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The Best First Solo Travel Hike.

Why the Camino de Santiago is a great starting point for a first-time solo long-distance hiking trip.

Leona Françoise Caanen
6 min readOct 24, 2024
IC: L. Caanen.

When I was 18 I wanted to go on my first solo trip. I debated the destination for a while but eventually settled on a walking adventure. I would walk the Camino de Santiago, an 800-kilometre route, through North Western Spain. While there are many different walking routes, I chose the ‘French Way’, which started in St. Jean Pied de Port (France) and led me all the way to Santiago de Compostella (Spain). Contrary to its name, I was in France for less than 24 hours during my walk.

The Camino de Santiago was originally a pilgrimage to the burial site of St. James, one of Jesus’ apostles, in Santiago de Compostella. Since the 90s the Camino has also become popular for long-distance travellers who seek time and space for reconnection. In 2023, Santiago de Compostella had 440,366 visitors from more than 9 different routes.

The best first solo trip

Solo travel

A solo trip is an exploration of sorts, whether of a place or of something within yourself.

Ease into it

The Camino de Santiago is a fantastic way to get comfortable travelling on your own…

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Leona Françoise Caanen
Leona Françoise Caanen

Written by Leona Françoise Caanen

2x published author. World-traveller. Amsterdam. Passionate about travel, people, nature, reading, & writing.

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