We are a small family-owned company founded on our love of the Camino and gratitude for all that it has brought to our lives. We want to share with others all the possibilities that the Camino offers.

Juan Carlos Duperier

Juan Carlos Duperier

I was born in Madrid and lived there most of my life. I have lived in the United States, Hong Kong and Switzerland and traveled all over Europe and Asia. However, my heart always resides in Spain. I love the people, the culture, the language, and the extraordinary diversity of the food and wine that it offers. And I would love to share that with you.

I was a professional soccer player in Spain and coached both in Spain and America for most of my life.

Juan Carlos Duperier with some soccer stars
Juan Carlos with soccer legends Beckenbauer (left) and Pelé (right)

I made time to walk the Camino year after year during the off-season for almost 20 years, and I led others on many on those journeys. On one of those trips to the Camino, I reflected on all the joy the Path has brought me, and decided that I wanted to share that joy with others. The idea to start Authentic Journeys was born on the Camino, on the path near the town of Najera to be exact! And it feels that every experience in my life –from coaching teams to leading soccer tours to Spain to walking the Camino to traveling the world in style– has led me to this moment where I can now take you on a fabulous journey on the Camino de Santiago like no one else can.

While I originally walked with my pack on my back and stayed at the government run refugios with dozens of other pilgrims, as I got older I came to appreciate the creature comforts that have sprung up along the Path in recent years. Through personal experience, we have found the most charming and exquisite hotels nestled along the Path, as well as extraordinary restaurants with authentic Spanish cuisine from the region in which we are walking. And recently, some fabulous wineries have opened their doors, as well, in regions not necessarily well-known for their win outside of Spain. As importantly, we have met the amazing people who work in the towns on the Path and who take pleasure in making the life of a pilgrim more comfortable and meaningful.

As a Spaniard and devoted traveler of the Camino, I would like to help you experience not only the Camino, but Spain itself at its purest and most authentic.

Learn more about what motivated me to start Duperier's Authentic Journeys, and what a fulfilling experience it has proven to be, in this interview with Hélène Stelian.