I love this video. So helpful to share your experiences. It's funny. My biggest surprise on our 2019 Camino Portugues was (initially) my perception that most of the Pilgrims we met on the first few days after leaving Porto were simply not very friendly or talkative. I am very (American) talkative while traveling and SO interested in culture and experience and am just plain curious. As you know "Bom Camino" has a few meanings depending upon context. One distinct meaning is when you are conversing with someone and they abruptly state, "Bom Caminho." In this context it means simply, "Goodbye." They are done. No more discussion. I'm moving on. We knew this on this Camino and I was shocked at how often it happened early on. Fortunately, while curious, I'm also self-aware enough to recognize this was on me and I quickly toned down my hellos and my attempts to chat and converted to smiles, nods and quiet "Bom Caminhos." By the end of the trip I had learned much and realized that it was not unfriendliness. It was not rudeness. It was not selfishness. It was truly that every Pilgrim is on his/her own, unique walk and finding their own Way. Some are celebrating. Some are grieving. Some are processing. Some are there for religious reasons. Some are there for recreation. Some for fitness and some for reasons they don't know yet. This recognition changed my experience for the last half. This recognition has resonated with me since my return to home. This recognition made me a better person. It was a lesson the Camino taught me that I didn't know I needed. Bom Camino!

Very helpful, thanks Nadine!

Yeah, I was exhausted from the social aspect and lack of sleep. I took a great nap halfway up the Pyrenees on day one. It was great. If I do the Camino again, I’m taking a sleeping pad and would just take a “siesta” whenever I feel like it. That day, I just laid down under a tree and covered my face with my hat, put my feet up on my bag and had some of the best sleep of my life.

Such great wisdom! I know future pilgrims will appreciate you normalizing the things that can feel overwhelming but are a natural part of the process and of the growth you are about to undertake. After my Camino I had a fleeting moment where I scolded myself for being so anxious beforehand and for the first day or so. But I think it was the magnitude of that change - the transformation of “Can I even do this?” into confidence and that feeling of accomplishment, that was most important for me. Buen Camino, Nadine!

Thanks for adressing the very important and often underated psychological adaptation aspect of any travelling but more specifically the Camino pilgrimage. Well done!

Hi first of all, thank you for sharing your thoughts about what to expect in the first few days of a Camino. It is very helpful. I will be walking the Portugués Camino (my first) starting in early September of 2022 from Porto to Santiago. I am finding the planning almost overwhelming! I am 75 years old, and while I have travelled a lot over the years, the Camino experience is daunting to me. I cycle quite a bit, but the thought of walking two hundred and fifty kilometres over hills and possibly in 30C heat in fifteen days has me terrified. With less than fifty days before the start of my Camino, I am training but so far the most I have walked is 12 kilometres in a day. Right now I feel I have bitten off more than I can chew. I thought I had taken the easy route by signing up with Follow the Camino who have booked my hotels and are moving my bag to the next stop..but after looking at my itinerary where on my first day I will have to walk 22.5 kilometres, I wonder whether I have it in me to do this? I locked myself in by having booked all of my hotels in advance. I probably would have been better off by staying in albergues and walking what I could. Too late for that now. The positives are that I have comfortable shoes, trekking poles that are supporting me and a small backpack. As well, I have John Brierley’s Camino Portugués book Someone on Facebook suggested I take a bus to the outskirts of Porto to start my Camino, I am considering doing that as it will reduce the kms on my first day. Any advice?

Nadine, every video I watch of you fills me with more excitement! Can’t thank you enough for your inspiration!!! I go solo on the Frances at the end of May!

Really valuable video Nadine. It's so good to know it wasn't just me felt these things 😊. One other thing I experienced was the morning of day 4: my initial excitement had gone, I was tired and felt overwhelmed by how far I had to walk to SdC! I'd trained but not done anything like this before. I decided to only think of one day at a time, that was more than enough for me. I never truly believed I could walk the whole way until I reached Praza do Obradoiro. Who knew, I really could walk a very long way 😁

Really good video! Very realistic about the start of the Camino. Buen Camino! Ultreia!

Excellent video!! I am going on my first Camino next month (August 2020). Thank you for these videos!!

You’re a wealth of information. Thank you so much for sharing your experience to help us newbie peregrino. Will definitely think about this video when on the Frances in a few weeks. Thanks Nadine!!! 👍❤️

I absolutely love your videos. You are a true Camino gem. Please keep up the great work you are doing.

Thanks so much for taking the time to provide all this great content. I’ve been prepping for my first Camino for the last 6 months and your videos have been a great help. As I prepare to begin walking on June 13th, this ‘what to expect video’ was particularly timely and helpful!

Planning to do this in 2023 as a 63yo with my 28yo daughter and possibly my 60yo husband if he is game.

Thanks Nadine! This is great to know since I will be starting my first camino in about 2 weeks. I'm excited and a little nervous!

many thanks, Nadine for another great video! just catching up after some travel...the first word that comes to mind is 'relax'...granted the Camino is new for everyone, but how many 'firsts' have we already experienced? school? high school? college? work? relationships? etc...if we were able to survive those, we have developed the capacity to survive the Camino. That being said, after a wondrous dinner at the restaurant featured in 'The Way" in SJPDP, we set out for Roncesvalles. We sent our packs ahead knowing the challenges of the first day. We made it to Orisson in good shape, marveling at the scenery on such a clear day! So amazing. As we continued, it was obvious that my wife was struggling. So, we took it slowly, stopping when she needed to, which was often, and talking her through yet another climb, after climb. Needless to say we made it, but we know what a 'bonk' looks like. Ours were the last packs claimed in Roncesvalles. But here's the thing...you seem like a good person, many of your viewers, I am sure, are the same. So are we. There are also many good people in Spain, and along each Camino. Let your light shine, and allow others' light to shine for you. The rewards are great, and the effort costs but a smile. The language thing can be worked out in so many ways and gestures. More stories about that when you ask the question about your funniest language faux pas! Be well!

Thank you for the super duper valuable info; I will take all your great advice to my camino ❤️ I wish I could tell all youtubers to ignore obtuse comments in the feed because after you take out all the disclaimers about how everyone is different and how this is a personal opinion from your script, finally we get the golden drops of information. Don't listen to them, we know you are you and you have great perspectives! People who critique can go and whistle ;)

That first day is so difficult mostly because we a fill with much anticipation and adrenaline. We sometimes walk too fast , have packed too much, are not physically prepared and/or mentally drained from the travel to get there. We try to have all the Camino experience all in one day. Once you wear out or wear down, you settle into the rhythm of the Way. My second Camino was a much better start. The rhythm is the key.

I really appreciate your thoughts about culture shock. I haven't done a Camino yet but I have been fortunate to travel. I've learned to expect that the first few days will be confusing & exhausting. I was in French-speaking Switzerland on a business trip & for 2 days I couldn't figure out why all the bathrooms were locked. I was desperate! A woman saw my distress & came over to help me. I was pulling on the door rather than pushing! So even the simplest things can be different & take time to figure out. Now I tell people that among the basic phrases you need to know to travel in a non-English speaking country you need to know "push" and "pull". You also need to know the emergency phone number because it's most likely not 911. But that's a different story.

Great video Nadine. From one introvert to another, Culture shock, jet lag, social interaction, and lack of training definitely takes its toll on a person the first couple of days.

HUGE piece of necessary equipment: sock liners....and good hiking boots.

Very helpful information! How much training did you do before your first Camino?

Reminds me of my Camino Portuguese... and trying to get in the routine of washing clothes as soon as you get settled.. when all you want to do is kick back and relax:)

Nice video with nice tone. I'm going on my first Camino in June and of course, have watched every YT video available. The one thing that stands out for me is day 1 or day 2, you ascend 4000ft in a pretty short distance which for those who are old, carrying injuries or have just under trained, this could be a huge physical and psychological challenge, even before you are properly warmed up. This tells me that extra tough endurance training is necessary to prevent falling at the first hurdle. Being overweight, I know that inclines are torture. I ascended from 8562ft to 11290 ft (+2728ft) at start of Everest Base Camp Trek and it nearly killed me. Exhaustion beyond belief ! Can we really expect day 1 and day 2 to be hell?

Hi, Nadine. I read about an Australian woman on the Camino Frances who walked a few hundred yards, got disgusted and turned back. She said she had a wonderful holiday in Spain, however, so I suppose that is one way to deal with a Camino. I didn't train for my first camino, so much as I experienced my pack, clothing and boots so I could make good choices on what to bring. It was exciting to see other pilgrims for the first time on the train to St Jean Pied de Port. I don't mind talking to pilgrims on the way, but I prefer to be in the quiet and solitude of a hotel room at the end of the day. Thanks for your insights on feeling drained at times and how you managed it. Not many talk about that.

Suggestion for new content: what is the most beautiful romanesque building on the Camino?

But surely that's why we go? If it was all the same as home, all immediately comfortable, why would we bother?

I'm going to do the Camino Portuges next Sept. Any idea of temperature at the time?

Such an insightful episode! How was your appetite at the start? Are you really hungry from walking or is your stomach really nervous and you don't feel like eating that much? During those first couple days, is there a "bubble" of people heading out and then it thins out or does it just vary depending on your particular speed and plans?

Hi! So this is a silly question. When you go from Saint-Jean-Pierre to Spain do you have to go through custom or something like that? Also, where do you get the camino passport?

What kind of electronic converters do I need?

Hey Nadine, glad to hear about all your summer plans. I'm off on Norte tomorrow morning. Living in Spain s now it is easy to do multiple caminos. Email me if you are looking for an sponsorship.

Did you take days off of the Camino at all? I found when I cycled thru Spain, Portugal and France in 1991, we needed days off from the grind. Does this happen when walking?

when flying from the US where do you fly into for doing the Francis starting in SJSP and how many days extra to acclimate before you start walking?

How do you manage jet lag and walking, I will be coming from Montreal Canada. I will walk from Portugal.

What did you do to train?