The experience of Santiago's road it is very special. so much that Alfonso Cañibano and Sergio Ruiz Garcia they wanted to create a souvenir to match, the Camino de Santiago Passport, after making it in the spring of 2017.
As Cañibano tells us, “what was born was the idea of create a passport to remember our first journey together. Sergio and I had been on the road for 33 days and when we arrived at Obradoiro, with emotion on the surface after so many kilometers behind us, we wanted to have something to remember this life experience lifetime. The first thing we thought of was a Photo album, then a video, but finally we decided on a passport.”
Camino de Santiago Passport.
In this way they created between the two the Camino de Santiago Passport, an unofficial document that serves as a complement to the credential. “Our passport is a different way of living and remember that adventure, that challenge that supposes the way. Given that it is a world wonder and that for us it was Such an important life experience We decided to create a memory at the height of the Camino, that is why we have tried to carry out an art-focused project and the quality to extol and make known this treasure that we have in Spain in a different way. The credential and the rest of the memories that They're available along the way, in our opinion, They don't do him justice." Alfonso comments.
Regarding the characteristics of the passport, “can be personalized with photo and personal data of the pilgrims; contains high-quality engravings of the main stages, as well as hidden images on each page only visible with ultraviolet light, which is why we include a flashlight that allows discover them in the dark; offers the possibility of accessing our original podcasts, which narrate stories and legends of each of those stages; allows the display through augmented reality Santiago's cathedral; and holds other surprises that, in short, make our passport a memory to match del Camino,” he adds.
Right now the Passport of the French Way , which they launched just as the pandemic began. Alfonso confesses that “It has not been one of our greatest successes. Since 2017 we started working on the project, and for 2019 we already had everything ready: designs, printing, paper, inks, etc. We were finalizing the production details, when the pandemic arrived and confinement. before that we had two options, stop everything and wait to see what happened or move forward: optimistic as we are, We thought that the pandemic was going to be a matter of a couple of months, so we decided to launch the French Way Passport as well. We were so excited that we never thought that the world situation acquired such dimensions, the truth”.
Camino de Santiago Passport.
The start, inevitably , it was hard: “The first two years, with the pandemic and the Camino closed, have been difficult, since all our activity was focused on the Internet.” But it seems that with the most controlled health crisis, the project begins to take shape: “Since the Covid has given us a break, we are very happy with the acceptance of our passport. Not only because of the number of sales (which is important, of course), but also because of the feedback what they send us people who receive their passport: we have feedback 100% positive with precious messages of people who have given it or have been given it, and you feel the emotion That is what most encourages us to continue.”
Alfonso, Sergio and the rest of their team are working right now on launching their second passport model, corresponding to the Portuguese Way. They launched a campaign crowdfunding last April that failed to meet its objectives: "It has not worked very well, We do not know if due to the world situation or because this type of collaborative tools do not reach the public in general in Spain”, admits Alfonso.
Despite this, they continue to work on this new version, which they hope to launch before the end of 2022: “Now we are going to a little slower pace counting only on self-financing on our part, but we remain firm. Every day we are asked on our social networks about the publication of the Portuguese Way Passport three or four times, so make no mistake that will be available soon this new edition.
On their website they assure that their objective is to continue editing the passport for the rest of the routes: Northern Way, Via de la Plata, Primitive, Mozarabic... This is how Cañibano sees it: “We are very positive and, as lovers of the Camino that we are, from the beginning our plan was to make known not only the French, but also the rest of the Paths... For now we continue faithful to that idea. Of course, we depend on the economic viability of the project, but as soon as it works... there will be new passports of more paths. Sure! ”, He sentences enthusiastically.