Bob from L.A. !
Veteran Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Camino Francis 2012, 2014, 2016. Camino Norte 2018
*The following are my observations/suggestions in regards to Camino contingency planning. I invite anyone and everyone to add suggestions and ideas with the goal of keeping us all safe and alive while walking our Camino. Some of the things mentioned will be basic and elementary, but some of these things can save a life and alleviate a lot of needless worry.
All too often I have read in these forums how loved ones at home cannot locate their loved ones who are walking the camino due to cell phone problems, Email issues, etc...
When I read these postings I wonder if the individuals have/had a travel contingency plan written down and explained/discussed with the family and friends they left behind at home prior to leaving home.
When I travel aboard I ALWAYS write down a day by day travel itinerary, down to the hotels I will be staying at (when I stay at one) or at least what town/community I will targeting for the day. In this itinerary for camino walking I also plot in my scheduled rest days and where I will be during those rest days. In the itinerary I leave the telephone numbers of these hotels (if I am staying in one).
I make it a habit to at least email my family members everyday at the end of each day, providing my location and usually posting photos from the day. Within the itinerary I have the address and phone number of (in my case) all the American consulates within the country I am in, in the event I am detained by authorities for any reason.
Prior to leaving I provide 2 individuals with complete copies of my entire itinerary and instruct them if they have not heard from me within 2-3 days there is probably a problem and to notify the consulate and local authority's of the last known location I transmitted from. (I also wear a locator device while climbing or hiking with an emergency GPS system on it as well). I also carry an identical copy of the itinerary in by backpack with the names and numbers of my emergency contacts as well as medical issues and allergies in the event I am found unresponsive. In my itinerary package I also include a copy of my passport with it's number and a photo.
I believe by utilizing this basic planning/communication contingency system family members missing loved ones could 1. - Know the last known location of their trekking loved one to start a search. 2. - Could notify the local authority in that jurisdiction so they could begin checking hostels and their "check in" logs for names. 3. - Authority's could more quickly contact fellow pilgrims who could have seen or spoken to the missing pilgrim (before they move on). 4. - Could, in the event of a crime, obtain and preserve evidence. 5. - First responders could stand a better chance of rendering aid if they knew an approximate location (Community, city or town). 6. - Loved ones could know (possibly) the names of other pilgrims their loved ones had been traveling with during the time of their disappearance.
While much of the above may sound like "overkill" to some I find, through experience, it has been a relief to my loved ones to know my whereabouts when I am thousands of miles away.
Buen Camino!
All too often I have read in these forums how loved ones at home cannot locate their loved ones who are walking the camino due to cell phone problems, Email issues, etc...
When I read these postings I wonder if the individuals have/had a travel contingency plan written down and explained/discussed with the family and friends they left behind at home prior to leaving home.
When I travel aboard I ALWAYS write down a day by day travel itinerary, down to the hotels I will be staying at (when I stay at one) or at least what town/community I will targeting for the day. In this itinerary for camino walking I also plot in my scheduled rest days and where I will be during those rest days. In the itinerary I leave the telephone numbers of these hotels (if I am staying in one).
I make it a habit to at least email my family members everyday at the end of each day, providing my location and usually posting photos from the day. Within the itinerary I have the address and phone number of (in my case) all the American consulates within the country I am in, in the event I am detained by authorities for any reason.
Prior to leaving I provide 2 individuals with complete copies of my entire itinerary and instruct them if they have not heard from me within 2-3 days there is probably a problem and to notify the consulate and local authority's of the last known location I transmitted from. (I also wear a locator device while climbing or hiking with an emergency GPS system on it as well). I also carry an identical copy of the itinerary in by backpack with the names and numbers of my emergency contacts as well as medical issues and allergies in the event I am found unresponsive. In my itinerary package I also include a copy of my passport with it's number and a photo.
I believe by utilizing this basic planning/communication contingency system family members missing loved ones could 1. - Know the last known location of their trekking loved one to start a search. 2. - Could notify the local authority in that jurisdiction so they could begin checking hostels and their "check in" logs for names. 3. - Authority's could more quickly contact fellow pilgrims who could have seen or spoken to the missing pilgrim (before they move on). 4. - Could, in the event of a crime, obtain and preserve evidence. 5. - First responders could stand a better chance of rendering aid if they knew an approximate location (Community, city or town). 6. - Loved ones could know (possibly) the names of other pilgrims their loved ones had been traveling with during the time of their disappearance.
While much of the above may sound like "overkill" to some I find, through experience, it has been a relief to my loved ones to know my whereabouts when I am thousands of miles away.
Buen Camino!