tpalmercurl
Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- 2021
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I think the odds of fully vaccinated careful people testing positive is low, especially if you’re not staying in albergues, slightly higher if you are. But as we often say in medicine, despite low odds if it’s you it’s 100%. Only you know how disruptive or costly an unplanned isolation period at the end could be, and how tolerant you are of that low but possible riskOur trip (delayed since 2019) is set for mid-October. We will be doing our eighth and final leg, from Lugo to Santiago/Finisterre. We are vaccinated and healthy, both over 60. We will mask and distance as much as possible, though our trip includes several days in Madrid, where these measures will be a little more challenging. Our biggest concern is the Covid test we must pass before we can travel home to the U.S. An unforeseen positive, and lengthy quarantine, is a big risk. Interested to know the decisions others have made, what you have observed on the ground in Spain, what opinions anyone may have. Thanks!
If not now, then when?Our trip (delayed since 2019) is set for mid-October. We will be doing our eighth and final leg, from Lugo to Santiago/Finisterre. We are vaccinated and healthy, both over 60. We will mask and distance as much as possible, though our trip includes several days in Madrid, where these measures will be a little more challenging. Our biggest concern is the Covid test we must pass before we can travel home to the U.S. An unforeseen positive, and lengthy quarantine, is a big risk. Interested to know the decisions others have made, what you have observed on the ground in Spain, what opinions anyone may have. Thanks!
Fear is the biggest obstacle. Just go and enjoy . You are ready and are well prepared and so am I for Camino del Norte mid September to beg nov.Our trip (delayed since 2019) is set for mid-October. We will be doing our eighth and final leg, from Lugo to Santiago/Finisterre. We are vaccinated and healthy, both over 60. We will mask and distance as much as possible, though our trip includes several days in Madrid, where these measures will be a little more challenging. Our biggest concern is the Covid test we must pass before we can travel home to the U.S. An unforeseen positive, and lengthy quarantine, is a big risk. Interested to know the decisions others have made, what you have observed on the ground in Spain, what opinions anyone may have. Thanks!
We delayed twice and we are now planning on going April 2022. We too want to visit some cities after our walk and i am hoping things will be better not worse a year from now. I am also hopeful there will be more people vaccinated, less of the Delta Variant and a better experience...but that is just me. Good luck!Our trip (delayed since 2019) is set for mid-October. We will be doing our eighth and final leg, from Lugo to Santiago/Finisterre. We are vaccinated and healthy, both over 60. We will mask and distance as much as possible, though our trip includes several days in Madrid, where these measures will be a little more challenging. Our biggest concern is the Covid test we must pass before we can travel home to the U.S. An unforeseen positive, and lengthy quarantine, is a big risk. Interested to know the decisions others have made, what you have observed on the ground in Spain, what opinions anyone may have. Thanks!
Great idea about the rapid tests!What if you were to take a personal supply of rapid antigen tests so that you’d not be caught off guard? You might have an unavoidable quarantine in Madrid with your plan, but depending on how many days you had budgeted for there, it might still be feasible?
What is the infection rate in Madrid right now? Who is being hit most as a population? Those questions, if you seek the answers might help you to decide…
My husband and I were planning to finish walking the Camino del Norte from Bilbao in September/October. We had planned to do this in the spring of 2019 and cancelled due to COVID. Right now we are healthy and fit but at our ages (75 and 82) you never know if that will remain true. Reading this is what made us decide to wait. We decided not to go this fall but to wait until the spring. Things keep changing and it seems complicated to go now.Our trip (delayed since 2019) is set for mid-October. We will be doing our eighth and final leg, from Lugo to Santiago/Finisterre. We are vaccinated and healthy, both over 60. We will mask and distance as much as possible, though our trip includes several days in Madrid, where these measures will be a little more challenging. Our biggest concern is the Covid test we must pass before we can travel home to the U.S. An unforeseen positive, and lengthy quarantine, is a big risk. Interested to know the decisions others have made, what you have observed on the ground in Spain, what opinions anyone may have. Thanks!
Many thanks to all of you for these kind and thoughtful replies! We are grateful and taking all of your words to heart. !Buen camino a todos!
Can you get a booster shot before you go? Depending on when you got your original shot(s) it could make you safer, and feel safer, too. You could also delay and do a different route later. I've decided to cancel my September trip on the Via Francigena (Italy), and perhaps do the Mozarabe in southern Spain in December, instead. There are a lot of pilgrimage routes now and most are less crowded than the Frances, while still offering a comparable experience of history, culture, etcOur trip (delayed since 2019) is set for mid-October. We will be doing our eighth and final leg, from Lugo to Santiago/Finisterre. We are vaccinated and healthy, both over 60. We will mask and distance as much as possible, though our trip includes several days in Madrid, where these measures will be a little more challenging. Our biggest concern is the Covid test we must pass before we can travel home to the U.S. An unforeseen positive, and lengthy quarantine, is a big risk. Interested to know the decisions others have made, what you have observed on the ground in Spain, what opinions anyone may have. Thanks!
I read the replies, all good advice. My feeling is the joy etc from doing a camino vs possible quarantine.. doing the camino wins every time. Budget for the quarantine and go enjoy your camino. BuenOur trip (delayed since 2019) is set for mid-October. We will be doing our eighth and final leg, from Lugo to Santiago/Finisterre. We are vaccinated and healthy, both over 60. We will mask and distance as much as possible, though our trip includes several days in Madrid, where these measures will be a little more challenging. Our biggest concern is the Covid test we must pass before we can travel home to the U.S. An unforeseen positive, and lengthy quarantine, is a big risk. Interested to know the decisions others have made, what you have observed on the ground in Spain, what opinions anyone may have. Thanks!
Please explain having your own supply of rapid antigen tests…What if you were to take a personal supply of rapid antigen tests so that you’d not be caught off guard? You might have an unavoidable quarantine in Madrid with your plan, but depending on how many days you had budgeted for there, it might still be feasible?
What is the infection rate in Madrid right now? Who is being hit most as a population? Those questions, if you seek the answers might help you to decide…
I agree with Albertagirl. There will be significantly fewer pilgrims in your time period which should make it easier to find the kind of accommodation you need. My prediction is that in that time window you will experience warm beautiful days, cool nights, clear skies, cold rain coming down sideways, calm days, very windy days. Buen Camino!!Your decision depends largely on your own feelings about this camino. What would it cost you, in terms of disruption of your life, to have to quarantine in Spain and go home late? What would it cost you, in terms of your call to pilgrimage, to have to once again put off something that is important to you and you have gone too long without? Would you be willing to wait for the practical reason that your camino might again be disrupted by the very force that has put it off up to now? As a pilgrim who is retired and ten years or so older than yourself, I feel the wheel of time grinding away what years I may have left to walk caminos. But if you feel free to go again another time, then this may be what you choose to do. October seems to me to be a (relatively) safe time to go on camino, as numbers are decreasing from the summer highs. I shall be out there from mid-September to the end of November. Having bought an air ticket to Spain on impulse several months ago, I cannot give you any wise advice. Do what seems best to you in your situation.
@WanderingfriendGreat advise Alberta girl…I hope our paths cross on the journey. Leaving in two days…from BC.
Exact same thing for me. My original Primitivo was scheduled for May 2020. In 11 days I start the same trip - cut and pasted from last year. I’m rooting for all of us!This is what I would offer. In May 2020, I knew deep down I needed to cancel. It was a personal decision but I knew it was right. This time, I leave in two days. I am a bit nervous about covid and the implications of the changes, lack of rooms etc. I am fully vaccinated, wear only n95 masks and am very careful around people. This all changes my Camino in terms of the communal part. Saying that I am going. I have none of the deep down knowing I needed to cancel this time. I have thought through many scenarios and have decided to hold the best laid plans loosely. I am going alone. It will be a different Camino but I know this time it is calling my name. Hope that helps. Trust your inner sense.
So, if you take your own tests…who processes it? How will it affect you if you find you are + on your own?@tpalmercurl I am in the same boat as you. I want to go, but I don't want to go mostly because of the hassles involved. I could deal with the possible quarenteen, but do I want to? @CalgaryLynn is right. This may be the new normal for awhile, so shall we just accept it and deal with the new normal?
For me, the best suggestion I've heard is @Faye Walker's idea of taking test kits for personal use so you are not taken off guard before the flight out. Perhaps a self test one week before the flight out would be prudent, or even three days before, so you are prepared.
The extra cost of a quarenteen would be a game changer for some, but just a nuisance for me. Humm, maybe I just talked myself into a trip?
I bought the six pack for $150. I leave 9/23 and return 11/14Great idea about the rapid tests!
Totally agree with this. COVID will be an issue for the next few years and there will be allIf not now, then when?
it’s not going to get any easier to decide anytime soon; many people are walking now, and have been for some time.
What if you were to take a personal supply of rapid antigen tests so that you’d not be caught off guard? You might have an unavoidable quarantine in Madrid with your plan, but depending on how many days you had budgeted for there, it might still be feasible?
What is the infection rate in Madrid right now? Who is being hit most as a population? Those questions, if you seek the answers might help you to decide…
Great idea about the rapid tests!
Our trip (delayed since 2019) is set for mid-October. We will be doing our eighth and final leg, from Lugo to Santiago/Finisterre. We are vaccinated and healthy, both over 60. We will mask and distance as much as possible, though our trip includes several days in Madrid, where these measures will be a little more challenging. Our biggest concern is the Covid test we must pass before we can travel home to the U.S. An unforeseen positive, and lengthy quarantine, is a big risk. Interested to know the decisions others have made, what you have observed on the ground in Spain, what opinions anyone may have. Thanks!
I leave October 19 from the U.S. My 1st Camino Sarria-SDC then on to Finisterre.….. hopefully followed by a week in Greece afterwards.Our trip (delayed since 2019) is set for mid-October. We will be doing our eighth and final leg, from Lugo to Santiago/Finisterre. We are vaccinated and healthy, both over 60. We will mask and distance as much as possible, though our trip includes several days in Madrid, where these measures will be a little more challenging. Our biggest concern is the Covid test we must pass before we can travel home to the U.S. An unforeseen positive, and lengthy quarantine, is a big risk. Interested to know the decisions others have made, what you have observed on the ground in Spain, what opinions anyone may have. Thanks!
In general, I agree with you. But I suspect that many of us move from one to the other- restricting our movement or going ahead anyway, based on a multitude of factors. Yesterday I saw a photo on this forum of several women close together socializing in an albergue. I found myself thinking: "I hope that the number of people staying in albergues will be down by the time that I am walking the Sanabres: I wouldn't feel safe with that group in an albergue." But then I realize that my choice of a camino is influenced by how safe I feel: not too many pilgrims in the albergues on the Levante, and there will (probably} be few on the Sanabres when I finally get there. So I am keeping myself safe without being totally aware of a risk, and am free to enjoy my camino.My sense is that large parts of the world’s “first world” population are evolving into an attitude of “we are going to have covid with us for the foreseeable future, so let’s learn to live with it.” Just based on my own social circle and family, for some that means accepting limitations on movement and activity that would have been unthinkable before covid, and for others that means accepting a certain amount of risk of covid infection while tentatively moving back into more regular activity.
As so many others have said, there is no right or wrong answer, it’s such an individual combination of personal health factors, family health issues, and how well you tolerate risk. My only advice would be that if you feel terribly anxious at the thought of walking becase you are afraid of contracting covid (irrespective of what the real risks are), you just shouldn’t walk. What fun would it be to walk a camino in fear?
I just booked my trip yesterday. I am leaving 9/26 and returning 10/29. I am vaccinated and I plan to take every precaution and follow any local rules along the way. I will be walking Madrid/ San Salvador/ Primitivo. I am not going to concern myself with what might happen. If something should happen injury/Covid etc., I will deal with it at that time.Our trip (delayed since 2019) is set for mid-October. We will be doing our eighth and final leg, from Lugo to Santiago/Finisterre. We are vaccinated and healthy, both over 60. We will mask and distance as much as possible, though our trip includes several days in Madrid, where these measures will be a little more challenging. Our biggest concern is the Covid test we must pass before we can travel home to the U.S. An unforeseen positive, and lengthy quarantine, is a big risk. Interested to know the decisions others have made, what you have observed on the ground in Spain, what opinions anyone may have. Thanks!
I am not sure I understand the value of bringing test kits? It does nothing to prevent. You would still have to Quarantine. How does a test prepare you for anything?@tpalmercurl I am in the same boat as you. I want to go, but I don't want to go mostly because of the hassles involved. I could deal with the possible quarenteen, but do I want to? @CalgaryLynn is right. This may be the new normal for awhile, so shall we just accept it and deal with the new normal?
For me, the best suggestion I've heard is @Faye Walker's idea of taking test kits for personal use so you are not taken off guard before the flight out. Perhaps a self test one week before the flight out would be prudent, or even three days before, so you are prepared.
The extra cost of a quarenteen would be a game changer for some, but just a nuisance for me. Humm, maybe I just talked myself into a trip?
What is a just in case med?I leave October 19 from the U.S. My 1st Camino Sarria-SDC then on to Finisterre.….. hopefully followed by a week in Greece afterwards.
Having gone through all the “what if’s“, my doctor has agreed to give me meds for “just in case”.
For me, I have prepared as much as I can. This is what I am supposed to be doing at this time in my life and I am grateful and excited for the opportunity. If the plans are interrupted then they are.
Be at peace and I look forward to seeing your pics. Enjoy!
If I see you somewhere, say, in Santiago, I promise to ignore the glare, to bow respectfully, and to leave without a word. Buen camino.if you want people to leave you alone when you walk, just carry rosary beads. Now I will just put on a mask and glare.
I have the same question.What is a just in case med?
If not now, then when?
it’s not going to get any easier to decide anytime soon; many people are walking now, and have been for some time.
I am going to look into boosters. My second shot was in April, so the recommended 8-month interval for me is not until December. But if I can get it early, I will.Can you get a booster shot before you go? Depending on when you got your original shot(s) it could make you safer, and feel safer, too. You could also delay and do a different route later. I've decided to cancel my September trip on the Via Francigena (Italy), and perhaps do the Mozarabe in southern Spain in December, instead. There are a lot of pilgrimage routes now and most are less crowded than the Frances, while still offering a comparable experience of history, culture, etc
Hello,Our trip (delayed since 2019) is set for mid-October. We will be doing our eighth and final leg, from Lugo to Santiago/Finisterre. We are vaccinated and healthy, both over 60. We will mask and distance as much as possible, though our trip includes several days in Madrid, where these measures will be a little more challenging. Our biggest concern is the Covid test we must pass before we can travel home to the U.S. An unforeseen positive, and lengthy quarantine, is a big risk. Interested to know the decisions others have made, what you have observed on the ground in Spain, what opinions anyone may have. Thanks!
Our trip (delayed since 2019) is set for mid-October. We will be doing our eighth and final leg, from Lugo to Santiago/Finisterre. We are vaccinated and healthy, both over 60. We will mask and distance as much as possible, though our trip includes several days in Madrid, where these measures will be a little more challenging. Our biggest concern is the Covid test we must pass before we can travel home to the U.S. An unforeseen positive, and lengthy quarantine, is a big risk. Interested to know the decisions others have made, what you have observed on the ground in Spain, what opinions anyone may have. Thanks!
What is a just in case med?
Antibiotics/Steroid.What is a just in case med?
Albertagirl you’re soon departing. Praying all goes well with your travel PCR test , flight and arrival! Buen Camino.Your decision depends largely on your own feelings about this camino. What would it cost you, in terms of disruption of your life, to have to quarantine in Spain and go home late? What would it cost you, in terms of your call to pilgrimage, to have to once again put off something that is important to you and you have gone too long without? Would you be willing to wait for the practical reason that your camino might again be disrupted by the very force that has put it off up to now? As a pilgrim who is retired and ten years or so older than yourself, I feel the wheel of time grinding away what years I may have left to walk caminos. But if you feel free to go again another time, then this may be what you choose to do. October seems to me to be a (relatively) safe time to go on camino, as numbers are decreasing from the summer highs. I shall be out there from mid-September to the end of November. Having bought an air ticket to Spain on impulse several months ago, I cannot give you any wise advice. Do what seems best to you in your situation.
Hadn't heard that rosary beads anecdote - quite funny!Yes, I totally agree — it is a combination of individual assessment of risk and individual decisions about what kind of behavior fits within that risk.
I am scheduled to leave for the Camino in two weeks. I am going to wear N95 masks, I am going to stay in private accommodations, I am not going to eat inside a restaurant — it’s either outside or takeout. So I am going, but I’m not willing to do a lot of the things I used to do when I walked. No albergues or communal dinners for me. It’s funny, but for me this is a perfect alignment of the camino stars. I do not want to walk with anyone else this year, I just want to walk alone, so the covid risk just gives me “cover” to do that without appearing anti-social. Sort of like how Rebekah used to say — if you want people to leave you alone when you walk, just carry rosary beads. Now I will just put on a mask and glare.
Having pilgrimaged to Iona a number of times, I support your choice to go there. Are you walking any routes or simply getting out to Mull and Iona by ferry?I am fully vaccinated. I understand that catching any variant of Covid will potentially impact me more than a younger person. I also understand that being vaccinated may or may not effect my potential to spread the virus. I can wear mask's, avoid crowds, rub gel on my hands every 5 minutes but do so remembering that the virus only has to "get lucky" once.
I had flights booked to Barcelona early Sept intending to walk both the Ebro from the delta end and the Aragon. On balance I reasoned that if anything I would be safer or as safe doing that as I would be by staying home in West Country, UK.
My flights are now cancelled and instead I am heading up to the West Coast of Scotland and will make a pilgrimage to Iona instead. The reason is not so much risk but hassle.
The hassle and problems that will be caused by a positive PCR test before returning to the UK from Spain are considerable. Immediate quarantine until contacted by Spanish health officials (their website says anything up to 72 hours), then isolation in a hotel room either theirs or yours at your expense. You eat whatever they supply. You then have to arrange a Dr to visit to provide a fit to fly certificate. And through all of this you get to rearrange your flights home. Expense and loads of hassle. The situation is complicated if there are two of you and only one tests positive.
I will be taking the same risks flying an hour up to Scotland. But there is a difference. The resultant consequence of catching Covid on the journey is manageable as I am covered (paid for) by our health system, operated in a language I understand fully. I will be taking LFT (rapid antigen tests) with me and will self test throughout.
Overall it is not so much a matter of risk - Spain especially rural Spain - is probably much safer than built up UK- it is a matter of consequence. Personal decision, personal risk assessment and ultimately personal choice.
Clearly you haven't walked the Camino yet. I am getting at least 3-4 years younger with every Camino I walkAnd yes the virus is going to be with us for the foreseeable future. I’m not getting any younger
Mycroft,Having pilgrimaged to Iona a number of times, I support your choice to go there. Are you walking any routes or simply getting out to Mull and Iona by ferry?
In any case overall, you should do whatever you feel more comfortable doing. Buen camino.
Go!!!! Our virus is not going away soon… vaccinate have proof, keep a mask in your left pocket ( or right) have it on hand instantly. We are in week three of Le Puy and the virus to this point has done nothing to alter our pilgrimage, if I’m honest my biggest inconvenience has been only three people allowed in a tiny market on day two. My husbands healthy brother on November 1, 2020 was preparing his garden of his new house, and five months later took his last breath in that same new house from a rapid cancer. Tomorrow is not promised to any of us. I did my due diligence, I spent 18 months doing all I could do to protect myself and others, was one of the first 1,000 in the US to be vaccinated and worked at time volunteering to work the covid unit to protect other staff not wanting to. The virus is here, will have other variants I have no doubt. Vaccinate be respectful to others. I am safer to self and others on pilgrimage…Our trip (delayed since 2019) is set for mid-October. We will be doing our eighth and final leg, from Lugo to Santiago/Finisterre. We are vaccinated and healthy, both over 60. We will mask and distance as much as possible, though our trip includes several days in Madrid, where these measures will be a little more challenging. Our biggest concern is the Covid test we must pass before we can travel home to the U.S. An unforeseen positive, and lengthy quarantine, is a big risk. Interested to know the decisions others have made, what you have observed on the ground in Spain, what opinions anyone may have. Thanks!
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