An Adventurous Spirit walking the "Camino"

The “Camino” gives you what you need, not what you want…

At the beginning of June 2019, I was quitting my “perfect job” in Boston and flying to Portugal to start a 2-week journey where I would walk around 300km to the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela.

I had planned to arrive in Lisbon and take a bus to Porto, a northern city, where I would be starting my adventure with only the minimum things I needed to survive those 2 weeks in my backpack: Two pairs of clothing (one to wear and one to wash), a sleeping bag, a lantern, some cash, a journal, and of course, my hiking boots.

I had been preparing myself for this walk for many months and it was finally happening! Many of my friends thought I was crazy. They were asking me if I was not scared of going by myself, being too much time with my own thoughts, spending my birthday alone, and mainly, the simple thought of walking for 8 hours a day was absurd for them. 

But I needed a change in my life, I had realized I was not motivated by my job, but I had no idea what I was motivated by.

I thought these weeks of walking would give me time to think about what I wanted to do for the next stage of my life, but I was too naive to think I was going to figure this out in just 2 weeks. 

I started the journey and the first day I met a very nice Portuguese man who guided me at the beginning of the path, so I could find the way. If I hadn’t learned Portuguese 4 years back when I was doing my semester exchange in Lisbon, I wouldn’t have able to learn all the stories of the country this man narrated to me.

He was like a dad guiding his lost child and I was so grateful I met him and decided to trust him. He walked with me for about 24km and continued his path to his hometown, I never heard of him again. 

That same night, I met an amazing German lady who had a son of my age. We bonded a lot and walked together for a couple of days. She was faster than me, so one day, she just went ahead and I lost track of her. I wanted to do a social media detox, so I had no way to get in contact with her.

But the next day, I met an amazing group of people: 2 Americans, a Brazilian guy, and a Swiss girl. We became like a small family and finished the trip altogether. 

In the end, I realized my original plan of being by myself and thinking about my future didn’t happen, but I got something even better: an amazing group of friends that made this experience an unforgettable one. So, as this famous saying from the people who walk this path goes “The Camino does not give you what you want, but what you need”. 

Sending you much love from Colombia,

This Story is shared by Mariana Pereira

Mariana Pereira is a Woman Entrepreneur, Digital Marketing Specialist, An adventurous spirit, and the host of the Podcast “Viajeras y Aventureras” that sharing solo traveling experiences.

She is also the Founder of The “Limitless Society” and currently working on multiple projects at once, a way to express her uniqueness and passion about traveling and creating a high-level impact on the planet.

Find more about her work:

https://www.facebook.com/limitless-society

www.limitlessociety.com

https://www.facebook.com/Viajeras y Aventureras