Things Nobody Tells You About the Camino de Santiago

Most Camino guides are inspirational. Here's the unfiltered version.

Bedbugs are real. Inspect mattress seams before you put your sleeping bag down. If you suspect them, sleep on top of your bag in your liner. Treat your pack at the next pharmacy.

Snoring is constant. Earplugs are not optional. Even the best earplugs won't block everything.

Pilgrims start walking at 5 AM. The rustling of plastic bags as people pack at 4:50 AM is its own kind of war.

Some albergues are charming. Some are dirty. The municipal one in your favourite story might be the worst night of your trip.

You will become best friends with someone in three days, lose them, and reunite with them four towns later. This is normal. It's called the Camino family.

Romance happens. Often. The Camino is one of the most curiously intimate environments in the world.

You will get sick. Most pilgrims have at least one bad stomach day. Bring rehydration salts.

Towns die out by 9 PM. If you don't eat by 8:30, you don't eat.

Sundays are quiet. Many shops, pharmacies, and even some albergues close. Plan resupply on Saturday.

And the biggest one: the Camino is not transformative because it's hard. It's transformative because it's repetitive. The lesson is in the rhythm, not the suffering.