Last month I tried out my hiking equipment on a trip to South America. Now comes the true test: a four-week hike on the Camino, a road-and-trail pilgrimage through the towns and countryside of Spain.

“Camino” means “road” or “way.” People have been walking the road for hundreds of years as a sacred pilgrimage. Here’s how I’m prepping as the trip approaches.

General knowledge

I’m learning very little about the Camino ahead of time. Once I understood the gist, I was sold and from there wanted to have my own experience. As a visceral storyteller, images from others’ travels would definitely stay in my mind and have an influence on how I see things. Many people walk the road more than once, but there’s only one first time. So I’m considering this a moment in a life’s journey, and not stressing about getting all the information up front.

There will be time on the trip over to Spain to learn more about the history, and some of the logistics are better figured out once I get there. I haven’t watched any movies or read any books about the Camino. There’ll be plenty of time (months, years, a lifetime) to process others’ experiences after I get back.

This is also meaningful because I’m in a period of learning and actively embodying a concept something like, “Get there and trust you can figure it out.” Over-planning is a pitfall of my super-conscientious personality so I love the practice of living closer to each moment.

With that philosophy comes the need to do enough planning to support those future moments. Blogs and forums have been invaluable in prioritizing what to know and do and bring. From what I’ve read, the one thing that makes the biggest difference on the quality of the journey is what you pack. So the rest of this post is dedicated to the question of what to pack and how to prepare.

Packing list

My latest trip, to Ecuador and Colombia, went fabulously with just a 38-liter bag and a day bag that could be carried full of stuff or folded into a little packet. On that trip my goals were to be lightweight and mobile, but also to carry clothes fitting three areas: dancing, hiking/fitness and a professional daily look. That meant at one point I was carrying three pairs of shoes around!

On this trip I’ve got two advantages. One, having traveled so recently, I got a good sense of what I’ll need. Two, this trip has one main purpose. While I’d love to go dancing in Madrid (the city where I’m landing) anything that I bring has to be primarily focused for the miles of the Camino.

The Camino does provide for people who bring too much — Spain’s mail service can send your stuff onward and hold it while you keep walking. It’s easy to buy things once you get to a place and that’s worked well for me in the past. I’m happy to know about the mail-ahead option but don’t plan to use it.

With all of that in mind, here’s my list.

Bags and containers

• 1 38-liter Osprey backpack
• 1 Patagonia daypack
• 1 plastic, waterproof, closable bag for liquids
• 3 Eagle Creek packing cubes.

Clothes

• 2 pairs of black athletic pants made from a wicking material
• 2 tank tops
• Long-sleeve shirt
• Warm athletic top
• Water-resistant jacket
• 1 pair of hiking boots
• 1 pair of tennis shoes or KEENS
• 1 pair of black flip flops for showers (will double as going-out shoes in the city)
• Underwear including 2 sports bras
• 3 pairs of socks: hiking, compression hiking, and sticky yoga socks.

Accessories

• Scarf
• Baseball cap
• Headband that doubles as a eye covering
• Buff headcloth
• Minimal bracelets and necklaces
• Nylon cord
• Plastic bags to carry food, laundry, etc.
• Cell phone, charger, power bank and outlet adapter
• Wireless headphones.

Health and wellbeing

I’ve learned from past experience that the philosophy of “Don’t worry about how you look, just enjoy the journey” just isn’t for me. I like having a little something on, even if it’s just mascara. It makes a huge difference to how I feel. I want to be able to look at photos later and enjoy how I look.

• SO MANY SNACKS for the trip to Spain via bus and plane
• Sunscreen and shampoo in tiny containers
• Dr Bronner’s soap for laundry, body, hair, etc.
• First-aid kit
• Spork/fork thing
• Travel brush
• Wet wipes
• Deodorant
• 1-liter water bottle
• CC cream (a foundation, moisturizer and sunscreen in one)
• Mascara and eye liner
• Blister care
• Lip balm and lipstick
• Medication including aspirin, motion sickness meds, and something for sleeping on the plane
• Menstrual cup.

Digital supplies

Apps are where it’s at. They can provide information on the distance between stops, lodging options and how many beds are available in each place. Guidebooks are available to carry in book form but I’m going to go with apps if possible.

Already downloaded:

• The Maps.Me app provides GPS maps (no wifi required) including walking/car routes and some lodging; I used this in Ecuador and Colombia and have already downloaded the maps for Spain

To download during the trip over to Spain:

• Wise Pilgrim (recommended on a forum)
• Camino de Santiago Companion (recommend

Preparation

I’ll be gone for a month and hope to maintain a strict offline policy. As an independent consultant, things are both a little easier and more complex. Here’s how I’m prepping.

At work

• Publish my availability (and lack thereof) on a webpage and communicate it to my clients well in advance, giving the opportunity to make plans for work to be wrapped up, paused or handed off before I leave
• Document contacts and project status updates in shared folders
• Clean up my email subscriptions using Unroll to prevent a horrific deluge streaming in while I’m gone
• Use Boomerang in Gmail to schedule messages to pop up in my inbox a while after I return
• Write an email autoreply that will work for both professional and personal contacts
• Submit invoices and set up as many digital payment systems as possible
• Arrange for somebody to deposit mailed checks as they arrive
• Make note of the tasks and contacts to prioritize upon my return.

At home

• Make advance payments or write checks to cover rent and utilities
• Clean up my physical space in anticipation that my housemates could find someone to use it while I’m gone
• Clean up my car and fill it with gas so I can use it when I get back — or someone could use it while I’m gone
• Unload possessions so I can come back to a space that is open and clean
• Hold a clothing swap
• Make plans to see friends and family
• Meet with my financial planning team
• Maintain open times in my schedule to accommodate last-minute needs and avoid that dreaded pre-trip rush.

Planning to return

The other piece I’m planning for is the return. Re-integrating after a trip can be tough.  The Camino physically ends in a town in Spain, but it really ends once I’m back and start integrating it into my life. I’m passionate about having a strong return from what could be a life-changing journey: about maintaining an open space for learning and change while giving myself the stability and foundation of routine. Even if I come back with some huge plan that’s wildly different from my current track, my therapist advised that I not expect or try to change everything in my life at once. Such good advice!

This all lines up with the concept of transition and planning to end well — something we can do from the very first moments of a project, role or trip. As you begin, plan also how to end. I’ve learned a lot about this concept in the past year and this is a chance to practice that learning.

Some of the things I’m focusing on:

• Physical activities like hiking, yoga, dancing, etc.
• Using an app or considering physical practices to limit digital time
• Times to share about the journey and learn about the journeys others have been taking
• Networking meetings
• Work projects that I’m passionate about, like workshops on social media, using an asset-based lens and movement-integrated leadership development (those are three separate ones — if you want to know more details, let me know!)
• Openness in how and where I continue my faith/spirituality/life meaning journey, with knowledge that my current community is open and stable  and filled with caring people
• Setting up tentative friend dates
• Confirming the timing of big life decisions that will be coming up, like whether to renew our house lease
• A cushion period between my physical return and my return to work projects.

Ready, set, show up

Where’s the right place to mention I also speak near-fluent Spanish? Knowing at least a little of a local language goes a long way. I’d be preparing very differently if I weren’t confident in my ability to communicate.

There’s a bunch more I still have to buy or find or decide to locate in Spain. But I feel solid with this list and I’m eager to try out my pack tomorrow before heading out. Is it possible I’ll regret something about this approach? Regret isn’t certain, but I’m positive I’ll look back and see some things I’d change about the journey. Since that’s inevitable I’m going to move forward with the plan and be flexible in meeting needs as they come up.

I’m not aiming for a perfect experience. Just to show up ready to engage with what the experience brings.