The phrase “hike your own hike” or HYOH is intended to encourage people to do things their own way. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter what direction you hike a trail, what pace you hike at, or what gear you use. These are individual decisions for each person. There is no such thing as a right or wrong way.

Nonetheless, I’ve definitely noticed several quirky subcategories of people out here on the Camino de Santiago. It’s been very interesting to watch these groups as they interact (or actively avoid) each other. Honestly, I had no idea I would encounter so many different types of pilgrims and none of my internet research prepared me for all their various eccentricities.

If you’re thinking about walking the Camino, here’s a quick primer of the top 12 types of pilgrims you are bound to meet on your journey. Some people belong to multiple Camino sub-groups. Yet for simplicity’s sake, I’ve listed them separately. So without further ado, let’s get started….

#1 – The religious pilgrims

The most obvious category of people on the Camino are those who are primarily on their pilgrimage to Santiago de Compestela for religious reasons.

Interestingly, most of these pilgrims seem to be in their 60s. It’s unclear whether making a religious pilgrimage is something the baby boomer generation is more attuned to, or whether it’s just because many of them now have ample time to make this journey while in retirement.

You can easily identify these pilgrims by their prominent religious adornment (e.g., cross necklaces, crucifixes, or rosary beads), and their desire to stop at several churches each day to get their credencial stamped.

#2 – The vacationers

This category of pilgrims is out on the Camino for a walking holiday, nothing more. Many of them are Europeans or North Americans who took 5-6 weeks to go on this Spanish vacation.

These pilgrims are easily identified because they rarely walk more than 15 kilometers a day and stop in nearly every town to have a cafe con leche or a few glasses of wine.

And they love to shop for trinkets. By the end of the first week, they’ll be sporting socks with the Camino symbol, a few scallop shell bracelets, and they’ve purchased enough gifts and souvenirs for everyone back home who didn’t get the chance to join them.

#3 – The Brierely disciples

John Brierley wrote a popular guidebook on walking the Camino. By my observation, it’s THE most common guidebook out there, and is published in dozens of languages. Mr. Brierley breaks down the Camino into 33 stages (or days of walking), so pilgrims don’t have to figure out how to pace themselves or even think about where to stop each day.

These pilgrims are easily identified by their dogearred guidebooks, which they seem to pull out at every stop along the way – and even bring to dinner with them! They refuse to deviate from Mr. Brierley’s recommendations, for fear of doing the Camino the “wrong” way. As a result, they tend to cause major log jams in the 33 towns he lists as stopping points at the end of each stage.

#4 – The seekers

These are the pilgrims who recently watched the movie, The Way, and were inspired by the lead character’s transformative experience on the Camino. Many of these folks came to Spain desperately hoping to have the same self-discovery journey.

This crowd is often grappling with the end of a relationship, a job loss, or some other significant life change. Simply put, they are seeking… Seeking love, seeking solace, seeking inspiration, etc.

Coincidentally, I’m pretty sure they are also the same group of people who are likely to take a soul-searching trip to Italy after watching Eat Pray Love.

#5 – The Duos

These pilgrims are walking with a friend, significant other, or family member. You’ll recognize them because they spend about 90% of their time together speaking their native language with that other person. As a result, some of them never meet anyone new on the Camino.

In the alternative you might also encounter some duos who are so absolutely sick and tired of their hiking partners, that they’ll try to strike up a conversation with any other pilgrim who happens walks by or sits near them, just to have a reprieve. So beware!

#6 – The Timeline Crowd

These pilgrims are speeding through the Camino as fast as they can because they only have a set number of days before they need to: (a) return to work, (b) start school; or (c) before their visa expires.

As a result, many of these pilgrims bite off far more than they can chew. After about five days of trying to walk major distances on soft unconditioned bodies, their poor feet are in shambles. At that point, they usually have to recalculate what they can realistically achieve in such a short window.  Thus, it’s not uncommon for these pilgrims to hop a bus to Sarria, and just walk the last 100km to Santiago.

#7 – The Kool Kids

There are entire groups of young pilgrims moving together in tight-knit little packs along the Camino. Usually their group starts with two or three 20-something hipsters who bonded on the train ride to St. Jean Pied de Port.

As they move along the Camino, their group seems to pick up more and more young folks until they reach about a dozen strong. Once a happy trail family, they soon start to have friction and separate into smaller cliques.

These gaggles create a similar problem as the Brierley disciples. As a large groups traveling together, they tend to arrive at each albergue en masse and fill it up in a matter of minutes.

#8 – Pilgrim princesses

Not surprisingly, porter services are now available to assist pilgrims on the Camino. For just 5 Euros, the service will pick up your bag in the morning and drive it to your next location. This assistance is a great benefit for older pilgrims or those with disabilities who may not have the strength to carry a bag.

However, there are also plenty of “pilgrim princesses” (and princes) out there using this porter service too. These pilgrims are the completely able-bodied 30-50 year old people who just don’t want to have to carry their stuff, get sweaty, or those who completely overpacked and brought 55 pounds of frivolous items like hair dryers and 6 sets of pants.

You can easily recognize them on the Camino as they are usually only carrying a small day bag with a bottle of water and raincoat. (Note, this group tends to overlap greatly with the “holiday walkers” and “Brierley disciples.”)

#9 – The RSVP Crew

These are the pilgrims who refuse to start the day without a concrete plan. Rather than simply walking the distance their bodies want, they call ahead to reserve a bed at a specific albergue in a specific town each and every night of their journey.

In the hiking community, there’s a maxim about how hikers tend to pack their fears. In other words, those who fear being cold often pack too many extra clothes. Those who fear being hungry tend to carry too much extra food.

These RSVP folks often seem to fear letting go of control. It’s as if carrying their gear or walking more than they planned one day would ruin their trip (and possibly force them to deviate from Brierley’s guidebook).

#10 – The long-distance hikers

Believe it or not there’s even a few hikers in the Camino crowd. They stand out because they insist on carrying their pack the entire way to Santiago.

Most of these hikers spend months finding the perfect gear and paring it down to the lightest alternative. As a result, they usually can tell you their pack’s base weight measured out to the closest gram. These pilgrims are most recognizable by footwear, with most showing up wearing trail runners instead of clunky leather hiking boots.

The hikers consider 30-40 kilometers to be an average day’s distance, but have no qualms about taking a “zero day” (no hiking) somewhere nice or if they need a rest. The most hardcore of these pilgrims also brought their tents on the Camino and are eschewing albergues, except for the occasional shower.

#11 – The alternative crowd

These pilgrims opt to tackle the Camino in their own way. For example, quite a few pilgrims choose to cycle to Santiago carrying their personal gear with them in touring panniers (weatherproof saddlebags). Others use alternate modes, like pull-behind carts that strapped to their waists. I even saw one pilgrim using a donkey laden with his bags.  The pilgrims are the epitome of the HYOH crowd.

#12 – The jousters

These are the most dangerous pilgrims on the Camino! They spend copious amounts of time carrying a walking stick or hiking poles. Instead of attaching them to their pack when not in use though, the jouster chooses to carry these pointy spears in his hands while casually walking. As his hands move, the pendulum motion causes the poles to swing backwards towards pilgrims behind him.

Anyone bold enough to try to pass this hazard may get an inadvertent pole to the thigh, abdomen, or face as it is being stabbed wildly by its oblivious owner. The risk increases exponentially when the jouster walks with others with similar habits.

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So which Type of Pilgrim am I?

It’s probably fair to say I fall into the hiker category. I am carrying all my own weight to Santiago and would never use a porter. I also enjoy walking alone, walking at a brisk pace, and I tend to take very few breaks along the way. Most days I seem to average about 33-35 km, but I choose to stop whenever my body is ready.

I am not super hard-core though. I’m definitely taking advantage of the albergues instead of camping. Partially it’s because I consider sleeping in the albergues to be a cultural aspect of the Camino. But let’s be honest, I really do like a shower at the end of a long day in the sun.

Despite my decision to stay in albergues, sharing a room with 80 snoring people isn’t really my idea of fun. Thus, I tend stop is the small off-the-beaten path towns where they get fewer pilgrims instead of the towns recommended by Brierley or any of his cohorts.

Finally, if there is a more scenic alternative route, you can bet I’m game for it. It doesn’t matter if it results in an extra climb or few kilometers to my walk.

I know these decisions probably give me a less social Camino, but that’s ok.

It all part of HYOH, right?

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Interested about reading more like this? Check out:

• Top 13 Things You Want To Know About Hiking the Camino de Santiago
• Choosing to Walk (or Hike) the Camino de Santiago
• 10 Trail Etiquette Rules for Newbie Hikers