February 2025 - Cruisin with the Colemans

Group Trip to Spain – Walking the Camino de Santiago

Posted on February 23, 2025 by CruisinColemans

If you read our blog earlier this week, you learned we have moved up our date to begin leading group experiences*. If you missed the blog, it’s a great story; you can read it by clicking here. We are taking our first group to walk on the Camino de Santiago this July 7-18, 2025. Below are details about what to expect on the trip, followed by the total costs for singles, doubles, and singles in shared rooms, the registration deadline, and what is not included. If this doesn’t work for you this year, we will have a trip for you next year, which is summarized at the end of the blog.

As of March 24, 2025 – The trip is SOLD OUT. Please subscribe to see what trips we will be adding in the future!

What to expect:

You can walk every day on the Camino Frances from Samos to Santiago de Compostela, covering 132 kilometers or 82 miles over seven days.
You don’t have to walk at all. There will be plenty to do for people of varying physical abilities.
Light continental breakfast, typically coffee and a pastry
Have a communal dinner with your group every night, including multiple courses and wine. These will not typically be your average “pilgrim” dinner – when you are Cruisin’ with the Colemans, you are with foodies!
Private or semi-private (with another group member) rooms that fit your needs
Daily luggage transfer: all you have to carry is a light pack with just your snacks and water
Transfer to/from Santiago airport at the start of the trip
Daytime transfer if you need to skip a part of the walk
Begin in the small village of Samos to explore the Monastery of San Xulián de Samos, built in the sixth century
Rest day near the end of the trip in Santiago de Compostela with guided or not guided time in the old town
On the rest day in Santiago, we will explore the Cathedral and the museum and do a rooftop tour of the church. A botafumeiro is not guaranteed during mass (this is a $3000 expense)
Enjoy a traditional guiemada ceremony as a group after dinner in Santiago de Compostela
Group bus trip to Finisterre to enjoy the beach, shop, take the 2.5 km walk to the lighthouse for sunset, and celebrate with a group dinner
Transfer back to Santiago de Compostela for the end of the trip
Advance support for planning your trip
Camino 101 Zoom sessions to get ready and get familiar with those you will be traveling with
Help to make travel arrangements to/from Spain, including suggested flights from the US to Spain
Credential, pilgrim shell, and travel wallet to carry your pilgrim credential and passport
Thumb drive of photos and completed summary videos of your trip

The Cost Breakdown of the Trip:

For those who are traveling as a couple, your cost for all of the above will be $4,350 total
For those who are traveling solo but are willing to share a room with another member of the group, your cost for all of the above will be $2,600

To secure your spot on the trip, a $500 non-refundable deposit is due immediately. The remainder is due by June 1. Payment plans are encouraged.

Deadline to Sign Up: The registration deadline is April 1st or as soon as we reach 12 people.

What is Not Included: Your only remaining expenses are your gear, daily lunch and snacks, and airfare from your hometown to Santiago de Compostela airport or Sarria train station. We will have a car ready to pick you up and take you to our starting point. If you need assistance, we can help you plan your flight. Most people fly into Madrid and then take a connecting flight or a train to Santiago de Compostela.

Can’t make it this year but want to go Cruisin’ with the Colemans next year? As of February 2025, we plan to offer much more group travel! In 2026, we are looking at a walking tour in Italy; in 2027, we are walking the Camino Portuguese from Porto to Santiago. We are also looking at future caravan opportunities for our RV friends!

*We are not certified travel agents, but we are experienced travelers and educators with over 25 years of leading group experiences. We organize travel experiences to destinations we know well from our own journeys. However, we do not claim to be experts on the various cultures or locations we visit. If available, we may hire a local expert to enhance your travel experience.

From Travel Blog/Vloggers to Tour Guides

Posted on February 21, 2025 by CruisinColemans

When we started this blog in 2018, we had a long-term goal of leading groups* on adventure travel. Initially, we envisioned this goal for after retirement. However, the time has now come for us to pursue it. We have been inspired and are ready to lean into this new direction. But before I share more about that, let me provide some background on our story. When we started this blog in 2018, we had a long-term goal of leading groups on adventure travel. Initially, we envisioned this goal for after retirement. However, the time has now come for us to pursue it. We have been inspired and are ready to lean into this new direction. But before I share more about that, let me provide some background on our story. Brian and I used to lead sedentary lifestyles. When we met and got married, we both weighed over 300 pounds. Although we both enjoyed traveling, we never imagined the adventures we’d had since then. The photo from the mud run (above) was a huge leap for us. We used to joke, “If we’re running, it must be because something bad is happening—like a bear is chasing us!” Haha! We started walking our neighborhood because we had put on even more weight after a year of dating and planning a wedding. I remember when the scale surpassed 300 pounds. I was mortified and needed a change. I was extremely fortunate to be with a man who was up for any crazy idea I had. We started walking our neighborhood, which led to fad diets but a bit of hope that change was possible. This hope led to trying more realistic diets; we did Weight Watchers and transitioned from walking to hiking in local parks. By 2012, we had both lost over 100 pounds. We spent our time tent camping and hiking epic trails all over the country. Our passion for travel had always been present, but we fully committed to planning significant trips, taking advantage of our ability as teachers to travel for a couple of months at a time.

June 2017 – the moment that changed us forever

In 2017, we embarked on our first Camino de Santiago, backpacking 500 miles across Spain from St. Jean Pied de Port in France to Santiago de Compostela and continuing on to Finisterre. This experience was life-changing, igniting a passion for travel that grew in ways we never anticipated. In fact, the lessons we learned on that first Camino are still unfolding for us. Less than a week after completing the Camino, we purchased an RV for more travel adventures. Since then, we have RV’d over 50,000 miles through 36 states. We have walked five more Caminos, including the Camino Portuguese, the Camino del Norte, and the Via Francigena. In 2018, during our first major RV road trip through Ohio, Michigan, Canada, and New York, we launched this blog. We also established our brand, Cruisin’ with the Colemans, because we anticipated that one day—though a long time from now—we would lead group trips. Given our background as teachers and experience leading groups, this felt like a natural progression for us. We have taken students abroad, on cruises, and to New York City, so pursuing this long-term goal seemed like a perfect fit. Foreward to now, Brian is only a couple of years from retirement, and my retirement date depends on our financial stability. But more importantly, we have typically made our summer plans by this time of the year. It’s not for a lack of trying, but nothing felt right. This week, we were honored to host Bill Bennett and his beautiful wife, Jennifer Cluff. We had an outstanding time talking about Camino, travel, and our mutual interests. By the last day, on our last drive together, during a conversation about destinations we should explore, Jennifer asked why we were not leading groups. Our answer has always been, “Because we are waiting until we retire.” I need to reflect on what I just typed. I realized that my previous statement is the complete opposite of everything we stand for. It’s a revelation for me. We’re not about waiting for retirement but about taking action and starting now. Ok, back on track. Our travel plans for 2025 are taking shape, and it is time for you to join us on our first group travel experience*. This will be a 12-day trip walking the Camino de Santiago from Samos to Santiago de Compostela, where you can walk the full 120 kilometers from Sarria to Santiago to earn a Compostela.

Finalized trip details can be found in this more recent blog.

Here is what you can expect on this trip from us:

You will have the option to walk all day, every day. If you don’t want to earn the Compostela, you can walk part of the day with less mileage. If you want to bike, okay, we have you covered (this will not earn you a Compostela). You don’t have to walk at all. There will be plenty to do for people of varying physical abilities.
The walk will be about 17-25 kilometers or 10-15 miles per day; you can do as much or as little as you want
Light continental breakfast, typically coffee and a pastry
Communal dinner every night, including multiple courses and wine
Private or semi-private (with another group member) rooms that fit your needs. If you want to save a bit of money here, we can work with you on the other types of room/bed accommodations
Daily luggage transfer, so all you have to worry about is carrying a light pack with just your snacks and water
Transfer to/from Santiago airport at the start of the trip
Daytime transfer if you need to skip a part of the walk or just don’t want to walk that much in a day
Rest day at the beginning of the trip in Samos to explore the Monastery of San Xulián de Samos, built in the sixth century
Rest day near the end of the trip in Santiago de Compostela
On the rest day in Santiago, we will explore the Cathedral and do a rooftop tour of the church
Enjoy a traditional guiemada ceremony after dinner in Santiago de Compostela
Group bus trip to Finisterre to walk to the lighthouse for sunset and celebratory dinner
Transfer back to Santiago de Compostela for the end of the trip
Advance support for planning your trip
Camino 101 Zoom sessions to get ready and get familiar with those you will be traveling with
Help to make travel arrangements to/from Spain, including suggested flights from the US to Spain
Credential, pilgrim shell, and travel wallet to carry your pilgrim credential and passport
Thumb drive of photos and completed summary videos of your trip

When is this happening? July 2025, shortly after the 4th of July holiday. The trip will be 12 days, so with your travel days, you are well within a solid two-week vacation. We will have a lot more details very soon.

How much will this cost? We will have details about the final cost of the trip very soon. Your only additional costs will be airfare to/from Spain, lunch, snacks, and personal equipment. We aim to keep this trip around $3,000 per person. From our research, we feel quite good about that number, but we need just a bit more time for a solid number. A deposit of $500 will be due shortly after the trip announcement. We are limiting participation to 12 people. A payment plan will be arranged, with the total amount due 10 days before departure.

This trip will not include:

Church or museum admissions outside of Santiago
Lunches and snacks
Travel insurance (but you are required to show proof of personal medical and travel insurance)
Transportation to and from Santiago
Personal equipment, such as backpacks, hiking poles, etc.

What’s the next step? Honestly, be ready to make a deposit. We expect the 12 slots will fill fast. We anticipate making the complete announcement next week. We have a few details to implement to ensure the highest quality trip possible. If you go Cruisin’ with the Colemans, you are going in style! Thank you for following this blog adventure to the end. Our goal remains the same—we want to inspire you to take adventures, but even more so, we want you to take an adventure with us this year!!

Do you have questions? Do you want to make a deposit? Do you want me to know that you are considering making a deposit? Whatever your questions, our email address is cruisinwiththecolemans@gmail.com—we would love to hear from you!

*We are not certified travel agents, but we are experienced travelers and educators with over 25 years of leading group experiences. We organize travel experiences to destinations we know well from our own journeys. However, we do not claim to be experts on the various cultures or locations we visit. We may hire a local expert to enhance your travel experience if available.

You can subscribe to our email list right here. We promise not to spam you and will not share your email with anyone!

How We Choose Brand Partners. Is It All About the Free Stuff?

Posted on February 2, 2025 by CruisinColemans

In a world where influencers can easily “get free stuff” from companies, we tend to be selective. There are many reasons for this, but two stand out. (1) We don’t need that much stuff as we continue to downsize. (2) We want to support companies whose products we believe in.

Long before we became “influencers,” we were just two people who traveled extensively! For a decade, we had been tent campers and international travelers who enjoyed hiking and backpacking. In 2017, we bought our first RV but had no intention of having a social media presence. We launched this blog in 2018 and started our YouTube channel in 2019. We had no idea what would come of our little Cruisin’ with the Colemans. It’s become more than we imagined, and we are thankful for that. We didn’t force it; it just continues to evolve.

At this point in our online journey, many companies have contacted us. We see that as a huge compliment—at least, we did until we remembered the impact of our decisions and what we chose to promote. Yes, we have made mistakes along the way. We have accepted free products and created a video or reel about them, only to later realize that wasn’t a wise choice. We are much more careful and selective now. I will never forget that awful drone we promoted for a short time. It wouldn’t harm anyone, but it was a terrible drone.

There is a significant difference between free products and a brand partnership. However, let me clarify: we have decided that if we either can’t or won’t use an item, we don’t want the free products at all. People can expect quality reviews of the brands and products we support. We might review a single item from a company without it being a brand partner; it will always be a product we believe we can use.

For instance, the company “Airplane Pockets” sent us two free samples of their pockets. We tried them out, enjoyed them, and created a reel about them. Since we liked them so much, we added them to our Amazon Storefront under “Travel Gear.” We avoid receiving gear that we wouldn’t use. While these Airplane Pockets aren’t something we’d use if we were only traveling with a backpack, we love using them when traveling with a suitcase. This is a perfect example of a company we will collaborate with that isn’t a brand partner.

An example of a brand partner is RecPro—we LOVE their products for our RV. We had been purchasing from RecPro long before we connected with them as a brand partner. We began remodeling our RV within the first six months of owning it. From removing the jackknife sofa and installing a backup camera to upgrading our blinds, RecPro has everything we need for our renovations. They became a brand partner in 2023 when we reached out to them. What we appreciate about this partnership is that we already knew we loved their products.

That’s the same reason we partnered with Coachmen Apex. We loved our rig even before we bought it. In fact, we purchased it sight unseen! We viewed similar models and many online tours, but we knew the Coachmen Apex 269RBKS was the right choice for us! We researched it while backpacking across Spain in 2017 and bought it within a week of returning home so we could explore and travel more

It wasn’t until 2023 that we partnered with Coachmen, and we signed the contract on Christmas Day. It was the best Christmas gift we could receive because we love Apex. We adore our rig, but most importantly, we appreciate the people who work for Apex. What they admire about us is who we are – people who love to travel and embrace the way they travel. They don’t ask us to change. And thank goodness, because we have no intention of being anyone other than who we have always been.

Another example of a brand partner is a husband and wife duo who founded Rivet Supply Co. They create “adventure boards” designed for your RV. We instantly fell in love with their board when we first spotted it on Instagram. They qualify as a brand partner because we continue to work with them as their company grows.

Our channel will continue to focus on us, covering RV travel, international travel, hiking, backpacking, beaches, and everyday life. The products and brands we connect with will simply be part of the story we tell. Perhaps discussing Coachmen will inspire you to consider RV life, even if you choose another brand; we love that you are getting outdoors. If we feature the products we use when renovating our house or RV, we make them accessible to you so you feel it’s something you can tackle when you are renovating.

What’s in it for us? If we do a product review, it’s just free product(s) to evaluate. Every brand we collaborate with is a little different. Sometimes, we receive free product(s) and also have a discount code to share with you. Other times, we get a discount code for you while also receiving a percentage back. Those partnerships help Cruisin’ with the Colemans feel more worthwhile when we are tired from our day jobs but have blogs to write or videos to create.

Clear Source Water Filter is a brand partner and a product we’ve used for many years prior to partnering with them.

This is a labor of love—we enjoy sharing our adventures with you. We hope our grandchild(ren) will read about and watch our travels to learn more about who we were when we were younger. We certainly aren’t getting rich from being influencers, and that’s completely fine with us! But our travels now have another layer, and that’s pretty cool!

How do we generate revenue? A few brand partners provide a small percentage of compensation for items purchased, but it’s not substantial. We also earn a bit from our Amazon Storefront. When you buy products through our affiliate link, we receive a small commission. It doesn’t cost you more to use our link, but it helps us. Our accountant appreciates it when we earn some money because it shows the distinction between this being a hobby and a business.

Our Amazon Storefront is filled with all the products we use and love!

If you watch our YouTube videos, we earn a small income. So please watch those ads—we appreciate it! Brian creates our videos, and I manage the blog and social media. These roles help us determine what needs to be done and who should do it. We like to call Cruisin’ with the Colemans our 5-9 job, meaning we work on it after our 9-5 jobs that pay the real bills. Haha! But, as I mentioned earlier, it gives our travels more purpose, and that’s a huge win!

Thank you for reading this blog. If you have any questions about the products we use or the companies we partner with, please comment. We appreciate you following our adventures, and we hope they inspire you to take an adventure with us.

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