Four Questions to Ask Before Your First Long Distance Walking Trip

Mike Kalms is one of RAW Travel’s most well-travelled walkers. After 12 trips with us, he’s reached Legend status, the highest level in our RAW Traveller Rewards program.

Mike recently shared his reflections on LinkedIn, offering advice for anyone considering their first long-distance walking trip. Having walked thousands of kilometres across Europe, Asia, the Americas and Australia, he’s picked up plenty along the way. But it all started with one spontaneous walking holiday in France with RAW Travel.

Long Walk Curious?

In 2018, on a whim, I went on a long walk in France.

Just me. My partner had a family reunion scheduled (pass!), so I suddenly had a free kick. The question was: what to do with it?

My idea of a walking holiday sounded pretty good. Leisurely days walking through foreign climes, eating in quirky local restaurants, reading novels, thinking, sleeping well and, importantly, finishing each day in a room with an ensuite.

That’s my style of walking holiday.

I was a little nervous about walking solo in a country where I didn’t speak the language, so I started looking for some help with the planning. I happened upon Australian walking holiday company RAW Travel, who helped me work through the options and organise the details.

Little did I know that first trip would become the first of dozens of increasingly long walks.

Since then, I’ve walked thousands of kilometres across Europe, North and South America, Asia and Australia. Some trips have been solo, many with my partner or friends.

So, what advice would I give to the busy Aussie exec who is a little long-walk curious?

I’d start with four questions.

Where?

There are so many options that, if you’re not careful, you can stall at the starting line.

For a first long-distance walk, I think Spain, France and England are hard to beat. Trails are generally well signposted, accommodation is plentiful and it’s usually easy to adjust your days. You can walk further when you’re feeling good, shorten a day when you’re not, or occasionally jump on a bus if you need to.

The gradients can also be relatively forgiving, depending on the route.

The various Caminos in Spain and Portugal, Hadrian’s Wall in England and Italy’s Via Francigena are all excellent options.

If you’d prefer to stay in Australia, there are plenty of rewarding walks here too. Accommodation can be more sparse and some trails more demanding, but you’ll certainly save on international travel. The Great Ocean Walk, Overland Track and Western Australia’s Cape to Cape Track are all fabulous.

Japan is a great middle ground. It’s an easy time zone from Australia, flights can be relatively affordable, and the food and accommodation, especially the onsens, can be truly memorable. In my experience, however, trails can be less consistently signposted and the terrain tends to involve plenty of ups and downs. Some routes also require bus travel between walking sections.

The Kumano Kodo, for example, has some thrilling and rugged trails to explore.

Then there’s the more adventurous end of the spectrum. Long-distance trails in North America, including sections of the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails, can require camping and a greater level of self-sufficiency. The Inca Trail generally involves a guided trek and camping too.

Don’t expect an ensuite.

I haven’t tackled Kilimanjaro yet, but I suspect it belongs firmly in this category.

When, and for how long?

Shoulder seasons rule, in my view.

European summers are getting hotter and the weather less predictable. May, June and September have always treated me well. The cafés are quieter, the walking is generally more comfortable and you can avoid some of the intensity of the peak summer months.

For your first trip, I’d suggest booking a week or two of walking and adding a rest day roughly every five days.

You don’t need to walk an entire Camino in one hit. In fact, plenty of people don’t.

Another approach is to find a city you’re interested in, ideally somewhere with good transport connections, and build your walk around it. Pamplona, Le Puy, Lisbon, San Sebastián and Bilbao are all good examples.

It gives the trip a natural beginning or end and adds another dimension to the holiday.

Who with?

If solo walking isn’t for you, the important question isn’t simply who do I want to travel with?

It’s who is compatible with the way I like to walk?

That can be trickier than it sounds.

Some people stop often. Others power through. Some like long lunches. Some want to be out the door at the crack of dawn, while others prefer a slower start and walking later into the afternoon.

Do a few local test walks together before committing to a long-distance trip. You’ll probably both need to adjust your habits a little, but it’s much better to discover those differences at home than halfway through a two-week walk.

And remember, even if you walk solo, you’re rarely completely alone.

Long-distance trails have a funny way of creating temporary communities. If you feel like a chat, chances are you’ll find someone to have one with.

How do you organise it?

For a first trip? Call RAW Travel.

You really only need a rough idea of where you’d like to walk, when you’d like to go and how far you’re comfortable walking each day.

They can help with the rest: accommodation, route planning, digital navigation, local support, luggage transfers and all those small logistical details you don’t necessarily know you need to think about until you’ve done a few long walks.

Once you’re a veteran walker, you may decide to organise everything yourself. Some people even freewheel completely, arriving in a town and only then working out where they’ll sleep.

That’s not how I’d recommend starting.

For your first long walk, get some expert help. Have your luggage transferred between accommodation. Keep the daily distances relatively comfortable, around 20km is plenty for many people, and learn what kind of walking suits you.

You can always throttle things up next time.

Just give it a go

Every time I return from a long walk, I seem to come home a little thinner, considerably more relaxed and much more mindful.

All those things LinkedIn keeps telling us are good for us.

There will be plenty of time to obsess over shoes, backpacks and gear later. First, work out where you want to walk and when you want to go.

Most of all, give it a go.

You might discover that putting one foot in front of the other for a week or two is exactly the kind of good-for-the-body, good-for-the-brain reset you’ve been looking for.

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Mike’s Journey to Legend

The Legend level of RAW Traveller Rewards recognises travellers who have completed 9+ RAW Travel trips or 3,000+ kilometres. Twelve trips later, Mike has more than earned his place among our Legends.

Members at this level receive one complimentary RAW Travel trip, plus $400 off every eligible trip, up to $250 in Travel Perks, a $20 donation to their choice of our charity and community partners, 100% carbon offsetting for eligible RAW Travel trips, early access to new itineraries and recognition in our Great Walkers Gallery.

Curious about RAW Traveller Rewards? Learn more.