Backpack Transfers Between Camino Stages

A luggage transfer service moves your backpack from one accommodation to the next while you walk with what you need for the day. To use it, confirm that both places accept collection and delivery, book each leg under the provider’s terms and label your bag properly. It is different from sending a suitcase straight to Santiago.

What a daily transfer does

If you want to walk without carrying your full pack, a service such as Correos’ Paq Mochila moves it between accommodation on successive stages. Availability depends on the route and dates, and on whether the specified places can receive or hand over luggage. Knowing the town where you will sleep is not enough: you need an actual address.

This can help if you need to reduce your daily load, have a suitcase you do not want to carry along the path, or want help on a single stage. It does not mean walking without any bag: you still need water, rain protection when appropriate, documents, personal medication and anything you will use before being reunited with your luggage.

For what to pack, see the Camino packing guide. The daily transfer depends on what you hand over, to whom, when, and where you will find it again.

Paq Mochila coverage and limits in 2026

Correos lists 2026 coverage for the French Way from Roncesvalles; the Portuguese Way from Porto; the Coastal Portuguese Way from A Guarda; the Spiritual Variant; the Primitive Way from Oviedo; the Northern Way from Irún; the English Way from Ferrol; the Sanabrés Way from Ourense; and the continuation to Fisterra and Muxía. Somport and the Winter Way require an email enquiry. After October, the page narrows the usual service to Sarria–Santiago and Tui–Santiago; check your precise dates in the booking form.

The published maximum is 15 kg per bag, 56 × 40 × 25 cm under the terms, and 60 km per day. Items tied to the outside are not accepted. Book or change the service by 20:00 on the day before the transfer; leave the bag before 08:00 and Correos says it will be delivered by 14:30. These limits tell you whether a large suitcase or a long stage needs another solution before you pay.

How to book the right leg

Start with your accommodation plan. For each day, note the name, address and contact details for where you start and where you finish. Before booking, confirm that both places accept the service and have a clear place to leave or receive your bag. The Paq Mochila terms describe transfers between accommodation.

Then check your route and date with the provider and enter the correct leg. If you change albergue at the last minute, update the luggage destination under the operator’s procedure: telling only your walking partner will not change the booking. Keep the confirmation on your phone and, if your battery may run out, write down the reference number.

For an unplanned stage, the day-before booking cut-off means deciding on accommodation and transfer in time. Correos lets you enter only the first accommodation when booking and add later ones before the relevant deadline.

Public albergues, private places and other accommodation can have different rules for accepting luggage. The guide to albergues and private accommodation helps you choose where to stay, but ask the specific place whether it will take the bag.

Collection and delivery: what to do each morning

Label your bag with the details required by the operator. Make sure the label is readable, secure and shows the right date and destination. Close zips and pockets and remove anything hanging off the outside. Keep a photograph of the labelled bag and your booking in case you need to describe it.

Before 08:00, leave the luggage where you agreed with the accommodation. Do not abandon it at an entrance assuming the courier will know it is yours. Ask how collection works at that place and what to do if you leave before reception opens.

At the end of the stage, ask the accommodation where delivered bags are kept and collect yours. If it has not arrived, contact the accommodation and provider promptly with your booking reference, the stage and a description. An early report makes it easier to locate the bag before the delivery route moves on.

What to carry even when your pack is transferred

Make up a small day bag suited to the weather and distance. Keep your identification, phone, payment methods and pilgrim credential with you. Add water, a weather layer and any personal medication you need during the day. Keep close anything whose delay would stop you continuing or getting back to your accommodation.

Do not put unique documents, essential keys or fragile items into the transferred bag without checking the service exclusions. Think of it as accommodation luggage: you get it at the end of the day, not at a stop along the way. The official terms determine which contents are admitted and what the provider is responsible for.

Walking lighter may ease discomfort, but it does not replace preparation. For footwear and foot care, see the guide to daily foot care; luggage transfer is not a health decision.

One stage, several days or a flexible plan

You do not have to book the whole route ahead of time if you want to try one stage and the provider allows individual bookings. If you will use it every day, a stable list of accommodation makes entering destinations easier and prevents contradictory instructions. Record any change in stage length: walking further or less than expected also changes the delivery point.

If you do not book accommodation ahead, ask the provider how delivery works before relying on it. A destination town is not enough when there are several places to stay. The freedom to choose your bed during the day may clash with a daily transfer that needs a fixed address; decide which matters more to you.

Compare providers by route coverage, booking deadline, baggage terms, tracking and help with problems. Do not choose only on a price posted on social media: it may be from another season or for a different size of bag.

What happens on the final stage

For your arrival day in Santiago, choose a precise delivery point if you want the luggage back that day. Confirm reception with the chosen accommodation and decide what to do with the bag before visiting a place that does not allow luggage inside. If you need to store it for a few hours after arriving, Correos’ Santiago luggage storage is a separate service.

If you actually want a suitcase of travel clothes to wait in Santiago without following you stage by stage, look at Correos’ Paq Peregrino. These are different operations and should be booked separately.

Frequently asked questions

Can I transfer a suitcase instead of a backpack?

Yes, if it fits the published limit of 15 kg and 56 × 40 × 25 cm. A cabin-size case may work; a large suitcase may not.

Do I have to book every albergue?

You need a collection point and a delivery point that accept the service. If you change accommodation, update the provider’s booking and confirm the new destination.

When should I leave my backpack?

Correos says before 08:00, at reception or where the accommodation tells you. Make sure your booking is active for that day.

Can I walk without carrying anything?

That is unwise. Carry what you need during the stage and anything you cannot wait for until the final delivery.

Photo: O Pedrouzo — Simon Burchell · CC BY-SA 4.0.