How to do the Camino de Santiago with children. Tricks and tips
Are you thinking of doing the Camino de Santiago with your family? Perhaps one of the questions that may have arisen is whether the little ones will be able to overcome the great adventure that represents the Camino.
The Camino de Santiago is perfectly recommended to enjoy with children; however, it is important to take into account a series of important details when organizing your trip. Will children be able to endure long distances on foot? It could be dangerous? Will they get bored? Do you need a lot of previous physical preparation? What is the best route for children? Don't worry, in this article, we will solve all the doubts you may have.
Are you ready? Take note!
5 Tips for doing the Camino de Santiago with children
Doing the Camino de Santiago with children is a highly recommended experience. Unfortunately, work and our day by day full of routines prevent us from spending time with our children, so the Camino de Santiago becomes an ideal option to enjoy nature as a family and share good memories that will last in memory when they grow older. We recommend that in order to make the trip, children have reached at least 3 years.
Book a custom organized route for children
The main advice is that you book an organized Camino de Santiago designed for children. In Camino Trip, we take care of planning your trip, always selecting the best services and accommodations. In the case of doing the Camino with children, we adapt the itinerary to their own capacities and physical resistance. Choosing easier routes, with shorter stages, and recommended accommodations for the little ones of the group.
Get your child to get involved in the trip
Getting your children excited to do the Camino de Santiago is essential for the child to be motivated and strive all the way. To get your child involved, it is very important to explain everything related to the Camino de Santiago and what it means with some time in advance. The history, the values, the social and charitable part between pilgrims and locals, the effort, the dedication, the celebration once completed ... Everything.
We are sure that convincing your child to feel like doing the Camino will also not be very difficult. Many parts of the Camino de Santiago are very attractive and fun for children: walking and running in the countryside, bathing in the river, watching grazing cows and sheep, carrying scallops hanging in the backpack ... If you present it well, we guarantee that, in the end, you will be all as excited to start your adventure as pilgrims.
Choose the Camino de Santiago easier for children
When traveling with children, choosing the right Camino de Santiago is essential to avoid risks and other possible problems. In CaminoTrip, we recommend you to do the Camino Frances from Sarria.
This Jacobean route is one of the best ways to do with family and children. It is the one that has more services and accommodations along the Camino, it is also the busiest (especially in the last 100 kilometers / 62 miles) until reaching Santiago de Compostela). In the last stages, we will find more places to rest and other services than in any other route of the Camino Frances.
In addition, being one of the busiest roads, your children can also interact with other children while enjoying the inimitable nature of Galicia.
Prepare the children for the trip
Like adults, children should also prepare to walk the Camino. Very practical advice is to make several hiking excursions a few months before embarking on your Camino de Santiago. Organize them by similar terrain and gradually increase the distances to cover. If the child is old enough to carry weight, it is also recommended that he or she carries the same backpack that he/she will use on the Camino so that he/she becomes familiar with it.
In addition, it is very important to wear the same shoes during the preparation (we do not recommend brand new boots or shoes at the beginning of the Camino, it is crucially important to avoid blisters and possible injuries).
By doing these training excursions, you can physically and mentally prepare your children while learning their resistance level and the distances they may be able to endure on the Camino.
Walking only in the morning
In order to avoid the hottest hours, it is very important for the child to walk only in the morning. We recommend starting to walk from the first hour of the morning and stop at noon and leave the afternoon free to rest.
If we walk from noon on, we risk getting scared (insolation, dehydration ...). We must not forget that the resistance of a child is not even remotely similar to that of an adult, we must be careful and not force the endurance of our children. We can leave the afternoons to rest and explore the areas around the hotels or accommodations.
These are the 5 tips to do the Camino de Santiago with children. Are you prepared to live with your whole family, one of the best possible experiences? If you still have doubts, in CaminoTrip, we make it very easy with our organized Camino de Santiago routes.
¡Buen Camino!
