In the summer of 2008, documentary filmmaker Lydia Smith asked her friend Annie O 'Neill to sign on as a pilgrim and co-producer of a film to be called Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago which she was going to shoot in the spring of 2009. This paperback is O'Neil's account of her 40-day pilgrimage experience.

She counsels how important it is for all who begin this journey to get rid of all expectations and preconceived notions of the trip ahead. Staying in the present moment is the way to go. O'Neil also recommends making use of such spiritual resources: meditation, journal work, silence, and time to process what is happening to you along the way. She notes that this approach is useful for any pilgrimage, including one around your home town.

The author is buoyed up by the awesomeness of nature, the kindness of strangers on the Camino journey, the good feelings that come from traveling light, the delight derived from watching the sky every day, her ability to deal with the challenges of tendonitis, and her new appreciation of the everyday rituals of attending to the body and washing what you have worn.

At the end, O'Neil encourages to "find a way to keep the Camino alive in your life. Keep walking, meditating, keep going within, and allow your intuition to flourish." Her final story (see the excerpt) is a beautiful example of this.