You’re never alone on the camino, unless you really want to be. When walking the camino we find ourselves with time and reflection upon our minds. A great cocktail to have amazing conversations and make new friends. Being alone during the walking is important part of the path but in the evenings the community of the camino is like a transient city. You can find someone once then not see them again for a week. Others will be with you each step of the way. Its the perfect mix of solitude and community!

It is up to the airline company and the security. A metal walking stick has been classified as a ski pole, which is prohibited, but has also been classed as a walking aid, which is not. Normally it wouldn’t be allowed as a hand luggage, but would be allowed as hold baggage. You wouldn’t take the chance if it would be confiscated so better to put it in the cargo hold baggage. Perhaps you can give some extra protection by putting them in cardboard mailing tubes or wrapping them with foil.

Taking wooden sticks to Spain on a fight is up to the airline company and the security. Getting them back to Australia or to the States is much more difficult with the strict quarantine laws. Try to wrap it in black plastic and tie it up with a tape for the travel, check it in as hold luggage and cross your fingers.

This is a document issued by the Chapter of Santiago Cathedral, and it certifies that a person has made the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. It is written in Latin. To obtain it, you need to show a stamped credential and have completed a minimum of 100 kilometres on foot or horseback or 200 kilometres by bicycle.

If you plan to stay every night in an albergue or hostel, don’t take a mat with you, you will sleep in a normal bed or on a mattress. Many pilgrims bring mat to the Camino but after some stages they just throw it away or leave it in the albergues, so if you really need one, you can get one for free anywhere. The only reason when you need a mat is sleeping in a tent.

You could try it! It is quite magical. The Meseta would be good for the stars and easily walked in parts, yous hould need a light to find the signs on the way. Just remember that albergues have quite strict closing and opening times so it will be very hard to find a place to sleep. However please remember that in Spain nowadays all pedestrians walking in these hours are required to wear a reflective vest.

Don’t worry about the mossies, this problem doesn’t exist on the Camino. You have to be careful only at the canals leaving Boadilla del Camino, this is the place where they can come, nowhere else. Don’t take mosquito spray to the Camino with you.

A headlight is a must sometimes:

• you need it for packing at dawn with a red light (you can’t wake up others)
• if you need to walk in the dark (it’s required a strong headlight to find the signs)
• in the evening alberues turn off the light at 10 the latest. If you want to do anything after this time, you will need a headlamp.

It depends how important it is to you. If you can handle the additional weight, there is no reason not to take it. If you can really play the guitar it can cause one of the magic highlights for your camino friends. However, you should be a little careful about when you play it in the albergues as people really need and want to sleep and would probably not enjoy it in the evening. Afternoons should be OK.

The credential is an official document that certifies and identifies the pilgrim. It shows his/her personal data, maps of the Pilgrim’s Way and boxes where the stamps are entered in the places where the pilgrims pass through, and the date. This document is essential to stay in public hostels (albergues) and obtain the ‘Compostela’, but it does not give any other rights to its holder.