After a significant, life-changing experience on his first Camino, a man returns for a second Camino where he develops large painful blisters that would slow him down, lead to disappointment, and alter his walk. Back home, as he reflects on the long conversations he had with 36 people from 15 countries in 12 days, he comes to realize that he may not have gotten the Camino he wanted. But perhaps he became the Camino companion others needed.
When John develops a painful blister along the way, his Camino friend Martin heads into the woods and emerges with an herb that he makes into a seemingly magical balm.
A pilgrim reports on her experience attending the 2025 Annual Symposium for Pilgrimage Studies hosted by the Institute of Pilgrimage Studies on the William & Mary campus in Williamsburg, VA. Symposium sessions over a packed two days explored the changing meaning of pilgrimage, while also providing a chance to connect with fellow Camino and pilgrimage enthusiasts. She left the experience feeling well fed physically, mentally, and spiritually.
American Pilgrims on the Camino bids a fond farewell to two dedicated hospitalero trainers.
A distinctive Camino guide by Scottish husband-and-wife duo David and Debbie Mercer. Reviewer Jerald Stroebele, who has walked several lesser-traveled Camino routes himself, considers this book especially noteworthy for the 144 pages the authors dedicate to sharing practical information and personal insights on the 17 different Caminos routes they have walked.
While a woman takes a cab in search of the toiletry bag and medicines she’d left back at the albergue that morning, the proprietor of the café-bar in the tiny hamlet where she’d be staying for the night gathers provisions for her from friends and neighbors, just in case.
Bob and his wife meet Julio through their local American Pilgrims chapter. Julio helps them prepare for their first Camino and in the process a friendship forms. Along the way, Julio is stricken with a brain tumor. After his death, Juilo’s family donates his Camino gear to the chapter. When Bob and his wife eventually make their Camino, Bob carries Julio’s backpack.
A man expresses gratitude for the journey he embarked on with a long-time friend, and the new friends, made along the way, who give him hope for the future of this world.
Participants share their experiences in an inaugural program offered by the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela to American Pilgrims members.
As a Ribadiso Welcome Service volunteer and as an hospitalera, a woman discovers that she gains as much as she gives by listening to pilgrims’ personal stories.