While some are looking for Compostela, others are just looking for a warm mattress. The Camino de Santiago also has its “VIP pilgrims”… although no one has invited them.
There are pilgrims who arrive from Korea, the United States, Australia or Brazil. Then there are those other, much more discreet travelers who do not need a credential, backpack, or walking sticks. They travel incognito, they don't pay for shelter and, to make matters worse, they never wait in line to shower.
Yes, we talk about bed bugs, probably the only living beings capable of traveling the Camino de Santiago whole without suffering a single blister.
While you have been training for weeks, buying the best boots and spending a fortune on technical equipment, they only need someone to leave the backpack on a bed for five minutes.
The smallest pilgrim... and the least loved
The bed bug has a very clear goal: to find a comfortable bed before you do.
He is not interested in the Cathedral of Santiago.
He is not looking for Compostela.
He doesn't want to hug the Apostle.
He just thinks:
"Where do I sleep tonight?"
And curiously... there is always a pilgrim willing to share a room... even if it is without knowing it.
Hospitallers against the invisible enemy
The Camino hospitaleros already know the character perfectly.
While the pilgrims ask:
—Where is the washing machine?
—Is there WiFi?
—What time does the light go out?
The hospitaleros respond mentally:
"I hope no six-legged squatter shows up today."
Because when a bedbug appears, an operation worthy of an action movie begins.
Closed room.
Mattresses checked.
Inspected bags.
And some pilgrim looking at his backpack as if it were hiding a dragon.
The paranoid pilgrim
After reading a news story about bed bugs, wonderful things happen.
Every little stain on the mattress feels like an invasion.
Every tickle on the leg is already suspicious.
And if someone says the word "bedbug" in a dormitory with thirty bunk beds...
…is capable of causing a quicker evacuation than a fire drill.
The bedbug also makes the Camino
If there was an Official Credential for Bed Bugs it would surely have all the stamps.
Roncesvalles.
Pamplona.
Logroño.
Burgos.
Lion.
Or Cebreiro.
Santiago.
And probably Finisterre... because at that point, it's better to finish the trip well.
The Botafumeiro… XXL version
There are those who claim that the Botafumeiro was invented centuries ago to perfume the Cathedral.
Other pilgrims joke that, if there were a portable Botafumeiro in every hostel...
…bed bugs would start booking hotels.
The suspicious backpack
There is a very curious moment when you arrive at a hostel.
You look at the bunk.
The litter looks at you.
And for a few seconds you both ask yourself exactly the same thing:
"I hope there are no surprise guests here."
The true path
Jokes aside, bed bugs can appear in any accommodation in the world: five-star hotels, tourist apartments, cruise ships or hostels.
Luckily, the vast majority of establishments in the Camino de Santiago applies cleaning protocols and acts quickly when a case arises.
So the important thing is still to enjoy the trip, share experiences, meet incredible people and not let a tiny insect spoil an adventure that changes the lives of hundreds of thousands of pilgrims every year.
Because in the end, the true spirit of the Camino is not avoiding bedbugs...
…but about arriving in Santiago with a smile, even if for a few days you have slept with one eye open “just in case.”
And remember: the only pilgrim who should come with you to the Plaza del Obradoiro is you.
