Walking Solo on the Camino de Santiago: Laura's Journey

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Laura was 46 years old when she embarked on her adventure. She wasn't used to walking, had many fears, and chose to undertake the Camino de Santiago for personal reasons.

Five years have passed since that experience. And it wasn't her only one. Two years later she decided to walk the Camino dei Fari (also in Galicia) and a year after that the Via degli Dei from Bologna to Florence, always on foot.

We called Laura to hear her story about what has changed over these five years.

Well, first question: how are you doing, Laura? Are you the same person as five years ago?

Oh no, not at all (laughs) really not. When I did that first Camino de Santiago with you, I was very lost.

I'd heard about the Camino and knew what it entailed, but not much more than that. Well, I had a colleague who had done it and was enthusiastic about the experience, but I didn't pay much attention to his stories.

"I thought it was just the typical pilgrim story, you know, someone traveling alone to find themselves, and that wasn't really my situation at the time. Plus, traveling on foot alone scared me a lot!"

What changed in your life that pushed you to do it?

I know it sounds like a total cliché, but about six months before I had divorced after nearly 22 years of marriage and I felt very lost, but at the same time eager to explore and conquer the world.

As if I'd been living in a little bottle without air for too long. Despite the sadness of seeing my marriage fall apart, I had all this energy to live, explore, travel and do different things.

Why the Camino de Santiago?

I won't lie, it seemed like the simplest choice. Thousands of people of all ages do it every year and I said to myself "why not me? If an 80-year-old man can do it, what's stopping me?"

I felt physically well, even though it's true that I wasn't used to walking much, and I'll admit that held me back a bit. I always thought you had to be very well physically prepared to do the Camino.

So what made you decide?

Well, actually you convinced me (laughs) I found your website, called you and Deborah was so kind that she cleared up all my doubts and in the end I said to myself "look Laura, you only live once". I left behind my fears about what I thought solo walking travel would be like, made my decision, and that was the beginning of quite a few crazy adventures!

What do you remember from that first solo walking trip?

Wow, so many things really. I think what struck me most was the kindness of people, of the locals I met along the way.

I was quite scared about not knowing the language, but beyond the fact that you always meet people who speak your language, local people always do their best to understand you, and I only have positive words for them and for the whole Camino experience in general.

You don't remember anything bad, not even a little bit?

Well, yes, of course, the blisters (laughs) the blisters and the intense foot pain, especially the closer you get to Santiago, because the whole walk takes its toll. But it's true that afterwards you forget. The joy of arriving in that square in front of the cathedral is so great that you really do forget about these things, they become just simple anecdotes.

What would you say to people over 40 who've thought about it but haven't yet found the courage to do the Camino?

I'd tell them there's only one life, and if you want to travel on foot alone, what's stopping you? I did it at 46 with the fitness level of a piece of wood, haha. With proper preparation and training before you set off on your adventure, the Camino de Santiago is an experience I recommend to everyone.

You don't need something serious to happen in your life. Many of the people I met were doing the Camino because of illness or religious reasons, or me because I'd been through a divorce, and the truth is nothing needs to happen for you to have the Camino experience.

"It's a shame that sometimes we only realise how beautiful life is when we go through something that breaks us in some way."

Plus, with you I always feel very safe because I know you're on the other end of the phone 24/7 and, whether you like it or not, that helps.

Any memorable anecdotes?

Oh, there have been many (laughs), but I'm not sure I can tell you all of them.

I don't know if it's really an anecdote, but there was one day, leaving Portomarín, when a cat came up to me and wouldn't leave my side. At first it was cute, seemed like it knew me, but when I'd walked several kilometres and it still hadn't moved from my side I thought: "Is it lost? Are people looking for it?"

I'm not exaggerating when I say it walked beside me for almost 15 km, then near Castromaior it went into a house and disappeared. I often think of that cat, really. Sometimes I wonder if it was someone, you know? I like to see it in a mystical way.

Since that first Camino, you've repeated the experience with your friends and then even ventured to walk through Italy on foot or at least part of it with us. Any advice? Any travel preferences?

The truth is that traveling on foot alone or with friends is a personal choice. In my opinion, if you can do both, do both.

Doing it alone is not just a physical journey but also an emotional one, and doing it with friends always strengthens bonds and has a more fun component than when you do it alone. I couldn't decide! Any advice? Just one: do it. Just do it.

Really. I believe there's no one who has regretted this experience. Nobody, even if you had the worst possible weather and spent the whole walk in the rain, I don't know anyone who speaks badly of this experience.

So my advice is simple: do it!

As we said at the beginning of this article, Laura walked the Camino with us in 2018.

When the pandemic passed, she repeated the experience this time with her friends and after that, in 2022, she ventured to Italy. She is one of over 20,000 people who trust us for their walking holidays.

At apiediperilmondo we care for every detail to give you the best possible walking travel experience, whether it's the Camino de Santiago or one of the many other routes we offer.

You can walk alone, but you don't have to feel like no one is walking with you 😉

Get in touch with us, like Laura did, to share your doubts with us, so we can work together to design your perfect itinerary.

We're always here for you.

We encourage you to find the best version of yourself!

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