Plan Your Camino in 30 Days

Plan Your Camino in 30 Days is a structured 30-email sequence that takes you from “I want to do this” to ready to walk out the door. Every day you’ll receive an email – six with at least one clear task and one weekly catch-up day to review and make sure nothing slips through the cracks. You’ll probably need around half an hour to an hour per day to complete the tasks.

All content comes from Your Way, Your Camino – Book 1: The Ultimate Camino Planning Guide, written from over 7,000km of walking across 15+ Camino routes since 2016. You don’t need the book to complete this programme – but every email tells you exactly which section goes deeper if you want it.

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Your route and timing

• An overview of the main Camino routes – Francés, Portugués, Norte, Primitivo, Inglés, Sanabrés, Vía de la Plata and more – with key information about length, terrain, infrastructure, difficulty and what makes each one different
• How to use the Route Planner Tool to find the right route for the time you have and the distance you can walk
• How much time you realistically have and what dates might work
• When to go – how season, weather, crowds and budget all interact, and what the busiest and quietest months look like on each route
• Whether to go solo or with someone, and how to think that decision through
• The impact list – a practical exercise to work through who and what will be affected by you going, and how to manage it

Getting there and back

• How to research transport to your start point using a map app, internet searches and AI
• Other transport options beyond flights – trains, buses, BlahBlah cars and joining other pilgrims at the airport
• How to research the return journey from Santiago, or elsewhere
• What to consider about walking poles on flights, and other practical travel logistics

Kit – the full picture

• Shoes and socks – the most important kit decision. Options (walking boots, trail shoes, sandals, waterproof socks), what to look for, how to test them, why you need to break them in before you go, and how to listen to your feet
• Rucksack – the 10% rule, what to look for (weight, capacity, size and fit, waistband, ease of use, rain cover), how to fit and adjust it, and why the waistband is the most important element
• Waterproofs – all the combinations: jacket and trousers, poncho, umbrella and lightweight poncho, throwaway backup. What works for which season and route, what to consider about ventilation and weight
• Sleeping – what albergues provide, sheet sleeping bags, sleeping bags matched to temperature and whether albergues have heating and blankets, and what you need to know about bed bugs
• Clothes – the capsule wardrobe. Trousers/shorts/skirts, t-shirts, thermals, underwear (including the chafing conversation), warm layers and hats.
• Gear day 1 – toiletries, sun cream, first aid, bum bag contents, water bottles, vitamins and medications, earplugs, nail clippers, foot care items, safety pins, sock gaiters, spork, padlock, zip-lock bags, journal, feminine hygiene
• Gear day 2 – phone, battery pack, cables, plug, head torch, headphones, Kindle, dog repeller
• Safety – how to keep valuables safe, staying safe on the Camino generally, what to do about dogs and how the dog repeller works in practice
• Blisters and walking poles – blister prevention and treatment, hot spots, when to see a pharmacist, what to look for in poles, how to set the right length, how to adjust them on the route and why they matter for your knees

Training

• A training plan covering walking (terrain-specific, back-to-back days, building distance), strength work (circuit exercises with a taster in the emails and the full plan in Book 1) and flexibility (warm up and stretches before and after every walk)
• Training check-ins at weeks 2, 3 and 4 – honest, compassionate and practical
• Links to Rory Finch at Made to Move for tailored training support online, and the Made to Move YouTube channel for exercise videos
• Medical disclaimer and advice to seek professional advice before starting

Planning your stages and budget

• Apps and navigation – Gronze, Komoot, WisePilgrim, Buen Camino, Camino Ninja. How the yellow arrows work. How to download GPX routes. Guidebooks. Using AI for stage planning
• Budget reality – the four daily budget levels from Book 1 (budget around €25, standard around €40, mid-range around €60, higher end €70+), what each accommodation type costs, and what else to budget for including travel, transfers, pharmacy and sightseeing
• Stage planning – how to use Gronze to map out your stages, what information to log, how to use AI to help, when to book in advance and when to play it by ear, and how to choose between albergues

Documents and money

• Pilgrim credential – what it is, how stamping works, where to get it, the Compostela and distance certificate, and the Confraternity of St James
• Local Camino associations and why joining one before you go is worth it
• Passport – validity requirements, how to keep it safe, what to do if it’s lost or stolen
• EU entry requirements – a heads-up on the new Entry/Exit System (EES) and the upcoming ETIAS, with links to the official sources so you can check the latest
• Travel insurance – what to make sure it covers, including medical treatment, repatriation, cancellation, gear and pre-existing conditions
• Documents – making copies, emergency numbers in Spain, medications and doctor’s letters
• Money – why cash is still king on the Camino, cards and what to sort before you go, ATMs in Spain, Dynamic Currency Conversion, keeping valuables safe, and travel cards like Revolut and Wise

The Camino experience

• Basic Spanish phrases – the ones that matter most, with Google Translate and Duolingo tips
• How albergues work – check-in time, check-out time, what they provide, first come first served, etiquette, and how to be a considerate pilgrim
• Religion and spirituality – what to expect from pilgrim masses and services of reflection along the way, and why you absolutely don’t need to be religious to benefit
• Your why – a reflection exercise to go deeper into why the Camino is calling you. The heart of the programme
• What to expect on the Camino – the rhythm of the day from morning to evening, food and water (including Spanish eating hours and the menú del día), the physical stuff, going to the toilet, rest days, community and connection
• Post-Camino integration – physical recovery (what to do and what not to do), the emotional return home, the post-Camino blues and why they happen, keeping connections with the people you meet, and what comes next

Want more time and more depth?

The 30-day plan is the essentials, fast – ideal if you have less time before your Camino or you prefer a tighter, more concentrated plan. If you want to go deeper, the same topics are covered in much more depth in the 90-day version.

The 90-day plan goes deeper into everything: route choice, kit, training, stage planning, budget, documents, the Camino experience and your why. It also includes content the 30-day doesn’t – a complete 12-week training plan with two levels of structured strength work, an entire week dedicated to detailed stage planning, more on community and albergue life, what to do if something goes wrong, planning your time in Santiago, a deeper exploration of your why with Jo’s philosophy around Awareness, Understanding and Integration, and rest days built into each week to let things settle.

The 90-day version comes as either an email sequence delivered day by day, or a downloadable PDF workbook you can fill in electronically or print and complete at your own pace. Choose the format that suits how much time you have and how you like to work.

The format

• 26 task emails plus 4 catch-up emails delivered over 30 days, plus 1 integration email after the Camino – 31 in total
• 26 task emails – each covering a specific topic with clear actions
• 4 catch-up days – one at the end of each week – to review, catch up on anything outstanding and make sure nothing has slipped
• 1 integration email sent 3 weeks after Day 30 to check in after the Camino