About Us

Hello and welcome to my website!

My name is Chris Sanders and I live in Atlanta, GA. A few years ago I took a leave of absence from my career as a management consultant to hike 500 miles on the Camino de Santiago.  Thats me in the picture - on the Camino just outside of Pamplona, Spain.

Like so many other people, I sort of stumbled upon the Camino by happenstance. I first learned of its existence in early 2001 by watching an interview of Shirley MacLain, who at the time was promoting her book "The Camino." I was intrigued by her description of a long distance medieval hike across Northern Spain. Even more curious was the fact that several thousand people completed the Camino each year. "That sounds interesting," I thought, although I could not imagine ever having the time or physical ability to hike 500 miles! Little did I know that just over a year later, I would be on the trail!

Several things happened in the year following the MacLain interview, which ultimately led to my decision to hike the Camino. First, I began to get burned out from my job. Achieving an accelerated career progression as a consultant with a large firm was a great accomplishment, but the work had been intense and had taken its toll. Second, I was contemplating going to graduate school but was having difficulty deciding between fields of study and schools – and already in my late 20’s, I was starting to feel the pressure to make my next move, whatever it was to be. Finally, the events of September 11, 2001 had put me, like so many others, in a particularly contemplative mood. Given all these things, I decided to take a three-month leave of absence from my job to sort everything out. I thought the Camino would provide the right balance of challenge, adventure and opportunity for heavy thinking.

Anyway, fast forward – I finished 500 miles of the Camino (without even one blister!) and had an absolutely wonderful and transformative experience. I came back renewed, recharged and a lot skinnier! I left my job, went to graduate school, lived in Italy for a while, came back to Atlanta, got married, and started a new career with another firm, whew!

I decided to set up this website in order to help others learn more about the Camino – particularly some of the more practical aspects. Most website and books I found were guidebooks, academic diatribes, or deeply personal and spiritual accounts – and none provided the “day in the life of a pilgrim” perspective I sought. My goal with 30daystosantiago.com is to provide practical information on the Camino by providing a glimpse of my own experience and by pointing you other great sources of information.

I hope you find this site helpful. If you have any questions about the site or the Camino, please drop me an e-mail at chris@30daystosantiago.com. I am always happy to talk to people about the Camino and my experience!

Buen Camino!