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Camino Safety for Women - an Interview with Sara

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For those that don’t carry a whistle, it is so lite you forget your are carrying it! One hopes to never need blow it on a hike, but in an emergency, it can be a life saver. I always have one attached to my strap, not inside the pack. I needed it once in the alps and it likely saved me ....

Here is an article with simple instructions on how to use it.

 
Thanks Robo & Sarah!

Two things which really ‘chimed’ with me were having an air of confidence (very useful in the Paris Metro 😉) and ‘pre-planning’ ... ie having previously worked out strategies for potential situations.
The latter seems to happen almost independently of conscious thought, for me.
I find myself/my mind doing it, as if playing, somehow. 🤷🏼‍♀️
It can often lead to new ideas about what I might want to carry/leave behind too.
A useful activity! 🙃
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
Thank you. Good advice for any woman walking alone anywhere.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Great video! Always wonderful to hear from @Sara_Dhooma
I look forward to when you resume your Vezelay trip and the obscure routes you’ll take to get to SDC.
T
 
A topic that comes up quite a bit.
Sara has walked more than a dozen Caminos along and offers some good advice.

Maybe we could keep comments and discussion to other advice and practical tips rather than replay some of the things that have occurred in the past?

Thanks for the advice on the whistle, I hadn't thought of that. Hoping to start on my first camino in 2022, either May or October, depending on when Australia will let us out.
 
I have whatsapp on my phone and every night I sent a simple message to my family with the name of the city or town I was in and sometimes the albergue name. So they got an update from me that didnt take time away from my camino. It made us all feel more comfortable with my travelling alone for 5 weeks.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
I have whatsapp on my phone and every night I sent a simple message to my family with the name of the city or town I was in and sometimes the albergue name. So they got an update from me that didnt take time away from my camino. It made us all feel more comfortable with my travelling alone for 5 weeks.
I did the same. Every night I sent my husband a screenshot of my location on Google maps and the name of the place I was staying. There was only one time I feared for my safety -- I was the only person staying in a private room in a private albergue outside Leon, and the owner was being very aggressive with me all evening ("your husband isn't here, I don't believe you're really married, blah blah blah"). I moved the dresser to in front of my door (since the owner had the key) and slept fully clothed on top of the bed that night. I also didn't take a shower that night. Hightailed it out of there the next morning so fast, skipping breakfast, that I never gave the creep the chance to even spot me. That was the only time I felt I had to be on "high alert" -- even the notorious stretch from Astorga to Rabanal felt safe because the Guardia Civil was out patrolling the route, occasionally honking and waving to me to make sure I saw them out there.

Thanks for sharing the video!
 
One thing I learned in many years of martial arts training with an emphasis on self defense is to TRUST and listen to your intuition. If you feel uncomfortable in any situation, look for a helper, a well lit area, an exit. Make noise (the whistle mentioned in the video), disengage, walk away.

Sara mentions the Alert Cop app in her video interview: https://alertcops.ses.mir.es/mialertcops/en/index.html It has a function to add a widget to your homescreen to make it easier to access in a hurry.
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
I have whatsapp on my phone and every night I sent a simple message to my family with the name of the city or town I was in and sometimes the albergue name. So they got an update from me that didnt take time away from my camino. It made us all feel more comfortable with my travelling alone for 5 weeks.

Sounds like a good unobtrusive communications plan.
 

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