Organizing a Group Pilgrimage on the Camino De Santiago

In the Spring of 2009, 8 of us decided to walking parts of the Camino Frances starting in St Jean Pied de Port in France, crossing the Pyrenees and walking in Northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela. With members of the group spread out across the country, the initial research and organization of the trip was made easier through informational websites on the Camino history, email and travel sites that provide reviews of accommodations, Camino sites that have pilgrim forums and sites, like Goziac, that allow for the development and sharing of itineraries

One of us took charge of the general trip organizing such as which parts of the French Camino we would walk, where we would start, and how we would be transported from place to place when not walking. While others in the group researched the background and history of the Camino and the pilgrimage, providing reading lists, and looking up places that were suggested as stopping and starting points, along with hotels, paradores and pilgrim inns.

We used web sites that gave us current information about the Camino and how to organize the trip. We looked at general Camino sites and ones that had been produced by travel companies specializing in the walk. There sites gave us a feel for what to expect, during each part of the journey. We also searched for sites that gave the pilgrim a historical and spiritual grounding in the pilgrimage. We used Goziac to provide a single place for the itinerary. Everyone could see and add comments.

Here are some web sites that our group used for researching and organizing our walk on the Camino.

Look for sites with extensive information on the various routes, maps, guides for towns that are stopping points, and checklists of items to bring. These sites has information about the 5 major pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela try http://www.followthecamino.com/santiago-de-compostela/camino-frances-section-8.html ; http://www.caminodesantiago.me.uk/ and http://www.santiago-compostela.net/index.html.

A trip like the Camino Pilgrimage deserves a historical and spiritual context. This website will help you understand the historical and spiritual significance of the pilgrimage. American Pilgrims http://www.americanpilgrims.com/resources/resources.html)

Goziac (www.goziac.com) is the site for Heritage Travel, a division of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. This site specializes in turning the user on to special places throughout the country and the world that have a story. The site allows you to create an itinerary, keep folders of important aspects of your trip and share with your friends or traveling comrades.

Trip Advisor: www.tripadvisor.com. Trip advisor is always a first and last stop for information. The information and reviews are timely and are provided by visitors who have stayed in the hotels, visited the cities. Read the reviews carefully to ascertain if they have your same needs. While the TripAdvisor does not do travel such as a walk on the Camino, the site is invaluable for checking out hotels and cities on the way to and from the walk.

these sites helps us focus early and organize for the pilgrimage. Our best advice is to use a variety of sites for organizing.