A time apart from daily life?

[BarbaraW]

This forum is a fabulous resource of practical information and moral support for those planning a potentially tough walk, in what is for many an unfamiliar continent. But I wonder how many of the anxieties shared here, about kit and brands, communications, baggage transport and the availability of coffee and toilets have their roots in the desire to carry (often literally) the home experience on Camino?

My walking companion convinced me that carrying our packs would give us flexibility as to how far to walk each day; quite important for two seventy-something's not used to long distance walking. That decision drove a minimal packing list, and a major change in outlook for this arch-planner. And many worries. How would I manage without my favourite early morning coffee, my music, my regular perfume and my comforting radio at night? How would I cope with albergue life and with not knowing where I would be sleeping?

Somewhere near Samos I realised that one of the things that I was most grateful for was the experience of living without my usual comforts and wide choices. For me that simplicity gave a freedom and richness beyond that of simply having time without the pressures of a busy life.

But I did take my mobile though I tried to look at it only once a day. That of course can provide music, radio and books as well as a near-constant link to friends and family. The saddest site I saw on Camino was a row of pilgrims waiting outside an albergue, each immersed in their own phone. Does anyone have the courage to walk without one, these days?

I’d be really interested to know what others think.

 

[naplesdon]

Everyday one observes people of all ages deeply immersed into staring at a phone screen. I am afraid to say that is our world today.

 

[J Willhaus]

This forum is a fabulous resource of practical information and moral support for those planning a potentially tough walk, in what is for many an unfamiliar continent. But I wonder how many of the anxieties shared here, about kit and brands, communications, baggage transport and the availability of coffee and toilets have their roots in the desire to carry (often literally) the home experience on Camino?

My walking companion convinced me that carrying our packs would give us flexibility as to how far to walk each day; quite important for two seventy-something's not used to long distance walking. That decision drove a minimal packing list, and a major change in outlook for this arch-planner. And many worries. How would I manage without my favourite early morning coffee, my music, my regular perfume and my comforting radio at night? How would I cope with albergue life and with not knowing where I would be sleeping?

Somewhere near Samos I realised that one of the things that I was most grateful for was the experience of living without my usual comforts and wide choices. For me that simplicity gave a freedom and richness beyond that of simply having time without the pressures of a busy life.

But I did take my mobile though I tried to look at it only once a day. That of course can provide music, radio and books as well as a near-constant link to friends and family. The saddest site I saw on Camino was a row of pilgrims waiting outside an albergue, each immersed in their own phone. Does anyone have the courage to walk without one, these days?

I’d be really interested to know what others think.

Yes, I met several pilgrims last summer walking without a phone or only having service inside the albergue where there was wifi. I walked without my phone but carried a Kindle for books on the first Camino (at that time I had a flip phone anyway). Now I use my phone for my guidebooks and for the Apps that show me the GPS mapping of where I am in relation to the Camino.

I also love that I can live in Spain for 2 months with only three changes of clothes.

 

[C clearly]

I’d be really interested to know what others think.

As a 70-something woman with a comfortable life at home, I identify with much of what you say. I carry my backpack for a month every year with 5-6 kg of stuff.

One thing that really bothers me is to have others judge me negatively for using my phone. I use it a lot! In fact, I am proud of what I have learned to do with it. That is a choice I make. You are very misguided if you see me as "one of the saddest sights" you have seen on the Camino. It isn't appropriate to pity me.

You choose certain approaches to the Camino - as a change to your "normal" life, whatever that is. Some of us choose to walk alone, but you go with another person. I don't jump to conclusions about your inner life.

Sorry to react so strongly, but you did ask for our thoughts!

 

[peregrina2000]

The saddest site I saw on Camino was a row of pilgrims waiting outside an albergue, each immersed in their own phone. Does anyone have the courage to walk without one, these days?

I think you have conflated two different issues. Being immersed in your phone, while waiting for an albergue to open, is a totally different issue than having the “courage” to walk without one. I think that the only courage it takes to walk without a cell phone is the courage it takes to walk, maybe in a remote mountain area, knowing that if something happens to you, you will not have any way to get help. But I would not call that courage.

I also walk with a phone and would never walk without one. Emergencies happen. If you don’t have a phone, you better hope that someone near you does if you need access to emergency services.

Sure, I walked the camino many times in the 2000s without a phone, using a phone card, calling home from a phone booth, sending emails from internet cafés. The added security and convenience the phone brings to my caminos is immeasurable.

I leave it to the owner of a cell phone to decide what the right time, place and manner of cell phone usage should be, just like I leave it to owners of packs to decide on luggage transport, or just like I leave it to people to decide whether to book ahead or wing it. I think we all have our own preferences on these and many other camino topics, but I also think that letting it go and not pouring on the judgment is likely to result in a more enjoyable camino for everyone.

 

[BarbaraW]

That's fine, C clearly. I felt it was a shame because people weren't talking to each other, or just being. But maybe that's not so different to people choosing to walk alone in silence and relishing it (which was me most of the time).

 

[Flatlander]

I realised that one of the things that I was most grateful for was the experience of living without my usual comforts and wide choices. For me that simplicity gave a freedom and richness beyond that of simply having time without the pressures of a busy life.

Yes.
Many people will find that the simplest things bring great satisfaction when we're not obsessing about the "best" but simply what is "enough".
Letting go of "the best" can be difficult for some, though.

Unfortunately, you go a bit off track with the phone comment.

You've no idea what is going on in someone's life and their necessity, or otherwise, to be using a phone.

Going back to the idea of what is enough, is it not enough that you have experienced the richness of the Camino? Why the need to judge so negatively the actions of strangers?

In your shoes I'd be offering my gratitude to my walking companion for an experience I wouldn't have had otherwise.

 

[J Willhaus]

I think you have conflated two different issues. Being immersed in your phone, while waiting for an albergue to open, is a totally different issue than having the “courage” to walk without one. I think that the only courage it takes to walk without a cell phone is the courage it takes to walk, maybe in a remote mountain area, knowing that if something happens to you, you will not have any way to get help. But I would not call that courage.

I also walk with a phone and would never walk without one. Emergencies happen. If you don’t have a phone, you better hope that someone near you does if you need access to emergency services.

Sure, I walked the camino many times in the 2000s without a phone, using a phone card, calling home from a phone booth, sending emails from internet cafés. The added security and convenience the phone brings to my caminos is immeasurable.

I leave it to the owner of a cell phone to decide what the right time, place and manner of cell phone usage should be, just like I leave it to owners of packs to decide on luggage transport, or just like I leave it to people to decide whether to book ahead or wing it. I think we all have our own preferences on these and many other camino topics, but I also think that letting it go and not pouring on the judgment is likely to result in a more enjoyable camino for everyone.

I live in a part of the US where there is not much cell phone coverage and there is nothing more freeing that leaving town and knowing no one from work can call or text me...we carry an emergency beacon in case one of us falls off a mountain or something and we really need help. I can also use it to show my location to family and friends who may be wondering where we on a setting that is non-emergency.

Last summer in Spain, my cell phone didn't work on some sections of the Aragones and there was no wifi at some albergues. Having a phone is a convenience, but I would not call it necessary.

 

[Bradypus]

Somewhere near Samos I realised that one of the things that I was most grateful for was the experience of living without my usual comforts and wide choices.

Does anyone have the courage to walk without one, these days?

In your post you mention that you walked with a companion. Isn't that a very obvious expression of "the desire to carry (often literally) the home experience on Camino"? With the right companion you have immediate access to so much that is familiar and comforting in the face of any potentially challenging new situations. You have the opportunity to form a small protective bubble if you feel so inclined. A companion is also a very practical aid in case of illness or injury. An insurance policy. Those who choose to walk their Camino solo may want some of that support from distant friends and family.

I walked my first two Caminos without mobile phones or the internet. I know it can be done but I do not feel so enslaved by my phone that the potential upside of leaving it at home comes even remotely close to balancing the many benefits it brings.

 

[C clearly]

I felt it was a shame because people weren't talking to each other, or just being. But maybe that's not so different to people choosing to walk alone in silence and relishing it (which was me most of the time).

Yes, some people are more talkative than others. But maybe those same people were walking and talking together all day. Who says that we need to be chatty with strangers/acquaintances for X hours each day, and then let onlookers know that we have complied?

The issue of our increasing dependency on cell phones is certainly complex and worth discussion on a societal level. However, it is too easy to get into a mode of "Tsk, tsk, look at how awful cell phone usage is, and what is the world coming to?" Let's look beyond the quick and satisfying judgement of individuals.

 

[K_Lynn]

Years ago while I was visiting my parents for a few days, my father made a snide comment about me "fooling around with my phone all day". I was texting my friends that I only see once a year and coordinating our get togethers for the next week or messaging my partner to see how his day was. It's how people communicate.

While on Camino, I pulled my phone out to take pictures, check my maps, google what that weird plant was, look up information about the town I was coming to, the name of that river with the pretty set of falls, how to say a specific phrase in Spanish or to find the article I had read to share with someone to further our conversation. I posted pictures for my friends back home, answered their questions, excitedly sharing my day's experiences. Alone in my room, I would check up on my usual news sources and talk to my partner at home about his day and where I was now.

Once while talking to a few other peregrinos, one asked if I Googled everything. Yes, yes I do. I had looked up the various species of venomous snakes that they might have run into backpacking through Sweden, and the venomous snakes in Spain, they had no idea about either. I had looked up the town they were from and had asked about the architecture. One of them had shin splints and I showed them a video on how to foam roll to release the strain.

I didn't see anyone walking, phone in hand, staring at their screens. I saw people talking to each other, pointing out a tree or hill, or immersed in their own world of one step in front of the other.

Sometimes I don't want to talk to anyone and would rather randomly scroll the internet while enjoying my cup of coffee. Sometimes I want to share something with someone. Sometimes I want to be entertained. Sometimes I want to complain on an internet forum about something someone else is doing that doesn't impact me at all.

 

[SabsP]

Years ago while I was visiting my parents for a few days, my father made a snide comment about me "fooling around with my phone all day". I was texting my friends that I only see once a year and coordinating our get togethers for the next week or messaging my partner to see how his day was. It's how people communicate.

While on Camino, I pulled my phone out to take pictures, check my maps, google what that weird plant was, look up information about the town I was coming to, the name of that river with the pretty set of falls, how to say a specific phrase in Spanish or to find the article I had read to share with someone to further our conversation. I posted pictures for my friends back home, answered their questions, excitedly sharing my day's experiences. Alone in my room, I would check up on my usual news sources and talk to my partner at home about his day and where I was now.

Once while talking to a few other peregrinos, one asked if I Googled everything. Yes, yes I do. I had looked up the various species of venomous snakes that they might have run into backpacking through Sweden, and the venomous snakes in Spain, they had no idea about either. I had looked up the town they were from and had asked about the architecture. One of them had shin splints and I showed them a video on how to foam roll to release the strain.

I didn't see anyone walking, phone in hand, staring at their screens. I saw people talking to each other, pointing out a tree or hill, or immersed in their own world of one step in front of the other.

Sometimes I don't want to talk to anyone and would rather randomly scroll the internet while enjoying my cup of coffee. Sometimes I want to share something with someone. Sometimes I want to be entertained. Sometimes I want to complain on an internet forum about something someone else is doing that doesn't impact me at all.

I agree with all that you wrote.
I never use my cellphone though when dining with someone else. That is just my idea about etiquette.
When on my own for dinner/lunch in a restaurant a cellphone is a nice tool to read a newspaper or scrolling through this forum...

 

[trecile]

Once while talking to a few other peregrinos, one asked if I Googled everything. Yes, yes I do. I had looked up the various species of venomous snakes that they might have run into backpacking through Sweden, and the venomous snakes in Spain, they had no idea about either. I had looked up the town they were from and had asked about the architecture. One of them had shin splints and I showed them a video on how to foam roll to release the strain.

I do the same.
I love being able to instantly find out the name of a wildflower, bird or anything else that pops up. As a kid my parents or teacher would send me to the encyclopedia for such things. Now I carry the encyclopedia and more in my pocket - why shouldn't I use it?

And having access to so much information saved me on my Camino in 2019 when I experienced sudden pain on my outer knee when I walked downhill. At the suggestion of another peregrina I Googled for stretches and exercises for IT band syndrome. The problem resolved within a couple of days of doing the right stretches and some self massage.

 

[henrythedog]

This forum is a fabulous resource of practical information and moral support for those planning a potentially tough walk, in what is for many an unfamiliar continent. But I wonder how many of the anxieties shared here, about kit and brands, communications, baggage transport and the availability of coffee and toilets have their roots in the desire to carry (often literally) the home experience on Camino?

My walking companion convinced me that carrying our packs would give us flexibility as to how far to walk each day; quite important for two seventy-something's not used to long distance walking. That decision drove a minimal packing list, and a major change in outlook for this arch-planner. And many worries. How would I manage without my favourite early morning coffee, my music, my regular perfume and my comforting radio at night? How would I cope with albergue life and with not knowing where I would be sleeping?

Somewhere near Samos I realised that one of the things that I was most grateful for was the experience of living without my usual comforts and wide choices. For me that simplicity gave a freedom and richness beyond that of simply having time without the pressures of a busy life.

But I did take my mobile though I tried to look at it only once a day. That of course can provide music, radio and books as well as a near-constant link to friends and family. The saddest site I saw on Camino was a row of pilgrims waiting outside an albergue, each immersed in their own phone. Does anyone have the courage to walk without one, these days?

I’d be really interested to know what others think.

I do think that the ‘all I need is what’s on my back’ concept is important and, when I don’t think about it too hard; it’s refreshing.

The reality is that I have a phone (although usually switched off) and access to sufficient funds which mean it’s a constructed reality.

I’m free to go away on my own as I please, but a quite reasonable quid pro quo is that Mrs HtD knows roughly where I am and can contact me in case of need.

 

[mspath]

During my first caminos my husband and I communicated when necessary by land-line telephone; since 2008 I carried a smartphone which also served as camera+computer on which I wrote my daily blogs then using Blogspot

Since we both were then in our 70's whilst apart we texted each other good morning, briefly cited our daily plans, and texted again at day's end. Simple, swift and efficacious this helped keep each of us in the other's loop although physically we were often on different continents.

While walking a phone and European assistance number 112 can provide invaluable emergency help. Luckily I have never personally needed such assistance, but over the years I have called 112 for other pilgrims who needed fast help and either had no phone or were unable to use a phone.

...In retrospect I would never walk without a phone. Carrying one may help save someone else's life. Furthermore I would never carry a computer or iPad; I like to travel light. However i always carried my full backpack.

Although I am no longer hiking at 83 I still use a smartphone as my computer. All my posts here are written on the phone. I am using it now to write this.

 

[David Tallan]

This forum is a fabulous resource of practical information and moral support for those planning a potentially tough walk, in what is for many an unfamiliar continent. But I wonder how many of the anxieties shared here, about kit and brands, communications, baggage transport and the availability of coffee and toilets have their roots in the desire to carry (often literally) the home experience on Camino?

My walking companion convinced me that carrying our packs would give us flexibility as to how far to walk each day; quite important for two seventy-something's not used to long distance walking. That decision drove a minimal packing list, and a major change in outlook for this arch-planner. And many worries. How would I manage without my favourite early morning coffee, my music, my regular perfume and my comforting radio at night? How would I cope with albergue life and with not knowing where I would be sleeping?

Somewhere near Samos I realised that one of the things that I was most grateful for was the experience of living without my usual comforts and wide choices. For me that simplicity gave a freedom and richness beyond that of simply having time without the pressures of a busy life.

But I did take my mobile though I tried to look at it only once a day. That of course can provide music, radio and books as well as a near-constant link to friends and family. The saddest site I saw on Camino was a row of pilgrims waiting outside an albergue, each immersed in their own phone. Does anyone have the courage to walk without one, these days?

I’d be really interested to know what others think.

One of the things I remember hearing from my 2016 Camino is that we tend to carry our fears. I know I tended to carry a lot more food on that Camino because I was afraid of a hangry teenager.

I think that one of the things many people really value about the Camino is the ability to step out of your "ordinary life" and the perspective that separation provides, as well as the ability to be yourself outside the roles we tend to play at home and at work.

When I did my first Camino, that separation was easy and guaranteed. In 1989, the Internet was pretty much confined to university campuses and none of us had heard about it. There were no mobile phones and international calls weren't cheap. Letters took a while to cross the Atlantic. So while I may have sent one or two postcards, I was really separated from everything outside the Camino. Things are different now.

Some people still like to walk that way (or as close as they can manage). For others, the separation may not be as complete, with regular contact with family or even work being a necessity. Some of these may have not been able to walk if complete separation were imposed. Others just prefer it. When I walked with my teenage son he really missed his friends at home and did his best to stay in touch and involved with them, something I believe he later regretted a bit. He's told me he is going to look for greater separation from home on his next Camino. I know for me, I like to be in the moment as much as possible, but I do like to stay in touch with my wife regularly and share my experience with others. I don't regret the sharing I've done at all. I've never been good at keeping a diary or journaling and the sharing provides a record I value later. I'm not sure that taking some time to write an email or share some photos is less worthwhile or more of a distraction than taking that same time to journal or write a diary entry, which no one looks down on.

 

[RJM]

I carry a cellphone on the Camino for all the obvious reasons in modern society. My plane tickets, bus tickets, the occasional albergue reservation etc are all in the phone. I have also used it to communicate with other pilgrims I have met so we can meet up for dinner, drinks etc. It is useful for that, but otherwise it is turned off and I only rarely have it in my hand when I walk and I certainly don't break it out when having meals or drinks with other people.
I would say that not bringing a mobile phone in an attempt to break free from the bonds of modern society is rather silly and one is fooling oneself in doing so because in all likelihood you got to the Camino with the assistance in some form or fashion from the internet and all the accommodations and cafes etc run with same. I don't think here would be any courage involved in not bringing one. It's just a device and if you don't bring it at some point in the walk you will need one for something such as checking on plane, train etc schedules and you will borrow somebody else's. To me courage on the Camino would be walking it with a disability or the like.
but yes, I too think it's rather sad to see a bunch of people sitting around staring at their cellphones like zombies instead of talking to each other or exploring.....

 

[trecile]

I know I tended to carry a lot more food on that Camino because I was afraid of a hangry teenager.

A perfectly reasonable fear.

 

[Kathy F.]

Perhaps the distress the OP felt at seeing a line of pilgrims with eyes peeled to their phones is the same distress many of us feel when we see, for example, a family of 4+ sitting in a booth in a restaurant, each focused on their phones and not each other.

If we saw a line of pilgrims staring off into space, not talking to each other, we might have the same level of distress. It must be noted, however, that one might feel more comfortable starting a conversation with a pilgrim staring off into space than one staring off into cyberspace on their phone.

I think a phone is a reasonable tool to have on a Camino. Heck, I even took my little iPad so I could blog and post at the end of each day.

 

[Botaivica]

I carry a mobile phone and use when it necessary.

What is connected to the mobile phone and bothers me, is music.

I met pilgrims, slightly younger in age, who were playing loud music from their phones. They were mostly faster than me, so that music lasted about fifteen minutes. You hear them approaching you, then a little next to you, then in front of me. All with loud music that young people love.

Later I learned that when I hear them, I stop, let them go in front of me and then keep walking.

 

[Former member 102963]

I

This forum is a fabulous resource of practical information and moral support for those planning a potentially tough walk, in what is for many an unfamiliar continent. But I wonder how many of the anxieties shared here, about kit and brands, communications, baggage transport and the availability of coffee and toilets have their roots in the desire to carry (often literally) the home experience on Camino?

My walking companion convinced me that carrying our packs would give us flexibility as to how far to walk each day; quite important for two seventy-something's not used to long distance walking. That decision drove a minimal packing list, and a major change in outlook for this arch-planner. And many worries. How would I manage without my favourite early morning coffee, my music, my regular perfume and my comforting radio at night? How would I cope with albergue life and with not knowing where I would be sleeping?

Somewhere near Samos I realised that one of the things that I was most grateful for was the experience of living without my usual comforts and wide choices. For me that simplicity gave a freedom and richness beyond that of simply having time without the pressures of a busy life.

But I did take my mobile though I tried to look at it only once a day. That of course can provide music, radio and books as well as a near-constant link to friends and family. The saddest site I saw on Camino was a row of pilgrims waiting outside an albergue, each immersed in their own phone. Does anyone have the courage to walk without one, these days?

I’d be really interested to know what others think.

Ita got a name! Phubbing!

Phubbing - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[peregrina2000]

Ita got a name! Phubbing!

Thanks for keeping us updated on new words — another bit of evidence of how our language is continually evolving. Are the people who phub called phubbers?

 

[Annetom]

I took my mobile because I have Polar Steps on it and so my family could follow my journey! I don’t think I used it once as a phone!

 

[Dani7]

I would not have the courage to walk without one and walking with one will give me the security I need in case of needing help, stay connected to family who are just starting to come around to the idea that doing this walk is not so crazy after all.

How we walk and why is so personal. I agree with OP on how this forum is so very helpful. Without it I would not feel as prepared as I do. Thank you to all who contribute. You are making a difference no matter the differing opinions on what is best or not.

As for how other people choose to do their Camino…it really is none of my business.

Buen Camino to all. Feeling grateful

 

[C clearly]

Hands up, everyone, who has ever walked into a utility pole or parked car while they had their nose in a book, and been made fun of for being antisocial?

 

[J Willhaus]

Hands up, everyone, who has ever walked into a utility pole or parked car while they had their nose in a book, and been made fun of for being antisocial?

Just like the poster who said her dad made a remark about her phone usage, my day used to say "get your nose out of that book!" When spending time with family. Also didn't like me to sleep in the car. We were supposed to watch the scenery because "we may never pass this way again".

Even 10+ years ago in NYC on the crowded street there would be people walking their dogs on a leash with an umbrella, smoking a cigarette, while buried deep in their phone screens. You had to stay alert not to trip, have an eye put out by the umbrella, or avoid a cigarette burn. Thank goodness the Camino isn't that crowded even after Sarria!

 

[David Tallan]

Hands up, everyone, who has ever walked into a utility pole or parked car while they had their nose in a book, and been made fun of for being antisocial?

Speaking from experience, it is the fire hydrants that are really painful to walk into when one's nose is stuck in a book. I quickly learned to develop good peripheral vision when I was reading while walking every day.

 

[K_Lynn]

Speaking from experience, it is the fire hydrants that are really painful to walk into when one's nose is stuck in a book. I quickly learned to develop good peripheral vision when I was reading while walking every day.

I almost argued with a parking meter once because I saw something in my peripheral vision while reading my book and they wouldn't move out of my way!

 

[lalaone]

I'm guilty of the book thing too! Not phones. I have great sympathy for both. I've often wondered about the connection and how what is old becomes new again.

The Railway Journey: The Industrialization of Time and Space in the 19th Century, Wolfgang Schivelbusch, pp. 68-69:

"The effects of reading while traveling were discussed generally in medical circles in the 1860s. The debate as to whether it was harmful or beneficial related the practice to the special stresses put on the optical sense by rail travel, and to visual perception in general. According to one side of the argument, reading while traveling was harmful to the eye because 'when the traveler sets himself to read, he imposes yet further labor on the eye in tracing the shifting characters of his book or newspaper, and also on the brain'. The traveler who concentrated on his reading behaved in just as old-fashioned a manner as the traveler who, accustomed to the pace of the stagecoach, attempted to fix his stare on the objects flitting past the compartment window. In both cases, the result was exhaustion of the senses and of the mind. [...] The afore-mentioned contribution to the medical congress of 1866 stated that travel reading may have had deleterious effects on eyesight, but adds that it would be impossible to curtail it: 'Nevertheless, no matter what one says or does, reading will remain the most natural occupation of railway travelers, in this new form of locomotion that has so profoundly altered the traveler's relations to each other'."

 

[trevorcc]

This forum is a fabulous resource of practical information and moral support for those planning a potentially tough walk, in what is for many an unfamiliar continent. But I wonder how many of the anxieties shared here, about kit and brands, communications, baggage transport and the availability of coffee and toilets have their roots in the desire to carry (often literally) the home experience on Camino?

My walking companion convinced me that carrying our packs would give us flexibility as to how far to walk each day; quite important for two seventy-something's not used to long distance walking. That decision drove a minimal packing list, and a major change in outlook for this arch-planner. And many worries. How would I manage without my favourite early morning coffee, my music, my regular perfume and my comforting radio at night? How would I cope with albergue life and with not knowing where I would be sleeping?

Somewhere near Samos I realised that one of the things that I was most grateful for was the experience of living without my usual comforts and wide choices. For me that simplicity gave a freedom and richness beyond that of simply having time without the pressures of a busy life.

But I did take my mobile though I tried to look at it only once a day. That of course can provide music, radio and books as well as a near-constant link to friends and family. The saddest site I saw on Camino was a row of pilgrims waiting outside an albergue, each immersed in their own phone. Does anyone have the courage to walk without one, these days?

I’d be really interested to know what others think.

After being hospitalized in 2013 my wife will not let me go without a phone just incase, but I use it only to say hi to her and tell her I am okay.

 

[Former member 102963]

Thanks for keeping us updated on new words — another bit of evidence of how our language is continually evolving. Are the people who phub called phubbers?

I have been called a ‘Phubber’ by the person who introduced me to the word so I would assume so!

Edit: so what else to do but google it on my phone!

Welcome to Macmillan Education Customer Support

Turns out is an ‘amalgamation’ of Phone + snub/snubber/snubbing!

 

[AnneMarie1]

I live in a part of the US where there is not much cell phone coverage and there is nothing more freeing that leaving town and knowing no one from work can call or text me...we carry an emergency beacon in case one of us falls off a mountain or something and we really need help. I can also use it to show my location to family and friends who may be wondering where we on a setting that is non-emergency.

Last summer in Spain, my cell phone didn't work on some sections of the Aragones and there was no wifi at some albergues. Having a phone is a convenience, but I would not call it necessary.

I will be walking the Aragones -- alone. I do want to have a working cell phone on that route in case something happens. Did yours not work because of the network/company you had (is there a way to make sure I do have service?), or just because there just IS no cell service?

 

[AnneMarie1]

I took my mobile because I have Polar Steps on it and so my family could follow my journey! I don’t think I used it once as a phone!

One of the reasons I'm planning to use Polar Steps is that I want to unplug as much as possible from social media and yet keep people somewhat updated. Both family who'll want to know I'm OK (walking alone) and friends who are scholars of Spanish history and will appreciate the info about my adventure. There's no way I want to spend a lot of time on a device while I'm there, and Polar Steps will take care of this.

 

[Pilgrim9]

Not having a smart phone with its email capability caused me unexpected difficulties in gaining access to two reserved and pre-paid lodging places in 2022, one in Pamplona and one in Sarria. These two hostelries had un-staffed check-in procedures. Guests needed to key in a secret street-door-unlocking code to gain access. Without mobile email, I could not receive the secret codes, which only got sent to guests in mid-morning, long after I had checked out of my previous night's lodgings (with its WIFI). I got in eventually, but next time I will take a smart phone with me.

 

[J Willhaus]

I will be walking the Aragones -- alone. I do want to have a working cell phone on that route in case something happens. Did yours not work because of the network/company you had (is there a way to make sure I do have service?), or just because there just IS no cell service?

I used my home network from the US which was ATT. Just like at home, where I live in the mountains, I did not always have service. I noticed it most at Arres, but I don't look at my phone much outside of albergues and an occasional check to see how far to the next water point. There are maps online which show service coverage for the carriers in Spain, but I don't buy a Sim card since I need to stay in contact with tech challenged elderly parents at home.


Edit: also with two factor identification for accounts and my work, I would have to change all to my new Spain number in order to get access. I don't have an expensive new phone that accepts e-sim.

 

[mattythedog]

This forum is a fabulous resource of practical information and moral support for those planning a potentially tough walk, in what is for many an unfamiliar continent. But I wonder how many of the anxieties shared here, about kit and brands, communications, baggage transport and the availability of coffee and toilets have their roots in the desire to carry (often literally) the home experience on Camino?

My walking companion convinced me that carrying our packs would give us flexibility as to how far to walk each day; quite important for two seventy-something's not used to long distance walking. That decision drove a minimal packing list, and a major change in outlook for this arch-planner. And many worries. How would I manage without my favourite early morning coffee, my music, my regular perfume and my comforting radio at night? How would I cope with albergue life and with not knowing where I would be sleeping?

Somewhere near Samos I realised that one of the things that I was most grateful for was the experience of living without my usual comforts and wide choices. For me that simplicity gave a freedom and richness beyond that of simply having time without the pressures of a busy life.

But I did take my mobile though I tried to look at it only once a day. That of course can provide music, radio and books as well as a near-constant link to friends and family. The saddest site I saw on Camino was a row of pilgrims waiting outside an albergue, each immersed in their own phone. Does anyone have the courage to walk without one, these days?

I’d be really interested to know what others think.

This forum is a fabulous resource of practical information and moral support for those planning a potentially tough walk, in what is for many an unfamiliar continent. But I wonder how many of the anxieties shared here, about kit and brands, communications, baggage transport and the availability of coffee and toilets have their roots in the desire to carry (often literally) the home experience on Camino?

My walking companion convinced me that carrying our packs would give us flexibility as to how far to walk each day; quite important for two seventy-something's not used to long distance walking. That decision drove a minimal packing list, and a major change in outlook for this arch-planner. And many worries. How would I manage without my favourite early morning coffee, my music, my regular perfume and my comforting radio at night? How would I cope with albergue life and with not knowing where I would be sleeping?

Somewhere near Samos I realised that one of the things that I was most grateful for was the experience of living without my usual comforts and wide choices. For me that simplicity gave a freedom and richness beyond that of simply having time without the pressures of a busy life.

But I did take my mobile though I tried to look at it only once a day. That of course can provide music, radio and books as well as a near-constant link to friends and family. The saddest site I saw on Camino was a row of pilgrims waiting outside an albergue, each immersed in their own phone. Does anyone have the courage to walk without one, these days?

I’d be really interested to know what others think.

Try getting in and out of Spain during 2020/21/22 plagues without airline, Spanish health dept and various other apps and QR codes needed for transportation and border crossings. Also US required Covid test prior to flying back from Spain. Even with cell phone it was a PIA to find labs and make appointments. Not needed at present, but.... Yeah, my phone also replaces guidebook, watch, alarm clock, camera, calculator, pen/postcards/paper/envelopes/stamps, payphones (Ha Ha), maps, compass, flashlight, going to train and bus stations for schedules, airline checkin, English/Spanish dictionary, ....

 

[AnneMarie1]

I used my home network from the US which was ATT. Just like at home, where I live in the mountains, I did not always have service. I noticed it most at Arres, but I don't look at my phone much outside of albergues and an occasional check to see how far to the next water point. There are maps online which show service coverage for the carriers in Spain, but I don't buy a Sim card since I need to stay in contact with tech challenged elderly parents at home.


Edit: also with two factor identification for accounts and my work, I would have to change all to my new Spain number in order to get access. I don't have an expensive new phone that accepts e-sim.

Thanks.

 

[nycwalking]

Hands up, everyone, who has ever walked into a utility pole or parked car while they had their nose in a book, and been made fun of for being antisocial?

When I lived in NYC I quickly realized I couldn’t read on the subway.

I tired of missing my stops.

Backtracking takes too much time.

So, I only read if my stop was last one on the line.