Pilgrim Adam walks the Camino Portuguese to process and heal from some devastating losses . . . and finds his way to peace and connection.

Content warning:

My guest in this episode mentions his personal experience with suicide ideation and suicide within his circle of friends.

If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or is in a crisis situation, please know that help is available. If you are in the US, you can call 988 from any phone to access the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

If you are outside of the US, there is a list of hotline numbers for the countries where most of my listeners reside below, as well as a Wikipedia link with numbers for additional countries.

Again, help is available. And you deserve that help. If you are struggling, please reach out to one of the hotlines provided below, or to a trusted friend.

USA and Canada: call 988

Australia: call 13 11 14

New Zealand: call 1737

Spain: call 024

United Kingdom: call 999, 112, or 0800 689 5652

List of global suicide crisis lines from Wikipedia:

The albergue on the Caminho Português with the heated pool: https://www.gbchostel.com/

#youonthecamino

Have you ever wanted something, dreamed about something, maybe even longed for something, but the wanting and dreaming wasn’t making anything happen?

What’s missing there?

Well, what’s missing is a clear goal. In this episode I explore:

Let's do this!

Here's how: https://pages.thecaminoexperience.com/visioning

There are still spots available in my September 2025 Camino Experience groups. Get your Camino on the calendar! https://thecaminoexperience.com/walk-with-me/

#youonthecamino

Thank you for tuning in and for making this podcast one of the most sought after and reliable resources for first time pilgrims walking the Camino routes in Spain, France, and Portugal.

With this episode, the podcast hits a milestone – the 100th episode!

I love milestones. I love the feeling of hitting a mark, of reaching a big goal, of noticing and noting when you do something significant. The significance for me is helping thousands of pilgrims get ready for their first-ever pilgrimage on one of the Camino routes.

In this episode I lay out where we are heading next: we will be following two different themes that are sure to inspire you and also ensure your Camino dreams becomes a reality.

What happens after the Camino? That is my "topic of the year", in terms of creating impactful content for my listeners. To help me hit the mark on that, will you take a few minutes to complete this survey? https://thecaminoexperience.com/aftersurvey/

Overcome your fears and doubts about walking the Camino by joining my September Camino Experience group. Details are here: https://thecaminoexperience.com/walk-with-me/

Don’t miss a step with my Camino Planning Roadmap! Available from the home page of my website, https://thecaminoexperience.com/

#youonthecamino

Now we come to the final step of our year-end practice. The only thing we have left is my favorite New Year’s tradition.

This is the one I have been doing since 1976, long before I started setting goals and intentions for the new year. Uh, long before I even knew what that meant, because in 1976 I was 11 years old.

My best friend was Kristi, who lived next door and who had all kinds of fun and creative ideas. Usually, they involved getting into a little mischief and making it look like it was my idea rather than hers.

The New Years idea, though, was a good one, and completely trouble-free. Although, it did involve eating an ill-advised amount of Reese’s peanut butter cups as we pushed ourselves to stay awake until midnight.

I hope you enjoy this tradition as much as I do, and I hope you will incorporate it into your year-end practice each year from here on. You may even want to use this tradition when you are getting ready to leave for the Camino!

https://thecaminoexperience.com/

Here's how I can help:

 >> Guided start on the Camino Francés 

 >> Camino Francés Getting Started Audio Guide - 20% off through December 26th!!!

 >> One-on-one Camino coaching

P.S. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

#youonthecamino

Forget asking Santa for what you want . . . go after it yourself! In this episode we walk through my annual goal setting process. We have already reviewed our accomplishments and successes (episode 18). We tallied up what didn't go as well as hoped and planned. And we mined both those lists for lessons and messages (episode 19.

Now it's time to pick our priorities for the coming year and think through and draft our goals and intentions.

What do you want more of in 2025? How about less of? Let's get that going! And hopefully one of the goals on your list will be walking your chosen route of the Camino de Santiago!

https://thecaminoexperience.com/

Here's how I can help:

 >> Guided start on the Camino Francés 

 >> Camino Francés Getting Started Audio Guide - 20% off through December 26th!!!

 >> One-on-one Camino coaching

P.S. Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, and Happy Kwanza!

#youonthecamino

In last week's episode we spent time reviewing our wins and successes for the year.

This week we are moving on to the second step of the year-end process by listing our regrets and disappointments.

Wait! This is not about beating yourself up or dragging yourself through the mud, or finding fault with who you are as a human being. If you are prone to self-criticism, I invite you imagine yourself setting down whatever you usually use to beat yourself up with – the frying pan, the baseball bat, the mean words. Agreed? Okay, let’s dive into this.

https://thecaminoexperience.com/

Here's how I can help:

 >> Guided start on the Camino Francés 

 >> Camino Francés Getting Started Audio Guide - 20% off through December 26th!!!

 >> One-on-one Camino coaching

#youonthecamino

As this episode releases on Tuesday, December 10, we have four Tuesdays left in 2024 and four episodes left in this season of the podcast. That timing feels perfect for me to share with you something I do every December to wrap up the year.

In this episode and the next three, I am going to share with you my four-step end-of-year practice, in the hopes that you will find value in ending the year strong and setting a solid foundation for the New Year (which I am not-so-secretly hoping will be the year of your first Camino pilgrimage.)

Nancy's 12 days of Christmas (plus two more, but who's counting?!?) begins on Friday, December 13th, when I will be taking 20% off my Camino Francés Getting Started Audio Guide. Through Boxing Day. Get the guide here: https://thecaminoexperience.com/getting-started-audio-guide/

How? Easy, join my email list. In addition to my weekly Friday email which is filled with Camino tips and stories, you will also receive my Top 10 Camino tips (that don't usually show up in the top 10 lists) and my Camino Planning Roadmap. Sign up here: https://pages.thecaminoexperience.com/

#youonthecamino

John covers all the bases as he shares his story of walking the Camino Francés in May and June 2024.

Overnight in the Pyrenees? Check.

Stay at a monastery? Check.

Sing with the nuns? Check.

Meet an undertaker who wants your business? Wait . . . check?

Here are the places and helpful tools John referenced in this episode:

 >> Book your bed at Refuge Orisson: https://www.refuge-orisson.com/en or

 >> Stay with the nuns in Santo Domingo de la Calzada: https://www.cister-lacalzada.com/albergue/

 >> Enjoy the vocal talents of the nuns in Carrion de los Condes: Albergue parroquial Santa María

 >> Retreat for a couple days at the San Salvador de Monte Irago Monastery in Rabanal del Camino: https://monteirago.org/en/

 >> Document your pilgrimage using the Find Penguins app: https://findpenguins.com/

 >> Grab one of the coveted 10 spots for lunch at the Parador Hotel in Santiago de Compostela: https://paradores.es/en/blog/pilgrims-treat-parador-santiago-de-compostela

 >> Get your Spanish language skills just right for the Camino with Maria Seco of Spanish for the Camino: https://spanishforcamino.com/

Make sure your pilgrimage plans are on the right track for the kind of experience you are hoping for.

Nail your pre-Camino confidence.

Give your family or spouse the peace of mind to know that an expert has looked over all your plans, with Camino coaching with Nancy.

Now scheduling for January 2025:

Start building your Camino family now!

If you want the freedom to walk the Camino your way, to walk at your own pace, take breaks when you need them, choose the accommodations – dorm rooms or private rooms – that suit your needs and budget, AND you want the confidence that comes from not starting out on this – I’ll say it – epic journey alone, start your pilgrimage with one of Nancy's Camino Experience groups: https://thecaminoexperience.com/walk-with-me/

I will be talking briefly about WHY I walked the Camino de Santiago, and why it might be calling you, too.

Where: Sports Basement store, 610 Old Mason St, San Francisco, CA

When: Sunday, December 15, 2025, 9:30 am to 11:15 am (I have the first 10-minute time slot)

Who: YOU! Whether you are Camino-curious or your flights or booked . . . or if you have already walked one of the Camino routes, all are welcome.

Hope to meet you there!

#youonthecamino

That is the question pilgrim Danielle had to ask herself over and over again as she walked the Camino Francés in April and May 2024.

And as she answered that question, she gradually learned to trust herself and to know that she did, in fact, know what is most important and what is also best for her.

Danielle had the honor of carrying Tracy's backpack, and you can hear that whole story in Danielle's first interview, in season four, episode five.

She is going to share with us the bumps she hit on the Road to Santiago, along with how she addressed those bumps. What kind of bumps? Illness, injury, anxiety, bad weather, and the unexpected physical toll of walking the Camino Francés.

JOIN ME ON THE TRAIL IN 2025!

Want to get your pilgrimage started in the best possible way, with all the support you need in the planning and preparation phases?

I still have a few spots left in my May and September 2025 Camino Experience groups, and I would love for you to join us!

Take the next step here: https://thecaminoexperience.com/walk-with-me/

Have you claimed your free Camino Planning Roadmap? How about my Top 10 Camino tips (that don't usually show up on the top 10 lists)?

Get both delivered to your inbox when you join my email list. Here's how to do that: https://pages.thecaminoexperience.com/roadmap

Let's get you off to a successful start!

#youonthecamino

That seems to be the theme of Roger's pilgrimage on the Camino Francés!

What happens if . . .

. . . you become injured?

. . . you need a dentist at 6:30 am on a Saturday in a small village in northern Spain?

. . . you don't want to book accommodations in advance in July?

Find out in this episode. And Roger has some well-earned, fabulous advice for first-time pilgrims.

JOIN ME ON THE TRAIL IN 2025!

Want to get your pilgrimage started in the best possible way, with all the support you need in the planning and preparation phases?

I still have a few spots left in my May and September 2025 Camino Experience groups, and I would love for you to join us!

Take the next step here: https://thecaminoexperience.com/walk-with-me/

#youonthecamino