Walking the Camino and the World Cup – What’s the Connection?
By Ann Holliday, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Downtown Council of Kansas City
Last month, my husband and I had the opportunity to take a 3-week, mini-sabbatical to walk the walk 150 miles along the Camino Portuguese from Porto, Portugal to Santiago, Spain. It was the trip of a lifetime and I am very grateful to my Downtown Council and Art in the Loop colleagues, family, and friends for “holding down the fort” while we were gone.
The Camino Portuguese is one of many pilgrimage routes established over 1,000 years ago leading to Santiago. As we walked each day, we found time to observe the world around us, reflect, and converse with our fellow travelers from around the world.
We had many interesting conversations as we walked, relaxed, and dined with other pilgrims.
The first question often was where are you from? Answer: Kansas City in the United States.
“Ahh,” our fellow traveler would respond, “What do you think about the national elections?” Let’s just say we quickly found a polite way to say that we would rather not talk about it!
From there, we would get interesting follow-up questions. For instance, some people would say “Oh yes, American football – the Kansas City Chiefs!” Yes! We said happily. This would lead to conversations about soccer, women’s soccer, and eventually, we just had to share our excitement about the World Cup coming to Kansas City in 2026!
Reflecting on our experience walking in Portugal and Spain for three weeks led me to think about the similarities between our experience and that of the 600,000 people expected to visit the KC region during the World Cup games in 2026. Three things come to mind, including the importance of good wayfinding services, high-quality transportation options, and sincere hospitality.
The 150-mile trail that we followed in and out of cities, through suburbs, farmland, villages, and forests was ever-changing and well-marked in many ways. There were cast concrete monuments indicating how many kilometers we had left, elaborate ancient carved stone crosses, yellow arrows spray painted on light poles, and discrete clam shells (a symbol of St. James) embedded in the pavement, walls, and on houses. There were sculptures ranging from representations of St. James to modern-day pilgrims to a hiking boot.
And if that wasn’t enough, I also had an app on my phone with real-time optional routes, locations of cafes, inns, and churches, and some historical information.
Cafes, Inns and More
Speaking of cafes, the path included a variety of services, ranging from the aforementioned cafes and inns at well-spaced intervals to clean public restrooms adjacent to the churches and pilgrim chapels, markets, and shops. There were also still-functioning ancient water fonts where we could refill our water bottles.
Of course, in the larger towns, there were also transportation options. While we were able to walk the entire route, we opted to take advantage of the Metro subway system in Porto, and observed their gondola and funicular with amusement. (Both were actively used by others, but we just didn’t have time to do everything!) Once our walk was complete, we took a very comfortable bus ride from Santiago back to Porto!
Hospitality is the Connection
When the World Cup comes to Kansas City, wayfinding, services, and transportation will be important. But, I think the most important thing will be welcoming our guests with a true spirit of hospitality.
On our journey, whether we were on the path traipsing through someone’s backyard or down busy streets, we were welcomed with friendly smiles and nods, and used the little Portuguese we knew to say “Ola, Bom Dias” or the wish of a “Bom Caminho.” It was harvest time and people would set out food for us from their gardens – figs, apples, and plums.
Once when we were headed in the wrong direction, a driver stopped his car in the street to point us in the right direction. Another time, we accidentally ended up at the wrong inn; and were installed in grandma’s guest bedroom!
I was amazed at the welcome we received and the continued hospitality of the Portuguese and Spanish people we met. And I look forward to extending the same hospitality to our World Cup visitors in 2026!
Bom Caminho,
Ann
