Fifteen walking days, 240 kilometers, two countries, and a bed waiting at the end of every stage. Here's how we planned and booked our Camino Portugués from Porto, Portugal to Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
In Episode 2, we get into the planning: why we chose the Camino Portugués, how we started on the coast from Porto and joined the Central route at São Pedro de Rates, and how we broke down 150 miles into 15 stages. We talk about why we booked private rooms with air conditioning ahead of time, how we booked them, and the logistics that made the walk feel doable. We do our research and plan the details, and that's exactly what left room for the surprises. If you're planning your own Camino, we hope this episode will help you get on your way! Buen Camino!

📘 CHAPTERS
0:00 "How many hours did we spend planning?"
0:08 Welcome to Travel Joneses
0:57 How long does Camino planning really take?
1:54 Booking it all in a weekend with friends in Savannah
2:40 Why we booked private rooms ahead of time
3:40 No travel agent: how we researched it ourselves
4:53 Why the Portuguese route, not the French Way
5:56 Central, Coastal, Litoral and Spiritual Variant routes
6:22 Our route: the coast first, then the Central route
:55 Extra days in Porto and Santiago
9:55 Building the itinerary: a shorter first day
11:09 Booking.com and the filters we used
13:18 Why we changed a booking after reading the reviews
14:57 Check how far your room is from the route
15:28 Albergues, bunks and earplugs
16:25 One of rur favorite stays: Vila Nova de Gaia
19:17 The room we needed in Padrón
20:54 What we paid per night
22:18 Municipal albergues and the race for a bunk
24:13 No sleeping bag, no towel: what private rooms saved us
25:08 Toiletries and the camping pillow
28:04 Book fully refundable
28:59 Flights: into Porto, home from Santiago
30:34 Phones and data overseas
31:57 Polar Steps: how our family followed along
34:19 What we'd do differently: rest days
36:55 Watching pilgrims finish in Santiago
37:22 Next time: Everyone Has Advice

📍 Walking Itinerary & Places We Stayed on our website: traveljoneses.com

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New episode every week. Subscribe and come along.That's our story. Now go find yours.#CaminoPortugues #CaminoDeSantiago #EmptyNestTravel #TheJoneses #Travel

It started with "I'm going for a walk." Three days later, we were booking our Camino to walk 150 miles across Portugal and Spain.
In our first episode of Travel Joneses, we go back to the beginning of our Camino Portugués, the 150-mile (242 km) pilgrimage from Porto, Portugal to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. We talk about where the idea came from, the books that lit the spark, the doubts we had about training through a Florida summer, and the moment we finally said yes.
If you've ever wondered whether the Camino is for you, or whether you're " "too busy," or "not that kind of person," this one's for you.

📘 CHAPTERS
0:00 "I'm going for a walk"
0:19 Welcome to Travel Joneses
1:05 A lifelong cyclist goes for a 7-mile walk
2:32 The book that started it all
4:26 How we first heard about the Camino
6:02 What is the Camino de Santiago?
6:43 Our Camino reading list
9:46 "Nobody's walking the Camino without me"
11:01 Our first walks together
14:13 Empty nesters and choosing the Camino Portugués
16:17 Off to REI for trekking poles
17:19 Serendipity: meeting Greg, our first Camino angel
20:12 Our real "why"
22:20 Walking as a couple: giving each other space
24:02 Any doubts?
25:03 Training for 12 miles a day
26:59 Florida heat and becoming mall walkers
30:20 Booking, and why there's no wrong way to walk it
31:53 Coming up next + send us your questions
33:49 Credits

🎙️MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
You Are The One by Kute Blackson
I'm Off Then: Losing and Finding Myself on the Camino de Santiago by Hape Kerkeling
Walking with Sam by Andrew McCarthy
Off the Road by Jack Hitt
The Way (2010), starring Martin Sheen

🎧 FOLLOW & LISTEN
Instagram: Travel Joneses
Podcast on Spotify
Podcast on Apple
Podcast on Amazon Music
Website: traveljoneses.com

New episode every week. Subscribe and come along.
That's our story. Now go find yours.
#CaminoPortugues #CaminoDeSantiago #EmptyNestTravel #TheJoneses #Travel

We're Donald and Janice: husband and wife, new empty-nesters, and travelers at heart. We've raised the kids, and now we're on a new chapter to explore. We walk, hike, and cycle our way through new places, chasing local food, different cultures, and the interesting people we meet along the way. We do our research and plan the details, but we always leave room for surprises. Pivot on the fly!
Season 1: We walked the Camino Portugués, 242 km from Porto, Portugal to Santiago, Spain.
Pull up a chair and come along. This is Travel Joneses.