Camino de Santiago de Compostela

[Rambler]

Or How to stay connected when you don’t want to be…

Much of this Forum’s questions are related to various technology issues that pilgrims want to address prior to leaving on their Camino. I have tried to capture as much of the information from various people’s posts to pull together a single location for information that will be a primer for future pilgrims to turn to. It should be a FAQ for the technically inclined.
May I caveat this first by stating that most people go on the Caminos to get away for their current lifestyle and a part of that is usually our inherent dependence on technology. One must keep this in mind when they travel with other pilgrims and be discrete and conscientious in the use of anything that can become an annoyance. Loud Ipod music or constantly beeping phones does not make for a good pilgrim experience.
Having said that, let’s look at some key reasons you may want to have technology with you on the Camino and some of the suggested solutions. The emphasis is on weight, cost, and functionality.

It is broken into several parts:
Communication
Telephones
Computers
Web Logs
Voice/Sound recording
Music
Apps
Podcasts
GPS
Photography
Books
Power

I hope this is of value to those that may be wondering about questions and I hope that others can provide more insight into certain areas. I will try to keep this updated as much as possible.

[sillydoll]

Well done Rambler - you've really covered everything.
For the real geek (or person where English is not their first language) - perhaps a list of acronyms and their meanings?
FAQ = Frequently Asked Questions
GSM phone = Global System for Mobile communications
SIM Card = Subscriber Identity Module

etc etc.

[Rambler]

Touche Sil!

I did not know what SIM even stood for!

Just hope this is useful for the class of 2009.

Rambler

[Aldernath]

Thanks for your useful guide, Rambler. I plan to take my Nokia E71-1 with me on the VdlP and buy a Spanish SIM card for it. The main use will be to email photos and text to my blog. I expect also to do some instant messaging and make a very small number of phone calls to Spanish or Australian numbers. I may use the assisted GPS feature too. I have a couple of questions that maybe readers can help me with.

1. In your guide, you mentioned a website called multimadrid.com. From there I found a link to http://www.spainsim.com/, which looks to offer what I need. Has anyone had experience with this company, for good or bad?
2. Although SIM cards are available from SpainSIM for all three networks - Movistar, Orange and Vodafone - it can only offer 3G/data SIM cards for Vodafone, http://www.spainsim.com/voda3gSIM.htm. Does anyone know how good the Vodafone coverage is along the Via de la Plata between Seville and Santiago? Can I expect to get a signal most of the time?
3. Finally, any comments on the SpainSIM offer from technically or commercially minded readers would be much appreciated.

Aldernath
http://aldernath.blogspot.com/

[William Marques]

We had a talk from Ann Milner last Saturday at the Confraternity of Pilgrims to Rome Practical Pilgrim Day on Technology and the Camino.

The basis of the talk was, now phones are so smart do we need to carry many more items of equipment. When you mobile can be a camera with zoom lens, GPS, MP3, Email and Web access, and even make phone calls what else do you need?

"My clever little phone is a Nokia N95 and there is a keyboard
manufactured by Nokia that connects via bluetooth to a number of
different Nokia phone models.
I choose this phone particularly as it had a memory card slot so you
could carry quite a bit of info on the little memory cards. These
cards usually come with a converter that allows them to fit into a
standard SD camera memory type slot so you can get pics printed off
easily." Ann M

[atlanticheart]

If you're interested in taking photos there is something like the Epson P-3000, http://www.amazon.com/Epson-P-3000-Multimedia-Storage-Audio-Video/dp/B000J3ZGXY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1239136178&sr=1-3, a multimedia storage drive that you can use to download photos onto. It has a built in card reader and when you connect it to a computer, via a USB-port, it works as a portable hard drive. It also plays music, so you could take it instead of an iPod or similar as well.

Thought it might be worth adding to the Techno geek's guide. =)


Hilda

[KittyKiwi]

Hi there,

Doing the Camino in May and would like to take my IPod Touch. Instead of carrying a phone and having to use internet cafes I plan on staying in touch using WiFi on my IPod.

Anyone have any ideas a) is WiFi common at hostels or other locations along the route? b) best way to charge an IPod without using a computer?

Thanks!

[ivar]

Hi there,

Doing the Camino in May and would like to take my IPod Touch. Instead of carrying a phone and having to use internet cafes I plan on staying in touch using WiFi on my IPod.

Anyone have any ideas a) is WiFi common at hostels or other locations along the route? b) best way to charge an IPod without using a computer?

Thanks!

I would get the adapter so that you could plug your ipod into a wall socket. I have one of these:
http://store.apple.com/es/product/MB051 ... MjE0OTQ4MA
...and it works great with my iphone (should also work with ipod touch).

Regarding wifi access in Spain. Many cafees and hotels have open/free wifi in their businesses and you can use that. The larger the cities, the better chance of finding a spot.

Buen camino!
Ivar

[sillydoll]

A software application for mobile phones to help Camino de Santiago de Compostela pilgrims
05 May 2009 Facultad de Informática de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

"... a software application that will provide a range of geomatic services for Camino de Santiago de Compostela pilgrims and allow them to share information with other users anytime and anyplace through social networking over their mobile phones. ... The application will be available free of charge as of 2010 for any user with a medium- or top-of-the-range mobile phone.
The application provides dynamic and context-dependent mobile access to and interaction with a set of resources and services supported by the databases provided by the Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN).
The application includes the four key pilgrimage experiences: enter, share and search information, and receive recommendations on items of interest entered by other users. This means that any pilgrim using this application on their mobile phones can search information on the most attractive sites and routes, represented graphically by maps and images provided by the Instituto Geográfico Nacional’s Spatial Data Infrastructure, as well as Google Maps.

Also, users can send information gleaned from a social network (Flickr or YouTube are now active) to share with friends and family or post photos of landscapes, people, buildings, events and any other experience they have had along the Way.

The application also recommends sites other users have shared with their mobiles for users. At this early stage, the application is available in Spanish, Galician and English only, but will be available in other languages for use by pilgrims from other parts of the world in due course.



http://www.fi.upm.es/?id=tablon&acciong ... 1&idet=202

[ivar]

Interesting!

It looks like this application can be downloaded here:
http://www.geobuddies.net/web/guest/descargas

Note: It needs access to the internet, so if you use a non-Spanish sim card this will get very expensive.... and it is only available for phones that support Java. No iPod/iPhone support.

Saludos,
Ivar

[notion900]

I have to say, at the risk of being had for breakfast on this thread, that I find all this rather sad.
Here is my anti-techno solution:

Cheap camera, normal batteries, no charger. Recycle the batteries when used. No voice recorder - write in a notebook instead.
No mobile. Put a message on saying "I am off on a pilgrimage, please email me instead" and leave at home. Use payphones and internet stations in refuges / internet cafes. If you need to be constantly reachable at all times you should be asking yourself if you are actually in the right situation to be doing a pilgrimage at all.
No iPod or other music player - you are going for a new experience, some quiet thinking time, and to experience nature and meet new people. All of which will be hampered by having a pair of headphones stuck in your ears.
No book (unless you are religious and want to bring a pocket Bible). I honestly never had time to read and hardly ever saw anyone reading. I was always busy: walking, washing socks, looking round the village, drinking a beer with an interesting new person, eating my dinner etc. You will flop into bed at 9.30pm.
No GPS - you dont need it. There are yellow arrows, and friendly people who will show you the way.

Most refuges have a very limited number of sockets for charging devices, and they aren't usually by your bed. Devices and their repective chargers all add to the weight you are carrying. You will worry about theft. Isn't a sense of freedom more valuable?

[falcon269]

Cheap camera, normal batteries, no charger. Recycle the batteries when used. No voice recorder - write in a notebook instead.

Cheap camera, poor quality photos. Not for me. A notebook required stopping and using two hands, both occupied by trekking poles. The digital recorder weighed two ounces, had four different file folders, and held hours of thoughts.

No mobile. If you need to be constantly reachable at all times you should be asking yourself if you are actually in the right situation to be doing a pilgrimage at all.

With parents in their nineties, my cell phone was for them, not me. My observation was that "wireless courtesy" was displayed by everyone; no chatter on the trail, refuge calls made discretely outside. France puts cabines de téléphone in the sunniest place in town, easily 130 degrees in the summer. Cell phones dominate the phone-ahead reservation business. Technology puts pressure on activities like pilgrimages, but the cell phone strikes me as inevitable. The iPhone connects to the internet, probably the next technical intrusion on the solitude. You may have to get in line to rage against it!

No iPod or other music player - you are going for a new experience, some quiet thinking time, and to experience nature and meet new people. All of which will be hampered by having a pair of headphones stuck in your ears.

Things in other persons ears seem to me to be outside my province. iPods were quite useful for some in blocking night time noises that prevented sleep. They might be useful to block out the Camino bores that want you to do the pilgrimage their way.

No book (unless you are religious and want to bring a pocket Bible). I honestly never had time to read and hardly ever saw anyone reading. I was always busy: walking, washing socks, looking round the village, drinking a beer with an interesting new person, eating my dinner etc. You will flop into bed at 9.30pm.

A book is a good way to relax in the evening. Many albergues had libraries, though mostly in Spanish, so you do not have to carry your own.

No GPS - you dont need it. There are yellow arrows, and friendly people who will show you the way.

The GPS will tell you when there is only 1 km to go! At six to eight ounces, it might fit in the category of luxuries not worth carrying, but some pilgrims are gadget people, and the GPS is a fun gadget. The arrows will be superior to a GPS for finding the twists and turns. The GPS will not be that precise.

Most refuges have a very limited number of sockets for charging devices, and they aren't usually by your bed. Devices and their respective chargers all add to the weight you are carrying. You will worry about theft. Isn't a sense of freedom more valuable?

Many refuges have installed extra sockets for recharging devices. The most modern have put them by every bed. The older places may not have any sockets. France particularly has lots of sockets. The abbey at Conques even labeled the sockets for cell phone charging use. I sat by my charger to prevent theft, but felt it was a bit paranoid. Who would want a unique battery and charger? My charger is universal, and could handle any small battery. It weighs under two ounces.

France 258.jpg (24.54 KB) Viewed 3487 times

[Rambler]

Notion:
I can sympathize with your comments. I tried to use technology to reduce my weight, not focus on it as an end in itself.

Since many pilgrims are coming from far away, they want to be able to communicate back with loved ones.

The Techno Geek's guide is only intended as a helpful tool for those that make the choice to use it.

Hopefully no one will ever feel forced to use technology if they choose not to.

Rambler

[mrbillyto]

Well said Falcon.
It is my understanding that like all other aspects of the Camino, when it comes "to techno or not to techno", we have to make our Camino our own. As in, I am going to complete my Camino the best way that suits me and my situation/condition. That probably won't be the same as the person walking beside me or the person in front of me or the person who will come behind me.
For my Camino, I have made a decision to bring the camera I want. It's a good one because taking pictures is a part of my life and I want to incorporate it into my Camino. I will do my best to ensure it does not interfere with anyone else's Camino.
I have also made a decision to bring my iPhone. Yes, it does duty for just about anything...it connects to the internet, it has music, I can watch a movie on it or read a book on it or use it as a GPS and oh ya, and I can even use it as a phone. All of that said, you probably won't see me using it much and certainly not with the headphones stuck in my ear. I will use it when I am on my own. Just because I have the technology with me, doesn't mean I will be using it to the detriment of enjoying my Camino (or anyone elses I hope).
Personally, I will get more of a sense of freedom from having my "gadgets" than I would from not having them and that's more valuable to me.
This will be part of what my Camino is like, just as Notion900 will do their Camino their way. I guess what I am trying to say here is that shouldn't we respect each other enough to make the best decision that is best for us?
Buen Camino
Bill

[Rambler]

I had forgotten about it until Bill's comment, but when I was first doing research on the Camino, I saw a video of a musician that did the Camino carrying a large laptop so that he could write music throughout the trip. Imagine someone coming into the refugio and pulling out a computer!!
But for him, the pilgrimage was all about finding his musical voice and developing in that way. He saw technology as a tool to make his Camino more valuable.

Ultreya!

Rambler

[grayland]

I used my unlocked Quad band phone with a Spanish Sim card purchased for about 15 Euros. My wife was with me so we really just used it to make some reservations and to have for emergencies.

I still have some questions regarding the Sim cards. My wife is not going with me in March..so I will be obligated to stay in pretty close contact.
1. If I take an iPhone, what type of Sim card is needed to run the apps and texting? The only app would probably be the GPS functions which would be fun to have.\
2. If taking a regular (non "smart") quad phone..does a standard Spanish Sim card support texting?
I think I bought the last Sim from Movistar and had a nearly impossible time communicating as my Spanish does not seem to extend into any tech issues.
I never could determine what the per minute charge would be to the U.S. Is there a way to get this information? What about texting..where can I find the charges for that? Text would be a fairly easy way to communicate along with an occasional phone call.

[Caminando]

Has anyone any advice/thoughts on blogsites?
Any particular site recommeded? Any advised against?

Thanks

[ivar]

1. If I take an iPhone, what type of Sim card is needed to run the apps and texting? The only app would probably be the GPS functions which would be fun to have.\

Normally your iphone is locked to your cell provider at home. This means that any other sim will not work (unless you hack your iphone). You could just use it in "Airplane mode", like an ipod... if you download for example the TomTom gps app in advance, you should be able to use that without any new sim.

2. If taking a regular (non "smart") quad phone..does a standard Spanish Sim card support texting?
I think I bought the last Sim from Movistar and had a nearly impossible time communicating as my Spanish does not seem to extend into any tech issues.

It should. I have not heard of any GSM sim card that dos not support sms text messages.

I never could determine what the per minute charge would be to the U.S. Is there a way to get this information? What about texting..where can I find the charges for that? Text would be a fairly easy way to communicate along with an occasional phone call.

The "pay-as-you-go" sim cards are called "Tarjeta". For calling rates, have a look here (scrol down to "Tarjeta":
Calls: http://www.movistar.es/particulares/roa ... asvoz.html
SMS: http://www.movistar.es/particulares/roa ... assms.html
(Add 16% salestax)

Saludos,
Ivar

[evanlow]

SMS (texting) is not cheap, even on a prepaid card. Especially when you text message is going overseas. It doesn't cost the provider any more than a local text message but they sure know how to overcharge their customer whenever they can.

They don't usually publish the rates as they are different depending on which country the text message goes to. They even charge you for receiving a text message.

It may be cheaper to call home for a few minutes at a time on a prepaid card than to send and receive a dozen or so text message.

Meanwhile, I am still looking for a good prepaid sim card from Spain that gives go rates for data traffic (for times when one couldn't find a wireless hotspot).

[mrbillyto]

Hi Grayland,
I just finished my Camino on October 5th. If I were doing it again, I would still take my iPhone. I unlocked it myself (with the help of a website) and it took under 2 minutes. That is the only way you can use the only way you can use a different SIM card in the iPhone that I know of.
Before I left for my Camino, I ordered a Spanish SIM card off of ebay...big mistake I would never make again. I had so many issues with it. I ended up buying another prepaid SIM card from Vodafone in Spain for 15euros and got setup on a plan called My Country which allowed me to make calls back to Canada (would have worked for U.S. too) after 8pm (Spain time) for .18 cents/minute. Texting was .30cents/text. I also setup on a plan which allowed me to use 3G and they had a variety of plans/costs for that. There were several bars/hotels along the way that had wifi so that was another option if you wanted to use the iphone for internet. I only had 1 connection problem and that was in Hontanas. Since it is in a valley, I couldn't get enough bars. Other people were using their cell phones though. I am not trying to sell anyone on Vodafone becuase like most cell companies, I had challenges with them. I don't know if Orange or Movistar are any better. One of my issues was language. My Spanish was so limited (I would definitely learn more if I were to do another Camino) that it was difficult, even in a larger city like Burgos, at one of the Vodafone stores, trying to communicate as they did not speak English and I did not know enough Spanish to resolve my issue at the time. That was a hit and miss though as I was lucky in Pamplona because I got someone who could communicate in English.
Good luck!
Bill

[Canuck]

Hi!

If you google ''international sim card'' you'll get a variety of offers to suit any need.

I travel extensively in Europe and I'm set up with MobilityPass.com. Not problems, easy to use, pay as you go and everthing is in English. Set up is done once by internet and that's it. No need to see or talk to anyone. No needs to change SIM whereever you go. You get a British phone number or you can keep yours for a fee. Free incoming calls, no roaming or connecting fees and reasonable rates in over 120 countries.

Call now!
Jean-Marc

[Tia Valeria]

Our preferred phone is a Pay-as-you-go Orange phone (registered in England) capable of sending texts or making calls. Leave a linked electronic top-up card with a family member. All it takes is a text to them asking for a top-up to keep a reasonable credit on the phone. Before leaving for Spain you can send these 2 texts to Orange 'From Spain' and 'To Spain'; you then receive 2 replies giving the current charges - which you can save for reference. (Other service providers may do the same but I don't know.)
This worked for us when Terry was on his Camino and we will do the same again next year. It kept us in touch and although the signal was low sometimes it was possible to text even in the remote areas (Primitivo) when talking might have been more difficult. Our own home signal was probably the weaker link. Terry didn't bother with web-phone but used computers along the camino on occasion to send photos home. Phone (small clamshell) and charger weighed just 100gms.
Hope this helps anyone thinking about which type of phone to use.
Buen Camino,
Tia Valeria

[Caminando]

All of the above seems like a hugely complicated nightmare! I don't think I'll go down this route......

[falcon269]

The Vodafone SIM chip has good coverage. Text messages within Spain are quite inexpensive. Use an international phone card for calls outside Spain, though, or you will use Vodafone time at a rapid rate!

[renegadepilgrim]

Here's an interesting way to make sure if your digital camera is lost that it finds it's way home:

http://lifehacker.com/5433329/get-your- ... to-message

I think the guy went a little overboard, but even if you don't have a whiteboard, you could take a picture of a piece of paper with your contact information on it. Very good idea!

Of course, this only works if whoever finds your camera is honest......