Storing Excess Baggage
There are two reasons that you may need to store excess baggage. The first might be that you are going on to some other destination after you reach Santiago de Compostela, and need to take more with you than just the contents of your backpack. Some people reward themselves with relaxing holidays after a long pilgrimage, and a service that will forward luggage and hold it for a certian amount of time is very convenient.
The other reason might be that you find your backpack to be just too heavy and that you want to off-load certain valuable items. It happens to the best of us; as we pack, we feel we can carry a certain weight. Then we get walking and the reality of what we are doing sets in. Camino walking is so strenuous that the weight of the backpack is keenly felt very soon into the journey. Within the first two days, pilgrims find themselves evaluating what they need to carry as opposed to what they want to carry, and either give stuff away, send it home by post, or send it on to a post office in Santiago de Compostela.
The other reason might be that you find your backpack to be just too heavy and that you want to off-load certain valuable items. It happens to the best of us; as we pack, we feel we can carry a certain weight. Then we get walking and the reality of what we are doing sets in. Camino walking is so strenuous that the weight of the backpack is keenly felt very soon into the journey. Within the first two days, pilgrims find themselves evaluating what they need to carry as opposed to what they want to carry, and either give stuff away, send it home by post, or send it on to a post office in Santiago de Compostela.
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Sending Luggage HomeOne option is to send your excess luggage home via the post office service in Spain. Make sure you know which towns they are in (this list of albergues will indicate which places have post offices). This service can be very expensive if your home country is outside of Spain, although it works out a bit cheaper if you use surface mail rather than air mail. You are warned though, that surface mail travels by ship and can take up to three months to get to its destination.. Some people insure their goods against theft or loss. Many people have no problem with this service, though on occasion a few others complain that their belongings did not arrive or that things were stolen (the incident can happen in Spain or in the home country: theft and loss take place everywhere).
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Using the 'Lista de Correos' systemA lot of pilgrims use this 'lista de correos' system to send excess baggage ahead. In other languages it is also known as 'poste restante' or 'general delivery'. You go to a post office (correos), ask for a pilgrim rate (you'll have to produce your pilgrim's passport) and tell them that you want to store your stuff at the end point of your journey (usually Santiago de Compostela, though a few people finish the journey before). They will package your things and label it with your name and the destination post office address. They send it on and your destination post office will store your package for up to 15 days. After this time. they will send it back to the post office that you sent it from, so make sure you get to your destination on time.
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Luggage Storage Facility in Santiago de Compostela
If you choose to send your excess stuff to Santiago de Compostela, and if you want to send some luggage on for a later holiday, then this service is the best one available to date. It is run by Ivar Rekve, the founder of the Camino de Santiago Forum (join the forum for free - its fun and informative). He allows you to store your things for a very reasonable fee for up to 60 days. Click here to learn how to use the service and to find out how much it will cost you.
Stasher Luggage Storage Platform
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Stasher is a luggage storage platform with locations all across Spain. Simply search the most convenient location near you, book online and then drop your bags and enjoy the city luggage free. It costs only €5 per day including insurance up to €1000.
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If you understand Spanish, here is a link to the Correos website. It should give you any information that you need to know regarding postal services.
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This site is in English and gives you information about the French postal system should you want to send things home, or on ahead, while you are still in France.
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