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Indeed. And that discussion is a multifaceted one.
On one hand, for some the camino is truly a pilgrimage. And should be supported and protected as such.
There are others for whom it is spiritually significant but not technically a pilgrimage as such.
Another faction exists for whom it is...
It is hardly surprising that numbers have increased despite the charge.
Let's face it for most tourists five euros is a piffling amount, they'll spend that on an ice cream or two. A small charge like this will never help decrease tourism, at best what it will do is help pay for the additional...
This has come up on numerous occasions before in the forum, and is specific to you folks from the USA - try this:
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/alert-cops-sms-challenge.81231/post-1173139
Apologies, it appears I may have inadvertently posted info from an article on the 'other' Santiago! I did specify Santiago de Compostela in my search for articles (there's so many of them that I just very briefly skimmed) but Google and I have a love hate relationship.... 😣
It seems unlikely...
Not according to the numerous reports of spaniards protesting against mass tourism over recent months. Including in Santiago. A Fodor's guide headline from 10/23 "Flooded by tourists, Santiago de Compostela has had enough of its tourists." Santiago's Mayor is quoted as saying "I want Santiago de...
Actually it didn't start with us here on the forum, it started with an article in a Spanish newspaper - kindly provided by @Bradypus (post#1).
And those articles ? There is a plethora of articles on how crowded the camino is, and have been for quite some time. "Is the camino too crowded"...
You are correct in that these particular issues will be sorted by the various commercial interests, as has happened for the last 30 years.
Unfortunately this doesn't nothing to address the massive overcrowding on parts of the actual route - ie. the Camino itself. Especially the last 3 days on...
Excellent point, how on Earth did none of the rest of us think of this. It's one of the first things I normally advise people to do!
@Isla15 , Program 112 into your phone labelled 'Police/ Fire/ Ambulance' . Then should you ever need to use it, it will be super easy to find!
Alert cops is an...
Actually it's even simpler than that, you just go 'share my location' in WhatsApp.
(Open a chat to the taxi, click on the plus button bottom left, click on location, choose how long for, click share live location.) It takes more time to read what I've just written than it does to do it!
Travelling solo is fantastic, it always gives you the opportunity to join with others. It's easy to move on should you wish to do so, because you don't need to consider anybody else's needs or feelings. There's often place for one more at a table. You never run the risk of people liking you, but...
I understand your idea but the issue with it is we have such individual experiences with our footwear. For example Ultra Lone Peaks are supposed to last for approximately 800 kilometers. For some they last for only around 500, personally I've done over 1200 in one pair.
There are so many...
What is the problem exactly?
It's multifaceted. According to the forum, it's too many people trying to use limited facilities. Bikes/ e-bikes on Camino. Over privileged attitudes. High expectations. No planning, or over planning. The list goes on.
But I thought that the theme of this thread was...
If you booked accommodation somewhere you could possibly ship to them (with their permission of course) however booking that far in advance is not really advisable.
Alternatively you could mail ahead via post-restante with Correos. Only once you're within the country! If you try and ship from...
It already is basically fenced off in some areas. That was my point earlier, that those of you have walked it more than once can surely think of a few places where such controls could be instituted.
And whilst we talk about the issues this would create for locals frankly I don't recall seeing...
Clearly if we are talking about a permit system to walk the camino then the infringement would be 'Walking the Camino without a permit' or similar.
Agreed. However the whole concept of 'freedom of movement' is flawed anyway. There are many places that we cannot freely go, that we may think that...
The PCT in America utilizes a lottery system. Factors like nationality etc are completely disregarded.
It would be relatively easy to transport a few Guardia Civil members, or even dedicated 'Camino wardens' to a slightly more isolated place to check the permits, with offenders being promptly...
Thanks for the article @Bradypus . Interesting timing considering that we only just talked about this elsewhere on the forum in the last few of weeks.
(Perhaps not surprising because forum members are simply reporting on the same phenomenon.)
The guide is quoted as saying that he thinks people...
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