Walking the Camino de Santiago as an Introvert

The Introverted Solo Traveller contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you. Read my disclaimer for more information.

Are thinking about walking the Camino de Santiago as an introvert? Do you fear it might be too much? Or do you just want to find out what you’re in for? Then you’re in the right place.

I have to admit that I didn’t walk the whole Camino, i.e., the 1600 km, nor did I even walk the last 100 km like I wanted to do. 

But I did start in Sarria and tried myself for 3 days before I said “No, this is not for me!”. 

In this post, I want to give you some insights from someone who didn’t complete the last 100 km and did not enjoy the journey.

That doesn’t mean that the same will happen to you, but if you’re worried then this might make you think twice before venturing out.

Walking the Camino as an Introvert – Preparation

Ever since I watched the movie “The Way” with Martin Sheen, I was intrigued by the Camino and wanted to walk to at least some of it.

I’m not a religious person, so I never thought of it as a pilgrimage for my spiritual thinking, I used the Camino as a challenge for my mind and body.

I researched the different walks and Komoot, the hiking app, suggested the last 100 km (60 miles) which can be done in 5 days. 

As I was unemployed for the foreseeable future, I thought I had the time to do at least these hikes and enjoy myself – oh, was I wrong. But we’ll get to that later.

The easiest way to get to Sarria to start the hike of the last 100 km is to fly into your ultimate destination, Santiago de Compostela, and then take the bus to Sarria.

There are a couple of direct buses everyday between the airport or city centre of Santiago to Sarria.

While on the bus, my initial thought was how weird it is that I can do this whole journey in less than two hours but I will voluntarily walk this for the next 5 days.

I had to change buses in Lugo. First, I was worried that I wouldn’t find the right bus, but many other people wanted to go to Sarria who looked just like you with hiking backpacks, so it was difficult to miss the right bus.

You need to buy the bus ticket at the airport (if you don’t want to go into the city and spoil the surprise) in a booth that is located next to the bus stop.

The bus won’t sell you a ticket and you don’t want to be in a rush when it arrives.

I also bought a lot of things to bring on the hike.

Packing List for the Introverted Camino Pilgrim

This was going to be my first long distance hike and I wanted to be prepared. There are many great blogs out there that tell you what you should bring – and here is another list.

Try to pack as light as possible as the backpack gets heavy after a while.

I also recommend getting a proper backpack that has straps you can adjust and a real waist belt to balance the weight of the backpack.

Even if you try to pack as light as possible, the backpack will still weigh a few kilograms (pounds).

Here is what I packed (and whether I’d recommend it to you):

Sweaty Betty Running Sweatshirt – It was perfect for the walk as my temperature was maintained really well. You usually leave the albergue (hostel) early in the morning, so it might still be a bit chilly. This sweater dealt with the changing temperatures perfectly. And it packs quite small and is lightweight.

Sweaty Better Super Soft Yoga Pants – Soo comfortable and great for a hike. Especially in the mornings, these kept me warm.

But I alternated between these and proper hiking trousers from The North Face. I’ve had them for so long that they don’t produce them anymore, but really any comfortable hiking trousers will do.

2 Hiking shirts, so they’d dry quickly. I would really recommend using proper hiking shirts as you do get sweaty and don’t want to have to get into a slightly wet shirt the next day. 

I actually wished I had taken a third shirt, which I would have only worn at the hostels and not while walking. 

You’ll want to take a shower once you arrived at the hostel and then to get back into a somewhat dirty shirt was less than pleasant. It’s a bit more weight but it’s worth it.

Long-sleeved shirts, also two if not three. As it is sometimes cold during the mornings or after a rain shower.

Underwear for 10 days. I didn’t want to rely on having to wash anything, so I brought enough underwear to last twice the amount. Again, after a shower you’d want some clean underwear.

If you’re a woman, also two sports bras. And maybe, a very comfortable simple bra that can be worn in the evenings. 

It’s all about having the fresh feeling after a shower 😀

A raincoat or hiking jacket that is waterproof. I was very lucky that I never got wet on the walk itself but it did rain every afternoon after I arrived at the albergue. 

Your backpack should have a strap underneath for a sleeping bag where you can strap in your jacket.

Sandals / flip flops – I love these crocs sandals. These are not only great for walking around a town after the daily walk but also to take into the bathroom and shower. And you want to take shoes because the showers are not always spotless clean.

Sleeping bag liner – the comfort of the hostel beds is fairly limited. In the first albergue I stayed at, I only got a pillow and a fitted sheet (paper wrap almost) and that was it. I expected a blanket but no.

Luckily, I had the bag liner to keep me warm, otherwise I would have slept without a blanket which is almost impossible for me.

I didn’t know the bedding situation would be so limited, so I might recommend a small sleeping bag or lightweight blanket. 

Since I didn’t use one, I can’t really recommend anything, but I’m sure there are great ones out there.

Quick dry towels – A must-have and I really liked those, as they had loops to hang them up and they packed really small and light. They did dry quickly and I even used one as a little support pillow.

This brings me to the next item, a travel pillow. I used that one and it was a bit low for my liking but if you don’t need a thick pillow then this works. Luckily, the bed came with another pillow and both together were actually perfect.

Packing cubes – These are amazing. They pack everything so small as they’re compression packing cubes. The weight might not get lighter but you can at least pack a bit more.

They’re also great to separate your dirty clothes from your clean ones. 

Pyjamas are necessary. And take some you feel comfortable being seen in. You’ll have to go to the toilet and people will see you and you don’t want to be embarrassed or feel uncomfortable walking around.

A cap / hat / whatever head covering you like – definitely take a cover for you head. You’ll be walking for hours and don’t want to get a heat stroke or sunburn. 

Hiking shoes – this should be fairly obvious but take good, already broken-in hiking shoes. You’ll walk around 25 km each day and that’s a lot with the wrong shoes (even with the right shoes that’s a lot).

Socks – again, somewhat obvious, but bring comfortable ones that you can walk in for a long time. I’m personally not a fan of two-layered hiking socks, but you might want to bring a pair if you’re worried about blisters.

Water bottle – you’ll sweat a lot, so you need to drink a lot. A water bottle is essential to be hydrated. There are little shops around scattered throughout the walk, but don’t rely on those, as they can be far away.

There are also sometimes water fountains with incredibly delicious water which you should take advantage of. 

As there are water fountains around, don’t start the day with 2 litres or more. That will just make your backpack super heavy. But you should always have at least one litre with you. 

Power banks – I love Anker power banks but really anyone will do. It should have at least two charges for your phone as you can’t rely on having a free socket at the hostel, so you need to be flexible.

I read on another blog to bring a solar-powered power bank but I wouldn’t recommend that. It takes way too long to charge and those power banks are very bulky.

I also had a phone bag with me, so I had access to my phone easily without it being on my body. 

A scarf – I’m very sensitive when it comes to draft around my neck, so I never go out without a scarf but I can also recommend it during the walk. You’ll sweat (I believe I mentioned that before) and it’s nice to be easily able to dab your sweat from your face.

Energy bars – I should have brought more. You probably have a type you like anyway if you like going on hikes, so bring those.

The supermarkets on the way weren’t perfectly stocked, so I ended up with sweets rather than good energy bars.

Tablet / Kindle – I brought both because my Kindle isn’t that big and I wanted to be able to watch movies or TV shows. 

Download movies and shows beforehand, so you can just watch them when you want. The hostels have wifi but I wouldn’t want to rely on that.

And I was soo happy I brought my tablet. I thought I’d read or do something else more productive, but I was so pooped that I just wanted to put my headphones on and just look mindlessly at a screen – and hear familiar voices to soothe me.

Headphones – best are noise-cancelling as there are many people in the hostel and it gets a bit loud. I thought I’d listen to music on the way but I ended up walking without music.

Plasters – normal ones and for blisters. There’s a good chance you’ll get blisters even if you’re wearing the perfect socks. 

Painkillers like Ibuprofen or Paracetamol – I have issues with my feet (plantar fasciitis) and I was afraid it would be painful and it was, but it was manageable with some painkillers.

Toiletries – this is up to you and what you need but go for as little as possible in small carriers like these.

Mosquito spray – I’m a sweet-blooded person, so mosquitos love me. I always carry mosquito spray with me to avoid those little bastards.

That is all I took on the Camino. You might have other items. Just think about you like to take on longer hikes and decide whether it makes sense to bring it on the Camino and whether it’s worth the weight.

Walking the Camino as an Introvert – My Experience

As I mentioned before, I arrived by plane at Santiago de Compostela airport and then had to wait 3 hours for the bus to take me to Sarria.

I didn’t want to go to Santiago even though there were plenty of buses going there, to be amazed when I actually walked there and not before.

Luckily, the weather was warm and I just sat on the ground at the airport in the sun.

It’s a small airport, so bring snacks if you want to wait as well.

Once I bought the ticket (to Sarria) at the booth next to the bus stop I waited for my bus. It was a bit late but not too much. 

There were already people on there but I still got a seat.

We then drove to Lugo where I had to wait another 20 minutes or so for the next bus to bring me to Sarria.

I arrived in the late afternoon, so I had booked a hotel room to be fresh for the start of the journey. 

I walked around Sarria a bit which is a lovely little town. And I bought a shell to show that I’m a pilgrim on the Camino. 

Another important item is the Camino Pilgram Passport. This little document allows you to stay in albergues and it will get stamped wherever you stay over night. You can also collect stamps on the way.

Many cafés and restaurants and even free standing posts offer their unique stamps.

You can either get the passport at a religious building or at your hotel / hostel. I tried to get it at the church but I either couldn’t find the right one or it was busy with a sermon.

I bought some snacks at a gas station supermarket in Sarria which wasn’t too far from the town centre, so I didn’t “have” to eat at a restaurant, had breakfast and a snack for the next day.

Day 1 of the Camino

I started my journey from Sarria to Portomarin at 8 AM. And I was positive that I would enjoy this journey.

The planned journey time was around 6 hours and 22 km. 

At the beginning I had my Komoot app running to see where I had to go, but there are so many people and signs that it’s quite difficult to not go the right way.

Every five kilometres or so, I took a 10-minute break to air out my feet and have a little snack.

I passed many people and a few people passed me, but I didn’t talk to anyone. 

I didn’t want to slow down and I’m not really the person to talk to strangers. It’s an unusual approach to the Camino but that’s just who I am as an Introvert.

Just after the halfway point, I saw a cute little bistro where I had a chorizo baguette and a lemonade, and where I used the toilet.

Because I was sweating so much, I didn’t have to use the toilet frequently, and I never worried that I wouldn’t get to one in time.

That café had its own stamp and many people stopped and stamped their Pilgrim Passport and then moved on.

The scenery was pretty but really not that special which was a bit disappointing.

The trail is fairly easy. Not many hills and you walk along some main roads. 

In the early afternoon, I arrived in Portomarin. 

Before I went on this journey I decided to stay in hostels to save money as I was unemployed and becoming broke quite quickly. 
I had this idea, that there would be loads of hostels along the trail where I could just choose one of many and even decide to cut my walk short if I wanted to.

This turned out to be NOT true. There are suggested destinations for each day and at those destinations are the most hostels. There are very few on the way, so you more or less have to stick to the suggested itinerary.

What stressed me with the hostels was, that you couldn’t book the cheap ones. It was on a first-come-first-served basis and as a planner that was difficult for me to accept.

But on the first day, I arrived at the albergue and there were still many beds left.

I paid the 8 Euros, got my room number, fitted sheet and pillowcase, and the receptionist told me to just take any bed.

As there are so many tourists there, the people in that area speak English quite well. It’s easy to get around even if you don’t speak Spanish.

My room had beds for almost 30 people. That was a lot. And it wasn’t quiet. 

I quickly went to take a shower which was luckily not too busy. 

On the hike, I didn’t speak to anyone which I liked but I thought an opportunity would arise in the evening during dinner. 

Again, I had this vision that there would be a large number of restaurants with chairs and tables scattered around and you just sit down at a table and end up chatting with a stranger. 

This is usually also not my thing but on the Camino, I thought that was OK. However, this was again not the case. 

There were a few restaurants but they didn’t look that inviting to a single pilgrim, so I just ended up getting a salad at the supermarket and eating it in front of the hostel.

Afterwards, I retreated to my bed, took out my tablet and just watched a movie curled under my sleeping bag liner.

People went to bed around 8 PM already but I wasn’t tired enough. 

Also, the lights stayed on until 11 PM which made it difficult to fall asleep. 

I’m a very light sleeper and even though I tried to sleep with earplugs, they hurt my ears, so I had to take them out.

I hardly slept on the first day and I definitely regretted my decision to stay at an albergue.

Day 2 of the Camino

After a fairly restless night, people started shuffling from 5 AM on and most people had left by 7 AM.

You couldn’t really continue sleeping during that commotion, so I got up as well. 

You also need to leave the hostel by 9 AM, so you don’t have much time anyway.

Once I woke up, I decided that I couldn’t sleep like this again for another night, so I booked a hotel room in Palas de Rei, the destination of the second day.

The room cost me around 45 Euros which wasn’t too bad, but a lot more than the 8 Euros I wanted to spend using hostels.

But I needed some quiet time in the evening and that was the only way I could do it.

The planned journey for day 2 was almost 7 hours of walking and a 24.8 km distance.

My feet didn’t hurt any more after the first day, but I still remembered the pain.

I was only able to charge my phone for a short while as there wasn’t a socket near the bed and the other ones were already taken, but I had my power bank still which gave me enough of a charge to last to Palas de Rei.

The scenery was similar. Nice but nothing special and clouds were looming over me for most of the walk, but luckily, again, it didn’t rain until I arrived at the hotel, so I stayed dried – except for the sweat.

Like the first day, I stopped every 5 kilometres for a snack and a breather break. And my feet were aching as well as my back.

It was exhausting and knowing that day 2 would be even longer made the journey somewhat difficult – and then I didn’t even get breathtaking views to make up for it.

Another disappointing journey.

Early afternoon, I arrived at Palas de Rei which was an ordinary little town. Not much to see but I was happy for my own private little room with an en-suite bathroom. 

You appreciate the small things after tough experiences 😀

Just like Portmarin, the restaurants weren’t that inviting, so I bought more food at a supermarket and had dinner in my hotel room – pure bliss.

That evening I thought about the strain of going to another hostel to stay there and I decided I wasn’t going to do that anymore. 

Hostels are not for me and I couldn’t force myself into one any more. I also decided that I couldn’t walk another 26 km the next day. 

I checked the route and saw that there was another little town on the way about halfway. There were a few rooms available that weren’t too expensive, so I decided to cut my walk in half.

I then planned the accommodations for the next few days. I booked single rooms in hostels but was shocked to see that the hostel in Santiago would be quite expensive. 

Initially, I booked my flights, so that I’d had another night in Santiago to explore the city more, so that my return flight ended up on a Sunday.

That meant an expensive night in Santiago. I wasn’t happy about that. However, I was happy about having a silent room to myself, so I slept peacefully that night.

Day 3 of the Camino

On the morning of Day 3, I decided to cut this journey short. Flights out of Santiago to London Gatwick for the next day were only 40 Euros which was cheaper than a hotel room on the route.

I didn’t enjoy the experience. It wasn’t for lack of communication with others but the lack of beauty in the scenery.

The walk wasn’t special. I could have walked a route like this in England a few kilometres from my home. I didn’t need to go to the Camino to do this.

As I said before, I didn’t want to walk the Camino for spiritual reasons, so I never got the enlightenment or joy or whatever from walking it. 

And since I was quite poor at the time, I didn’t want to spend even more money on something I didn’t enjoy. 

I then booked the flight, cancelled all my accommodations except for the day 3 one as that wasn’t cancellable any more and decided to only walk half the way to Melide.

With that new outlook of leaving this unpleasant journey soon and not having to walk forever for nothing much to see, my attitude changed and I enjoyed the last part of the walk.

I arrived fairly early in Melide and had to wait about 45 minutes to get to my room. It didn’t have an en-suite, but luckily I never encountered anyone else.

As it was so early, I took my Kindle and sat down in the town centre on a bench and just read for a few hours. It was wonderful.

I also checked out where the bus would leave from. Melide isn’t big, so it wasn’t difficult to find.

I enjoyed the solitude again, knowing I’d get home soon and not be in pain.

Day 3 was actually the only day a random pilgrim talked to me for a while. He was someone who had done the Camino Frances several times and even the Camino Portugues. 

He gave me the tip to send my backpack via luggage delivery service but I somehow thought that was cheating – and I had already made my decision to fly back anyway.

I enjoyed another lovely evening with my tablet and a movie and was looking forward to my journey home.

Day 4 of the Camino

The bus was scheduled to leave around 10 AM. Not too early but I still woke up early enough to go for a little wander before heading out.

I waited at the bus for quite a while and no one was there. I was getting worried that I was waiting at the wrong stop but finally people showed up.

In the end, the bus had almost 45 minutes delay but I was glad I wasn’t the only one waiting there.

However, there was no shade, so it got hot quite quickly.

The bus I took from Santiago to Lugo was an express bus. It went on the motorway and then quickly arrived in Lugo. 

The bus from Melide was not an express bus. It was one that the locals took to get to their workplaces. So it stopped everywhere.

And what that actually means is that it basically followed the pilgrim trail. The bus stopped at every village or town that was on the route to Santiago. 

I saw loads of pilgrims from the bus and I thought how ridiculous that is. Why walk somewhere if you can take a bus?! 

And don’t get me wrong, I love hiking so this might be a weird saying but for me, the beauty of hiking is also that it brings me to places that aren’t accessible otherwise.

I feel a bit cheated if I can just drive somewhere instead of having to walk. I want to explore beautiful surroundings that are uncompromised by roads.

This bus journey just underpinned my decision to cut the walk short. 

It can’t be that special if a bus can take me everywhere, I thought. 

So I saw where I would have gone if I had continued and I was fine with that.

Once I arrived in Santiago de Compostela, I walked to the cathedral and I was amazed by the number of backpackers. I have never seen so many backpackers in one place. It was crazy.

Santiago is a beautiful town but there isn’t that much to see either. 

I enjoyed the view of the cathedral from a bench on top of a hill and ate some of the best doughnuts I ever had.

My flight left early evening, so I walked back to the train station and took a bus to the airport.

There are two options for buses to take to the airport and I couldn’t actually find the one I wanted to take, but I found the normal bus that takes a bit longer and just took an earlier one to be at the airport in time.

I was relieved when I was on the plane on my way back home.

Walking the Camino as an Introvert – Recap

I started my first Camino (at last) in Sarria, walking on the Camino Frances, the most popular of the Caminos.

The first day I walked 23 km and my feet hurt quite badly. I stayed in a dorm and I hated it, so I chose a hotel for the next day after walking another 25 km. 

On the third day, I decided that the fairly dull scenery is not worth the money I’m spending on this walk, so I fly back on day 4 of my journey.

I reach Santiago by bus and realise that I pass all the stops that the pilgrims pass by bus anyway and think that’s not how a long-distance hike should be.

Would I recommend the Camino to Introverts?

Not really. But not even just for introverts. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who just wants to do it for the fun of it rather than a spiritual quest.

It’s not a particularly nice walk. You walk along main roads, so cars and trucks pass you. 

Hostels are not for everyone – certainly not for me – and the hotels aren’t cheap.

Instead of the Camino, I would recommend a different long-distance hike.

Maybe one across the Alps. Or there are many beautiful hikes in New Zealand.

But the Camino is, in my opinion, only for religious pilgrims who don’t really care about the scenery.

However, even if you’re an introvert, you can still walk the Camino even if you don’t want to find your “Camino Family”.

You can go walk without people really talking to you and even if they do, conversations don’t have to last for long, especially if your speed is slower or faster than the other person’s.