[Gocamino] Thoughts on "cheap holidays"

[Ralph Alcorn]

I read the original posting that contained this phrase, considered the
source, and didn't take it to have quite the connotation that Rosina did.
The post as a whole raised a number of valid questions. I consider the
Canadian Company of Pilgrims as a respected organization, dedicated to
supporting the pilgrimage to Santiago. I think the writer misinterpreted the
new credential rules, and was seriously upset about the prospect of shutting
down their organization. When I read the cheap holiday sentence, I wrote it
off to a Canadian - American language difference and interpreted it as
meaning affordable trip.

Susan and I maintain a website, and have given many presentations on the
Camino. We talk mostly in outdoor stores, and the audiences are
enthusiastic, asking questions during and after the show. There are always
some present that are planning to do the pilgrimage. Almost every time
someone, usually young, asks about the cost of the trip. This is a real
issue. From the west coast of the US, airfares alone are substantial.
Without the refugio system, the trip would not be affordable to many of the
young people we talk to, no matter how valid their reasons for pilgrimage.

After following the later postings, I think this rule change should just
have a minor impact on someone who wants to walk the pilgrimage path. If you
start, for example in Le Puy or Porto, you are still going to want a
credential, and one issued by your local pilgrim society should be fine.
When you reach the first refugio in Spain, pick up the church credential. It
still allows spiritual and cultural as well as religious reasons.

-- 
Ralph Alcorn
http://www.backpack45.com/camino2.html