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Camino de Santiago is more than a walking route across Spain. It is history under your boots, culture at the café table, and a long conversation with yourself that does not end when you reach Santiago.
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I began my Camino Francés on August 26, 2025, with a backpack, a nervous stomach, and a wild little promise to myself. I wanted to enter my 50th year by doing something that would stretch me in every possible direction.
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Honey, it stretched me.
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Over 38 days, I walked through mountains, villages, forests, wheat fields, wine country, city streets, church squares, albergues, cafés, and parts of myself I did not even know were waiting for attention. I walked as a Black and Latina woman, as a mother, as a traveler, as a storyteller, and as someone who has spent much of her life looking for the places where people, culture, food, land, and spirit meet.
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This page is the DG Speaks home for all things Camino. Start here if you are planning your own pilgrimage. Come here if you are curious about why people walk. Return here when you want the stories behind the blisters, the beauty, the hostels, the meals, the friendships, and the lessons that only arrive when life slows down to the pace of your own two feet.
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Start Here: Understanding the Camino de Santiago
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The Camino de Santiago is a network of pilgrimage routes leading to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. The route I walked was the Camino Francés, one of the most traveled paths. It traditionally begins in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France, then crosses the Pyrenees into Spain.
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For official background, Spain Tourism offers a helpful overview of the Camino de Santiago. The Pilgrim Reception Office also explains the Compostela, credentials, and what happens when pilgrims arrive in Santiago.
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- What Is the Camino de Santiago?
- Why I Walked the Camino at 50
- Walking the Camino Without Being Religious
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Planning Your Own Camino
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Planning the Camino can feel like a full-time job before you ever buy the plane ticket. You start with one question, then suddenly you are comparing backpacks, socks, walking poles, albergues, train schedules, travel insurance, visas, and whether your knees are about to file a formal complaint.
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I bought much of my gear in Spain, which I do not recommend unless you enjoy learning lessons the hard way. For gear ideas, I keep travel and Camino-friendly finds in my Amazon storefront. For budget beds before or after the trail, Hostelworld can help you compare hostels and guesthouses. For longer trips, SafetyWing is worth considering for travel medical coverage.
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- Camino Packing List for Women
- Camino Budget Guide
- Best Time to Walk the Camino Francés
- Solo Woman’s Guide to the Camino
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My Camino Journey
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This section follows my actual Camino timeline from August 26, 2025, through October 3, 2025. Some stories are practical. Some are messy. Some still make me laugh. A few still make me tear up.
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- My First Day on the Camino Nearly Broke Me
- Crossing the Pyrenees on the Camino Francés
- Life in Camino Albergues
- Food Along the Camino
- Reaching Santiago de Compostela
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Camino Culture, Food, and Villages
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The Camino is not only about pilgrims. It also belongs to the people who live along the route, open cafés before sunrise, stamp credentials, serve soup, wash sheets, point confused walkers toward yellow arrows, and keep the old road breathing.
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That is where DG Speaks gets to be DG Speaks. I care about the food, the land, the women running businesses, the small-town rituals, the architecture, the cultural memory, and the everyday people who make a place feel alive.
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Lessons From the Trail
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Some lessons came through beauty. Others came through discomfort. The Camino taught me what I could carry, what I needed to release, and how much peace can arrive when life becomes simple enough to understand again.
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- The Camino Changed Me
- Returning Home After the Camino
- Reverse Culture Shock After the Camino
- Why the Camino Is Not About Santiago
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Work With Me or Follow the Journey
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If you want help planning your own Camino, building a travel story, or thinking through a meaningful journey, you can book time through my Calendly. For brand collaborations, press trips, speaking, or media opportunities, view my press kit and media assets.
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And if you are already planning a trip around Spain, you can explore tours through GetYourGuide, check visa needs through iVisa, and give yourself a little mental breathing room with my Calm guest pass.
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