The el Camino de Santiago consists of multiple Christian pilgrimage routes leading to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, where St. James the Greater, charged with spreading Christianity to the end of the world, is believed to be buried. I have wanted to walk the Camino de Santiago for some time now and finally decided to do it. I am not an expert on the Camino as I have just completed a part of the French route, but here is what I learned from my first experience.
While I’m in the early phases of the healing process, I wanted to share my learnings from surviving the loss of a loved one while abroad. This experience can be one of the most stressful events you will ever face. To heal, you must be open to receiving support from friends, family, and trained professionals. You will also need to take care of administrative and legal business, accept the changes in your circumstances, and eventually help someone else.