Camino during a Sabbatical

A sabbatical, or a break from work, is an excellent time to walk the Camino. Not only do you not have the pressure of a deadline to arrive, but walking the Camino can also help you figure out where you want to go in life.

Ideally, both. After all, there’s more than one Camino 🙂

In general, it depends on how much of your sabbatical you’ve planned out. Some people have fixed plans for when and what they’re going to do, while others just let it unfold.

If you belong to the latter group, the beginning of your sabbatical is definitely the perfect time.

I’ve spoken with many people who didn’t do anything at the start of their time off. They just rested first. They hoped that it would become clear what they should do with their sabbatical time – and that’s exactly what didn’t happen. Time passed, and the disappointment was great.

Starting your sabbatical with a Camino can be the perfect solution here. You pack your backpack and book only the outbound flight to make it clear to your brain: “I have time now. I’m out of responsibility and having to function. From now on, I can decide intuitively what I want to do and what feels good for me.”

Walking the Camino can also work well as a conclusion, as it gives you the space to reflect on the past months and emotionally prepare for the new/old life that lies ahead.

The idea of a sabbatical is often to gain distance and question things. To have space and time to reflect on past life decisions and plan for the future.

But even if it's “just" meant for relaxation – it’s surprisingly hard to break out of old patterns.

The Camino pulls you out of your old life. You’re outdoors all day, and your only job is to walk, eat, and sleep. Every day you meet new people, sleep in a new bed each night. You only have the essentials with you, and nothing in your daily routine reminds you of your life at home.

It’s the perfect start to catapult your brain into a new mode.

Use the fact that you have unlimited time!

You can walk the famous Camino Frances, or if you prefer something quieter, the Camino Portuguese starting from Lisbon.

Have an itinerary created that starts with short stages, so that you still have plenty of time each day to just sit with a drink and stare at the surroundings. This will get boring in the long run, but it can be very helpful at the start to slow down.

Don’t book a return flight, and don’t book your accommodations far in advance.

With my deluxe package, I can even find a bed or room for you spontaneously, letting you walk your Camino completely freely. If finances are a bit tighter and you still don’t want to stress over finding rooms, you can remain somewhat flexible and book only a few days in advance.