10 Ways Preparing for a Pilgrimage is Different than Planning a Vacation

I've been fortunate to visit 17 countries outside of the US in my life so far. Between traveling as a kid with my family on my dad's business trips, studying abroad in college, and annual vacations ever since, I've been able to live out a great joy of mine - traveling. Clearly, I am no stranger to planning trips. I actually get almost as much enjoyment out of the planning as the actual traveling. Almost.

Six months ago I bought my tickets Madrid so I could walk the Camino de Santiago. As I have been planning over the past half a year, it is quite evident that planning for this trip is unlike other. Here are the top 10 ways it's different to prepare for a pilgrimage versus planning for a vacation:

1. Thinking six weeks ahead. I'll be gone for a month and a half. There are a lot of logistical things at home that I have to make arrangements for her. My sister has instructions so she can take care of paying my bills, I've unsubscribed from every ridiculous e-mail I have ever signed up to receive so my email doesn't completely crash under the weight of thousands of emails, and I'm already thinking about things I need to do in May when I return when no one else is even thinking about looking at that month yet.
   
2. Weather OCD. Of course, I always checked the weather of where I was going to be, but I have never checked with such frequency as this trip. Only recently did I actually carefully look at the lows instead of just the highs and realized that there'll be a 20° difference from when I start walking in the morning to when the sun is at its peak. That little nugget of info has made me rethink some packing.
   
3. Giveaways. I'm not huge on souvenirs but probably have gotten a little something from most every place I've been. But for this trip I'm actually bringing things to give away to other pilgrims. I bought 100 patron saint medals and had them blessed so that I can pass them along to people I meet. Since I'm going by myself, I'm very excited for this connection with people.
   
   

   

   The medals in separate bags for each patron saint.
   

4. Seeking advice. I would check review sites as I planned other trips, but this has been taken to an entirely different level. I joined a Facebook group of people who are planning or have already been on the pilgrimage. From boot recommendations to current updates from the trail, they have been an amazing resource to ask questions as I've planned. I think that in general this aspect has reminded me to seek counsel from others. As they say, life’s too short to make all your own mistakes!
   
5. No reservations. For this pilgrimage, I have only booked a hotel for the day I land and for the night before I come home. Everything else will be decided by my feet. If I don't feel like walking much further, I’ll need to find an albergue in the town nearest to me.
   

   

   Will I stay at this albergue? Time will tell...
   

6. Planning not to plan. I often put a lot of expectations on things and picture – in detail – how things will play out. I've come to realize that this isn't the best approach. Because even if you get what you thought was going to happen, your expectations have just been met. It doesn't leave room for delightful surprises. So I'm being very purposeful and stopping myself from putting expectations on what will happen. I'm trying to remain open that this trip will be whatever it needs to be without me envisioning every moment.
   
7. Documentary planning. I figured that since I am going to be on another continent having an amazing experience, I may as well film and see if a documentary springs forth. This has taken extra planning to figure out what equipment to bring, concentrating on finding the most lightweight options. I've also been aware to plan this element of my trip in a way that it will not take away from the experience.
   
8. Physical preparation. As I will be walking 13 miles a day, I have had to prepare myself physically. I'm in decent shape but needed to make sure that I would be able to carry 20 pounds on my back as I walk for six to eight hours. On other vacations I have always been active, but I don't believe I ever really gave it a second thought if I was up to the activities I planned. (As an added bonus, this has given me some great quality time with family and friends as I've gone for training walks.)
   
9. Careful packing. I am not one to usually bring way more than I'll ever need but I'll often put in a few extra shirts so I will have choices on vacation. With this, I will be backpacking the entire way, so I have looked at every item that I packed very carefully, deciding if I truly will need it. It has been recommended to only carry 10% of your body weight on your back. I’m over that, but I'm pretty sure I've got it down to the bare necessities.
   
   

   

   My backpack
   

10. Prayer requests. While I do pray every day, I've never been this forward-thinking about making prayer such an integral part of my trip. It has already been really humbling as people give me glimpses of their lives in what they have asked me to pray for, for them.
    

    

    Send me your prayer requests before March 16!
    

So there you have it. If you've been on a pilgrimage before, do you think I've missed anything?