Lessons from Walking the Camino de Santiago with a Baby

Walking the Camino with a baby brought challenges, surprises, and joy. These are the lessons we learned along the way

Plan, but stay flexible

It is important to know what you will be doing. Research, learn, get ready. It is also important to remember that things tend to not go by the plan, so be ready and leave some room for improvisation.

Don’t Forget to Take Care of Yourself

As parents, it’s easy to focus entirely on the needs of your baby. But walking the Camino with a baby taught us that self-care is just as important. We learned to take turns with carrying the baby, give each other breaks, and prioritize rest - both mental and physical. Only when we took care of ourselves could we fully be there for our child. Self-care is not selfish; it’s essential for maintaining balance.

There is no such thing as waterproof

It is completely normal to have rainy days on the Camino. People tend to pack a rain jacket, a poncho, or even an umbrella. If you are lucky, you might not need to use any of this, but if you are like us then none of this will help. When the rain is strong enough and long enough, everything will get wet. Yes, even the things that claim they are waterproof. Protect your valuables with plastic bags and hope for the best.

Good socks will save your feet

One of the biggest questions before you start is which shoes to take with you. What we learned, is that having quality socks goes a long way. They protect your feet from blisters and make up for any shortcoming the shoes you chose have.

The Power of Simplicity

When you're traveling with a baby, your packing list gets shorter. You carry only the essentials, and that teaches you to simplify life. For you, that would mean taking only the necessary items. For your child, it would mean that his toys are sticks, stones and everything else found in nature.

Do not believe the weather forecast

Galicia is known for its unpredictable weather, but you don't know what is unpredictable until your weather forecast shows a sunny day and in front of your eyes there is a pouring rain. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst would be your guiding words in this case

The Camino evolves

Whatever bothers you on the first day will not bother you after 10 days, and after 20 days you will have something completely different on your mind. The more you walk, the more you evolve, adn the Camino evolves with you.

Don't hesitate to take a day off

The concept of zero days (days in which you walk 0km) exists on the Camino. Traditionally, you cannot stay for 2 nights in the same albergue. But you can always go private, or even AirBNB. If you are ill, need to rest your feet for a day, or just really like the town you are in, do not hesitate to stay another night. Some of our most memorable moments happened during our zero days.

Final thoughts

The Camino experience is personal. The lessons that we learned might not be the lessons someone else learns. It might be a small thing or a huge enlightment, but what is true is that there are always lessons to learn on Camino de Santiago.

What was the lessons you learned? Let me know!