At this stage, you know you want to walk “someday.” You might even look several years down the line, thinking that this isn’t a good time. It might not be, or is it? Do you have a general idea about why you need to walk this journey? If you are like most of us, we can’t explain it other than just saying that this road draws us. If it isn’t this serious for you then, okay, put it on the bucket list. But if you feel that you wish you could go today, you’ve been pulled in. As the guy said in the movie Oh Brother, where art Thou? “Come on it boys, the water is fine!”

First, open a savings account for the Camino. Just the action of doing this somehow sets the wheels in motion. If you don’t have the money, begin to look for opportunity to make it. Sell some of that junk you have been hauling around for years.  Put money in this account weekly if you can, and watch for opportunities to gather.

Next, set a date. If you have looked over the different seasons, you should be aware of about what time of year would best suit you (see previous blog). Once you have an idea of the season, begin to read and search for that time in the Camino sites. I knew I wanted to walk mid-April through May. It was cooler, less crowded, I don’t mind rain, and I didn’t want to miss June in Virginia (call me selfish). I read everything I could about April/May walking. Check YouTube sites out for films on the Camino that were around that time. This will give you a visual. When I was first exploring the idea, I came across a clip someone posted on YouTube about the Meseta dressed in waving green grass, I knew I had to walk in May.

Make the plunge.  Determine that when you have enough in savings, you will purchase your ticket. Yes, it’s daring….but so is walking 500 miles. The Camino has support for the poor pilgrim: Municipal albergues. If you are willing to lay down your life and walk humbly with others, you can afford it.

Finally, write it down in a journal, on a post-it, a poster: write it down. Write: “I will walk the Camino,” or something of that nature. Just writing down this goal also solidifies the reality. Last Spring (2014), after thinking and researching for two weeks or more, I took my journal and wrote: “I will walk the Camino. Dated: April 19, 2014.” Life happened. I moved back from Alaska to Virginia. Packed that journal away, months passed. I bought my plane tickets as I had the funds, for six months out. I found the journal today. As I was reading it, a realization occurred to me: my tickets were for April 19^th, 2015: a year exactly from my declaration…another Camino miracle.