GIFT for CAMINO WALKER: Relieves stress and worry?

Camino walkers scallop shells

Can jewellery intended to help combat negativity, worry and stress make a suitable gift for someone planning to walk El Camino?

With the Junta de Andalucía in southern Spain announcing further development of it’s own Camino routes – Camino del Argar, Camino Mozárabe and Camino al Rocío (see below), the prominence of walking Caminos as a cathartic experience to help purge the soul of life’s troubles, once again comes to the fore.

Jewellery gift for Camino walker
Jewellery gift for Camino walker

Founded in Christian faith and rooted in spiritual belief, some of the Camino jewellery in our SHOP has been added to a range of jewellery aimed at people wanting to combat any negativity, anxiety or stress in their lives, especially when starting something new or adventurous (including walking El Camino de Santiago, for example) and to help promote positivity, optimism and success.

So can this jewellery also make a good gift for a Camino walker?

We think so, yes, because much of our jewellery for positivity, optimism and success is interchangeable with our traditional Camino jewellery:

Jewellery for positivity, optimism and success

The designs of our necklaces, bracelets and earrings are based on the principles of faith and belief . . the belief that one’s goals are achievable, whatever they are: It is jewellery with meaning. Nowhere is this feeling of belief and achievability more powerful than amongst the community of walkers (and bikers) who travel “El Camino de Santiago” (the Way of St. James) every year . . fired up by the dream and the enthusiasm for reaching their goal.

Many Camino travellers have a strong Christian faith but, in recent decades, that Christian faith, once so common amongst Camino walkers, has given way somewhat to a more secular approach: Indeed nowadays, people choose to do a Camino as much for personal reasons, as for any religious reason: They decide to take time out of their busy modern life and perhaps look for something a bit different, in the hope perhaps, of finding inspiration or spiritual enlightenment as they journey along: They are able to reflect on their life whilst in the supportive environment of their Camino. No doubt they hope to improve their outlook on life and bring themselves closer into contact with nature – whilst expanding their cultural horizons through contact with other walkers.

Many of these so-called ‘pilgrims’ on the Way of Saint James carry the Scallop Shell symbol of El Camino de Santiago as a token, a charm, a keepsake . . or on a piece of jewellery. Others (perhaps a bit more “religious” ) wear a Cross of St James.

The shell has great significance in jewellery: It symbolises strength, commitment and determination. In this sense, it has special meaning to millions of people, and is commonly used by individuals to help them feel more confident about themselves.

The Cross of Saint James, according to many Spaniards, “es un símbolo que favorece el coraje y la esperanza ante las dificultades” [a symbol that favours courage and hope in the face of difficulties] . . promoting both faith and good fortune, as well as strength and hope.

Some 200,000 pilgrims travel El Camino de Santiago every year from all over the world to find inspiration and/or deeper spiritual understanding. Many of them carry one of these symbols and everyone experiences the journey in a different way.

Camino gift ideas

But whatever somebody’s journey – whether on El Camino itself, a business trip, a gap year, trekking, etc, (or perhaps merely the “journey” through life in general), many people like to carry a symbolic charm or piece of jewellery to encourage them and give them belief – as well as, in their minds, to protect them. Studies have shown that symbolic tokens and charms can boost people’s confidence, with many admitting there’s power in a thought made positive by meaningful charms such as these – being a constant reminder of purpose and desires: In addition to any value that these symbols have in themselves, or the religious faith that they might represent, symbolic and meaningful jewellery such as this can also act as a reminder to be careful when travelling: And this can be a powerful aid to staying safe whilst away from home too.

Buy Camino de Santiago souvenirs and gifts online

Much of our jewellery is hand-crafted in Galicia, close to El Camino de Santiago. It would make an ideal gift for any special event / occasion, but particularly for someone starting out on a new adventure in life – like walking a Camino, or even starting a new job, travelling afar or beginning retirement.

What to buy a Camino walker – Faith Jewellery?

There are many “caminos” or “walks” in the world but the Spanish “Way of St James” is probably the most famous, along with the Islamic Hajj to Mecca. We have a complete range of Camino jewellery in our SHOP online.

Here is a bit of information about some of the less well known “Caminos” in Spain that are currently in the news: Camino del Argar, Camino Mozárabe and Destino Rocío:

El Camino del Argar

El Camino del Argar is a rather obscure (arduous and long) route from southern Spain to Santiago de Compostela in the north. It starts at the Cathedral of Almería in Andalucía from whence it traverses the entire Iberian Peninsula, initially via Cabo de Gata and along the south coast before heading inland and north-west. It passes through places such as San José, Rosalquilar, Las Negras, Carboneras, Mojácar, Garrucha, Vera, Cuevas de Almanzora and on through to Huércal Overa and Lorca before heading north up through Murcia to Almendricos, Albacete and along the Camino de Levante.

Caminos de Argar

From Mora (Toledo) it’s main route then circumvents Madrid and joins the Vía de la Plata in Zamora north-west of the Spanish capital before finally heading into Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. In total, the Camino del Argar is about 1,500 Km. It is named Camino del Argar after an early Bronze Age settlement/culture “El Argar” which was based around the small town of Antas in Almería in eastern Andalucía. The community was active from about 2200 to 1500 BC and was renowned for its pottery and metallurgical techniques.

Peregrino en el Camino Argar

El Camino Mozárabe

The Camino de Santiago Mozárabe (also known as the Camino de Santiago Sanabrés) arose in the Middle Ages linking the important ports of Al-Andalus with some of the larger cities on the western side of Spain such as Córdoba and Mérida. These days, the paths between Almería and Granada are signposted and have some infrastructure for pilgrims / walkers along the way. But other parts of the route are less well marked until one reaches the Via de la Plata.

Starting on the Mediterranean coast in Almería it follows the chain of valleys of the Andarax and Nacimiento rivers to Guadix and thence to Granada along the old Roman and Muslim roads that linked these two cities taking in the terraces of the Alpujarras and parts of the Sierra Nevada. It is a strenuous route over the mountains before dropping down to Córdoba but from there to Mérida it is more relaxed. Nonetheless, it is a very long Camino indeed, crossing the whole of the Spanish peninsular south to north.

El Camino al Rocío

El Rocío is a village located 15 km from Almonte in the province of Huelva, Andalucía (Spain). The Rocío Pilgrimage (known as Romería de El Rocío or more simply “El Rocío”) is an age-old tradition of travelling early summer to the church of La Virgen del Rocio in the village of El Rocío in honour of “La Virgen” (whose image was believed to have been witnessed at this location in the 15th Century, and is now represented in the “Ermita de Sancta María de las Rocinas – or Ermita de El Rocío). The Romería brings together roughly one million pilgrims every year.

Ermita Rocío

This fervent event which is best described as somewhere between religion and folklore, takes place on the second day of Pentecost (May or June – depending on the year) but the build-up to it (and the journey) can take weeks with many people travelling in horse-drawn carts from far away with singing and dancing round the camp fires every night. The festival dates from 1653, when the Virgin of Las Rocinas was appointed patron Saint of Almonte.

Ayamonte, Huelva, Sevilla, Jeréz, Gibraltar, Malaga

Expanding on this tradition of travelling to the church of La Virgen del Rocio, the newly-envisaged Camino al Rocío or Destino Rocío has been called El Camino de Santiago ‘Andalucian style’. However, it has little to do with Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain – but is nonetheless a ‘religious’ Camino.

Parque Doñana
Donaña Park

There are eight different routes connecting the eight provinces of Andalucía with this devotional focus located in Huelva.
The Almería route (officially called ‘Ruta Nazarí’) has two starting points: One from Cabo de Gata (close to the capital Almería city itself) and another from Los Vélez towards Baza. They both meet up in Guadix and, from there, the path goes through Granada, Antequera, Ronda, Arcos, Jerez de la Frontera, and Sanlúcar to cross the Guadalquivir river, and through the great park of Doñana to reach the village of El Rocío. [Other Andalusian routes are: The Olive Grove Route (which begins in the Sierra de Cazorla); the Sierra Morena Route (which starts in Las Navas, Jaén); the Valle de los Pedroches Route (from Pozoblanco); the Aguardiente Route (from Belalcázar); the Silver Route, the Ham and Fandango Route (from the Sierra de Aracena) and the Gibraltar Route (from Algeciras)].

Destino Rocío
Destino Rocío

It is hoped that this new Camino al Rocío or “Destino Rocío”, will have a wide network of signposted paths – in the simple ‘yellow arrow’ style that guides pilgrims to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela along the more traditional “Way of St James” to the north.

What to buy a Camino walker – Faith jewellery?

See Faith Jewellery and Camino gift ideas in our shop that could be ideal:

GIFTS for people who MISS TRAVELLING or planning Camino trip

People miss travelling

Here are 15 gifts for people who hope to travel, especially someone planning a Camino trip or other journey they want to go on

Do you want to travel on a trip, adventure or holiday? Are you (or people you know) stuck at home and missing travelling?

See our SHOP for a selection of travel gifts to keep the dream alive and inspire someone’s next journey, or to find a gift for someone planning a Camino trip, or for people who miss travelling in general.

Bracelet gifts for people who love travel

Travelling has become difficult, if not impossible for many people. So we have selected some gifts for someone who wants to travel – but can’t. Because they are unable to take a trip, travel lovers might appreciate a small present to help ease their travel withdrawal symptoms and give them faith that their adventure or journey could still occur . . a small gift to help them achieve their travel goals. This could be spiritual or religious jewellery, for example, or simply a little present to express what you feel and to wish them safe travels in the future.

Travel gifts are particularly poignant at the moment – especially for people who yearn to do the Camino de Santiago in Spain but have been restrained by all the international lockdown restrictions that have made their dream journey fade away.

Without doubt, traveling will be a bit different (or non-existent) for the foreseeable future because of the pandemic but that doesn’t mean that you or your friends / loved-ones should lose sight of dreams and the travel wanderlust.

Gifts for travelers stuck at home: Wish them luck!

We have selected 15 of the best gifts for people who miss travelling and yet still hope to travel in the future (soon!) even though they are unable to travel at the moment. Wish them luck! so they can maintain their hopes of travelling – along with a little travel memento to help ease their travel withdrawal symptoms:

If you haven’t travelled anywhere at all this year, you will obviously be missing the joy and adventure of travel. But it seems that all we can do is reminisce about memorable trips of the past and continue to make plans for future travel if (and when) we are allowed 😉

Camino inspired gifts for fans of Camino

A little travel gift, if carefully chosen, can pass on your message of condolences for lack of travel – as well as hope to a friend or loved-one for future journeys and adventures. Here are a few Camino gifts for fans of El Camino . . The Way of Saint James:

Gifts for people who miss travelling

Whilst gifting someone something that they can use on their next getaway might be a bit brash at the moment, we recommend sending them something that reminds them of a trip from the past, and which will give them the confidence to believe it will happen again. For example:

Vaccinations / certificates / passports

So you can see that, for a friend or family member who is missing their travel injection to cure their travel bug, we have assembled a range of gifts that are aimed at perpetuating the travel dream for those people who miss travelling:

Finally however, it should be noted that in present times, a Vaccine Certificate might be the best gift of all – but sadly, we don’t sell those 😉

New KEEP SAFE GIFTS to say TAKE CARE and BE SAFE

Keep safe gift to say take care

In May, 2020, The Good Luck Gift Shop announced a new range of gifts to say Keep Safe

You can see some of them in the  Keep Safe Gifts  category (especially jewellery) in our SHOP

And now, in July, as people begin to travel again after the reduction in risk levels of the virus pandemic, and the opening up of travel destinations / countries, many people are thinking about safety as they plan their holiday vacations and other travel trip journeys.

Take care and be safe

BUT, is it safe to go out and to travel again?

The answer to that question is, quite simply, who knows? Lots of people are still concerned about their safety. Will I be at risk of infection? If I get sick, will I have to miss work or school? Should I wear a mask? How often must I clean my hands? How close am I allowed to other people?

In consequence, it has become appropriate to offer friends and loved-ones suggestions and advice in these difficult times and sometimes a little ” Keep Safe ” gift as well to say  ” Take Care ” and ” Be Safe ” can be a good idea too.

Safe and sound – and secure

This is not only applicable to someone travelling – it can be equally relevant to someone going out into their local environment perhaps travelling to the shops for the first time in months – maybe after sheltering in place under the Stay Home, Stay Safe policy of many countries internationally. Many people (particularly the elderly) have become nervous about going out. ¡Quédate en casa! was the refrain in Spain. And it is not only religious or Christian jewellery that features in our SHOP:

Safe jewellery

For this reason, The Good Luck Gift Shop introduced a range of jewellery that would make an ideal gift to pass on a Keep Safe message to friends and loved-ones to perhaps help give them a bit of confidence and tell them that you are there for them and thinking about them.

Safe journey

So whatever a colleague’s plans on venturing out, whether going shopping in the supermarket for groceries, etc, going back work, or for leisure / holiday reasons, these jewellery gifts have symbolic meaning that can be passed on to friends and loved-ones as a meaningful present.

Gifts to say Take Care in our shop

Many of our new Keep Safe gifts are based on religious or Christian symbols and values, and so would meet the needs of spiritually-minded people who are looking for meaningful jewellery and other gifts in these strange times to pass on their message to Take Care and Be Safe.

Plese visit our  SHOP  to see more “Keep Safe” gifts

Jewellery / Gifts with Meaning . . it’s what we do!

When will CAMINO de SANTIAGO OPEN again?

Camino de Santiago route hostal open

The Camino de Santiago closed in March 2020 because of CoronaVirus, but the hopes and aspirations of the pilgrims and other travellers remain alive. So when will El Camino re-open?

For those walkers, pilgrims and other travellers hoping to travel this famous route some time soon, the general message coming out of Spain at the moment is: “Pilgrim – now is not the time . . The Camino can wait.”

When will LOCKDOWN end along El Camino in Spain?

Here at  The Good Luck Gift Shop we are keeping a careful eye on what is happening in the news coming out of Santiago de Compostela. For example, at the time of writing this article, both the Cathedral and the Pilgrim Office remain closed.

The Spanish Federation of Associations of Friends of the Way of Santiago is asking that everyone interested in walking the Camino should take “Individual Responsibility” and continue to follow the recommendations of the health authorities and “Stay at Home” with respect to COVID-19 CoronaVirus. They have produced a little video of many people connected with the Camino repeating the mantra: “Me quedo en casa – I am staying at home”. Indeed, the message throughout Spain is “Quédate a casa” (stay at home!) Now is not the time to walk El Camino de Santiago (anyway it is “closed” and you would receive a fine if you attempted it (that is, assuming you could even get into the area which is, like the rest of the Spanish peninsular, in “lockdown”. All the hostels, hotels, albergues and other “shelters” have been closed on all roads to Santiago.

So, “dear Pilgrim,” as the Authorities in Galicia say, “please calm your longing for the Camino until everything returns to normal”  It is better to travel safe than sorry.

BUT, people ask: When will that be?

When will El Camino re-open? When will flights resume to Spain?

If you want a realistic answer to this question, it looks like September at the earliest. “El Camino puede esperar” they say – but can you?

When will Camino de Santiago open again

Well, for one thing, there is a lot to be said for walking El Camino in the Autumn or September:

– It is less crowded

– There are milder temperatures than in the popular months of July and August – although good weather is no longer assured

– There is more accommodation available

So, as they say in Spain: “Ultreya!” (the response is Suseia!) (Onward! > Go further!)

In the meantime, “en solidaridad con los caminantes” we have produced a good luck necklace with the Yellow Arrow marker symbol of Camino de Santiago . . which could be given as a little gift of support for a disappointed friend who had to cancel their trip on El Camino this year (or postpone). We sell it at cost price (only the postage needs be paid):

Good luck necklace Camino yellow arrow symbol
To help keep the dream alive 🙂

More information about the feasibility of the Camino de Santiago route will be posted here as it becomes available.

Ultreya! Et Suseia! Buen Camino! El Camino WILL open again

STAY WELL GIFTS – KEEP HEALTHY, SAFE and KEEP the DREAM

Stay well keep healthy and safe

With the spread of Coronavirus, some people are cancelling journeys and others are looking for ways to pass on their best wishes to friends, relatives and work colleagues to say look after yourself, stay healthy and safe, and keep the dream alive

As a good luck gift shop, we have decided to highlight some of the  gifts  that we have in our online shop to support this idea. We are aware that this could be labelled as jumping on the bandwagon, but the reality is that we already have a lot of saddened and downhearted customers – those who had planned and prepared, for example, to walk Spain’s famous Camino de Santiago, and who are now confined at home instead. A simple little gift to people like this who are suffering disappointment cannot be a bad thing – and in fact, we would encourage it as a means of offering support . . which is, after all, what the Indalo Camino Good Luck Gift shop is all about.

Stay healthy wishes

“Stay healthy and safe” seems to be the massage of the moment with Coronavirus spreading worldwide, and people are understandably concerned about the welfare of their friends and loved-ones.

However, the approach of how to deal with this virus varies around the globe. Spain, for example has adopted the “Italian” approach – lock everyone up until it has “gone away”. In the USA, there is a rapidly developing situation: At the current time, the policy seems to be one of “checks and balances”.

But in the United Kingdom, things are, at the moment, a bit different: The UK wants the population to acquire “herd immunity”. Robert Peston, working for ITV writes: Herd immunity is what happens to a group of people or animals when they develop sufficient antibodies to be resistant to a disease. The strategy of the British government is to allow the virus to pass through the entire population so that we acquire this herd immunity, but at a much delayed speed so that those who suffer the most acute symptoms are able to receive the medical support they need. In this way, the health service is not overwhelmed by the number of cases it has to treat at any one time.

This seems like sound advice (based on scientific principles). As the World Health Organisation has conceded, there is no way now of preventing the virus sweeping across the globe. Mr Peston says that the kind of coercive measures employed by China in Wuhan and Hubei have simply locked the virus behind closed doors. As soon as the constraints on freedom of movement, etc, are lifted, the virus will return again.

School closures? Take care

School closures and the banning of mass events like football matches are not particularly recommended. It is argued that children themselves are the least at risk from the virus and, by closing schools they may become a channel of infection to older carers such as Grandparents. The UK government adds that this policy would massively deplete the manpower of hospitals and care homes, because vast numbers of medical staff would be forced to stay at home to look after their children.

Although the policy of keeping schools open has been labelled as “risky” by some experts, Professor Ian Donald, University of Liverpool, says UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plan for the outbreak is based on the idea that low-risk people are actually meant to catch the virus. When enough people have this immunity it eventually limits the spread of the virus as it has fewer places to go. The population overall is then safe because it has an inherent immunity to it. He is quoted as saying: “The UK starting assumption is that a high number of the population will inevitably get infected whatever is done – up to 80%. As you can’t stop it, it is best to manage it.” Writing in the Daily Record, Tim McNulty reports that the aim of the UK is to have as many lower risk people infected as possible. Immune people cannot infect others; the more there are, then the lower the risk of infection. That’s herd immunity.

The Italian strategy is to stop as much infection as possible – or all infection. This is appealing, but then what? The restrictions are not sustainable. So they will need to be relaxed at some time. But that will lead to re-emergence of infections and climbing rates again. This is not a sustainable model and takes much longer to achieve an immune population.

Take care of yourself

At present, National Health Service England simply advises people to stay at home for seven days if they have Coronavirus symptoms such as a high temperature and/or a new, continuous cough. They also say: Do not go to a GP (Doctors’) surgery, pharmacy or hospital. (You do not need to contact the health advice line 111 to tell them you’re staying at home). They say, testing for coronavirus is not needed if you’re staying at home.

 

The NHS also advises:
– Wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds
– Always wash your hands when you get home or into work
– Use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
– Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
– Put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards
– Try to avoid close contact with people who are unwell
– Do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean

Wishing you well

So, if you feel inclined to send a little gift of condolences or well wishing, and to say keep safe, stay healthy – and keep the dream alive , please take a look at our  Store .

Happy wishes – keeping the dream alive

In particular, we have Christian gifts of faith – many based on the Way of St James / Camino de Santiago to help  Keep the Dream Alive .

We are shipping solely from the UK now and all Royal Mail services are functioning normally. You can see more information about our Store’s  Shipping Polices  here. Thanks for your support in these difficult times.