{"id":31829,"date":"2024-06-24T17:49:15","date_gmt":"2024-06-24T15:49:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/intombi.de\/blog\/despite-of-fears-this-is-why-lin-hikes-the-camino-on-her-own\/"},"modified":"2024-06-24T17:52:12","modified_gmt":"2024-06-24T15:52:12","slug":"despite-of-fears-this-is-why-lin-hikes-the-camino-on-her-own","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/intombi.de\/en\/blog\/despite-of-fears-this-is-why-lin-hikes-the-camino-on-her-own\/","title":{"rendered":"Despite of fears: This is why Lin hikes the Camino on her own"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\r\n\n
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Despite of fears: This is why Lin hikes the Camino on her own \nPhoto \nLoneliness. Before she hiked the the Camino, Lin struggled to be alone. Now she needs exactly that for herself. In this article you will learn more about Lin and her passion: Hiking solo. On the Camino. Do you quickly feel alone, or is \u201cBeing alone\u201d perhaps exactly what you are looking for? Let Lin inspire you, here you can find out more about her journey to finding herself: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\r\n\n

I am Lin, 27 years old and I live near Cologne. I do feel most at home and free, though, when I am travelling on the Camino. I work in a rather conservative profession, as an insurance and finance clerk. As a deputy team lead, I am working a lot with people. In my free time, I do strength and endurance sports. My friends and family are very important to me. Before my travels on the Camino, I found it difficult to be alone. I really enjoyed having visitors over every day. But now, I also need time on my own.<\/p>\n\n\r\n\n

Does being alone also mean being lonely? Very clearly: NO!<\/h3>\n\n

I have to say: My first Camino was the Camino Portugues. Here no-one is really alone, even when they started the journey on their own. In autumn 2020, I decided fairly spontaneously to set out on the pilgrimage from my front door to Santiago de Compostela. During this journey I was not only alone, but also lonely in certain situations. Alone with myself I was on the hiking trails. Here I inevitably had to deal with my thoughts, feelings and emotions. The loneliness came to me though from time to time at my destinations, where I sat in cafes on my own from the early afternoon, went to dinner alone and couldn’t talk to anyone about my experiences. The afternoons dragged on a lot, so whenever possible (as far as the height of the pandemic allowed) I took the opportunity to spend the night in private homes and attend family dinners there.<\/p>\n\n\r\n\n

\u201dBeing lonely sometimes\u201d as a learning<\/h3>\n\n

However, I do think being alone temporarily, can be a great learning experience. But first, to the more populated Caminos: Here too, I quickly learned that I often times like walking alone and also prefer an hour or so of alone time in the accommodation in the afternoon. This is widely accepted by the other pilgrims and doesn’t require any explanation. After a few days, I fall into a kind of meditation and only feel like I’m walking the first and last few kilometres. For me this is the most pure form of relaxation.<\/p>\n\n\r\n\n

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The difference between loneliness and being alone for me is: being alone is a fact and the loneliness \nis a \u201ccold\u201d feeling in which I long to have someone with me.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\r\n\n

That’s why Lin prefers to hike alone<\/h3>\n\n

I can tell you exactly why I started out alone for the first time: I thought it would be an \u201cextreme situation\u201d for me and I did not additionally want to deal with other people’s problems and \u201caches and pains\u201d. I’ve read in forums that this often leads to disagreements in friendships and relationships.Afterwards, I learned that I don’t hike alone at all. I just start alone, but I usually get to know like-minded people very quickly. <\/strong>As there are a very special kind of people traveling on the Camino, everyone communicates very easily with each other and recognized quickly whether it’s a good fit or not. I am not dependent on anyone, but I still enjoy the most beautiful form of loving others. <\/strong>In autumn 2022, after a 10 week break from pilgrimage, I went back for another almost 4 week long journey on the Camino, and a dear Follower named Sabrina was keen to join me from the beginning, as she felt very lonely on the first stretch of the journey here in Germany. We made certain agreements and I defined very clearly that I am still a \u201csolo pilgrim\u201d and do not take over any responsibility. Nevertheless, one suddenly starts wondering if the fellow pilgrim, who still needs a few kilometres, will get a bed in the same accommodation etc. Fortunately, Sabrina and I harmonized very well. We had already been in close contact for 2 years via Instagram and phone. Nevertheless I would say I am more focused on my own.<\/strong>Also I’ve noticed, especially in caf\u00e9s and restaurants here in Germany, that I am seemingly more open-minded when I am sitting somewhere on my own, which leads to really nice conversations with other people.<\/p>\n\n\r\n\n

The biggest challenge when starting off alone<\/h3>\n\n

The first time I started alone, there were insecurities. The fear of having to face all the hurdles alone. Having to bear my \u201csuffering\u201d alone if I couldn’t find an accommodation for example. After gaining some experience, though, here in Germany and at the beginning of France, only these challenges remained:<\/p>\n\n