Preparing for the Camino
Laurel and Karen want to make certain you feel prepared for your trip. Below you will find helpful products, must read books, and videos to get ready for your pampered adventure!
Handy Items for Training and Trekking
Below is the recommended packing list for our Pampered Adventure Camino Tour. We encourage the use of quick dry fabrics, as laundry services are limited and sometimes non-existent.
Casual Wear:
2 shirts 2 pairs of pants / slacks / leggings
1 pair of walking shoes, sandals 2 pairs of socks
casual multipurpose dress (optional) 1 pair yoga pants or casual leggings
Hiking Equipment:
1 pair of hiking/trail boots * hiking poles (optional)
1 pair of hikers sandals 3-4 pairs of hiking socks
2 pairs of quick dry hiking shorts 2 quick drying T-shirts
1 long sleeve shirt 1 lightweight fleece sweater/vest
1 wind breaker/rain jacket 1 daypack to carry daily items
Make sure you have trained in and broken in your hikers. The Camino is NOT the time to try out new equipment. If your shoes hurt while training they will be disastrous on the Camino.
ADD FOR FALL/WINTER TRIPS:
Heavyweight fleece Fleece/knit cap
1 additional long-sleeved shirt Pair of warm leggings
Gloves
Additional Items:
Hygiene items: small, travel size amounts
1 liter water bottle or hydration system Sunscreen and sunglasses
A sunhat Small flashlight/headlamp
Moleskin/Compeed/blister kit Medications/vitamins
Bathing suit Disposable Poncho
Credit Cards Passport
Wet wipes/small Kleenex packets Hair ties
Cell phone/charger Clothespins
Camera (however, please consider taking only your cell phone for photos)
Ear plugs for sleeping Book/Journal/Pen
Please leave jewelry, fancy clothes, and items you would cry if you lose, AT HOME!
KEEP IT LIGHT! You can always buy what you need along the way.
Casual Wear:
2 shirts 2 pairs of pants / slacks / leggings
1 pair of walking shoes, sandals 2 pairs of socks
casual multipurpose dress (optional) 1 pair yoga pants or casual leggings
Hiking Equipment:
1 pair of hiking/trail boots * hiking poles (optional)
1 pair of hikers sandals 3-4 pairs of hiking socks
2 pairs of quick dry hiking shorts 2 quick drying T-shirts
1 long sleeve shirt 1 lightweight fleece sweater/vest
1 wind breaker/rain jacket 1 daypack to carry daily items
Make sure you have trained in and broken in your hikers. The Camino is NOT the time to try out new equipment. If your shoes hurt while training they will be disastrous on the Camino.
ADD FOR FALL/WINTER TRIPS:
Heavyweight fleece Fleece/knit cap
1 additional long-sleeved shirt Pair of warm leggings
Gloves
Additional Items:
Hygiene items: small, travel size amounts
1 liter water bottle or hydration system Sunscreen and sunglasses
A sunhat Small flashlight/headlamp
Moleskin/Compeed/blister kit Medications/vitamins
Bathing suit Disposable Poncho
Credit Cards Passport
Wet wipes/small Kleenex packets Hair ties
Cell phone/charger Clothespins
Camera (however, please consider taking only your cell phone for photos)
Ear plugs for sleeping Book/Journal/Pen
Please leave jewelry, fancy clothes, and items you would cry if you lose, AT HOME!
KEEP IT LIGHT! You can always buy what you need along the way.
Our favorite products to use on the trail and while training.
Our Favorite Women's Backpack
Osprey Packs Osprey Tempest 20 Backpack Click on image to buy. Both Karen and I used this model on our Camino. Greatest daypack ever! Pockets galore and a special hiding place for your money and passport. Comes in girly colors and black. |
Scrubba Portable Laundry System
Click on image to buy. Weighing less than 5 oz., the Scrubba Wash Bag is the lightest and most compact "washing machine" in the world, enabling you to wash clothes wherever and whenever you want for free. The Scrubba is a packing essential for travelers and campers who want to pack lighter and cleaner, save money, and enjoy travel without the hassle of finding a laundromat. Doubles as a dry-bag. |
Go Girl Combo Package
Click on image to purchase. From Amazon, "GoGirl is the way to stand up to crowded, disgusting, distant or non-existent bathrooms. It’s a female urination device that allows you to urinate while standing up. It’s neat. It’s discreet. It’s hygienic. GoGirl is easy to use. Just hold GoGirl against your body, forming a seal. Aim and, well, pee. GoGirl fits easily in your purse, pocket, or glove compartment. It’s a must for travel and sports. Dispose of it after use. Or clean and reuse as you like. Our patented splash guard eliminates messing and spilling. Once you practice a time or two, using GoGirl is going to feel like second nature." |
The Diva Cup or the Luna Cup
Click the images to purchase. If you happen to be visited by your monthly friend along the Camino, there are a few tricks to making the experience easier. The first is using a menstrual cup. Menstrual cups, when properly inserted, can hold your flow all day. That way you do not have to deal with a literal bloody mess when squatting alongside a road behind a spindly bush. A couple of my favorites are the Diva Cup and the Luna Cup. Both come with a handy bag. If menstrual cups are not your thing then consider using tampons with an applicator. |
TDr. Bronner's Organic Lip Balms
Click on image to purchase. Believe us, your lips will be dry all day. try all of these delicious and oganic balms to keep your pout moist and smiling! |
Good Clean Love Rebalance Wipes
Click on image to purchase. If you do need to clean up your nether regions, Good Clean Love makes some great moisturizing and balancing wipes that are Ph balanced and made for women, packed up individually for travel convenience. |
Our favorite Camino Socks!
Smartwool Medium Hiker Socks Click on image to purchase. These socks absorb sweat, prevent blisters, cushion your feet after hours of pavement pounding, and don't smell terrible even after two days of use! |
Women's Lightweight, Collapsible Hiking Poles
Evocrest Carbon Fiber Collapsible Trekking Poles Click on image to purchase. Using hiking poles eliminates stress on your low back, provides cadence to your walk, gives your upper body exercise, and relives pressure on your knees. These poles are the lightest you will find and collapse for your travel to Spain. I even managed to get mine through TSA! They also have moisture wicking handles. These poles are your best friend on the trail! |
Travel Packs of Kleenex
Click on image to purchase. These are an ABSOLUTE must in your daypack. You will use them to wipe your hands, face, nether regions, sweat, feet and as a handy plate when you need one. The Camino bathroom NEVER have toilet paper. Definitely buy the multipack as you will likely use 1 package a day. |
Powdered Electrolytes
Click on Image to Purchase It is handy to have packages of electrolytes to hydrate you and keep your energy up. Better than caffeine, and a great lift to help you keep walking those last few miles every day. This version also helps your joints which be talking to you at the ned of each day on the Camino. |
Blister Gel Guards
Click on image to purchase. feel a blister coming on, or have a blister festering as you walk. These gel bandages work like Compeed, and protect the tissue above and below the blister. They can make the difference between extreme pain and tenderness. Get a set for heels and toes. |
ZSHOW Women's Packable Windbreaker
Click on image to purchase. Every ounce counts when you walk. Sometimes you just need a windbreaker and light jacket. This does double duty with very little weight or space in your bag. |
Trailheads Ponytail Hat
Click on image to purchase. Love ponytails but need to wear a stocking cap? We do, too. This innovative product solves the problem! |
Elixir Ice Cool Neck Wrap
Click on image to purchase. Simply place these in the sink at night and wake up to an ice cool neck wrap. Cooling gel absorbs water throughout the night and will keep you cool all day! |
Ultra Light Cooling Towel
Click on image to purchase. For those of you walking in August, it can be hot and mugging. This cooling towel can be worn around your neck or as a bandana. Once you try it, you will never be without it. |
Outdoor Portable Pocket Blanket
Click on image to purchase. Need to rest on the trail, take a nap on the side of the road, or want a dry spot to meditate with us int he morning? This ultralight portable blanket is the perfect additional to your pack. |
DoTerra Wellness Blends Click on image to purchase. On Guard - Blend of oils to promote wellness and kick illness in the BOOTAY! Great for travel. DigestZen - Feel a tummy ache coming on? Had some paella that did sit right with you? Is your stomach in knots because you are nervous about your day's walk? Try rolling a bit of DigestZen on your belly. Breathe - Feeling a respiratory issue coming on? Touch of allergies? Breathe can help open up the bronchial pathways. |
Must Read Books for the Camino
The Camino: A Journey of the Spirit - Shirley MacLaine
Click on image to purchase. This is IT! The book that inspired me to walk the Camino more than a decade ago. While it includes some supernatural events, it is an inspiring read and will get you excited for your journey. |
To Walk Far, Carry Less - Jean-Christie Ashmore
Click on image to purchase. This is every pilgrims bible for what to pack, what to know, and how to chose what to put in your pack. While this guide is 6 years old, it remains one of the most relevant guides for pilgrims today. |
Walking Home - Sonia Choquette
Click on image to purchase. One woman's story of her journey, intense, funny, ugly, and very real. It is one of our favorite books. If you want to get a sense of what it is like - emotionally, physically, and spiritually - pick up this read. |
Backpacks, Boots, & Blisters - Mark H. O'Sullivan
Click on image to purchase. This is a brand new book designed to help prepare everyone, particularly those who are full of enthusiasm but little determination to physically prepare. From Amazon, "Mark saw large numbers of people who had set off full of enthusiasm, only to find after a week or so that they had to discontinue their Camino due to blisters, shin splints, tendonitis, loss of toe nails and other problems. In most cases it was a direct result of insufficient preparation, poor choice of boots, excessive weight in their backpacks and walking too fast. Mark says: "The phrase to keep uppermost in mind is: if you want to arrive like a young person, start off like an old one.'Backpacks, Boots & Blisters' is for the thousands of people each year who are relatively inexperienced, who set off with high hopes, only to have them thwarted by the sheer physical demands of an 800 km walk. Consider this: if your stride is half a metre, around 1.6 million steps will be required. Pilgrims march on their soles." |
Camino Portugues: Lisbon, Porto, Santiago - John Brierley
Click on image to purchase. This is THE classic Portuguese Route guide, updated in December 2017. Amazon says, "Updated to include newer maps and photos, the latest edition in these comprehensive guidebooks to the Camino de Santiago (Portuguese Way) and its offshoots contains all the information needed by modern-day pilgrims wishing to walk the sacred Way of Saint James. Overview route planners plus all 24 daily stage maps and detailed town plans help sojourners with as much advance preparation as they need. The completely redone maps feature contour guides to help distinguish the terrain that will be crossed each day, while full information on all pilgrim hostels, as well as details for alternative accommodation, allow travelers to plot adequate nightly stopping points. All reference information is accompanied by helpful spiritual guidelines to support the seeker's inner journey as well as the outer pilgrimage. For travelers who wish to walk the coast of Portugal, this volume now includes a coastal option as well as a spiritual option and the littoral path." |
Here are a few inspirational books. These all are stories of walking, from the Appalachian Trail, to the Camino, to the Pacific Trail. They will get you in the mood for a true adventure.
Click on image to purchase.
Click on image to purchase.
Movies to Watch In Preparation
MOVIES
The Way (2011)
Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago (2009)
Camino: The Journey to Santiago (2013)
I’ll Push You: A Journey of 500 Miles (2017)
The Way (2011)
Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago (2009)
Camino: The Journey to Santiago (2013)
I’ll Push You: A Journey of 500 Miles (2017)