Why do pilgrims repeat the Camino de Santiago?

Camino de Santiago | Envato

For many pilgrims the Camino de Santiago is something more than a simple trip with a starting point and an arrival point. Not everyone thinks that the pilgrimage ends in Santiago de Compostela, but that it is just the beginning of something more. Repeat the experience is something that thousands of pilgrims from all over the world have already done, but what? Does it lead them to start from scratch?

They say that the Camino de Santiago "engages", be it for one reason or another, but there is no doubt that it is an experience that remains etched in memory for the vast majority of pilgrims who want to travel the path again either from the same route or taking another as a start. Let's explore some of the most common excuses for all those pilgrims who embark on the journey again or those that could even be presented to you in the future.

Spiritual search and personal renewal

It is usually one of the main excuses to repeat the Camino de Santiago, but also to start on it. There are many pilgrims who find on the Camino a perfect opportunity to reflect deeply spiritually, an ideal way to connect with themselves and their beliefs. 

TheCamino de Santiago is an ideal opportunity to disconnect from the outside world and focus more on inner growth, being helpful in searching for answers to personal questions or in reconnection with aspects such as personal values.

The search for a physical challenge, but also a mental one

For other pilgrims, the Camino de Santiago is the starting point for a journey in which they will put themselves in danger. It tests the physique but also the mind. Repeating this experience is a way to test your limits, improving your previous time or facing even more extreme conditions, always depending on the route chosen or the time of year in which the exercise begins. trip. 

Peregrino | Envato

This aspect ofpersonal improvement especially attracts all those pilgrims who, of course, have hiking and adventure as hobbies. They seek physical achievement, but also mental strengthening; Both points are brought together in the feeling of achievement and improvement that completing the route entails.

Exploring new routes

A different way of traveling and getting to know other cultures. The Camino de Santiago offers different routes, each with its own charm and characteristics that make it unique. Each route is a different experience and landscape. This reason can lead pilgrims to want to repeat the Camino de Santiago to explore new paths. 

And each route of the Camino de Santiago has its own history, monuments and cultural and gastronomic peculiarities. More than enough excuses to invite pilgrims to experience different aspects of the rich cultural heritage that we have in Spain and other countries through which the Camino de Santiago also passes.

Camino de Santiago | Envato

Making vows or promises

Whether in traditions or other cultures, pilgrimages such as the Camino de Santiago can be linked to the making of vows or promises. In the same way as in the first point, the spiritual realm also plays an important role. Something like that such as “give thanks”, ask for someone or keep a promise made in a time of need. Repeating the Camino de Santiago in this area is linked to a deeply significant and 100% personal experience. 

Cultural discovery

Almost in the same way as exploring new routes, repeating the Camino de Santiago for the simple fact of cultural discovery is something very common. Its spiritual meaning is there For many pilgrims, of course, but more and more are embarking on this journey to delve deeper into the local history, architecture or traditions of all those regions through which the Camino passes. > Whether festivities, art or of course gastronomy, the experience of repeating the Camino de Santiago for cultural discovery is one of the most valid.