Examining Motivations to Walk the Camino de Santiago: A Typology of Pilgrims

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to develop a comprehensive understanding of people’s motivations for going on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage using qualitative and quantitative methods. The methodology comprised qualitative research based on content analysis of 32 travelogue testimonies and quantitative research based on an online survey of prospective pilgrims (N = 228). Three dimensions of motivation were identified using the following factor analyses: secular, spiritual, and religious. Then, a two-step cluster analysis was conducted to classify pilgrims into seven different types. The results revealed that pilgrims are not homogeneous in their motivations and that, except for two types with a total frequency of 4%, secular motivation is more or less present in all other types of prospective pilgrims. There are no “purely religious” pilgrims. Religious motivation always appears together with secular, spiritual, or, most often, both these forms of motivation. The findings suggest that secular motivation may be related to a need for exploration, the core motive underlying self-actualization.