The Porto Camino is one of the dozen-ish routes to Santiago, Spain. And, like the Camino de Santiago in Spain, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is the second of my “Transformation Travel” trips and I will personally lead this excursion.
For the foreseeable future, Transformation Travel trips will be Camino based. With so many ways to get to Santiago, it seems like a natural way to assist your transformation.
At some point, I’ll branch out and those future trip ideas include Japan, China, Juneau Bays to Glaciers, Machu Pichu, and one or more of the (US) National Trails. I’ve even scouted a train trip, emulating “ScIreland” in its slow travel approach.
The Difference…
This isn’t a typical guided tour. This is personalized and small — it’s limited to five travelers (not counting me) so you can be sure to get the most possible transformational benefit out of it. While we may end up on a bus for a segment of travel with five dozen other people, they aren’t part of our group so we won’t be herded around with them. You won’t be rushed around the country, only moved from one spot to another so we can enjoy our walk. The Porto Camino will have you experiencing a different location and bed each night, but the process will be slow and personal. The trip is a slow-travel, deep-dive approach, as promoted by Jen Sparks in her book, Slow Travel.
This trip is personalized to the cities, villages, experiences, and events that will create the best Transformation Travel trip you can imagine. It’s designed to you give the time and space for the transformations I know are possible.
Beyond Sightseeing
You’ll enjoy the cultural and natural sites, as well as experience social interactions with others on their travels or with locals. You also will be guided through a carefully and scientifically designed curriculum each day to help you move forward into the life you want. It’s all intended to help you replace old bad habits with new, supporting habits, and to shift your mindset for more resilience and joy.
The group coaching, combined with the travel elements, will help you transform your life from adequate to excellent — to experience more joy, clarity, and energy. I’ll give you the opportunity and tools to grow with; you have to do the work.
The Specifics
Intrigued? This trip starts with arrival in Porto, Portugal, October 15, 2019, and finishes in Santiago, Spain, October 29, 2019. We’ll walk out of Porto to access Santiago and take the roughly 240km (149 miles) in a dozen days. That means we will have an easy walk. I chose this trail for my first walking Transformation Travel because Camino friends who have done both trails say this is an easier walk than the French Way. It’s beautiful and wonderful, and we’ll be doing the second half of the route, which is more than enough for you to get your Compostela in Santiago.
And no trip to Santiago along the Camino is complete without a trip out to the End of the Earth, so busing there to enjoy the beautiful scenery for a night is an option for you. The optional trip dates are October 30-31, 2019, arriving back in Santiago on October 31, 2019, and then you’ll head home.
Average temperatures range from 54F (12C) to 69F (21C) during this time of year. Chances for rain and clouds is about 35% at this time of year — unless I successfully bring my Colorado sunshine with me, then we’ll rarely see rain.
Here’s the general itinerary:
- Porto, Portugal
- Walking the Coastal, if the weather allows, and Central routes with an extra night for rest and relaxation at the mid-way point.
- Santiago, Spain
We’ll stay in hotels, alburgues, and municipals along the way, giving you a range of lodging styles. What delights and experiences await you! We’ll eat in cafes, bars, and restaurants.
Included: lodging in Porto, mid-way point, and Santiago.
Excluded: Travel to and from Porto and Santiago, lodging beyond the 3 stops mentioned above, meals, beverages/alcohol, snacks, entry fees, luggage transport between villages, and incidentals.
The pilgrimage with coaching costs US$1,200. A deposit by check of $600 per person will be required once you’re accepted for this trip.
Optional Trip Extension
If you want to put a finale onto this trip, join me for the one-night, 2-day excursion out to the End of the Earth, aka Finisterre, Spain. You can bus, train, or fly out of Santiago. I’ll take the train to Porto on October 31, 2019.
- Finisterre, Spain
The cost for the additional excursion, US$150, will include round-trip transportation and one night’s lodging.
photo by Kathrin P.
Please be sure to read My Trip Policies.
Before a new chapter is begun, the old one has to be finished.
Stop being who you were and change into who You are.
~Paul Coelho
That’s what this trip is all about: step into who you are. And there’s hardly a better way than walking a distance — guided by an expert in transformation — to make that change.
Next Steps
If you’re as excited to be “in” as I am, please give us some information so I can call and tell you more on the phone. I’ll offer more packing suggestions for those going on the trip, based on my Camino experience and information I learn from our guide. Remember, only five guests can come, so part of the call will be to tell you if you’re “in,” or on the waiting list.