I was delighted to read in The Best Way: El Camino de Santiago by Bill Walker:
"... the word travel is derived from the word 'travails', which connotes beleagurement.... Modern tourism so often seems to be all about destination. One can often subtly hear the frustrations of travelers who return from their long journeys. Deep in their sub-conscious seems to be the subtle occurrence, "Is that all?" The hope of the sublime, life-changing encounters somewhere along the road usually proves elusive. Pilgrimages, however, are much more about transformation... It is this innate human desire for the deeply real, I believe, that is what has made pilgrimages so popular throughout the ages. On the Camino everybody walks an average of 15 or 16 miles, day after day. Pilgrims sleep in compact bunkrooms full of 100 or more strangers, not exactly the Ritz Carlton Hotel. Queueing up for showers, tooilet use, and laundry machines are part of the drill. Even without trying, a person is forced out of their comfort zone. It feel real."
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