Rely on wifi or get a data plan?

[JustJack]

I'm still trying to decide if I need to get a sim card and data plan while walking the CF, or if I can rely on wifi.

- I don't need a phone. Any communication I do will be via email or whatsapp or imessage
- I need daily internet access to book accommodation
- I want daily internet access to post a message and some photos on facebook for family
- I would enjoy daily internet access to read a bit about the next day's walk and to check weather forecast

Questions:

- how common is wifi in albergues? Both municipal and private. Most have it? 50/50? Less?
- how common is wifi at cafes along the way?

My preference is to rely on wifi, and I understand that means I won't be connected while I'm actually walking, but that's ok. But if wifi access is frequently not an option then I may relent and get a Spanish sim card.

Thanks for the feedback from pilgrims that have walked the CF recently.

 

[Anne&Pat]

Hi JustJack,
Wifi is very common in all types of accommodation and most cafes along the way. We actually didn’t stay in any Municipal Albergues, a number haven’t reopened yet since COVID. Wifi passwords are usually posted on the wall somewhere in cafes but you can always ask if you can’t see it.
We walked May to July this year and had no problems. We took our mobile from Australia and used our own mobile plan which included 2GB of international roaming data per month, which we hardly ever needed to use. We usually used wifi along the way on the CF, CI and the CP. Occasionaly the wifi can be a bit slow depending where you are and how many people are using it.
Buen Camino.

 

[Charlotte Helbig]

Hi JustJack:
Most places have WiFi and most of the time it works well. As mentioned in the previous reply it can sometimes be quite slow or just doesn't work. I always like to get a SIM card just in case of emergency, need directions or have to make a phone call and can't find WiFi. I think the last time I bought one it was $20 or so and included more than enough data & minutes, and it was good for 30 days.

 

[C clearly]

Wifi is very available. However, for about €10 for a month, I prefer to buy a Sim card. You could start without, and then re-evaluate in Pamplona.

 

[Kanga]

I buy a SIM card. It is cheap, and it gives me flexibility.

 

[peregrina2000]

Third voice chiming in for a SIM card. I just got a vodaphone pre-paid card for 15 euros for 28 days — 100 GB of data, unlimited national calls, and 800 minutes of international calls.

It seems to me that the cost/benefit weighs heavily in favor of that small expense. For one thing, having data and phone service as a backup if you don’t have access to wifi is a comfort. And as someone pointed out to me, having all that data means you don’t have to worry about using it up and can have a safer connection than the wifi.

 

[dougfitz]

I think relying on wifi would be very limiting. It might be possible to do everything you want, but having a SIM with a combination of data, text and calls gives you far more flexibility.

More, while some things like the Spanish Alertcops app require a phone number to work, so a SIM is needed for them.

 

[Former member 102963]

I'm still trying to decide if I need to get a sim card and data plan while walking the CF, or if I can rely on wifi.

- I don't need a phone. Any communication I do will be via email or whatsapp or imessage
- I need daily internet access to book accommodation
- I want daily internet access to post a message and some photos on facebook for family
- I would enjoy daily internet access to read a bit about the next day's walk and to check weather forecast

Questions:

- how common is wifi in albergues? Both municipal and private. Most have it? 50/50? Less?
- how common is wifi at cafes along the way?

My preference is to rely on wifi, and I understand that means I won't be connected while I'm actually walking, but that's ok. But if wifi access is frequently not an option then I may relent and get a Spanish sim card.

Thanks for the feedback from pilgrims that have walked the CF recently.

Another vote for the SIM card! One thing to add Assuming you are still based in Vancouver then Spain is a nine hour time diff so when you are walking mid afternoon, folks at home are just waking, so It can be nice to message at that time! For you and them. I am 10 times zones ahead of my friends at mo and it really changes dynamics of messaging!!

 

[Pilgrim9]

I vote for WIFI plus a prepaid basic-service-level SIM without a data plan.

I rely on the free WIFI provided by the vast majority of the lodging places I use. Almost always it is fast enough for my needs, bearing in mind that on Camino I have no urge to stream movies or YouTube videos after walking ~25 kilometres with pack.

In a small minority of lodging places where I have stayed, the WIFI was not secured by an access password or encryption, and I refuse to use such unsecured WIFI offerings for anything but reading the news, getting weather forecasts, etc., i.e. not for any financial transactions or banking whatsoever or for email because I do not want to risk compromising my account passwords.

In very rare cases, using the lodging place's free WIFI (secured or unsecured) necessitates me sitting on a chair near the door of my room.

One or two of the lodging places where I made reservations required me to provide them with my Spanish mobile phone number. Foreseeing this, upon arrival in Spain I had purchased a SIM card from the rather convenient automated SIM card dispenser inside the Orange[TM] store situated at Sol in the centre of Madrid. My Orange[TM] prepaid account included text messages and voice-mail but not any data.

Note: being an old dinosaur, I grew up and became middle-aged before the era of mobile phones and data plans and the modern need (?) for continuous connectivity. I live happily without a mobile data plan or smart-phone at home and therefore don't feel any need for them when travelling. I do, however, make extensive use of my WIFI-enabled no-phone tablet.

 

[peregrina2000]

I vote for WIFI plus a prepaid basic-service-level SIM without a data plan.

What would that plan be and what would it cost? I can’t imagine it’d be that much less than 15€ , which is what I paid Vodafone for 4 weeks for 100 GB data, unlimited national calls, and 800 minutes of international calls.

being an old dinosaur, I grew up and became middle-aged before the era of mobile phones and data plans and the modern need (?) for continuous connectivity.

I am also an “old dianosaur” but I don’t get a SIM card for continuous connectivvty, I get one for the comfort of knowing that if I am in a pinch out in the middle of nowhere, where there will definitely not be wifi, I will be able to connect with those who can help me.

 

[dougfitz]

I vote for WIFI plus a prepaid basic-service-level SIM without a data plan.

I rely on the free WIFI provided by the vast majority of the lodging places I use. Almost always it is fast enough for my needs, bearing in mind that on Camino I have no urge to stream movies or YouTube videos after walking ~25 kilometres with pack.

In a small minority of lodging places where I have stayed, the WIFI was not secured by an access password or encryption, and I refuse to use such unsecured WIFI offerings for anything but reading the news, getting weather forecasts, etc., i.e. not for any financial transactions or banking whatsoever or for email because I do not want to risk compromising my account passwords.

In very rare cases, using the lodging place's free WIFI (secured or unsecured) necessitates me sitting on a chair near the door of my room.

One or two of the lodging places where I made reservations required me to provide them with my Spanish mobile phone number. Foreseeing this, upon arrival in Spain I had purchased a SIM card from the rather convenient automated SIM card dispenser inside the Orange[TM] store situated at Sol in the centre of Madrid. My Orange[TM] prepaid account included text messages and voice-mail but not any data.

Note: being an old dinosaur, I grew up and became middle-aged before the era of mobile phones and data plans and the modern need (?) for continuous connectivity. I live happily without a mobile data plan or smart-phone at home and therefore don't feel any need for them when travelling. I do, however, make extensive use of my WIFI-enabled no-phone tablet.

An interesting approach. I can see this working if one doesn't want to use IP telephony or other internet services while walking.

On the matter of security, I use a VPN in addition to other security measures to encrypt from end to end. There can be some performance and access issues that mean switching the virtual location to another country if a web site doesn't permit access from the virtual location I have been using.

Some apps, like WhatsApp, already encrypt from your handset and you can establish a secure session in most Web browsers as well if needed. That said, it's clearly a good thing to be cautious about bookings, buying stuff, banking etc.

 

[Vacajoe]

Imagine sharing one albergue or cafe wifi signal with 20-50 pilgrims who all want to read email, update their families, check out the news, etc. You can skip the SIM card - I have - but don’t if you definitely want daily access rather then every day or two.

Also, municipal albergues sometimes utilize a system which requires you to “sign up” and then they text you a unique access code, which you can’t receive if you don’t already have some sort of internet access! A but if a catch-22 that I never figured out a way to circumvent.

Finally, if you walk off-season, early morning, late night, or on alternative sections, that wifi signal may not be turned on when you need it. You show up at the only albergue/cafe on a remote section only to find it closed. It would be nice to have the ability to check on further options at that point.

However, it’s possible to have no SIM and tens of thousands walk it every year without one. Download a mapping program that doesn’t require data (mapy.cz), a camino app, and whatsapp and you’ll have far more info then pilgrims had!

 

[Corned Beef]

However, it’s possible to have no SIM and tens of thousands walk it every year without one. Download a mapping program that doesn’t require data (mapy.cz), a camino app, and whatsapp and you’ll have far more info then pilgrims had!

Offline mapping is the way to go plus a powerbank as these programmes are power hungry.

Or follow the SAR advice and have a paper map and compass to avoid having to carry the latter.

 

[Lindsay53]

I have used wifi only and had no issues. Booked accommodation, contacted home and even posted on here!

 

[Pilgrim9]

Be aware of a significant failure mode of my no-data-plan, no-smartphone approach which set the stage for difficulties getting into two pre-paid, non-cancellable hostels, one in central Pamplona and one in central Sarria.

These two hostels had instituted a COVID-infection-avoiding no-contact registration procedure. Guests were required to pre-register online a day or two ahead of arrival, after which the hostel would email the guest a secret code which the guest was to enter into a keypad beside the hostel's street-door. The street-door would then open, enabling the guest to go to the un-staffed registration desk and retrieve a guest-specific key ring holding the key to the guest's room plus a key to the street-door.

This seemed like a workable procedure. I did pre-register as required, and each hostel did email me the secret code. The problem was that they did not do so until about mid-day of my arrival day, many hours after I had left my previous-night's lodging place. After check-out I no longer had access to email and could not retrieve the secret code.

In each case, after standing at the locked street-door for about an hour in mid-afternoon, other guests, ones having smart-phones and email, and therefore having the door-opening code, eventually arrived and I was able to talk them into letting me into the establishment so that I could get my key ring. I doubt that I would have succeeded after dark.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I can see the advantages of wifi and the keeping of your home number and plan but if you have a dual sim phone I recommend picking up a local sim for the second. Data is too cheap in Spain not to.

 

[J Willhaus]

We never get a Sim card, but do extend our service plan from the US. Depending on your service provider it can be expensive or cost nothing extra at all. When we had T-Mobile there was no extra cost. Now we have ATT and it is expensive.

 

[El Cascayal]

I am a recent convert to a full e-sim. Used this for the first time ever for Camino San Salvador In late September 2022. What a difference from prior Caminos to be “self reliant“ not only for all the benefits outlined in posts above, but for the sheer delight of being able to phone home while walking and sharing the incredible views in real time as I walked. Priceless! I will never walk in the dark again!

 

[El Cascayal]

I can’t imagine it’d be that much less than 15€ , which is what I paid Vodafone for 4 weeks for 100 GB data, unlimited national calls, and 800 minutes of international calls.

How & where did you find this incredible deal?

 

[Curly Cath]

My (UK) provider was going to charge me £2 per day! June /July 2022

I got a Spanish SIM and I forget how much data for €10 for 30 days.

So my cost was way cheaper.

Invaluable

- as expected, it was really busy on the frances this summer, so WiFi connection was often really slow or non existent. I was glad of having data
- I could book ahead which I did a couple of times either calling and using my Spanish SIM, or using data and t'internet

This will depend on the way you do your Camino. For me, staying only in hostels/albergues on a budget, on a popular route in a popular season it was really worth it and I would do that again

I have got caught out on a past camino in Feb/march with albergues not opening on the dates advertised. So I would now get a Spanish sim in winter to check this!

Buen camino

 

[Michael Glennon]

Get a Sim, Orange cost me €20…100GB for 28 days. Don’t rely on WIFi !!!

 

[Vacajoe]

I find it very telling that everyone who says that you can just use wifi then adds that they actually didn’t, instead opting for a SIM data plan.

 

[chinacat]

Get a Sim, Orange cost me €20…100GB for 28 days. Don’t rely on WIFi !!!

@peregrina2000 ’s deal was even cheaper!

 

[lisagb]

I'm still trying to decide if I need to get a sim card and data plan while walking the CF, or if I can rely on wifi.

- I don't need a phone. Any communication I do will be via email or whatsapp or imessage
- I need daily internet access to book accommodation
- I want daily internet access to post a message and some photos on facebook for family
- I would enjoy daily internet access to read a bit about the next day's walk and to check weather forecast

Questions:

- how common is wifi in albergues? Both municipal and private. Most have it? 50/50? Less?
- how common is wifi at cafes along the way?

My preference is to rely on wifi, and I understand that means I won't be connected while I'm actually walking, but that's ok. But if wifi access is frequently not an option then I may relent and get a Spanish sim card.

Thanks for the feedback from pilgrims that have walked the CF recently.

Get an Orange e SIM or regular SIM and the holiday plan. It’s a solid company throughout Europe and you can top up online anytime if you need to.

 

[jenwearing]

I'm still trying to decide if I need to get a sim card and data plan while walking the CF, or if I can rely on wifi.

- I don't need a phone. Any communication I do will be via email or whatsapp or imessage
- I need daily internet access to book accommodation
- I want daily internet access to post a message and some photos on facebook for family
- I would enjoy daily internet access to read a bit about the next day's walk and to check weather forecast

Questions:

- how common is wifi in albergues? Both municipal and private. Most have it? 50/50? Less?
- how common is wifi at cafes along the way?

My preference is to rely on wifi, and I understand that means I won't be connected while I'm actually walking, but that's ok. But if wifi access is frequently not an option then I may relent and get a Spanish sim card.

Thanks for the feedback from pilgrims that have walked the CF recently.

The 20 minutes and $20 for a SIM card is well worth it. Wifi can be slow and non existent even at good hotels in Spain. It depends on how many are sharing it.
There are enough things on the camino that will test you without adding a slow loading albergue website when you are stressed about booking.
Posting photos and little videos on social media will chew through more data than email and text posts. In 2 months in Spain, I went through 30gigs of data because I posted lots of Instagram stories. It was €40 for that.
Walk into any Vodophone store and they will set you up with a nice data only sim where your WhatsApp and email will all still work.
If you want to be able to make the odd call to book something, add a small voice plan too.

 

[stevelm1]

My first Camino I bought a cheap phone over there and just used the local data plans. My second Camino I used my phone from home and paid the $10/day to AT&T. Both have their advantages. Using the local plan is much cheaper but very limited. Using the AT&T plan was much easier, more convenient, and I had more options.

 

[Sue127]

Third voice chiming in for a SIM card. I just got a vodaphone pre-paid card for 15 euros for 28 days — 100 GB of data, unlimited national calls, and 800 minutes of international calls.

It seems to me that the cost/benefit weighs heavily in favor of that small expense. For one thing, having data and phone service as a backup if you don’t have access to wifi is a comfort. And as someone pointed out to me, having all that data means you don’t have to worry about using it up and can have a safer connection than the wifi.

That sounds like a good deal @peregrina2000, please let me know which company you used.

 

[dougfitz]

I find it very telling that everyone who says that you can just use wifi then adds that they actually didn’t, instead opting for a SIM data plan.

Indeed. I have walked without a data plan, some time ago. I know it can be done, but I'm not contemplating doing it again.

 

[El Cascayal]

I just got a vodaphone pre-paid card for 15 euros for 28 days — 100 GB of data, unlimited national calls, and 800 minutes of international calls.

@Sue 127 it was Vodaphone. Here is a link to their prepaid plans.

Tarifas Prepago: las mejores tarifas móviles de prepago

Disfruta de las Tarifas Prepago de Vodafone: datos, llamadas ilimitadas y la máxima velocidad 5G.

www.vodafone.es

 

[Bradypus]

Indeed. I have walked without a data plan, some time ago. I know it can be done, but I'm not contemplating doing it again.

Absolutely! I walked my first Camino with no mobile phone and no internet access. Not through choice - they just didn't exist at the time. Of course it can be done but that's not one of the ways my pedestrian fundamentalism expresses itself!

 

[A Crackpot Abroad]

Vodafone. Is one of the services mentioned above. They have a screaming deal. Very good coverage on Via de Plata, Norte and LeVante (Valencia to Toledo where I ended this year's Camino).

Many times I have literally been in the middle of nowhere and was able to connect to find a place to stay. I didn't have Vodafone for CF. That said, I'm confident their coverage is good on that route. Also it was really convenient to call home (bunches of minutes to call the U.S.) as not all of my family is on Whatsapp.

The Vodafone stores in Barcelona (where I usually start my adventures) are exceptionally kind to tourist and set the phone up. Bring your passport. Usually in and out in under 20 minutes if no one is in the store. I lack the brain power to speak Spanish. Never been a problem if no one speaks English. I always go into all establishments respectful, humble and positive (no effort on my part). Always lead to a positive result. Even in Paris!

crackpot

 

[mattythedog]

I'm still trying to decide if I need to get a sim card and data plan while walking the CF, or if I can rely on wifi.

- I don't need a phone. Any communication I do will be via email or whatsapp or imessage
- I need daily internet access to book accommodation
- I want daily internet access to post a message and some photos on facebook for family
- I would enjoy daily internet access to read a bit about the next day's walk and to check weather forecast

Questions:

- how common is wifi in albergues? Both municipal and private. Most have it? 50/50? Less?
- how common is wifi at cafes along the way?

My preference is to rely on wifi, and I understand that means I won't be connected while I'm actually walking, but that's ok. But if wifi access is frequently not an option then I may relent and get a Spanish sim card.

Thanks for the feedback from pilgrims that have walked the CF recently.

Data plan and sim is the way to go. Most, but not all, albergues and bars have wifi. Many small villages have nothing open until after 0900. Wifi might not be turned on until you ask for it face to face. Many albergues will not answer email and messages in a timely manner if they answer them at all, so if you want to make same-day reservations, and Booking.com does not show anything available, you need to call directly. I prefer to call anyway, because most of the albergues will hold you reservation without a credit card---and also they will not incur Booking.com fees. In the rare event I do want to make a reservation, it is usually in the afternoon and at the time I plan for my destination for that day. Phone call is best in these cases.

I have also found that if I want to email photos, they can take an extraordinarily long time depending on the quality of the connection and the number of people using it at that time.

I always get an Orange Mundo SIM and data plan right in the Madrid airport upon arrival. This year I think it was 35 euro for 40 Gigs, and it automatically rolled up to 20 unused gigs into the following month. That's great because I could never top up the phone without finding an orange store, and sometimes even they had trouble topping the stupid thing up. I never used more than 20 gigs anyway. I never ran out of local phone minutes. The Orange sim and plan works in France and Portugal, and probably lots of other countries. I have heard good things about T-mobile. Vodaphone is big in Spain, although I never found an outlet for them in the airport.

 

[John Sikora]

You don't need a SIM card until you don't have WiFi coverage and find out that the next town where you wanted to stay is booking up rapidly. Get a SIM card and then not worry.

 

[Richard Smith]

In a small minority of lodging places where I have stayed, the WIFI was not secured by an access password or encryption, and I refuse to use such unsecured WIFI offerings for anything but reading the news, getting weather forecasts, etc., i.e. not for any financial transactions or banking whatsoever or for email because I do not want to risk compromising my account passwords.

This is not safe. Better to use a VPN, they are easy to use these days and you can buy for (say) two months to enable you to get happy with it at home and then use it throughout your travels. Looks like a lot of them now offer a free 30 day trial as well.

 

[Pilgrim9]

This is not safe. Better to use a VPN, they are easy to use these days and you can buy for (say) two months to enable you to get happy with it at home and then use it throughout your travels. Looks like a lot of them now offer a free 30 day trial as well.

That is probably a good idea and I will look into VPNs before my next trip. Thanks for your comment.

 

[FrankW]

Hi JustJack:
Most places have WiFi and most of the time it works well. As mentioned in the previous reply it can sometimes be quite slow or just doesn't work. I always like to get a SIM card just in case of emergency, need directions or have to make a phone call and can't find WiFi. I think the last time I bought one it was $20 or so and included more than enough data & minutes, and it was good for 30 days.

I used viber (free) and had almost no difficulty phoning home to Australia 3 x each day

 

[trecile]

I used viber (free) and had almost no difficulty phoning home to Australia 3 x each day

I also use Viber. I can make free calls to other Viber users, but more importantly, I can buy Viber credits and make calls for only 2 cents a minute to landlines or phones that don't have Viber.

 

[Excursionista]

I walked using just wifi this past November and March and found it a bit inconvenient at times but not enough so that I'd do anything differently next time. I actually really enjoyed the now rare experience of wondering about something and having no way to immediately look up the answer.

Many bars and albergues had wifi that was at least good enough to check the weather forecast, reserve my next accommodation, and email a few photos to my family, which was all I needed. There were a couple of times I ended up walking farther than I wanted to (like Pradela to Triacastela) because I hadn't reserved in advance and a lot was closed, but there were plenty of places I could have checked for wifi on those days -- I was just fully absorbed in the walk and couldn't be bothered to stop until it was too late.

All that said, if you're on the fence and think that worrying about finding wifi might detract from your experience, getting a sim probably makes the most sense.

 

[J Willhaus]

I also use Viber. I can make free calls to other Viber users, but more importantly, I can buy Viber credits and make calls for only 2 cents a minute to landlines or phones that don't have Viber.

We use WhatsApp for calls and texts to each other and to people on Spain, but teaching my elderly parents in the US to use it was difficult so we just use our US based plan. They can reach me and don't need to learn a new number. Texting is hit and miss with them anyway. My dad and stepmother don't text. My mom does, but step-dad needs a stylus to reply.

 

[El Cascayal]

I used viber (free)

I also use Viber. I can make free calls to other Viber users,

Thanks for information. I had never heard of Viber. In Spain, post COVID, many places, Albergues and other places to stay are using WhatsApp which makes it easy to communicate.

 

[Gwill21]

I would recommend an esim if your phone supports it. I recently (2 weeks ago) walked the Camino Portuguese and used Airalo. $5 for 1Gb data, set up before I left home and it worked everywhere I travelled in Europe as soon as the plane landed. Used in Paris, Amsterdam, Spain and Portugal. WhatsApp and Skype worked perfectly as did iMessage and email. Super easy to set up.

 

[trecile]

Thanks for information. I had never heard of Viber. In Spain, post COVID, many places, Albergues and other places to stay are using WhatsApp which makes it easy to communicate.

I've used Viber when I've had to call my bank at home and my travel insurance provider among others.

 

[SusanWW]

We never get a Sim card, but do extend our service plan from the US. Depending on your service provider it can be expensive or cost nothing extra at all. When we had T-Mobile there was no extra cost. Now we have ATT and it is expensive.

I, too, have AT&T from US. The 20-Euro SIM I bought in Spain was far better for me than what AT&T offers: $10 a day for any day the phone is used outside USA. The Spanish SIM gave me so much data I could use my phone all the time, for a whole month. Well worth the expense!
¡Buen Camino!

 

[J Willhaus]

I, too, have AT&T from US. The 20-Euro SIM I bought in Spain was far better for me than what AT&T offers: $10 a day for any day the phone is used outside USA. The Spanish SIM gave me so much data I could use my phone all the time, for a whole month. Well worth the expense!
¡Buen Camino!

Yes, agree, it is expensive, but a SIM card does change my phone number which is a problem for my elderly parents. Loved TMobile when we lived in a place in the US with good coverage.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Yes, agree, it is expensive, but a SIM card does change my phone number which is a problem for my elderly parents.

You could move your AT&T SIM to a cheap flip phone and buy a Spanish SIM for your smartphone. In the long run it could pay off.

 

[El Cascayal]

SIM card does change my phone number which is a problem for my elderly parents.

It may be possible to solve this by adjusting WhatsApp for them. My phone rings when I a get a WhatsApp call in the same way that it rings for a usual phone call.

 

[trecile]

It may be possible to solve this by adjusting WhatsApp for them. My phone rings when I a get a WhatsApp call in the same way that it rings for a usual phone call.

The problem could be when the parents need to call @J Willhaus - they may not understand that they need to choose the app to make the call.
On the other hand, I wish that I could stop my elderly mother from using WhatsApp to make video calls when I'm still in bed!

 

[aliciag56]

I went the sim card route with a Vodafone prepaid sim card bought at Madrid airport . Been a hassle. Data now not working. Am in Pamplona and have to delay start tomorrow so I can go in person to the Vodafone store. RRRGGG!

 

[El Cascayal]

The problem could be when the parents need to call @J Willhaus - they may not understand that they need to choose the app to make the call.

With a little creativity & reinforcement it may be done. My 97 yo Mom is able to call me, granted the time difference makes it always a treat, but I digress.
To simplify things put the WhatsApp tile on the first screen or make it the only app on the screen or whatever works.

 

[J Willhaus]

With a little creativity & reinforcement it may be done. My 97 yo Mom is able to call me, granted the time difference makes it always a treat, but I digress.
To simplify things put the WhatsApp tile on the first screen or make it the only app on the screen or whatever works.

Sigh, if it were only so easy...and they always forget the time difference...my brother tried to show them a few years ago, but they just use my phone number...too many illnesses and injuries in recent years for me to risk not being available.

 

[El Cascayal]

Sigh, if it were only so easy...and they always forget the time difference...my brother tried to show them a few years ago, but they just use my phone number...too many illnesses and injuries in recent years for me to risk not being available.

So good that they are able to reach you!

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

For do-it-yourselfers with elderly parents making calls at inappropriate times make a "do not call" clock with a 24 hour clock mechanism. With one of these battery operated clocks the hour hand makes one revolution in 24 hours instead of 12 hours. Do not use the minute and second hands. Make the face simple, no numbers, just partitioned with a white part labeled OK and a black one for night labeled NO. Have the change from white to black occur at the top of the clock (midnight or noon position on a 12 hour clock). The transition from black to white is up to you.

To partition the face first determine the time not to call. Lets say 9:30 PM to 8:00 AM. Move the hour hand straight up and then 10 and a half hours later mark where the hour hand is pointing. The area swept by the hour hand in that time is the black area.

To set the clock, when it is 9:30 PM in Spain (or Portugal, which is in a different time zone) point the hand at the start of the black zone. Next deliver the clock and place it next to the phone.

You want a battery operated clock in case an electrical power failure stops the hand for a bit. If the hand does get messed up it would have to be reset. Have that done by having the hand pointed straight up at the same time (parents' time) as the time in Spain or Portugal when you don't want calls (9:30 PM in my example).

Here is one place they sell the clock mechanism.

https://m.aliexpress.us/item/2255800296780184.html

 

[mattythedog]

For do-it-yourselfers with elderly parents making calls at inappropriate times make a "do not call" clock with a 24 hour clock mechanism. With one of these battery operated clocks the hour hand makes one revolution in 24 hours instead of 12 hours. Do not use the minute and second hands. Make the face simple, no numbers, just partitioned with a white part labeled OK and a black one for night labeled NO. Have the change from white to black occur at the top of the clock (midnight or noon position on a 12 hour clock). The transition from black to white is up to you.

To partition the face first determine the time not to call. Lets say 9:30 PM to 8:00 AM. Move the hour hand straight up and then 10 and a half hours later mark where the hour hand is pointing. The area swept by the hour hand in that time is the black area.

To set the clock, when it is 9:30 PM in Spain (or Portugal, which is in a different time zone) point the hand at the start of the black zone. Next deliver the clock and place it next to the phone.

You want a battery operated clock in case an electrical power failure stops the hand for a bit. If the hand does get messed up it would have to be reset. Have that done by having the hand pointed straight up at the same time (parents' time) as the time in Spain or Portugal when you don't want calls (9:30 PM in my example).

Here is one place they sell the clock mechanism.

https://m.aliexpress.us/item/2255800296780184.html

Such a fantastic idea!!! Thanks for the info. I know several people who could use a clock like that.