Aug. 22 - Availability of outlets for charging electronics

[Miguel47]

Starting my first Camino on Sept. 4 and I'm wondering how easy or difficult it will be to keep my mobile phone charged en route. Is there a lot of competition for available electrical outlets in albergues? Is it safe to leave equipment charging as one goes off to a restaurant for dinner?

 

[dougfitz]

The amount of competition will vary, but unless there are individual plugs, you might expect there to be others also wanting to charge equipment. I think leaving valuable items unattended is always risky.

 

[grayland]

The availability will vary in every albergue.
The newer ones usually have much better availability. The older ones are pretty scarce.
It is a good idea to buy an outlet multiplier that allows more devices to be plugged in to one outlet. (Probably not a good description but I don't have a better one.)
You can buy one in hardware or Chino stores in Spain or France very cheaply with the EU plug end.
Also pick up a USB EU plug in the same stores. Saves using adapters to North American, OZ, N.Z., etc. chargers. Very cheap.

Do not leave any valuable out of your sight..the Camino is no different than any other place....do as you would in any place with strangers. Crime and theft are not unknown in albergues and on the Camino.

 

[gerardcarey]

As grayland says "Do not leave any valuable out of your sight"
I would add "at any time!"
Sit near them when charging. Read a book, update your journal, send an email, whatever.
Experienced Pilgrims will always take them into the shower in a zip-lock or waterproof bag of some kind.
Regds
Gerard

 

[Miguel47]

The availability will vary in every albergue.
The newer ones usually have much better availability. The older ones are pretty scarce.
It is a good idea to buy an outlet multiplier that allows more devices to be plugged in to one outlet. (Probably not a good description but I don't have a better one.)
You can buy one in hardware or Chino stores in Spain or France very cheaply with the EU plug end.
Also pick up a USB EU plug in the same stores. Saves using adapters to North American, OZ, N.Z., etc. chargers. Very cheap.

Do not leave any valuable out of your sight..the Camino is no different than any other place....do as you would in any place with strangers. Crime and theft are not unknown in albergues and on the Camino.

Thanks for the advice. I particularly like the idea of getting a USB EU plug as I will only be carrying the one device, a phone, and the fewer 'bits' one has to keep track of the better.
Miguel

 

[Miguel47]

The amount of competition will vary, but unless there are individual plugs, you might expect there to be others also wanting to charge equipment. I think leaving valuable items unattended is always risky.

Thanks for confirming what i suspected would be the case. If I do manage to find a free outlet I will 'babysit' my charging phone while I read or do pedicure

 

[peregrina2000]

The availability will vary in every albergue.
The newer ones usually have much better availability. The older ones are pretty scarce.
It is a good idea to buy an outlet multiplier that allows more devices to be plugged in to one outlet. (Probably not a good description but I don't have a better one.)
You can buy one in hardware or Chino stores in Spain or France very cheaply with the EU plug end.
Also pick up a USB EU plug in the same stores. Saves using adapters to North American, OZ, N.Z., etc. chargers. Very cheap.

Do not leave any valuable out of your sight..the Camino is no different than any other place....do as you would in any place with strangers. Crime and theft are not unknown in albergues and on the Camino.

Grayland's advice is great, but I would be careful about buying an "outlet multiplier" (love it, great description) in a Chino store. Many of those devices do not meet European standards even though they have that all the usual symbols of quality. I know pilgrims who got great buys on things like the electric coil, only to find that it broke upon use. The plug adaptor may be less of a risk because there is nothing electrical going on inside it, but I would still pay a few euros more and buy an adaptor plug at home. You can get them quite cheaply on amazon. I bought about a dozen five or six years ago (since I inevitably lose one somehow) and am still well stocked.

 

[annakappa]

[QUOTE="Miguel47, post: 335671, member. Is it safe to leave equipment charging as one goes off to a restaurant for dinner?[/QUOTE]

My immediate reaction was " you must be joking ". Sorry, that sounds sarcastic, but I just want to impress upon you NEVER to leave anything valuable unattended, and that goes also for any documents and obviously money you carry.

 

[mspath]

Annakappa is so right! Furthermore never talk about what valuables you actually are carrying. Unfortunately not everyone on the camino is a camino angel.

 

[dcorrea951]

While you are walking, you will adopt a "Camino Family". If (when) you do you can watch out for each others equipment/devices. I would also suggest that you buy before you leave home.

Buen Camino

 

[OTH86]

... I would also suggest that you buy before you leave home.

It seems that when I bought a new charger for my Apple device at a well-known department store in Spain, my device charged faster and kept the charge longer than when I had been using the chargers that came with the device - both the old and new were made in China. Can someone verify or refute this since I don't know that much about electronics... Thanks!!
Terry

 

[dougfitz]

While you are walking, you will adopt a "Camino Family". If (when) you do you can watch out for each others equipment/devices. I would also suggest that you buy before you leave home.

I never felt it fair to burden my Camino friends with taking responsibility for my personal possessions. My things, my responsibility.

 

[Bajaracer]

It seems that when I bought a new charger for my Apple device at a well-known department store in Spain, my device charged faster and kept the charge longer than when I had been using the chargers that came with the device - both the old and new were made in China. Can someone verify or refute this since I don't know that much about electronics... Thanks!!
Terry

Your device probably charged faster due to the type of wattage and amperage. An example is charging the Apple iPhone with an Apple iPad 10w USB charger, the iPhone charger is a 5w.
Both chargers are the same price through Apple, I chose the iPad charger to charge my iPhone, it charges is faster and doesn't harm my iPhone.

 

[gracethepilgrim]

Although I’m pretty sure this thread relates to the Camino Frances, I thought I’d add that last year in September I never had any problem charging my mobile on the VdlP. I took along a Powermonkey charger and never used it once. I’m saving space this year and not taking it.

 

[Bala]

Your device probably charged faster due to the type of wattage and amperage. An example is charging the Apple iPhone with an Apple iPad 10w USB charger, the iPhone charger is a 5w.
Both chargers are the same price through Apple, I chose the iPad charger to charge my iPhone, it charges is faster and doesn't harm my iPhone.

Thank you for that response! I never realized charger came with different wattage. Now I know why my phone wouldn't charge last time I was out of the country, using a generic charger I'd picked up "somewhere..." I'll be sure to double check what I have before I head for the camino.

 

[dougfitz]

Your device probably charged faster due to the type of wattage and amperage. An example is charging the Apple iPhone with an Apple iPad 10w USB charger, the iPhone charger is a 5w.
Both chargers are the same price through Apple, I chose the iPad charger to charge my iPhone, it charges is faster and doesn't harm my iPhone.

@Bajaracer is generally correct - the Apple iPad charger is rated at 5.1V rather than the 5.0V of the standard USB port. This allows for a higher charging current (2.1A compared to 0.5A) and faster charging times. But faster charging times do have a downside. The higher currents involved will heat up the battery more, and excessive heat buildup can reduce battery life. This won't happen overnight, but you will be gradually reducing your battery life if you fast-charge your devices by using a higher capacity charger.

 

[LakeMcD]

I think on my next camino I'll try one of those USB battery packs. They are pretty inexpensive and some will recharge your phone multiple times. I'd much rather loose one of these than a device.

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-usb-battery-pack-travel/

 

[fraluchi]

[...]I'm wondering how easy or difficult it will be to keep my mobile phone charged en route. [...]

Use a multiple adapter and plug in with other chargers. Don't leave the gadget out of sight (control)

 

[OTH86]

Thanks so much Bajaracer and dougfitz! It mostly makes sense now! ~Terry

 

[Bajaracer]

Thanks so much Bajaracer and dougfitz! It mostly makes sense now! ~Terry

I bought an older Apple world travel adapter kit on eBay for half price, it came with the iPad charger along with the EU AC plug. The newer kit just has the AC plugs only.

 

[OTH86]

I bought an older Apple world travel adapter kit on eBay for half price, it came with the iPad charger along with the EU AC plug. The newer kit just has the AC plugs only.

Hmm, interesting -- I have that older Apple world travel adapter kit (bought in Aug 2013) 10W USB Power Adapter, and was using it until the smaller plug for the iPad bent (did *I* do that?? ) and couldn't be used. So I had to buy a replacement - which turned out to be the European plug - all-in-one - rather than multiple "fixtures" - and which seemed to work better - but I'm not sure now. Will "test" it in October! Thanks again for your help!

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Grayland's advice is great, but I would be careful about buying an "outlet multiplier" (love it, great description) in a Chino store. Many of those devices do not meet European standards even though they have that all the usual symbols of quality. I know pilgrims who got great buys on things like the electric coil, only to find that it broke upon use. The plug adaptor may be less of a risk because there is nothing electrical going on inside it, but I would still pay a few euros more and buy an adaptor plug at home. You can get them quite cheaply on amazon. I bought about a dozen five or six years ago (since I inevitably lose one somehow) and am still well stocked.

Lori, ypu are 100% right about not buying these at the "Chino", aka $stores. I bought a multi USB charger in Oviedo at a Chino and it dodn't work. The girls did tell me to keep my receipt; they must have known something... And sure enough, it did not work, but the store only opened at 10 am the next day and I was not going to wait dor it to open.

Bought a second on in Grado, did not work after 3 days. I ended up buying one for 3 times the price in Madrid at the Corte Ingles for my next Camino. You can also buy these at the airport on arrival but they are huge. Not something I wanted to carry. And a good 20€. Guess you pay what you get for. You can also buy them on Amazon, but they are not inexpensive either.

 

[Bajaracer]

Hmm, interesting -- I have that older Apple world travel adapter kit (bought in Aug 2013) 10W USB Power Adapter, and was using it until the smaller plug for the iPad bent (did *I* do that?? ) and couldn't be used. So I had to buy a replacement - which turned out to be the European plug - all-in-one - rather than multiple "fixtures" - and which seemed to work better - but I'm not sure now. Will "test" it in October! Thanks again for your help!

Take the EU AC plug and the US AC plug and switch as needed with the iPad charger.

 

[Saint Mike II]

The availability will vary in every albergue.
The newer ones usually have much better availability. Also pick up a USB EU plug in the same stores. Saves using adapters to North American, OZ, N.Z., etc. chargers. Very cheap.

Do not leave any valuable out of your sight..the Camino is no different than any other place....do as you would in any place with strangers. Crime and theft are not unknown in albergues and on the Camino.

Thanks for the tip about an EU-USB plug - virtually all my e_gear recharges via a USB. Will look for one in Madrid. For all my other gear I have standardised on AAA batteries so might try to find a USB battery charger as well. Agree about leaving any electrical gear unattended; On a couple of nights I was lucky to find a bunk right next to a double plug, so charged up overnight - but also shared with others!!
Cheers.

 

[tomnorth]

This has given me food for thought. I bought a multiplier that includes a USB charging port, but I was thinking of leaving it at home to save weight. I might change my mind now given the scarcity of outlets. If my adapter can provide extra plugs plus a USB port perhaps I will be able to convince fellow pilgrims to share an outlet.

 

[annakappa]

While you are walking, you will adopt a "Camino Family". If (when) you do you can watch out for each others equipment/devices. I would also suggest that you buy before you leave home.

Buen Camino

Not everyone adopts a so called Camino Family ( personally a term that I'm not so happy with). In any case, do not, not even to them, entrust your personal belongings. You only need one black sheep in the family.......

 

[Bajaracer]

Ebay has EU USB chargers for under $3.00US
http://www.ebay.com/itm/EU-Plug-3-P...y-S5-iPhone-/161721834453?hash=item25a75f5bd5

 

[RobertS26]

This might be a good time to remind everyone not to make fun of those pilgrims who check into private rooms at albergues or at hotels. Behind those locked doors are three or four power outlets. If you treat people staying in private rooms as "real pilgrims" they just might let you safely and securely charge all of your electronics to your heart's content while the two of you wonder off to find a cold beer.

 

[Donna Sch]

An external battery is a very handy thing to carry as your phone will always try to die about 90 minutes before you get to where you are going. Which is usually when you want to check maps, albergue locations etc. A charger with more than one USB port is always handy and it will make you friends when they want to charge up their gadgets. I picked up one in a vending machine at the airport in Barcelona at a very reasonable price (compared to Australia). A retractible charger cord - less messy. And if you are carrying a camera with a rechargeable battery - make sure you have a converter for your country! They are cheap once you find them in Spain - but you have to find them first!

 

[SYates]

You can also maximize the battery life of your phone and other electronics by turning them off during the day. That has the added advantage that you are not so easily distracted from what happens around you. Buen Camino, SY

 

[Donna Sch]

Flight mode conserves your battery considerably. The only time I didn't use it was when I was listening to music/audios on my phone as I needed the bluetooth so I could adjust settings from my watch (I know, I know, #firstworldproblem).

 

[Devon Mike]

Like a few people I have met, I choose to be totally disconnected while on the Camino, so no phone, no WIFI. I do carry a small lightweight compact camera which runs on two AA size batteries which can be purchased virtually anywhere.

It all helps to make Camino life simple....