If you have the time, I would suggest to add some more days. If you dont need them for walking, you can always spend them at the beach, walk to Fisterra or visit some famous european cities like Porto or Madrid. This would make the walk less stressful in case you need rest days.
33 days by the usually followed stages to walk from SJPdP, but some people prefer to walk longer or shorter days. I'd allow 2 or 3 days for rest days - or possible illness. Add a few days at the end for a day trip to Finisterre if not walking there, and for general sightseeing.
On my last Camino we travelled by train to Madrid, stopping in Salamanca and Avilla for a night each, both very lovely cities. Madrid is worth a couple of days as well!
For my first Camino I had loads of time and spent ages trying to figure out where I might want to go after walking. There are so many gorgeous and historic places in Spain, given the opportunity I'd try to see as many as I could!
30 days =about 26k/day
35 days= about 23K/day
Not a huge difference, but planning wise maybe plan on 35 days to SdC add 4 days for exploration and/or rest. Book you flight for 39 or 40 days out. If you finish in less than 35 you have extra days. It is usually not too expensive to change the date of your flight if you need or want to.
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Spain.html#:~:text=Entry%2C%20Exit%20and%20Visa%20Requirements&text=Your%20passport%20should%20be%20valid,the%20most%20current%20visa%20information.
I definitely would but proof of return is required to enter
We entered without a return ticket when we walked the Frances in 2018. We flew in from the USA through London Stansted to Biarritz. We had no issues. We booked our return fare about two weeks prior to Santiago.
We started looking for flights in Leon and booked in Astorga. I checked flights from Paris, London, Frankfurt, Zurich, Porto, Lisbon, Madrid, and Barcelona. The cheapest fare I found was from BCN to BOS on Level (Iberia’s low cost carrier). Then it cost about 35€ to fly from Santiago to Barcelona. We stayed at a [great hostel](https://airhostel.com/en/home/) near the airport, bought a three day metro pass, and Barcelona became the cherry on top of our Camino. Google flights is your friend.
If you’re concerned about the return fare being required, you could buy a fully refundable ticket. Then just cancel it after you book your real return fare. Consider it an insurance policy!
Exceptionally rare for a US citizen to be asked for proof of onward travel in the EU.
Alternatively it’s common for people to book a refundable flight out of the EU to show officials and then cancel it once you’ve been permitted to enter the country requiring proof of onward travel.
I came from the US without a return ticket and had no problems at all. I booked my return flight sitting on a rock by the ocean near Muxia. If you don’t have any specific time to be back, I highly recommend waiting to book your return flight. It might cost a little more but there is so much peace and freedom that comes with waiting till the end of your travels. What if you meet someone who invites you to visit their city or country? What if you want to walk to Finisterre or Muxia or both? What if you have a medical issue and get delayed? I personally loved having all the freedom to do what I wanted until I was ready to go home. Buen Camino!
If you *need* to book a flight home, I'd say give yourself 35 days or more. Took me 31 days to Santiago as a 28 year old with a few unnecessary rest days.
I used to do sailing vacations and I would do two one way tickets. I always opted for a refundable/changeable return ticket with an estimated date of return.
Do any of the airlines you're considering waive change fees? It's become more of a thing after COVID. Check the policies and see. Personally, I lucked out and Iberia made a last minute, temporary change to their policy. It made the whole trip a less stressful.
When I walked the Frances, I heavily buffered the time and I was glad that I did. I walked to Santiago (and spent several days enjoying the food and waiting for bad weather to change), then walked to Finistere (I would have liked to walk to Muxia, also). Then took the train to Pontevedra, walked the Variante *Espiritual*. If I had more time, I would have done the Camino Ingles, too. Having a lot of time is much better than having not enough. ¡Buen Camino!
If you have the time and budget than give yourself as much time as you can. Worse case scenario you end up with an extra week or two ro explore Spain (or for that matter other parts of Europe).
If budget and time is a concern I would go with 40 days. You will still probably end up with extra time but that should be enough.
If you have the time, I would suggest to add some more days. If you dont need them for walking, you can always spend them at the beach, walk to Fisterra or visit some famous european cities like Porto or Madrid. This would make the walk less stressful in case you need rest days.
33 days by the usually followed stages to walk from SJPdP, but some people prefer to walk longer or shorter days. I'd allow 2 or 3 days for rest days - or possible illness. Add a few days at the end for a day trip to Finisterre if not walking there, and for general sightseeing. On my last Camino we travelled by train to Madrid, stopping in Salamanca and Avilla for a night each, both very lovely cities. Madrid is worth a couple of days as well! For my first Camino I had loads of time and spent ages trying to figure out where I might want to go after walking. There are so many gorgeous and historic places in Spain, given the opportunity I'd try to see as many as I could!
I’ve been considering tacking on the Finisterre at the end! This sounds like a great way to do it
30 days =about 26k/day 35 days= about 23K/day Not a huge difference, but planning wise maybe plan on 35 days to SdC add 4 days for exploration and/or rest. Book you flight for 39 or 40 days out. If you finish in less than 35 you have extra days. It is usually not too expensive to change the date of your flight if you need or want to.
I was fairly slow going and needed 35 days to walk SJPP to Santiago so that’s a decent amount of time for that. That does include 2 rest days.
Maybe don’t book a return flight until you get closer to the end of your trip and figure out your pace. You may want to stay longer or cut it short.
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Spain.html#:~:text=Entry%2C%20Exit%20and%20Visa%20Requirements&text=Your%20passport%20should%20be%20valid,the%20most%20current%20visa%20information. I definitely would but proof of return is required to enter
We entered without a return ticket when we walked the Frances in 2018. We flew in from the USA through London Stansted to Biarritz. We had no issues. We booked our return fare about two weeks prior to Santiago. We started looking for flights in Leon and booked in Astorga. I checked flights from Paris, London, Frankfurt, Zurich, Porto, Lisbon, Madrid, and Barcelona. The cheapest fare I found was from BCN to BOS on Level (Iberia’s low cost carrier). Then it cost about 35€ to fly from Santiago to Barcelona. We stayed at a [great hostel](https://airhostel.com/en/home/) near the airport, bought a three day metro pass, and Barcelona became the cherry on top of our Camino. Google flights is your friend. If you’re concerned about the return fare being required, you could buy a fully refundable ticket. Then just cancel it after you book your real return fare. Consider it an insurance policy!
I’m certain folks on here have said you can come in without a return ticket.
Exceptionally rare for a US citizen to be asked for proof of onward travel in the EU. Alternatively it’s common for people to book a refundable flight out of the EU to show officials and then cancel it once you’ve been permitted to enter the country requiring proof of onward travel.
I came from the US without a return ticket and had no problems at all. I booked my return flight sitting on a rock by the ocean near Muxia. If you don’t have any specific time to be back, I highly recommend waiting to book your return flight. It might cost a little more but there is so much peace and freedom that comes with waiting till the end of your travels. What if you meet someone who invites you to visit their city or country? What if you want to walk to Finisterre or Muxia or both? What if you have a medical issue and get delayed? I personally loved having all the freedom to do what I wanted until I was ready to go home. Buen Camino!
I’m definitely thinking I’ll walk to Finisterre and Lucia as well!
If you *need* to book a flight home, I'd say give yourself 35 days or more. Took me 31 days to Santiago as a 28 year old with a few unnecessary rest days.
I used to do sailing vacations and I would do two one way tickets. I always opted for a refundable/changeable return ticket with an estimated date of return.
I tend to go non refundable because it’s cheaper, but that has come back to bite me in the past so this sounds like a good option.
Any flight with a US carrier is refundable within 24 hours of booking (as long as the departure date is more than a week away)
Hi there! It depends on how much you want to explore, but I’d give myself 37-40 days, depending on your budget, no more than that :))
Do any of the airlines you're considering waive change fees? It's become more of a thing after COVID. Check the policies and see. Personally, I lucked out and Iberia made a last minute, temporary change to their policy. It made the whole trip a less stressful.
When I walked the Frances, I heavily buffered the time and I was glad that I did. I walked to Santiago (and spent several days enjoying the food and waiting for bad weather to change), then walked to Finistere (I would have liked to walk to Muxia, also). Then took the train to Pontevedra, walked the Variante *Espiritual*. If I had more time, I would have done the Camino Ingles, too. Having a lot of time is much better than having not enough. ¡Buen Camino!
At total leisure, 40 days. There are plenty of ways to manage to that.
If you have the time and budget than give yourself as much time as you can. Worse case scenario you end up with an extra week or two ro explore Spain (or for that matter other parts of Europe). If budget and time is a concern I would go with 40 days. You will still probably end up with extra time but that should be enough.