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Camino Planning/Itinerary Contingency plans

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!
 
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Well, personal approaches may differ with every person and family.
In general terms, I think the Camino is not a particularly dangerous trekking. It is not as I were crossing the Himalayas, or travelling in a crime-ridden or backward country...Actually, as a trek, the Frances is not a particularly adventurous one.
Having said that, some of your suggestions seem sound. I too carry a card with a "in case of emergency, call...." and basic personal and medical data.
As for a preset itinerary, the problem is that it can vary for many reasons. And anyway, the idea of a rigid, pre-established, day per day schedule, with albergues and hotels included, is not my cup of tea. I like a good degree of on the spot improvisation.
I usually tell my dear ones that I will e-mail them...when possible. After I turned 60 I accepted the idea of carrying a cell phone, just for mutual peace of mind. They have never felt the urge or the need to call me. As I have made many Caminos without incidents, they are not particularly anxious.
As I said, experiences and feelings vary.
Buen (and safe) Camino!
 
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I was bought up in the era before emails when international phone calls were prohibitively expensive and communication was in the form of airmail letters and postcards (what bliss) but times change. Luckily my family doesn’t expect daily communication. In any case, I always buy a Spanish sim card just in case they want to contact me which is usually more often than I want to contact them. ;):p
Also on the opening screen of my phone I put my name, email address, nationality, an emergency contact person and their mobile number. I also put the international emergency number 112 just in case it might be forgotten in an emergency.
Walk safe and in between times if on the CF there is lots of wifi.:)
 
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While I do make sure I can be easily identified if found unresponsive, and do check in with home for their peace of mind, I would caution against a detailed plan of town and albergue where you plan on staying, simply because as one walks many things can come and change those stops: weather, injury, bed not available, lagging behind or fast forwarding to accompany a fellow walker needing help, you name it.

Like Heda I have lots of info on my phone’s welcome screen. To be identified, for medical treatement to be started and also to be reached should I lose my phone and someone wished to return it.

Name
Nationality
Passport number (we leave it in open view in all albergues, not exactly super confidential)
Emergency contact at home: name, phone number and email
Travel insurance company name, tollfree number, regular phone number and policy number
Any illness, allergies
Email address for someone to contact me should I lose my phone: finding a fellow walker willing to allow you to check gmail or hotmail account on wifi to see if you have a message is not a stretch. And this can be an email addy set up just for this purpose if you are worried about identity theft.

I have to say I am always baffled and worried when I read posts from someone looking for a relative who may be having phone issues. Formthe love of God, if your phone runs out of minuted, battery, stops working, borrow one to check in with loved one who may be expecting a planned call. This seems so easy to do that when such a post comes up I genuinly worry for the walker who has not cheked in.
 
I had a first hand experience with a 18 years old, not particulary concerned with contacting parents...:):D
He was just having a great time. This was many years ago, when communications was mainly by cybercafes. You see, modern technology, sometimes, instead of giving us assurance ans peace of mind, make us more nervous.:eek::mad:
In general terms, being without news from relatives in the Camino for two or three days should not be a motive of alarm; no need for setting an online search or contact consulates. There could be many reasons for this: cell problems, no wi fi (unusual in the Frances, but not unheard of in some les "domesticated", rural Caminos), or just that the person loves his/her dear ones, but want some space. Now, I'd be slightily worried after five or six days, and after a week I' d start weighing options...
Personal habits, age, health, are factors to consider, too. But don't be too apprehensive, the Camino is a safe environment (and safer, certainly, than many cities).
 
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Depending upon when you go, knowing exactly where you’ll be everyday is not only difficult but it takes the spontaneity out of your Camino. Last May-June, the Camino was very busy, fortunately WiFi is available almost everywhere. I emailed or texted my wife from whatever village I ended up in, most days just to let her know how the day went. I also had a local SIM so she could call if she wanted or needed to. My suggestion, relax and enjoy every step. Our families are important but this is a great opportunity to focus on ourselves. It’s amazing how valuable that is for them, too. Buen Camino!
 
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I tried to keep in regular touch and update every day or two where we were (and my wife at home had a map she'd posted of the route and would move a marker to keep track of our progress :)). But I wouldn't recommend to anyone that they plan it all out down to the detail of which albergue they were going to be staying in each night and commit to the folks at home to sticking to that plan. On the one hand, you don't know which albergues will have space. On the other, even more important hand, you don't know what your legs and feet will be capable of until you are actually walking. That's just my opinion, though. Everyone walks their own Camino.
 
Hi @Bob from L.A. ! You are extremely thorough and I know your family must appreciate all you do regarding your contingency planning. If this alleviates needless worry for your loved ones, then I'm all for it.

However, while I certainly appreciate your suggestions and I am sure others will find them helpful, I simply beat to a different drummer. I am of the mindset that "no news, is good news" which is based on how I was raised and thus ingrained in my being! I grew up without technology or social media. We were not instantly and constantly connected. We lived by faith that those we expected would show up when expected. It was just that simple.

I continue to live that way today (for the most part). My travels are typically sans phone and my family does not expect to hear from me. I do not leave a day-by-day itinerary (I don't have one) and I do not email home everyday. And...I have no idea where the American consulate is located (I never even thought of that one! :p). At the end of each day, I just prefer to be in the moment and enjoy/contemplate/accept the space I'm in. Oh, and I do send postcards regularly!

Please try not to view this as selfish or ignorant. It's just a different approach to life. Fortunately, my family does not worry because they are of the same mindset. (If they did worry, I would certainly do whatever was necessary to alleviate their concerns.)
I do believe that it is important to carry your emergency contact information, a copy of your passport, and enough money to pay your own way! For those of you heading out on camino for the first time, do it your way, with any level of contingency plan that you and your family are comfortable with.

Again, Bob, I know your post will be helpful for some and I appreciate the time and thought you put in to it.
Best regards,
Anna
 

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