- Time of past OR future Camino
- Frances - 2009
Portuguese Interior (2014)
Hadrian's Wall (2017)
Porto to SdC ( Seaside) 2019
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Almost all the Albergues and bars and cafes have wifi (weefee). That's the cheapest way. I kept a blog every day solely using wi fiPilgrims,
I will be on Camino from Lisbon to Santiago in September 2014. I completed the French route 4 years ago and used an iphone (USA type) ... It was expensive to text message. My friend purchased a cheap phone and minutes which were as expensive.
Question 1: What is the least expensive way (short of finding computers at hostels / albergues) way to text message / speak to the USA (I do not text / speak often, but I need to stay in touch for family reasons)? Are there any relatively good deals on phones to be used for short periods of time?
Question 2: Will it make a difference when I cross into Spain from Portugal?
Pilgrims,
I will be on Camino from Lisbon to Santiago in September 2014. I completed the French route 4 years ago and used an iphone (USA type) ... It was expensive to text message. My friend purchased a cheap phone and minutes which were as expensive.
Question 1: What is the least expensive way (short of finding computers at hostels / albergues) way to text message / speak to the USA (I do not text / speak often, but I need to stay in touch for family reasons)? Are there any relatively good deals on phones to be used for short periods of time?
Question 2: Will it make a difference when I cross into Spain from Portugal?
Pilgrims,
I will be on Camino from Lisbon to Santiago in September 2014. I completed the French route 4 years ago and used an iphone (USA type) ... It was expensive to text message. My friend purchased a cheap phone and minutes which were as expensive.
Question 1: What is the least expensive way (short of finding computers at hostels / albergues) way to text message / speak to the USA (I do not text / speak often, but I need to stay in touch for family reasons)? Are there any relatively good deals on phones to be used for short periods of time?
Question 2: Will it make a difference when I cross into Spain from Portugal?
Pilgrims,
I will be on Camino from Lisbon to Santiago in September 2014. I completed the French route 4 years ago and used an iphone (USA type) ... It was expensive to text message. My friend purchased a cheap phone and minutes which were as expensive.
Question 1: What is the least expensive way (short of finding computers at hostels / albergues) way to text message / speak to the USA (I do not text / speak often, but I need to stay in touch for family reasons)? Are there any relatively good deals on phones to be used for short periods of time?
Question 2: Will it make a difference when I cross into Spain from Portugal?
Thanks Tom, this is very useful. better get my tech head up to speed. Have an unlocked iPhone. Simplest just to swap out with a Vodaphone sim card?I used an iPod Touch, v5, with Face Time and free Wi-Fi at virtually everyplace I stopped for the night along the Camino Frances to call home daily. I understand that the soon-to-be-released iOS 7 for iPhone and iPod Touch and iPad will have the capability to make voice only calls over Face Time to ANY voice number using voice over internet protocol - so the call is free - as you are using free Wi-Fi. Presently, it is only video calls and the person on the other end must have Face Time.
On the very few days Wi-Fi was not available or the signal not strong enough to support video conferencing, I used either e-mail (iPod Touch) or brief calls or texts from my quad-band, dumb t-Mobile (cell) phone, with a European SIM card in it. If your U.S. (or Canadian) mobile phone is a quad-band phone, it will accept SIM cards bought in Europe.
In North America, we use two frequencies for GSM phones on SIM-card equipped phones. In Europe and most of the rest of the world, they use two different frequencies on the same phones. So, there are dual-band GSM phones for North America and dual-band phones for worldwide use, other than North America and Japan (see below). Check with your cell / mobile carrier and the manufacturer of your particular model phone for specific information.
When you swap out a SIM card, think of it as a brain transplant. All the numbers stored in your phone - not the SIM card - are available. But after the SIM swap, your phone thinks it is now Spanish, French, Belgian, German, whatever, instead of Canadian or U.S.
In fact, I think the ONLY country that has a compatibility problem is Japan. In my experience, they use a wholly different set of frequencies for mobile phone there...go figure! I can never get a signal using either my U.S. or Belgian SIM card whenever I pass through Tokyo.
So, any smartphone or simple cell phone that is quad-band capable, accepts standard SIM cards, and is unlocked should work in Europe. When you get the choice of carriers or a choice of networks when roaming in Europe, Vodaphone appears to be the front-runner in terms of quality, coverage, and low cost.
I hope this helps.
Buen Camino y'all
Tom (from Virginia)
Brian,Thanks Tom, this is very useful. better get my tech head up to speed. Have an unlocked iPhone. Simplest just to swap out with a Vodaphone sim card?
Also, did I note that walked the camino in April of 2013? I am planning to go April 13th, 2014 (or thereabouts). Wonder what your general weather was like, especially over the Pyrenees? Leaving from SJPP. Still working on shoe choices also - any advise?
Fantastic to use flip flops at the Portugese caminiho. We met a German and a Polish lady ,wearing flip flops.
Because most of the time you walk uphill here in Portugal. ,the water runs into the flip flops and at the backside outAdvantage..you clean the soles of your feet continualy We felt sorry for them during the off road trail between Ponte de Lima and Rubiaes..ouch ! Walking on rocks all the time.
Advice. Wear good quality and solid feetware !
Bom caminho
Brian,
I bought a very expensive pair of leather hiking boots for my Frances pilgrimage. They were fine, but I'm moving to a more simple pair when I do the Portuguese next year. Spending less than $100 at LLBean and they seem much more comfortable already. I haven't got many miles on the new ones and haven't carried a pack at all. The key is checking them out, breaking them in, and getting comfortable! I really did see people in "flip flops" walking!
I guess folks are right when they say to get something comfortable and break them in!
Thanks Tom, this is very useful. better get my tech head up to speed. Have an unlocked iPhone. Simplest just to swap out with a Vodaphone sim card?
Also, did I note that walked the camino in April of 2013? I am planning to go April 13th, 2014 (or thereabouts). Wonder what your general weather was like, especially over the Pyrenees? Leaving from SJPP. Still working on shoe choices also - any advise?
When calling back home, +01 is the US country code. So, from Spain you dial +01.202.123.4567...
That's a long country codeActually the code is +1.202.123.4567, if you enter all your US numbers this way in your phone, you won't have to enter any international prefix when you travel around the world.
That's a long country code. I think the point being made here is that if you use the + sign, there is no leading zero in any international country dialling code.
The general pattern is that the + sign is the international access code for mobile carriers, which is followed by the country dialling code. The UK is 44, Australia 61, US, Canada and some others is 1. Any leading zero is then removed from state/regional/area codes, after which the local number is used.
It is not common to insert a period or other non-numeric characters into the dialling sequence, but I don't recall it doing any harm. You might want to check with your carrier. I know that that some private switchboard systems interpret some non-numeric characters to trigger special functions such as internal transfers, so it might be advisable to check if, say, you were staying in a hotel.
From land lines, the international access code varies. In Spain it is 00. After that, it is the same pattern for both mobiles and land lines. In other countries, there are different international access codes, which makes it impractical to save numbers in this way on mobiles, etc and expect them to work when you are travelling.
And finally, it is possible to do this for non-US numbers as well
Actually the code is +1.202.123.4567, if you enter all your US numbers this way in your phone, you won't have to enter any international prefix when you travel around the world.
Pilgrims,
I will be on Camino from Lisbon to Santiago in September 2014. I completed the French route 4 years ago and used an iphone (USA type) ... It was expensive to text message. My friend purchased a cheap phone and minutes which were as expensive.
Question 1: What is the least expensive way (short of finding computers at hostels / albergues) way to text message / speak to the USA (I do not text / speak often, but I need to stay in touch for family reasons)? Are there any relatively good deals on phones to be used for short periods of time?
Question 2: Will it make a difference when I cross into Spain from Portugal?
We use the "WhatsApp" app to text free when we travel. Works between iPhones & Android users where there is WiFi. Find at iTunes store.
VOIP. I use voip to call. Check out www.backsla.sh and www.key2door.com/betamax, this list of voip providers offer the best deals. Choose your voip provider and download the mobile app to your smartphone. Top up your voip account at ckvoip.biz. Read the info to do the top up. I use RYNGA you get 120 free days from them for 10 Euros. Login to wifi, log in to your voip app and away you go. A keypad will appear on the screen, You have to press 00 (for international) say 44 (the country code for the UK) and then your number you want to call. Then press the call button and in a few seconds you can be phoning the USA (mobile & landline ) for free. Good luck.Pilgrims,
I will be on Camino from Lisbon to Santiago in September 2014. I completed the French route 4 years ago and used an iphone (USA type) ... It was expensive to text message. My friend purchased a cheap phone and minutes which were as expensive.
Question 1: What is the least expensive way (short of finding computers at hostels / albergues) way to text message / speak to the USA (I do not text / speak often, but I need to stay in touch for family reasons)? Are there any relatively good deals on phones to be used for short periods of time?
Question 2: Will it make a difference when I cross into Spain from Portugal?
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