Thank you so much.
Congrats on doing this trek! You are a baller!
Wow thank you! I joyfully receive that compliment!
I just watched your whole series on the Camino, but can’t find your foot care video you were going to make.
Hi Crystal,
Congrats again on successfully completing your Camino journey. Well done, you can see it was a life changing experience for you. Quick question, I’m struggling to find a good/basic/durable and reusable plastic poncho where I live. Are they very easy to come by on the trail? Hate to encounter rain halfway through a days walking and have nothing to throw over my clothing and pack. Thanks!! 🙂
Thank you! Yes I would wait until you get there as long as you start in a bigger city like Saint Jean, Pamplona, Burgos, etc. they all have pilgrim shops. I remember Estella did as well. Ponchos can be found there. Have you checked Sea to Summit? They seem like they might have a good one or REI (if you are in the USA) or Backcountry.
Thank you, I’m in Sydney Aust so I’ll take your advice and wait until I get there. I’m starting in Leon which appears to be a good sized town. Really looking forward to following your next adventure in Scotland. Buen Camino!
Pay attention to get a poncho which goes over your backpack too, so much more practical
Great job, thank you!! Could you tell me what luggage transport company you used or maybe heard about?
Which airport did you arrive at, and where did you buy your SIM card?
Do you suggest already buying euros from banks in US. If not, where did you buy your euros after arriving at your airport of destination?
Thanks Crystal! That is pretty impressive for 2 months!! We spent that in one week in L.A.! LOL!
How did you exchange your money and where did you do that ?
I may have missed you saying what mth you walked camino… in any case what mth was this that you started it?
I started in mid-May and ended mid-July 🙂
Did you include travel to and from.
The only 2 items not included are travel insurance and flights as I use points to fly ✌🏻
What about airfare
We are really good at racking up points via credit cards so I generally don’t purchase airfare and only use miles. So no airfare except maybe $10. That’s why I didn’t list it. Our situation is slightly different but we will be putting out a video, probably in April about how we travel for free a lot.
I am Belgian. Spain is one of the cheapest countries in Europe. Except for the eastern European countries. Like Poland. Hungary. Romania.
I'd love to visit all of those countries too!
Wtf how much did you spent WTF ? Im Rly shocked. I throw out Money at my First camino where 70 dass in my trip from alicante to finsterra and i still didnt use more than 3k . (And there gleicht etc is included). So youre more a Tourist than a pilgrim Right ?
Blessed Be ✌🏻
I’m with you Queen! I’m turning 67 (this month) and plan on private rooms and taking sixty days! I also love your rest days idea! Great job! 😊
Happy Birthday!!!! Have ALL the fun!!! Buen Camino!
Hi. I'm a nurse and on my camino frances I got the inevitable blisters... best treatment for them at night is to soak your feet in heavily salted warm to hot water.. it stops infection and it also hardens your feet... I noticed my blisters healed faster than other people's.
I'm about to leave for the camino portuguese from Lisbon and even though it will be heavy I am taking a bag of salt for the first couple of weeks.
Bom caminho everyone!
I had already watched a few camino videos from other people and then yours popped up on recommended. Wow, I watched them all from the beginning (Leaving the USA) to the end and your videos finally pushed me into wanting to do this so badly. I am planning on doing the Porto to Santiago de Compostela first to get a feel for it. I'm not religious either, for me it's the challenge. This was an amazing adventure you did, I'm in awe, congratulations 👍
Good video! When I walk the camino, I will be looking for hotels or B&B - not young any more to use hostels and dorms. Thanks for the total cost breakdown.
Glad it was helpful!
I watched the whole series. Planning a solo trip soon. Curious if you planned all your stays out a head of time. How did it work if you needed to change plans? Would it throw off all your stays going forward. I would do the same as you, private rooms and bag transfer.
I walked the camino at the same time and I only booked 3 or 4 albergue. Just to feel comfortable you should make a reservation in Saint Jean, in Orrison or Larrasone and after the really long way (The Meseta) in Calzadilla. Stay flexible on the. Otherwise you will regret it if you find a lovely place to stay or people you want to walk with
Very helpful. I'm planning my own trip, and this helped me decide that it's going to be worth it to book private rooms.
Loved following your Camino adventure! Did you post the lodging video? If not, do you have a list of where you stayed? I am totally in sync with your choices on everything, starting my solo camino May 28. Would appreciate any lodging recommendations from you! 😊
Yes that video came out 2 weeks ago ☺️
Just click the link below:
ua-cam.com/video/JkCIjD5mQfs/v-deo.html
Thank you for sharing your whole journey. It’s been so inspirational for me. I’m planning to do the 100 final kms. because of time but at least I think I will have a little taste of what the Camino is. I’m going by myself and I think it’s the best way to do it. I have 2 concerns that maybe you could give me a better idea. First, it’s the safety during the Camino…I saw how you walked by yourself for long periods of time during so, did you ever feel unsafe?? And my second is “bathrooms” I need a bathroom often so I want to make sure I will have it available or at least to know where to go if I have the emergency. Thanks again I really enjoyed your whole Camino. You’re brave and made me feel more like to go!!!
Hi. For bathrooms, I've heard that sometimes, you'd need to do it in nature. If you want to pee standing up, you can buy a "she wee". You'll have to practice using it while you're still at home. Good luck!
I'm also planning on private rooms. Could you list the ones you recommend please?
Thank you so much for putting this together, Crystal. Loved following your journey and really liked the places you stayed so this vlog was really useful for me to get an idea of cost.
I would love to know what you do for a living as I think you said you travelled full time and this would be my dream but can’t think of anything that would allow me to do this. Your tips and advice would be super appreciated! Looking forward to Scotland vlog! (I hope you had your midgie net!0
I biked 🚲 the Camino back in 2018. Took me 7.5 days. Including the air ticket, bike, food, lodging, and other expenses it was under $1250 🥾
That makes sense. Mine worked out to less than $1k a week but that’s w/o airfare so about the same price per week.
@@vanhallaadventures I had too many 🍻
So it might be safe to say that a $10,000.00 budget might do it for the length of time you stayed...2 months....
$10k is FAR more than enough for 2 months on the Camino. However, that was not my budget.
Saludos desde Santiago guapísima, me alegro de que hayas disfrutado el camino :)
Wow. You are amazing. What a fabulous idea to post your costings. You are forever the "Teacher." For me I will be doing my Camino in May 2025 which is some time away (28 months and counting) but this still helps me to get my head around the costings. I have so many other questions :-) Will you be listing your favorite accommodation as well? Thanks Gorgeous.
@jenniferseitianidis9610 Only 7 months left. I am almost certain that I will do the camino myself in the future. Have a great Camino. Best from Norway😊
do they accept debit / credit cards or cash ?
Wowsers - that’s a luxurious Camino Frances ! I think I spent €25 a day maximum ( albergues / some cheap pensions ) all meals self made from supermarkets) but lots of coffee out obviously.
Thank you for sharing your expenses! These are practical data that are totally essential!❤️🥰😍😘
You are so welcome!
I’m planning on my Frances Camino for April/May 2024. Can you advise how you paid for your daily expenses: was it all in cash or were you able to charge a lot of it on credit cards? Did you get your Euros in the US before flying to Spain, or did you convert once you were boots on the ground in Spain? Did you use ATM’s in Spain and if so, were the service charges reasonable. Do you speak Spanish? If no, did you have any issues not being able to speak Spanish, especially at lodging checkin, restaurants, etc? Thanks!
Hi. Most albergue take cash. If you book online, then they'll accept credit card. They usually ask for payment upon checkin (if you walk in). As for language, most hotels, hostels and wait staff know a bit of English. But it's always polite to learn a little of the language, even if it's gracias, por favor & una cerveza. 😊
Re: banks, if you have a Charles Schwab acct, they'll reimburse the ATM fees at the end of the month. If you don't have it, you can get euros at your bank - ask them in advance. Exchange rates at airports aren't good. Safe travels!
Thanks, I appreciate your making this video. I'm doing the camino and wanted to get some sort of rough idea about the overall cost. I would prefer my own private room wherever I go so I'm with you on that one. The trial runners Is a good heads up, another person gave me this advice too. I'm very non fussy with food and can happily exist on a very spartan diet so my food expenses will be very minimal. Thanks for the information 👍
Was this cost in American dollars?
Yes
Thanks Crystal, really enjoyed watching your journey. How far ahead did you book your accommodation? For example, was it a day ahead each day? I am a lady of a certain age and would prefer to have my main bag transported each day, so would like to know how much notice the transport company needed. Were there any occasions when you had to change your plan for the day at short notice, for example due to an injury, and were unable to make it to your accommodation?
Thank you for making this video! I found it very helpful. I was wondering how your experience was as a solo woman traveler and if you recommend doing it alone to other females or if you think going with at least one other friend would be better? I can see advantages to both, but am very curious as to your advice from your personal experience. I would think certain times it was nice to be alone, and vice versa with being with others but it sounds like you had no issues making friends from what I saw in your full length video 🤗
Thank you thank you thank you Crystal. You have been such an inspiration to me as i will be walking the Camino end May next year alone. Im a bit nervous about getting beds and how to book in advance whilst on the Camino. PLEASE tell me how to go about bookings which app should I use and how you did the luggage transfer. Please and thanks....Ramona ❤😊❤
Exactly the explanation I was looking for. Subscribed.
I understood that you used the transport service for your luggage. I noticed that your backpack was fairly large. What items were you carrying in your backpack?
If I do the walk which you did can I take as long as I like. For example stopping in towns or villages to enjoy that area and do others things
My eyes had to adjust seeing you so cleaned up 😄 thanks for the great info. If you think about typical monthly rent and expenses in the US, your experience was a steal. 👍
😂😂😂ME TOO! When I got my bag of clothes I nearly lost it - I was so happy to have a new shirt to wear!
Yes totally. I wouldn’t spend this on every trek but for my first one I feel good about it. No regrets. Plus I got to sleep every night with no fellow snoring pilgrims waking me up 🙈
Hi, I've watched all your Camino videos and have now planned to do it exactly as you've done it!! Thank-you for sharing everything!!. You've mentioned you will share how you broke up your trip i.e. which village/town you spent each night? I would find this so helpful as I want to do it in about 2 months too. P.S. I'm coming from South Africa.
Check out this video. It should have all the answers to your questions, enjoy!
ua-cam.com/video/JkCIjD5mQfs/v-deo.html
Can you share how did u do your room bookings ? Was it in advance or is it better done in advance ? Since not every stop over was a single night at per your sharing . Please can you draw light on this 💕🙏🏽💐thanks
Please click the link below for accommodations video!
CAMINO FRANCES PRIVATE ACCOMMODATION & ROUTING (prices, tips, & more)
ua-cam.com/video/JkCIjD5mQfs/v-deo.html
Great. I also plan on staying in private rooms so this was very helpful. Did you do a video on which places you stayed?
Please click the link below for accommodations video and thanks for watching!
ua-cam.com/video/JkCIjD5mQfs/v-deo.html
very reasonable considering 2 months ! Thank-you for the info
Glad it was helpful!
You have inspired me to do this trek. My husband and I have a van and we’re already planning for a year off from work for a US van tour. However, now I want to start with the Camino for 2 months then back to US for the other 10 months. Curious for the private rooms, was the price per person or if you are travelling with two people would the lodging be the same price? I notice you mentioned a few places included breakfast so I wasn’t sure. Also I would prefer private rooms with some stays as well in towns. I was curious how far ahead you booked since other videos I’ve watched talk about how part of the magic is not having a plan. Was curious your experience.
So exciting! I’m so happy for you 😀 if you are traveling with 2 people the price would increase at some places. When I arrived some places assumed I came with a friend and other places it was going to be $10 or so more. It really just depends.
I used booking.com and liked doing it that way so everything was neat and tidy in one place and I could book rooms with no upfront payment then after the entire thing was booked I could see the final price. From there I adjusted a few bookings to ensure I was in the budget bracket I was expecting.
I landed in Saint Jean Pied de Port France and stayed there for 4 days and booked it all right before I took off (except for Orisson and a RONCESVALLES - i booked those months in advance).
The one place you need to book is Orisson (highly suggest not walking to RONCESVALLES from SJPDP in 1 day) as that is one of 2 places to stay and it’s such a great community vibe. I would book those first 2 nights as soon as you have your date locked in (a few months in advance).
I am VERY happy I booked ahead. Here’s what I will say: I saw a lot of people that were on tighter budgets almost running to get to the next town so they got a bed at the free or inexpensive hostels. If you have a higher budget you probably have more wiggle room BUT there is not as many private rooms unless you go to larger cities. Some places have very few accomodations as well and if you don’t book ahead you will need to walk further or back-track.
I think at the very least get the first 2 nights booked and any other towns that have limited lodging as well as any places you really want to get a specific room.
I personally found booking ahead helped me have a nice leisurely pace. I could stroll in at 6pm and not feel rushed. To me that was magic. But everyone is different.
Does this help?
Buen Camino!
@@vanhallaadventures very very helpful. I’m excited to think about it and I wish it wasn’t so far out for me but saving for a year of travel takes alot of money and time. Some of the places you stayed looked amazing. I’m going to go back through your videos as I think you mentioned what many of them were. Looking for to your lodging video and hopefully a few more details. I’m going to see if my library has any guide books. Afraid to buy one too early because they go out of date quickly. I’m hoping you’ll share you’re favorite locations and must do. I think I’d love to plan for 45 days to 2 months. I love Sunday mornings with a cup of coffee and books and videos. That’s when I love to plan. I got a us atlas with spots marked off and now I can start a list for this. I truly appreciated your honest view of this experience. I’ve since watched a few other videos and some romanticized the experience. I’ve been watching you for a long time and it’s been fun to watch your video skills get better and better. Appreciate you and my husband Bryan is a drummer and I think he envies your hubbies job :) He’S still trying to figure out how to fit a drum set in the van lol. If you are ever in SC, we’ve got plenty of room on our property for you!
This video helped a lot as we prepare our Camino budget as we will travel similarly. Fortunately the Camino Frances is still less expensive than the Via Francigena. 😆 Buen Camino!
theres a lot
What do you do for work for making money?
We have a video about that!
Please click link below and thanks for watching!
HOW WE MAKE MONEY ON THE ROAD & AFFORD VAN LIFE | van life jobs
ua-cam.com/video/Bw6nnkvDlXY/v-deo.html
Very useful. Much Thanks.
That’s great to hear ☺️
Wow that's like 3 years of property taxes ect... I won't be going anywhere anytime soon! Lol thank you for sharing! Always a pleasure to see you and your videos! Much love to you! Glad you are doing well! Congratulations on your achievements! 😊❤👍
Good breakdown of the cost for a de-lux camino based on private room, rest days and a vegan diet. For 100 dollars a day you get a lot. Sure there might be cheaper options. But as there's enough information on the shoesting side of camino travel already available this is a valuable add on as 'hike your own hike' should also inclusive for all :)
Thank you lovely for giving out so much info through your video's and in the comments below, much appreciated.... this really helps me with planning my trip Sept 2023. Hope Scotland was a great adventure as well 😊
Thank you for sharing this tips. My husband and I are planning the Camino, we definitely will book private rooms. This video is very helpful.
Congratulations! I am starting the Camino on May 11th and looking forward to the journey. Thank you for content, I know it will be useful.
Hi! Thanks for the video! How was it going alone as a woman, and what inspired you to do it, and why the Camino Frances and not another route? Thanks!
I would like more information on long term baggage storage and shipping to Santiago. I don’t need daily baggage handling but I would like to send a package ahead. Please let me know what you did!!!😊
nice video
Thanks
Hi did you make reservations ahead or i can’t just walk in an pay for the bed like hostel/ hotel or shelter ? am planning month of May thanks
Great tips! Could you please share the details/info of the podiatrist you went to? Thank you!
how many stops you did just to sleep from St Jean to Santiago ? thanks
Is there any foot wear that you would recommend I heard that you need really good walking shoes, also I'm on a strict budget I don't think I'll be getting private rooms to often is there camping, I want to spend the bulk of my money after I walk as I plan to go to Greece, Germany an maybe Serbia
I would check out this video to learn more about wha to pack: ua-cam.com/video/NxdryW1NIx8/v-deo.html
From my knowledge you aren't really suppose to camp however beds in a dorm are $15 or even free in some places. You can find cheaper accommodations along the way if you book far in advance or you get to the towns very early and grab a bed. I know some people do camp though It isn't really a 'thing' on the Camino HOWEVER I really believe in the saying "if there is a will there is a way". A lot of people show up on a tight budge and make it work so don' let the money detour you! You can do it!
Either hiking shoes or trail running…was a shoe salesman for 8 years
Do they take US insurance or travel insurance. ?
Hi, which SIM card did you use? Vodaphone?
Hello! Loved following along on your journey. This is a silly question but how many sd cards did you use for your trip? 😅😂
I brought 3 - 1 for each camera though every night I uploaded the footage to my laptop and erased the SD card. I had my laptop in my luggage transport. In all I had 2 TB worth of footage. But I was filming A LOT and not everything made it into the vlogs. So your needs may be quite less.
@@vanhallaadventures thank you!!
Thanks so much for the info! Very helpful.
Thank you for the info love Camino France ❤
Hi! It would be nice also to give not only US-Prices but also EUR “on the sheets” in the video for example for European viewer like me. Thanks for the Videos and the inside in your life! Great to see your personal developments from day one to today! Very inspiring:)
Thank you!
Because I use my credit card for everything it will only ever show up as US amounts for me. Thought to do the math you could look up the euro to USD exchange rate last year in May then convert it from there. Hope that helps!
Leaving for Spain in April. Would you be okay sharing who you used for travel insurance? Thank you for sharing your experience.
I’ll go back and check but I think it was world nomad travel insurance…pretty sure that was the name!
theres a lot
Massage! Great idea.
I'm so happy you finished !!!! You are an inspired to me, I start looking at your videos from the beginning, and then I went to do the camino in October, I finished also, but at the last day in Finisterra I broke my anckle, so all the time to recovery, I see your videos, now I'm start walking again, and thank you for share !!!
Oh goodness! Sending your ankle some love
This is so helpful! Thank you!
Hello from Canada, Wow great info on the budget items. Many thanks for your time and energy. Sending Love and Light.
You are so welcome - thank you for watching!
You are about right in budget… $100 a day per person. 👍🏻 thats food, rooms and miscellaneous over the entire camino.
That is a great way to put it! I definitely felt like I could've spent less but I have ZERO regrets! It was well worth the experience as the Camino shifted my entire viewpoint in life. Buen Camino :)
You can do it comfortably for about 70 Euros a day. Everybody does it differently.
Yeah totally. Huge price differences depending on food + lodging + airfare
This was so helpful so Thank you! I was wondering if you would ever hike the Camino again?
100%!!! I have several treks coming up this year and plan to walk the Via Francigena in 2024. Amazing experience and probably the best thing I could’ve ever done for myself. Well worth every penny, ounce of sweat, and tears.
Are those your drone shots or did you get those from a subscription where you pay for them?
Both for this video I believe. Our drone fell from the sky at the end of the trip so I had to get some clips from online to show the cathedral and what not. Though I can't remember each clip on here.
What companies did you use to book lodging and luggage transport
Pilbeo for luggage transport. Loved them! I did my own bookings via booking.com though I heard good things from people who used trekking companies.
Great breakdown, thank you. What months were you walking? If you were to do it again, what months would you walk?
I walked mid-May through mid-July. I would definitely walk in May and June again. July was REALLY hot though June was too but as long as I started early it was totally fine and I’m not a hot weather person.
@@vanhallaadventures Thank you. I'm looking at May next year. Maybe even starting in mid to late April, as I also don't like walking in the heat.
This is super helpful to me because I’m thinking I will take two months and also want private room and eat out. It actually seems very frugal considering how long you spent. I’ve really enjoyed see all your vlogs about the camino. Do you have a particular guidebook you found useful? I have subscribed to your channel and look forward to the Scotland hikes. Oh, because of some physical limitations I might not be able to walk only six miles a day. Will I be able to find accommodations for those intervals or would I need to take a taxi for part of the day?
Glad to hear it’s helpful Beverly 🙂 The Brierely Guide is good if you want more info on historical areas and places you visit but I personally found the Michelin guide very travel friendly. You can look at each day ahead visually and see the elevation gain and loss along with water stops, etc. I used this daily and found it to be perfect! I also found stingynomads.com to have a great outline of days on the Camino. I used their website to piece together my stops when I was booking. Combined I found their website + Michelin guide to be the best UNLESS you really want to dive into the history of places, spiritual insights, etc.
In regards to walking…I would print out a list of the usual stops with distances in between (stingy nomads has this on their site) then see what towns are in between. Start looking at distances based on your needs and then book from there. You can use the Camino Ninja app to look at each town and do this too and it will give you a list of places in that town. You can email the accomodation or book online at booking.com.
Staying in the less popular stops for the day was one of my fav things! I loved the small towns.
Does that answer your questions?
Buen Camino!
@@vanhallaadventures this is exactly the information I needed. There were so many guidebooks I was overwhelmed. Now I know what to purchase. Thank you for taking the time to reply. You are genuinely sweet.
@@beverlyschiffler9649 I felt that way too. A lot of treks have SO MUCH information out there is can be hard to navigate where to put your time and energy. It takes me HOURS (well, months really) to plan every single trip for us so I really want to get our YT + new website to be a helpful resource for everyone. I know how it can be. Thank you for the sweet compliment!
What months of the year did you walk the Camino?
May - July 🙂
Thanks. Your vlogs are very informative and entertaining. I hope you continue vlogging your future adventures.
I’ve been looking forward to this video all week! Thank you!
Hope it answered your questions 🤓
Yes, definitely!
How did you do the long term storage for your baggage? I would like to drop a bag off and pick it up at the end of the walk.
What a waste of money. For that amount of money, you can probably stay 6 months on Camino.
Thank You Crystal. Very Helpful. Always Love Your Videos
I really enjoyed this video,have a lovely weekend fan debs xx 🏔........
Same to you Debs! Thanks for watching :)
@@vanhallaadventures my pleasure you have a lovely channel debs xx