How to Prepare for the Camino de Santiago: Packing List, Training, and the Inner Work Nobody Talks About
If you are thinking about walking the Camino de Santiago, you have probably already run into the same wall I did…
There isn't one Camino. There are many routes, many starting points, and rules about walking at least 100km to earn your certificate. It can feel complicated enough to stop you before you begin.
I know, because it stopped me for years.
This summer I finally walked it, roughly 200km from Portugal into Spain and out to the Atlantic coast. This is the honest, practical guide I wish I'd had: how I trained, what I packed, what I'd leave behind next time, and the one part of the preparation that mattered more than any of it.
How I trained for the Camino de Santiago
You do not need an elaborate program to prepare your body for the Camino. Here is exactly what I did over about three months:
Walking, a lot, on consecutive days. Walking once a week will not cut it. The Camino is back-to-back long days, so your training has to build that same repetition. I spent my weekends walking and recovering.
Training with weight. Carrying your life on your back is its own skill. I trained with an 8kg bag of rice from Costco in my pack (a tip from Dr. Jeremy Goldberg, who has walked the Camino many times) and walked everywhere with it.
Building distance gradually. My dog tapped out around 8km, so I'd walk him home and keep going. My goal was to walk 20km relatively comfortably.
Cross-training. I kept up my regular pilates and yoga, which helped with strength and recovery.
What to pack for the Camino: my honest packing list
Here is what was actually in my pack:
Two sets of walking clothes, one set for after walking, and pjs
Sleeping bag, eye mask, and ear plugs
First aid supplies: tape, blister bandaids, and vaseline
Three pairs of Darn Tough socks
Teva sandals for the end of the day
Protein bars and powder (as a vegetarian in Galicia, vegetarian options were not always easy to find)
A water bladder and a water bottle
Electrolytes, which were essential
Best hydration trick: freeze your water bladder overnight when you can. It gives you refreshing cold water for most of the day.
What I'd pack differently next time
A few honest lessons for your Camino packing list:
Skip the sleeping bag. I never needed it. It was too hot. A lightweight sleeping liner was plenty especially in summer.
Bring a few extra shirts for after walking. I got so sick of my one plain black tank top.
Choose a proper sun hat, not a baseball cap. A cap didn't give enough coverage. In Santiago I bought a wide tourist bucket hat that saved my face.
Reconsider hiking boots. Mine were comfortable hybrids I'd worn for years, but I didn't need that much support. Runners might have meant fewer blisters, and a less sore achilles three weeks later.
The preparation nobody talks about
Here's the part most Camino guides skip.
My body was ready. My body was never what the Camino tested.
The trail brought up big things. Old things. And the reason I could meet them was not my training walks or my packing list. It was years of inner work I didn't know I was doing until I needed it.
That is the preparation nobody puts on a gear list. And it's the part I wrote about most honestly in the full story.
Read the full story
I wrote the whole Camino Confessions series over on Substack, including the parts that don't fit in a packing guide: the rage, the wound that cracked open on a hill they call the Hill of Death, and what it really means to build the capacity to hold your next big thing.
Read Camino Confessions Part 1 on Substack →
Read Camino Confessions Part 2 on Substack →
Read Camino Confessions Part 3 on Substack →
If you made it to the end of a Camino packing guide that turned into a conversation about inner work, I have a feeling you're my kind of person. Come say hi.
🎧 Start with my free private audio series, Nothing Is Wrong With You → https://andreatessier.com/nothing-is-wrong-with-you
💬 Ready to do this work? Apply for coaching → https://andreatessier.com/one-on-one-coaching
And if you'd rather hear it, the director's cut is on YouTube, where I break down the "manager parts" that ran my Camino preparation and how they quietly run all of us… →https://youtu.be/0OrV6cLo8RA
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Andrea Tessier is a Master Life Coach and Level 2 Internal Family Systems (IFS) Practitioner who helps leaders and visionaries trust themselves and lead from inner authority. Her work bridges psychology and soul, blending IFS with intuitive, embodied mentorship to support clarity, self-trust, and self-led living.
Learn more at: https://www.andreatessier.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@andreatessier
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