App or Book?

[SDJames]

I am new on the forum, though I have followed it for years in anticipation of walking. Twice planned, twice cancelled. Once again, I have bought tickets and my daughter and I hope to walk del Norte in September. I know there have been many questions and answers about apps, and I'm not wanting to revisit those, but I am wondering if there is any advantage to having a (literal) book in addition to an app (which I will definitely have).

 

[Bradypus]

You never need to recharge a book.

 

[C clearly]

It is totally a matter of how you like to get and ponder information.

 

[J Willhaus]

Call me crazy, but I use both--actually two different apps, plus Gronze.com and I always buy one or two books and usually bring one along, too. I am a Boomer and I like paper, but I work all day on a computer so I am also good with an App or website.

Even though I may know the route intimately, there is nothing like a book for me. You should know your own preference, and I would just follow what you like best. Of course some of those Norte books are kind of heavy...

 

[SDJames]

Thank you. That did go through my mind!

 

[wisepilgrim]

Books say “talk to me.”
Apps not so much.

 

[henrythedog]

They’re different, but each has its place. I also use both.

 

[Antonius Vaessen]

In general I prefer paper books above digital media. On camino though i prefer apps and websites not only because of the weight but also because books can get outdated. This certainly is the case regarding accomodations, changing in routes and so on. Gronze is the most used website by me. ( in preparation before my camino I read paper books)

 

[SDJames]

Thank you, all. This was helpful. I think I'll purchase the book and then, when I'm packing, decide whether to actually take it.

 

[Bothydave]

In general I prefer paper books above digital media. On camino though i prefer apps and websites not only because of the weight but also because books can get outdated. This certainly is the case regarding accomodations, changing in routes and so on. Gronze is the most used website by me. ( in preparation before my camino I read paper books)

I totally agree. Love using books for preparation and indeed writing on/ placing notes in but they do date very quickly.
I tend to put everything onto the phone which you are carrying anyway - book, Apps, photos of specific items or instructions, tickets etc.
I do carry paper but very little and all in sealed packets.
However a paper map is hard to beat.

 

[J Willhaus]

I mostly read the book for the landmarks and scenery along the way and I usually like the maps. Gives you a bigger picture than a GPS location on your phone app. I use Gronze.com mostly for my lodging information. I use the app to make sure I am on track. I have both Wise Pilgrim and Buen Camino. I like that you can see how far to the next town or to your final destination on the Buen Camino app. In cities, I often use Google Maps to tell me how to get to the store or restaurant or bakery as you can also see the store hours, etc.

edit: all that being said. I did just fine with a paper guidebook and following the arrows on my 2016 Camino and last winter, none of my university students elected to bring a guidebook (borrowed mine if they wanted) or download an App and just followed the arrows from Sarria to Santiago.

 

[David Tallan]

Books say “talk to me.”
Apps not so much.

That's interesting. My experience is different.

Don't get me wrong. I love physical books. I have a ton of bookcases in my home and they are not enough. There are piles of books everywhere which don't quite fit onto them, or haven't found a place yet. Book will take me places. They will impart information and ideas and visions. But I don't find them great listeners.

Apps, on the other hand, are more interactive. They may be asking me for my opinion and giving me a place to record it, where others might see what I have shared.

It was different once. I have a beaten up copy of Let's Go Europe 1982 that is heavily annotated in ballpoint pen. But sometime over the intervening decades I've gotten out of that habit.

 

[Bradypus]

On my first Camino I occasionally saw pages from the most popular guide book of the day which had been torn out and used as toilet paper. One situation where an app would have been less useful.

 

[David Tallan]

On my first Camino I occasionally saw pages from the most popular guide book of the day which had been torn out and used as toilet paper. One situation where an app would have been less useful.

Fortunately, we have softer alternatives available now.