Spain Post Office - as luggage storage
 

I would like some help from someone who is currently in Spain or who has good knowledge of the services of Spain Post Office.

Objective: Store a package of about 15 lbs (7 kg) in a post office in the Madrid area for later retrieval economically by shipping from one post office (i.e. at the airport) to another post office near a train station.

Situation: I will be walking El Camino de Santiago for up to 40 days with my back pack. I have a package of other clothes, shoes and other misc. items that I need after my walk. I will arrive in Bajaras airport and go to Chamartin train station to go to Irun. After 40 days I will return to Chamartin to collect the package to begin my post-walk activities in Spain.

Background: Last year I walked El Camino de Santiago from France. In Leon, I shipped my heavy jacket and other stuff in a box to the post office in Santiago and picked up my box after about two weeks. So I know this can be done.

Question: Is shipping to another post office to be held until reclaimed within Spain allowed in all post offices in Spain? If so, how long will they hold it before disposing it?

I will not carry the package for 600 miles with me if I cannot store it economically. If it costs so much to store for 40 days, I might as well buy them new after the camino. If the post office will hold it for 40 days, that would be ideal.

You might also consider arranging an accommodation at the end of your walk/beginning of next travel phase that will accept and hold the package for your arrival. On several occasions I've chosen lodging that cheerfully agrees to hold a suitcase for me while I walk. I see your plans as just a variation on that theme and I suspect you'll have no trouble finding such a place.

Well, you had good luck with the post office last year, but that was for only two weeks. Although its services have improved over the years, we wouldn't trust them with more the a postcard !! Why wouldn't you leave your stuff in a locker or left luggage ( consigna) in Chamartin station ? Believe me, any storage fee will be much less than buying new clothes there !

I should have mentioned, I've never been charged a fee for holding luggage at any hotel or guesthouse I've booked while I've done my walks. Most consider it a service they offer included in the price of a room. If they aren't happy to do it, or quote a charge, I simply find another place.

The dilemma I have is that the walk will take between 35 to 40 days. No fixed date for returning to Madrid. Therefore, I do not have a hotel reservation. When I return to Madrid, I will go to a finca, and they say the finca does not have a postal address.

Christina, thank you very much. That is exactly what I have been looking for. I will ship my package to Santiago if I cannot ship it to another post office in Madrid.

But if you read that link, the p.o. will only hold it for 15 days. You've got to pay someone to store it after that. Every fica I know has a postal address, if only an apartado (p.o. box) number. Ask them for it.

When we did this last year, we shipped our luggage to Ivar in Santiago. He provides an address for shipping and storage for your package for a relatively small fee. He is very well-known and a lot of people use his service.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/lugg...de-compostela/

I didn't think they would keep it 30 days, either, aside from that link, I think I've read elsewhere there are time limits. I don't recall what they were, but they were 30 days or less.

Of course, even with an apartado, the p.o. wouldn't keep it for you for more than 15 days. Maybe the owners of the finca would be willing to schlep it to the house for you. Again, I'd ask.

BTW, the Spanish PO is one of the worst in Europe. Not only is it slow but it has also been known to have things missing before arrival. Disclaimer: I have not used the Spanish PO for packages for many years for that reason, so things may have changed.

What are you going to do with your Camino gear and clothing once you have your travel clothes in hand? After 40 days on the road I'd toss them.

Most people that I know kept everything that was still good and tossed the stuff that was worn out (socks, for example). We didn't walk the whole way (trip interrupted by an emergency at home) so our gear didn't take the full pounding that others' did, but I can't imagine that things like hiking pants would be toast after a month of wear. My zip-off hiking pants cost like 60 bucks - I'm not giving them up until they are really worn out. And of course stuff like packs, pocket knives, flashlights, etc. are good for a long time.

Right, Moony, but this guy is changing out one set of clothes for another (read from the top of the thread). I suppose he could leave his Camino stuff with his friends for whom he is bringing Hershey candy along so that when he makes the trek next year, he'll have his stuff there already, just like the people who attend Pamplona each year. They leave their clothing there.