Camino Memoirs and Personal Stories
Taking a Camino de Santiago pilgrimage is a transformative experience, whether you are doing it for religious, spiritual, or purely physical reasons. Get inspired to take your first (or second, or third) pilgrimage by reading these accounts from inspiring pilgrims.
These stories cover life-changing adventures, moments of tribulation, dawning awareness, and tales of friendship set amidst the myths and history of the Camino de Santiago.
In addition to these Camino de Santiago memoirs, we’ve also got inspirational content in the form of Camino movies, fictional stories and practical guidebooks.
These memoirs are arranged by original publication date, with newer books on top.
50 Days in May: Reflections along the Camino de Santiago, Shoshana D. Kerewsky
(published 2024)
In short lyrical prose and poems, Shoshana Kerewsky considers her pilgrimages on the Camino de Santiago. Her reflections touch on birds, Columbus and Isabella, a pilgrim’s death, being Jewish in Spain, the hero’s journey, the mythic and symbolic, meditation, the quest for balance in the pilgrim and the pilgrimage, and the malleability of story. Her memoir, Cancer, Kintsugi, Camino, won a 2023 Firebird Book Award.
More info on Goodreads. And a review in our Spring ’24 La Concha publication.
A Walk to the End of the Earth, Jeffrey Kendall
(published 2023)
At a crossroads and suffering a crisis of faith as a Catholic priest, Jeffrey Kendall embarked on a 70-day spiritual adventure on the Camino de Santiago and experienced a life-altering revelation at the end of the earth. Throughout the journey, Kendall grapples with his existence, examining his internal turmoil while exposing the abuses of power he suffered within the Catholic Church and exploring his relationship with a heroin-addicted prostitute. A fascinating memoir that resonates with those who’ve struggled with a relationship with God and organized religion.
More info on Goodreads. Check out our review in a recent issue of La Concha.
Walking with Sam, Andrew McCarthy
(published in 2023)
Yes, this is a memoir about actor, director and author Andre McCarthy walking the Camino with his son Sam. But it’s about much more than that as they navigate a maturation of their relationship as Sam sits on the cusp of adulthood.
Looking to create a more meaningful connection with Sam before he fled the nest, as well as recreate his own life-altering journey decades before, McCarthy decided the two of them should set out on a trek like few 500 miles across Spain’s Camino de Santiago.
Over the course of the journey, the pair traversed an unforgiving landscape, having more honest conversations in five weeks than they’d had in the preceding two decades. Discussions of divorce, the trauma of school, McCarthy’s difficult relationship with his own father, fame, and Flaming Hot Cheetos threatened to either derail their relationship or cement it. Walking With Sam captures this intimate, candid and hopeful expedition as the father son duo travel across the country and towards one another.
More info on Goodreads.
The Way of the Wild Goose, Beebe Bahrami
(published 2022)
With three pilgrimages across southern France and northern Spain defining author and anthropologist Beebe Bahrami’s single journey on the Camino de Santiago, The Way of the Wild Goose recounts an inner and outer journey full of wild nature, ancient roads and history, quirky pilgrims, wise and humorous locals, mysterious folklore and pagan symbols along the Camino. It’s a compelling tale of quest, initiation, and transformation following the Way of Saint James.
More info on Goodreads.
Prancing in the Pyrénées, Sloshing Through Galicia, Suzanne Blazier
(published 2022)
Suzanne Blazier, a modern day pilgrim, walked the Camino Francés route in September/October 2019. While walking through the beautiful countryside and cities, she also had to deal with the unexpected, illness and disappointment, and in the end experienced the triumph of completing this challenging long-distance walk on her own terms. Whether you’re going to walk the Camino yourself or are just curious about the experience, this memoir will be informative and inspiring.
More info on Goodreads and you can also check out her Camino Journal.
Spiritual Growth Through Travels, Nature, and Living Life, Lance T. Crawford
(published 2022)
A lifelong traveler, riding on a train from Long Beach to New Orleans, Louisiana, at age one (in the middle of World War II) to a 520-mile pilgrimage trek on the Camino de Santiago in his mid-70s, the author describes many ways he has grown internally as a result of his travels and bonding with nature.
More info on Goodreads.
Footfalls: Poems of the Camino, Suzanne Doerge
(published 2022)
This collection of poetry follows the Camino the author walked with her life companion in 2016. Each poem is a footfall of experience or insight lived on the Camino, from her start in Navarre until her arrival in Santiago. Themes ride the waves of physical challenges, fears, doubts, inspirations, and laughter. While Christianity infuses this ancient pilgrimage, the spiritual dimensions of the sacred feminine and Mother Earth are also reflected. The variety of contemplative, humorous, political, and narrative poetry mirrors the shifts between wonder, delight, and effort lived on the Camino.
More info on Goodreads.
Cancer, Kintsugi, Camino: A Memoir, Shoshana D. Kerewsky
(published 2022)
Not just a memoir of breast cancer and the Camino de Santiago. It’s also about Jewish identity, atheism, family, AIDS, COVID, metaphors and similes, breathing, bricolage, journeys, self-reflection, and hypothetical cuckoos. Through richly-layered fragments of lyrical prose and poetry, Shoshana Kerewsky conveys the rhythms of thought, feeling, and walking in a sparkling narrative mosaic.
More info on Goodreads.
Heaven is Walking the Camino de Santiago, Stephen Towles
(published 2022)
A day-by-day accounting of the author’s first and second Caminos, with his challenges and transformations, as well as reflection and life stories that bring context to the journey. An easy read that may inspire your own Camino in some way or even undertake a pilgrimage if you haven’t already.
More info on Goodreads.
Camino Lessons: Losing Twenty-First Century Fears on an Ancient Pilgrimage Trail, Deborah Terra Weltman
(published 2022)
A spiritual adventure, the memoir of an unprepared woman of almost sixty, attempting to realize her improbable big dream of walking the Camino so that her life will “not be forfeit.” On the Camino, she becomes a citizen of the world and comes to know there is a Divine Source guiding her path.
More on Goodreads.
The Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker’s Guide to Making Travel Sacred, Phil Cousineau
(updated 2021)
Cousineau’s The Art of Pilgrimage is directed toward the modern-day pilgrim looking for inspiration and a few spiritual tools for the road combining as it does stories, myths, parables and quotes from famous travelers of the past to help them focus on the purpose and intention at every stage of their journey.
More info on Goodreads.
Where the Yellow Arrows Lead, Adam Bailey
(published 2021)
Still looking for love in his thirties, a high school teacher asks God for some direction. He finds himself walking the Camino de Santiago, but the yellow arrows that mark the road aren’t always as easy to follow as it appears. A lot can happen on a five hundred mile walk down the aisle on the way to get married.
More info on Goodreads.
Finding Myself Along the Way: One Man’s Journey on the Camino de Santiago, Michael Burnett
(published 2021)
After finding the courage to upend a life of convention and security, author Michael Burnett leaves literally everything behind. At age fifty, he embarks on a voyage of self-discovery and adventure in his search to uncover what his life can be. You’ll meet the people he encounters and learn how his connections with fellow pilgrims allow him to open up, both with others and himself.
More info on Goodreads.
On My Way: 800 Kilometres to Destination Self, Leona Françoise Caanen
(published 2021)
Meeting yourself anew can be daunting, but doing so while hiking 800 kilometers across Northern Spain can be life-changing. At age 19, Leona grabbed her backpack and headed to St. Jean Pied de Port, in southern France, to commence her 35-day trek.
Experience the Camino through the eyes of Leona. From making the decision to travel to spending nights in rooms with strangers, to returning to life’s daily rhythm. The Camino is not just about enjoying a fantastic travel experience, but about discovering your own path in life.
More info on Goodreads.
Walking the Way Together: How Families Connect on the Camino de Santiago, Kathleen E. Jenkins
(published 2021)
In Walking the Way Together, Kathleen Jenkins offers an up-close study of parents and their adult children who walk the Camino de Santiago together. While it explores pilgrimage and its transformative effects, it also freshly analyzes pilgrims’ intentions, preparations and family structures. The book is full of intriguing and compelling stories of pilgrims who traveled with adult family members as they traveled in search of the “Camino promise.” It covers a spectrum of pilgrim studies that has so far been largely neglected by pilgrimage scholars – the effects of pilgrimage on family relationships.
More info on Goodreads.
Slow Your Roll: Ruminations & Reflections On My Walk Across Spain, Meg Maloney
(published 2021)
In college she was an American in Spain, spending a year studying abroad in Madrid. Thirty-five years later, after sending the last of her children off to college, 55-year-old Meg S. Maloney decided it was time to fulfill a long-held dream: complete the legendary Camino de Santiago. In May of 2019, Meg left her home in Northern California to set off alone on the challenging, inspiring 550-mile walk across Spain, not knowing what she’d find or who’d she become. This is her story.
More info on Goodreads.
Keep Walking, Your Heart Will Catch Up: A Camino de Santiago Journey, Cathay Reta
(published 2021)
Keep Walking is the story of a modern-day pilgrimage, a spiritual journey, and a physical feat. Author Cathy had entered a third phase of her life. In phase one she had been single for 29 years. Phase two followed with 33 years of marriage. Now widowed, she was looking for direction for her next 30 years. Her question was answered when a fellow pilgrim said to her, “You’re here [on the Camino] to learn to fall in love with yourself again.”
More info on Goodreads.
Lost and Found Along the Way: Stories for Your Faith Walk from the Camino de Santiago, Ron “Willie” Williams
(published 2021)
The Camino de Santiago is a 500-mile, 33-day walk across Spain’s extreme conditions to reach the beloved Cathedral of Santiago. Ron “Willie” Williams walked the Way two and a half times, a total of 1,200 miles. Why? It is less about what he gains and more about what he loses along the Way―old behaviors, unforgiveness, and a tendency to play God.
More info on Goodreads.
To Compostela and Beyond!: A Poet’s Chronicle of the Camino de Santiago, Susana Porras
(published 2021)
Susana Porras’s journey over the Camino de Santiago with her father was a life-changing journey filled with awe-inspiring scenery, spiritual awakening and lots of café con leche. Come with them as Susana’s sonnets take you metaphorically, physically, spiritually and historically along the Camino.
More info on Goodreads.
Savoring the Camino de Santiago: It’s the Pilgrimage, Not the Hike, Julie Gianelloni Connor
(published 2020)
A guidebook and memoir for those who are thinking about walking the Camino Francés or those who want to experience the Camino without actually walking it. The guidebook portion helps travelers thinking of walking the Camino, while the memoir section and select chapters give readers a taste of what walking the Camino is like.
More info on Goodreads.
Onward, Backward!, Bennett Voyles
(published 2020)
OK, the full title is Onward, Backward! -or- A Ramble to Santiago: Being a True Account of a Heathen Family’s 1,500-Kilometer Pilgrimage to Santiago, together with many Interesting Stories and Occasionally Useful Facts pertaining to Life along that ancient Way. Long on confidence and short on common sense, two American expats decided to undertake an extended Camino. Inexperienced, underprepared, and with only the vaguest notion of the pilgrimage – and with three kids in tow – the family set off from Le-Puy-en-Velay, France. Part family memoir, part history, Onward, Backward! recounts their personal adventure.
More info on Goodreads.
Your Inner Camino: Your Pocket Guide to Inspiration and Transformation Along the Camino de Santiago, Karin Kiser
(published 2019)
Your Inner Camino: offers advice on how, after returning home, you can keep the Camino spirit alive, and simplify your way of life at home.
The real Camino begins after you arrive in Santiago, when you take your experience home. How will you keep the spirit of the Camino alive in your daily life? Kiser’s first volume, called After the Camino, has advice to help you avoid returning to the habits and routines of your pre-Camino life. You’ll discover how to simplify and live the pilgrim way at home.
More info on Goodreads.
From Sore Soles to a Soaring Soul: Changing My Life One Step at a Time on the Camino De Santiago, Blaine A. Rada
(published 2019)
A few days into his Camino, author Rada was asked by a fellow pilgrim, “Do you like going for long walks?” Actually, he doesn’t. The physical, mental, and spiritual journey that is the Camino is profoundly personal yet universally transformational. The greatest challenge is staying transformed when you get off the trail and go back home to your normal life. Walk with Blaine as he shares his daily diary filled with insights, humor and his quest for meaning. All profits from the sale of this book will be donated to charities that support the Camino.
More info on Goodreads.
It’s About Time: A Call to the Camino de Santiago, Johnnie Walker
(published 2019)
A pilgrim’s journey to Santiago de Compostela often starts with a call long before they set out on the ancient holy road. At its heart, It’s About Time is the story of a pilgrim who heard that call and what happened when he answered it. On his many pilgrimages on the Caminos, Johnnie Walker has met pilgrims with a wide variety of motives for taking to the trail, and has gathered personal accounts of their experiences. Here he shares their stories, along with his own, and gives practical advice and encouragement to those feeling drawn to take the first step.
More info on Goodreads.
A Furnace Full of God: A Holy Year on the Camino de Santiago, Rebekah Scott
(published 2019)
Rebekah and Patrick, burned-out newspaper journalists from the U.S. and England, were captured by the generous spirit they found on the Camino pilgrimage trail. So in 2006 they folded up their American lives and moved to Spain, to a tiny village of twenty farmers in the middle of the Camino Francés. They did their best to catch the ancient rhythms of seedtime, harvest, pig-stickings and saints’ days. Some stayed at Peaceable Kingdom, the farmhouse where the couple offered a night’s food and lodging in exchange for whatever the pilgrim wanted to give. There were nuns, bums, Oxford dons, mystics, fugitives, hippies and lunatics, as well as greyhounds, barn cats, roosters and donkeys. Most moved on after a day or two, but some came to stay. A Furnace Full of God is their story.
More info on Goodreads.
Shadow of a Pilgrim: An Apostate Walks Two Caminos in Spain, Thomas F. Connell
(published 2018)
What happens when a classics-trained, half-a-century-lapsed, Irish-American Catholic sets out to walk two Caminos, from France to Santiago? This rich, day-to-day, and densely photographed account of one apostate pilgrim’s journey, carries the reader through forests, fields, vineyards, mountains, ancient battle sites, and famous cities, first on the Camino Francés; then along Spain’s rugged coast on the Camino del Norte. Filled with history, art, architecture, and belly-laughing tales plus more than 300 photos.
More info on Goodreads or the author’s website.
Walking to the End of the World: A Thousand Miles on the Camino De Santiago, Beth Jusino
(published 2018)
In April 2015, Beth and Eric Jusino walked out of a cathedral in the village of Le Puy, France, down a cobblestone street and turned west. Seventy-nine days, a thousand miles, two countries, two mountain ranges and three pairs of shoes later, they reached the Atlantic Ocean. Beth’s story is that a boundary-stretching adventure is accessible to even the most unlikely of us. It turned out to be harder than she thought. Walking to the End of the World is a warm-hearted and engaging story about an average couple going on an adventure together, tracing ancient paths, paths that continue to reveal surprises to us today.
More info on Goodreads.
Every Step Together On the Camino De Santiago, Kathy and Ken Privratsky
(published 2018)
Ken and Kathy Privratsky detail their experience in walking the Camino Francés. They took on this challenge to celebrate their 70th birthdays, knowing they would be among the oldest on the trail and could confront additional obstacles. They take the reader with them during their daily walks, first 500 miles to Santiago and then another 60 miles to the Atlantic coast, where they spread the ashes of loved ones onto the ocean. The authors provide a map of where they walked with a chart of distances and hundreds of pictures. They conclude with suggestions for those interested in their own pilgrimage. Their commitment to each other over this journey was simple: “to take every step together.”
More info on Goodreads.
Camino Sunrise: Walking With My Shadows, Reginald Spittle
(Susan Spittle, Illustrator, published 2018)
Reg was a master of disguising a lifetime of debilitating anxiety that continually undermined his self-confidence. Recently retired, he was looking forward to expanding his travel horizons, never dreaming he’d soon find himself chasing distant boundaries across a foreign land, sleeping in dorm bunks, and sharing bathrooms as if he were a teenager experiencing his gap year. When tragedy strikes, Reg reluctantly accepts his wife’s challenge to carry his red backpack on the Camino, confronting past fears and humiliations, while packing new worries.
More info on Goodreads.
Healing Miles: Gifts from the Caminos Norte and Primitivo, Susan Alcorn
(published 2017)
Although in part a guide for walking these two paths, Healing Miles explores the experience and adventure of walking 750 miles across Spain on two important pilgrimage trails (the Norte and Primitivo) while dealing with family health and aging issues both on the trail and back home.
More info on Goodreads.
I’ll Push You: A Journey of 500 Miles, Two Best Friends, and One Wheelchair, Patrick Gray and Justin Skeesuck
(published 2017)
Friendship takes on new meaning in this true story of Justin and Patrick, born less than two days apart in the same hospital. Best friends their whole lives, when Justin was diagnosed with a neuromuscular disease that robbed him of the use of his arms and legs, Patrick was there. Determined to live life to the fullest, the friends refused to give into despair or let physical limitations control what was possible for Justin.
Skeesuck and Gray also developed a documentary movie of the same name, which is featured on our Camino movie page.
More info on Goodreads.
The Great Westward Walk: From the Front Door to the End of the Earth, Antxon (Bolitx) González Gabarain
(published 2017, translated by Rebekah Scott)
The Great Westward Walk is the long-awaited English translation of El Gran Caminante, the best-selling contemporary Spanish narrative of the Camino. The tale is told by “Bolitx,” a Basque pilgrim who walked in 2008 from his hometown on the Cantabrian Sea. Along the Way to Santiago, he spins tales of family life in a Basque village: ghost trains, kindly nuns and card-shark grannies; as well as his daily dealings with pilgrims: the pot-smokers, saints, liars and scholars who share his journey.
Peppered with Camino history never before seen in English; it’s a view into the character of a witty soul both Spaniard and Basque. The Great Westward Walk was this young author’s final work: he finished the written journey three days before ALS ended his life at age 41.
More info on Goodreads.
Walking in Watercolor: An Artist’s Pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago, Jennifer Lawson and Patricia Lennon
(published 2017)
Every year, more than a quarter million pilgrims from all over the world walk the Camino de Santiago. This book chronicles the author’s journey on this ancient path. Her daily musings and watercolor sketches capture her experiences-the villages, the food, the wines, the friendships and the sights and sounds of northern Spain. Over 200 original watercolors.
More in on Goodreads.
The Camino Way: Lessons in Leadership from a Walk Across Spain, Victor Prince
(published 2017)
Business coach and former COO Victor Prince began his 500-mile trek on the Camino as one person–driven, work-focused, and highly competitive–and he finished it a completely different one–more balanced, caring and present in the moment. As he made his way on foot through the countryside and medieval towns, the life-altering journey allowed him to reflect, test his will and join a community of strangers on a shared mission. In The Camino Way, Prince shares the lessons he learned while on his pilgrimage and guides readers on their own Camino.
More info on Goodreads.
Walking from Here to There: Finding My Way on El Camino, Christy Day
(published 2016)
This book is equal parts reflection, part factual account of the challenges and joys of the Pilgrimage, and part practical advice for preparing for it and making it the best experience possible. If you like first-person accounts full of facts and reflection, you will like Walking from Here to There.
More info on Goodreads.
Camino to Santiago: A Spiritual Companion, John Rafferty
(published 2016)
In this little booklet (less than 80 pages) 31 pilgrims from across the world share their reflections on their pilgrimage to inspire and inform other pilgrims and those interested in the pilgrimage. Their stories may help in preparation for the journey or in accompanying pilgrims on their way.
More info on Goodreads.
Walk Your Own Camino: Themes and Variations along the Camino de Santiago, Dianne Homan
(published 2016)
The idea for Walk Your Own Camino came to the author on the second day of her very first Camino. It struck her as a unique way to organize and share a flood of information and impressions. Homan writes about the Rock Camino, The Quirky Camino, The Musical Camino, The Meditation Camino, The Life and Death Camino and more. The stories range from funny to thoughtful to moving. As well, they provide the reader with advice and practical knowledge about the Camino.
More info on Goodreads.
Walking Through Sunflowers: Through Deepest France On the Road to Compostela, Denise Fainberg
(published 2015)
Teacher and travel writer Denise Fainberg and companion Patrick Roberts undertook to walk one of the ancient pilgrimage routes running across France toward Santiago. Their path led from the Auvergne to the limestone plateaus and river valleys of Quercy; to jewels of Romanesque architecture at the many traditional shrines along the way; through the vineyards and farmland of Aquitaine; and over the Pyrenees into Spain. The parade of modern pilgrims, the thousand-year history of the path and its artistic and spiritual heritage combine with the seductive environment of southern France to leave an impression on body and soul.
More info on Goodreads.
Walking Distance: Pilgrimage, Parenthood, Grief and Home Repairs, David Hlavsa
(published 2015)
In the summer of 2000, David Hlavsa and his wife embarked on a pilgrimage. After trying for three years to conceive a child and suffering through the monthly cycle of hope and disappointment, they decided to walk the Camino, a joint enterprise and an act of faith they hoped would strengthen their marriage and prepare them for parenthood. Though walking across the north of Spain turned out to be more difficult than they had anticipated, after a series of misadventures, including a brief stay in a Spanish hospital, they arrived in Santiago. Shortly after their return home, Lisa became pregnant, and the hardships of the Camino were no comparison to what followed: the stillbirth of their first son and Lisa’s harrowing second pregnancy.
More info on Goodreads.
On the Primitive Way, Landon Roussel
(published 2015)
On the Primitive Way recounts two Texan brothers’ pilgrimage on the Camino. Starting in Oviedo, Spain, the author, the older brother, chronicles their journey through the mountains of Asturias that brought them together after over a decade of estrangement due to the younger brother’s drug abuse, addiction and imprisonment. As they endure torrential rains, blindsiding blizzards and grueling climbs, the author comes to realize that the real challenge is not to survive the elements but to reconcile with his brother after a tumultuous past.
More info on Goodreads.
Half a Million Steps: True Inspirational Stories from a Pilgrimage in Spain, Phil and Manuela Cheney
(published 2015)
Half a Million Steps is a collection of true life stories taken from encounters along the Camino in 2015. Authors Phil and Manuela Cheney offer inspirational stories about people from 15 countries across the world sharing their humanity. The people who met for the first time on the trail share their own journeys both before and during their adventure into northern Spain. This is not a travelogue but is a travel encounter with real people and spiritual synchronicity.
More info on Goodreads.
The Art of Walking: An Illustrated Journey on the Camino de Santiago, Kari Gale
(published 2015)
In the spring of 2013, Kari Gale walked the Camino de Santiago. During the 500-mile journey, she documented each day in her journal with ink and paints, resulting in over forty watercolor illustrations. The simple prose and sketches found in The Art of Walking provide an intimate perspective that captures the sweeping landscape of Spain, the beauty of ordinary moments, and the profound simplicity and delight of walking.
More info on Goodreads or the author’s website.
A Million Steps, Kurt Koontz
(published 2013)
Author Kurt Koontz thought he was well prepared for his walking trip on the Camino. But all of his preparation did not begin to encompass the scope of his external or internal adventure. Part diary, part travelogue, in A Million Steps Koontz navigates through his personal history of addiction, recovery and love. He describes embracing the beauty of the countryside and connections with other pilgrims from around the world.
More info on Goodreads.
A Sense of Direction: Pilgrimage for the Restless and the Hopeful, Gideon Lewis-Kraus
(published 2012)
Described as being irreverent, moving, hilarious and thought-provoking, A Sense of Direction is Lewis-Kraus’s take on the perpetual war between discipline and desire, and its attendant casualties. Across three pilgrimages and many hundreds of miles – the Camino de Santiago, a solo circuit of the eighty-eight Buddhist temples in Japan, and, together with his father and brother, an annual mass migration to the tomb of a famous Hasidic mystic in Ukraine – he completes an idiosyncratic odyssey to the heart of a family mystery and a human dilemma.
More info on Goodreads.
Following the Yellow Arrow: Younger Pilgrims on the Camino, Lynn Talbot and Andrew Talbot Squires, Editors
(published 2011)
This collection presents the reflections of 21 young writers who share their adventures on the Camino, each looking for the revelation that has enriched their lives. As they hiked, they discovered answers to why they’d walked, what they’d learned, and how they’d changed. The contributors – all of whom were in their teens and twenties – reflect on the way the Camino allowed them to meet challenges, heal personal fractures, and connect with others. The essays they have written capture the spirit of the Camino with amazing fidelity.
More info on Goodreads.
Walking the Camino: A Modern Pilgrimage to Santiago, Tony Kevin
(published 2009)
Filled with fascinating observations and anecdotes about the nature of contemporary Spain, author Tony Kevin, an overweight 63-year-old former diplomat, relates his eight-week trek across Spain. Rich with the history, politics, and culture of the region, this travel narrative follows his travel on the Camino Mozárabe and the Vía de la Plata. Capturing the flavor of both the past and present experiences of walking the Camino, this chronicle depicts the concept of pilgrimage as not only having the potential to unlock hidden memory and conscience but also as a meditation on the nature of modern life. In addition to cultural and spiritual discussions, this diverse exploration also offers practical advice for would-be pilgrims-from packing and training to walking techniques and navigation.
More info on Goodreads.
I’m Off Then: Losing and Finding Myself on the Camino de Santiago, Hape Kerkeling
(translated by Shelley Frisch, published 2009)
Hape Kerkeling is possibly the best-known entertainer in Germany. In 2001, in a spontaneous reaction to a severe mid-life crisis he more or less simply picked up and headed out on the Camino. This book is the product of his experience. Determined to avoid devout pilgrims – because, he writes, they would be no different at the end of the journey than they were at the start – Kerkeling instead encounters an array of tourists, oddballs and adventurers, eventually making what will probably prove to be lifelong connections with a few.
More info on Goodreads.
To the Field of Stars: A Pilgrim’s Journey to Santiago de Compostela, Kevin A. Codd
(published 2008)
Seeking to take stock of his life, Catholic priest Kevin Codd set out in July 2003 on a pilgrimage that would change his life. To the Field of Stars tells the story of his unusual spiritual and physical journey. Each brief chapter chronicling Codd’s thirty-five-day trek is dedicated to one or two days on the road. The author shares tales of other pilgrims, his own changes of perspective and his challenges and triumphs along the way.
More info on Goodreads.
What the Psychic Told the Pilgrim: A Midlife Misadventure on Spain’s Camino de Santiago, Jane Christmas
(published 2007)
To celebrate her 50th birthday and face the challenges of mid-life, Jane Christmas joins 14 women to hike the Camino. Despite a psychic’s warning of catfights, death and a sexy, fair-haired man, Christmas soldiers on. After a week of squabbles, the group splinters and the real adventure begins. In witty style, she recounts her battles with loneliness, hallucinations of being joined by Steve Martin, as well as picturesque villages and even the fair-haired man.
More info on Goodreads.
Off the Road: A Modern-Day Walk down the Pilgrim’s Route into Spain, Jack Hitt
(published 2005)
In the day-to-day grind of walking under a hot Spanish sun, Jack Hitt and his cohorts not only find occasional good meals and dry shelter but they also stumble upon some fresh ideas about old-time zealotry and modern belief. Off the Road is an engaging and witty travel memoir of an offbeat journey through history that turns into a provocative rethinking of the past.
More info on Goodreads.
Travels with My Donkey: One Man and his Ass on the Pilgrim Way to Santiago, Tim Moore
(published 2005)
Moore entertains with his snappy one-liners and skewed views of the locals, his fellow pilgrims and his own reasons for undertaking the Camino. Against advice to the contrary, he pursues his search for a donkey to accompany him, which “upgraded his Camino from a big walk to a revelatory voyage of self-examination.”
More info on Goodreads.
Walk in a Relaxed Manner: Life lessons from the Camino, Joyce Rupp
(published 2005)
In this inspirational paperback, the author presents her adventures on the Camino de Santiago and their significance in her further life. At the age of 60, she took this arduous journey with Tom, a retired pastor and close friend. As an imaginative practitioner of spiritual literacy, Rupp has gathered together the many meanings of her experience so that fellow pilgrims can share in the lessons.
More info on Goodreads.
Road to Santiago (Directions), Kathryn Harrison
(published 2003)
More memoir than travelogue, Harrison’s contribution to National Geographic’s Directions series is reflective and deeply personal, yet still manages to recreate a physical place in all its rugged, peaceful glory. On the first night of their pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain, Harrison and her daughter checked into a picturesque hotel. Overcome by the scenic beauty, Harrison threw open the hotel-room window shutters and exclaimed, “Look at the mountains!” From behind her, 12-year-old Sarah ecstatically waved the television’s remote control and shouted, “French MTV!”
More info on Goodreads
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More Camino Inspiration
If you are planning a Camino, be sure to request a credential from us. Learn about the various ways to do the Camino on our routes page. And join a local chapter for community and local hikes.
We’ve also got a ton of good Camino planning resources.
Rev 06/20/24