I Made These 7 EPIC Mistakes on the Camino Frances

Are you ready to walk the Camino de Santiago? In this video, I'm going to confess the 7 mistakes on the Camino that I made while walking the Frances route from Saint-Jean to Santiago de Compostela. Some of these are pretty cringe-worthy, not gonna lie! 😬 😅 Even though I'm embarrassed to admit I made these mistakes on the Camino Frances, hopefully, by sharing them openly, you can learn from my mistakes before you head out on your own journey! ❤️

👉 Subscribe & tap the bell button to be notified about more Camino videos coming soon 🛎️ @jenontherunn

✨Thank you so much for watching & supporting! Your comments mean the WORLD to me! BUEN CAMINO ✨

🎒 CAMINO PACKING LIST // GEAR

📸 Camera Gear

CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
0:45 Mistake 1
2:32 Mistake 2
3:38 Mistake 3
4:25 Mistake 4
5:21 Mistake 5
6:03 Mistake 6
7:10 Mistake 7

👩‍💻 ABOUT ME:

For business and collaboration inquiries:

Just so you know, this description contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase through one of the links or items mentioned in this video, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps us run this channel and keep it free for you! Thank you so much for your support!

[markdonovan]

First and foremost, congratulations on completing the Camino Frances and producing some superb video content about your experiences. Those dates would be expected to be some of the hottest in the year, so it would have been tough. I did my first full Camino Frances from SJPP to Finisterre from August 31st to September 20th 2018. I live in Spain and had no deadline, so I took my time and didn't plan ahead apart from the first two days.

There are no mistakes, just learning experiences. It's all good😊
Obviously, some decisions we make may not work out as expected, which can lead to disappointment, delays, change in itinerary, injury or added costs.

My feedback on your list is:

1. Time and daily distance are hard to predict in advance for a through-walk of this distance. We can't really know in advance how our body and mind will react to day-after-day of 5 to 7 hours daily walking. What we can do is listen to our body and give ourselves a chance to adapt. To help this happen, building in a few rest days and extra margin to allow walking at our own natural pace. Most Camino guides will show stages to complete the route, but these are "guides", not rules. Be flexible and adaptable as much as the situation allows. Enjoy, we may only do this once - although many of us go on to become repeat offenders...😅

2. Backpack weight is important, we often take too many "just in case" items. Our shoulders, back, hips, knees, and ankles with thank us for keeping that load as light as possible. Most advice suggests not exceeding 10% of bodyweight (which includes carrying 1-2kg of water at the start of the day). The "just in case" items can be bought in most places en-route if necessary, so no need to overload

3. Footcare is different for everyone. I found the most important thing, apart from correct fitting footwear, was to keep feet dry. As I walked in a hot period too, I found that talcum powder in the day (in socks and trail shoes) and then vaseline at night was the combination that worked for me. I also used "silk tape" between any toes that were prone to friction. But we are all different, so some discovery time will be inevitable. The most important thing is deal with any problem when they start, don't wait for them to get worse! If necessary, stop and take a day or two to recover and fix any problems before continuing.

4. Trekking poles are very useful and can easily be strapped to back our backpack when not needed. They definitely help with balance and protecting knees and ankles when taking on some of the more tricky descents. You can buy relatively cheap trekking poles, telescopic ones, in Spain and then donate them to an albergue at some point towards the end of the Camino.

5. Well-proven footwear is advisable, but also well-chosen and correctly fitted lightweight trailshoes can also work. I've done it with both. Footwear is again a very personal choice, so everyone is different. If what you take doesn't work out, be prepared to change: buy what you need and send the others home or on two Casa Ivar in Santiago to collect before you return home.

6. Always pack the night before - just makes so much sense. I have a couple of grab bags as you mentioned. Be efficient and organised, it just saves time and reduces disturbance to others.

7. Yeah, I'd recommend flight to Madrid, then bus to Pamplona, then taxi to SJPP if you can share with others. The taxi will probably be a similar cost to an overnight stay in Pamplona to get the bus the next day - it also saves you a day of travel. Mind you, Pamplona is a great city to stay an extra day in.😊

As with all these kind of things, opinions and experiences are wide and varied. Each of us will have to discover the right solutions as we go along, not everything can be guaranteed to work in advance.

Buen Camino.

[brucemills]

The best way to get to St Jean is to fly from London Stansted to Biarritz - about $29. Just over 1 hour train ride from Bayonne/Biaritz to St Jean Pied de Port. Much faster and cheaper than flying to Paris, Madrid, or Barcelona.

[PaulNelson]

I’d add to the shoe’s to walk a long distance in them once or twice before you leave. I bought some shoes a half size larger, and started walking on the weekends in them. They felt great till last weekend when I walked around 14 miles, the last mile or 2 my toes were rubbing the front of my shoes and were pretty sore when I finished. Now I know I need a full size, not a half size larger. I’m glad I discovered that before I was on the Camino.

[jornspirit]

...nice tips for first-timers... but I also believe, that everyone will find then other mistakes to make, if they avoid these ones... the learning is part of the journey... thats also why I would call them 'learnings' rather than mistakes... mistakes are something bigger for me, like having more lasting consequences... you did very well, Jen, and can certainly be proud of yourself, of how you mastered your first camino! 😎

[barondavis]

Consider using injinji toe socks instead of or in addition to Vaseline.
I did 200 miles on the Colorado trail with no blisters. However, my shoes had a wide toe box.

[craigkimble]

Good Stuff! I also made lots of mistakes, but I think I shared before I cycled, I'm going back in May to cycle from Pamplona, then I'm going to backtrack and Hike from León, but I learned a lot from my first adventure. 😅 Vaseline is a good one 👍

[seanclark]

Re your advice on getting to St Jean, the best way is to fly into Paris then take a connecting flight to Biarritz ( these flights on low cost airlines can be very inexpensive, on my last trip I payed about €40 ) then take a shared Taxi from Biarritz directly to St Jean( €15 to €25) if you can plan to arrive in St Jean before 2pm you can skip the night in St Jean and walk to Orisson (5 miles) and spend your first night there .
This saves you a day, shortens your walk over the mountain and you get to share your first group meal on the Camino and meet many other pilgrims, a great way to start your walk .
Buen Camino

[evokritik]

The Camino is an ultimate experience. There is no mistake possible.
The Camino provides.
If you plan through everything it's not a camino.

[Peoriahiker]

Thanks so much. You did wonderful, and just think of all the learning opportunities you had that benefits others. As last time, I will be flying into Madrid, however, I I will take the train from there to St Jean. It’s a long journey, with a couple changes, however, I don’t have to worry about missing the bus in Pamplona, and still arrive in St Jean early evening. Thanks again; keep posting. Buen Camino

[billkrueger]

great tips, even for us who have walked several times...be well!

[tusk]

I want to go home, back on the Camino!
Greetings from Germany!

[chaddventures]

Great video! My biggest mistake was getting fat blisters on the way over the Pyrenees. I would have given myself a bit more time as well. I gave myself 40 days as well and took no days off. Buen Camino

[pikijakob]

When I did my first Camino nearly two decades ago, almost every pilgrim walked it in 30 days max. I met a pilgrim in his eighties who did previous Camino Frances in 26 days and he was aiming to do it in 23 days. 100% of pilgrims walked the Pyrenees in one day since there were no provisions in between. Rest days were not so common for someone to take. But those were probably "different" times with way less pilgrims, accommodations along the route, guide books ...We walked until we were tired i guess.

[Maureen.walkdontrun]

I finished my Camino November 5 and made all the mistakes you did…except for my bag being too heavy. Although I had a few clothing items I didn’t wear so I could have lightened my load more. I started at 11 pounds. My biggest mistake was buying a pair of Keen hiking sandals in Pamplona because it was hot when I started in SJPP. It quickly turned cold and rainy and I had to carry the sandals. Keens are heavy and too expensive to throw away. What I should have done was take off my shoes more often to cool off my feet. Vaseline was a game changer for me too, but also didn’t use it the first few days when the potential for blisters is the greatest.

[mobeau]

Hi Jen, how far in advance do you need to book the albergue? Great video, thank you!

[Digital-Sparks]

I would think packing your bag and hiking with it at home would be advantageous, I would hike at home for no less than a month to know if the weight is a problem.

[DunRovinRanch-]

How much training did you do preCamino? My experience in marathon training shows that if you put in the miles beforehand your feet would have already grown to the Camino size.

[Pablo_J_M]

Jen, was it crowded during the dates you mentioned in the video? I am planning my first Camino around those dates.

[angelfire]

Thank you for the Video. 2025 will be my first time. Not sure which month.

[cecillenadela]

How often did you apply the Vaseline at night after walking or through out the day