what to do in an emergency?

[andy.d]

I will be walking the quiet Camino de Levante alone. I am taking a vodafone mobile (and wind-up charger) and will text my wife daily to let her know where I am and where I am intending to go to. If I have an emergency, I know to ring 112 and I have a whistle and some high visibility clothing. But if I don't get in touch with my wife, who is in the UK, who should she contact in Spain to get help?

thanks,

Andy

 

[Rebekah Scott]

she should call the Red Cross. They have international reach and specialize in finding people and informing families of what´s going on. She can call your local branch, and they´ll usually take it from there.

Reb.

 

[andy.d]

Thanks Reb, that helps us all have peace of mind,

Andy

 

[MikeB]

Just a thought

You may find you are outside mobile coverage when you want to text. It could be your wife will then worry unnecessarily. It may be an idea not to be too "rigid" in your arrangement to text every evening. I believe on this camino, in one place, there is no water fountain or accommodation for over 50km so I would have thought the chances of being outside mobile coverage are also pretty high.

Mike

 

[andy.d]

Just a thought

You may find you are outside mobile coverage when you want to text. It could be your wife will then worry unnecessarily. It may be an idea not to be too "rigid" in your arrangement to text every evening. I believe on this camino, in one place, there is no water fountain or accommodation for over 50km so I would have thought the chances of being outside mobile coverage are also pretty high.

Mike

Yes, thanks Mike. The agreement is that if she hasn't heard from me for 48 hours, it is time to worry. I don't want people being made to rescue me when I am happily walking along (although if I have a broken ankle 25km from anyone, help would be good!)

Andy

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Hola - I think this is a really sensible precaution and many people do this on the lonlier routes. Walking up from Madrid I met a young Spanish lad from Madrid who texted home when he left in the morning and then again when he arrived in the evening. I´ve also always found that although sometimes mobile reception can be a bit patchy in general there is pretty universal coverage in Spain - in fact Wifi is also on the march through very small pueblos too!

 

[andy.d]

I've done some more research on this. For UK nationals, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will assist. Details are at:

http://ukinspain.fco.gov.uk/en/13821078/missing-persons

If you are another nationality, check the website of your Spanish Embassy.

It is good practice when walking to tell someone where you are going and what time you expect to arrive - and then tell them when you do. I guess that this is not so much of a problem if there are many other pilgrims around, but as John said is a sensible precaution on quieter routes.

thanks,

Andy