Documenting the Journey

[Paynefive]

What is the best way to document this journey? Everyone who hears I’m about to do this, wants to know how they can follow me. A part of me wants to share what I’m doing, and another part of me wants to be silent. But! So many people don’t know this exists and really need to-and, most importantly, what’s been most helpful later? After you’re done and home? What helps to remember it all?

 

[Former member 104756]

Hi @Paynefive

Lots of options. You could take a look at Find Penguins. I’ve found it easy to use. The free version allows you 10 photos and 1 video per footprint (post). If you would like to you can have a printed book as well - that’s not free of course but the quality is very good.

You can download it and have a play around in advance of your trip. Your family and friends can either sign up to ‘follow’ you (they receive a notification when you post) or just visit when they want and read the latest without signing up.

As to wanting to share vs not … I know the dilemma well. I’ve written a blog for every one of my camino and other walks since 2011. I write in the evenings - sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. I don’t post anything during the day, so I don’t feel distracted from the present. The main purpose of my blog is a diary for me. I only share with family and friends and I let them know - don’t be concerned if you don’t hear from me, I may not post every day and I may discontinue posting publicly or at all if it doesn’t sit well at the time, which I have done from time to time.

Edited to add - you can always keep your online journal - via Find Penguins or other - just for yourself. Make the trip private - and share after your walk if you want to. You really have many options.
All the best and Buen camino.

Plan, track, and blog your trips

Automatically and effortlessly track your travels, simply with your phone in the pocket. Create a beautiful travel journal and enjoy the benefits of our leading travel app.

findpenguins.com

 

[Paynefive]

Hi @Paynefive

Take a look at Find Penguins. I’ve found it easy to use. The free version allows you 10 photos and 1 video per footprint (post). If you would like to you can have a printed book as well - that’s not free of course but the quality is very good. You can download it and have a play around well in advance of your trip.

As to wanting to share vs not … I know the dilemma well. I’ve written a blog for every one of my camino and other walks since 2011. I only share with family and friends and I let them know - don’t be concerned if you don’t hear from me, I may not post every day and I may discontinue the posting if it doesn’t sit well at the time.

If you’re interested to see how it works / looks, send me a PM and I’ll send you the link to my latest Find Penguins trip.

All the best and Buen camino.

Plan, track, and blog your trips

Automatically and effortlessly track your travels, simply with your phone in the pocket. Create a beautiful travel journal and enjoy the benefits of our leading travel app.

findpenguins.com

Thank you! I will definitely check this out!

 

[C clearly]

Everybody has their own preference for documenting (or not) and communicating their Caminos. You might find that you love the daily writing or you might find it hard to maintain. It's best to tell people that you may not have energy to post every single day!

Here is a thread where some forum members have shared their FindPenguins and Polarsteps account names. Here is another thread about ways to share Camino updates with families..

 

[Former member 104756]

You might find that you love the daily writing or you might find it hard to maintain. It's best to tell people that you may not have energy to post every single day!

Amen to that.

 

[Anamiri]

What is the best way to document this journey? Everyone who hears I’m about to do this, wants to know how they can follow me. A part of me wants to share what I’m doing, and another part of me wants to be silent. But! So many people don’t know this exists and really need to-and, most importantly, what’s been most helpful later? After you’re done and home? What helps to remember it all?

Its a personal choice. I like to journal on paper in the evenings whilst walking. I more or less unplug from the real world as much as possible. I dont make commitments to anyone.
My husband though shares through daily videos on FB.
Others blog as they go, some write on this forum.

 

[dick bird]

I´m a bit old school - I take photos, keep a diary but only put stuff on facebook at longish intervals, e.g. on a rest day. Try to focus on yourself and what´s going on around you because what is happening is a lot more important than being seen or heard by other people. Remember the old conundrum about if a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, does it make a noise? It makes a noise.

 

[Bill's_Walking]

Thank you! I will definitely check this out!

I'm another fan of FindPenguins. It's made for what you want to do. The app is very easy to use, and I write down every evening what's gone on during the day. You can share the daily post or your entire trip. Or not share at all. It also allows you to post videos to your blog. I've walked 2 stretches of the Frances with my daughters and have made a photo book each time, using FindPenguns when done.

 

[Lexicos]

I take a few pics along the way and do a photo book with a bit of text when I get home. I give no undertakings of comms to anyone bar my wife and kids and even then sparingly. I use WhatsApp. But I spend very little time telling or showing others my walks and stops while I’m on the Camino. I just like being there and that’s more than enough for me.

 

[Larry OHeron]

Hi @Paynefive

Lots of options. You could take a look at Find Penguins. I’ve found it easy to use. The free version allows you 10 photos and 1 video per footprint (post). If you would like to you can have a printed book as well - that’s not free of course but the quality is very good.

You can download it and have a play around in advance of your trip. Your family and friends can either sign up to ‘follow’ you (they receive a notification when you post) or just visit when they want and read the latest without signing up.

As to wanting to share vs not … I know the dilemma well. I’ve written a blog for every one of my camino and other walks since 2011. I write in the evenings - sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. I don’t post anything as I go, so I don’t feel distracted from the present. The main purpose of my blog is a diary for me. I only share with family and friends and I let them know - don’t be concerned if you don’t hear from me, I may not post every day and I may discontinue posting publicly or at all if it doesn’t sit well at the time, which I have done from time to time.

Edited to add - you can always keep your online journal - via Find Penguins or other - just for yourself. Make the trip private - and share after your walk if you want to. You really have many options.
All the best and Buen camino.

Plan, track, and blog your trips

Automatically and effortlessly track your travels, simply with your phone in the pocket. Create a beautiful travel journal and enjoy the benefits of our leading travel app.

findpenguins.com

Well said. I blog for myself and share with others.

 

[DragonShadow]

What is the best way to document this journey? Everyone who hears I’m about to do this, wants to know how they can follow me. A part of me wants to share what I’m doing, and another part of me wants to be silent. But! So many people don’t know this exists and really need to-and, most importantly, what’s been most helpful later? After you’re done and home? What helps to remember it all?

I used Wordpress to set up what I called a photo blog where I downloaded photos every day or so. I sometimes added a few comments but often just posted pictures. I kept a personal journal on the “notes” app of my iPhone. I posted my link to my wordpress website on FB before I left so that those who wanted to follow along could. I didn’t want to throw 6 weeks of photos on my FB page if people weren’t interested.

 

[Jan Runkel]

What is the best way to document this journey? Everyone who hears I’m about to do this, wants to know how they can follow me. A part of me wants to share what I’m doing, and another part of me wants to be silent. But! So many people don’t know this exists and really need to-and, most importantly, what’s been most helpful later? After you’re done and home? What helps to remember it all?

I use Polar Steps and love it. My friends can see as much of my Camino's as they want.

 

[Paynefive]

I’ve never heard of find penguins but I’m going to go look! I appreciate all the advice! Part of wanting to document it is for myself. I’m expecting that I will want to revisit my amazing time in Spain, but I’m also going to want my kids and close friends to see some of it, too!

 

[GuyA]

What is the best way to document this journey? Everyone who hears I’m about to do this, wants to know how they can follow me. A part of me wants to share what I’m doing, and another part of me wants to be silent. But! So many people don’t know this exists and really need to-and, most importantly, what’s been most helpful later? After you’re done and home? What helps to remember it all?

I am sure there are many ways to do this..I chose to create and maintain a daily online blog. For me it was a good way to remember…people I worked with pre retirement seemed happy to receive updates and pictures. Of course they had no idea of what this Camino walking was all about…neither did I before I started!

I don’t remember details as many Forum members do…seem to remember only people and odd/funny events. I see posts asking about terrain around X and marvel at how others remember and share their thoughts!

A bonus for me is I can go back to the blog and some details reappear…plus I now have 5 hard cover books that were printed based on blogs over various Camino journeys.

Big joke here is my 3 daughters…all in their 30s…will have to fight over the books when I pass my “best before date”. No question they will be disposed of

Whatever you choose to do will be the right decision for you!

Buen Camino!

Guy

 

[M and M]

What is the best way to document this journey? Everyone who hears I’m about to do this, wants to know how they can follow me. A part of me wants to share what I’m doing, and another part of me wants to be silent. But! So many people don’t know this exists and really need to-and, most importantly, what’s been most helpful later? After you’re done and home? What helps to remember it all?

I took LOTS of photos and posted the best on Instagram and wrote daily on the posts of the places I visited, towns and albergues I stayed at and a few personal things, mainly to jog my memory when i got back. Some people take a journal and write heaps but I found there was so much to see and do, and wonderful people to talk to I didn't have much time for that.

 

[RibbonRomanceAuthor]

I'm another fan of FindPenguins. It's made for what you want to do. The app is very easy to use, and I write down every evening what's gone on during the day. You can share the daily post or your entire trip. Or not share at all. It also allows you to post videos to your blog. I've walked 2 stretches of the Frances with my daughters and have made a photo book each time, using FindPenguns when done.

I'm also a big fan of Find Penguins. I love my book that I was able to page through during June, the one year anniversary of my Camino. Cost-wise, my 195 page book with all my footprints/photos/videos via QR code, captions and comments was under $90, delivered.
I'm about to go backwards in time to a different trip to create a book!

 

[RibbonRomanceAuthor]

Another thought about Find Penguins: you can start now with whatever event you have coming up. A local festival? A birthday party? You can play around with all the features to see how it works.

 

[Old Hillwalker]

Four years ago a Korean Gentleman (BK Lee) used a chest mounted 3 axis video camera (REMOVU K1) to record essentially every step he made on the Camino Frances. His 34 daily videos, located on Youtube are each around 5 hours long. I once viewed them over a 4 month period as daily walking, hour long videos on my home treadmill and big screen TV. I always turned the audio off and used my own soundtracks since when there was talking, it was was mostly in Korean. Aside from the incessant click click of his walking poles on the pavement, there were lots of coughs, snorts, and sniffles in the sound tracks that I didn't feel the need to listen to. I admire the guy for his effort and perseverance in accomplishing this project. I found it quite fun to be able to walk along with him and see again landmarks that I remember from my first Camino. But when ever he took a wrong turn, or missed an arrow I remember being frustrated with some of his navigational skills. when the video dragged longer as he re-located the Way often by backtracking.

 

[Sidknee]

Hi @Paynefive ] i have used Strava. Gives me a map of my daily route (including elevation), can load photos and can add some brief comments (not really big on the prose).

Buen Camino

 

[barryfr]

Our experience: We wanted to share our journey on Camino del Norte in April and May with friends and family but wanted to avoid the public glare of social media. So we set up a WordPress blog. (I thought I had set it to NOT be indexed by search engines, but just discovered otherwise. Oops.) At the start of our Camino, we posted daily. Our posts included a few paragraphs, usually around a theme. The writing was followed by a photo gallery and a Relive video. (Relive lets you create a video showing the day's route on an aerial view and intersperse photos and short video clips.) My wife did most of the writing and I handled photos and the Relive videos. We soon discovered that there were a lot of days when we didn't have the time or energy or Internet bandwidth to write, post videos and create a Relive video. So we would do two or three on a day when we either arrived at our destination in early or mid afternoon or took a rest day. Toward the end, we would combine several days into one post around a theme (great albergues, surfaces we walked on, etc.) and post photos around the theme as well as multiple Relive videos on the days we covered. Our friends and family loved following our travels and we got several encouraging messages from them. When we returned home, we created a final post showing one photo for each day of the Camino. At that point, we felt better about sharing a bit of our trip on Facebook, so I posted a small gallery there.

 

[BillW]

Part of me thinks that remaining silent is good. You won't spend time thinking "this will be good to share." You'll be in the moment more.

That said, I chose the opposite approach. I wrote a daily blog and shared 4-6 photos and 2-3 paragraphs each day, with an occasional video. The biggest surprise of my Camino was how much joy I got from the interaction with my friends and family that were following me on the blog. Their support and interest astonished me, and definitely was a big encouragement. I think I can say that it even made my Camino more rewarding. As a bonus, a few have taken on their own Caminos or adventures, in part, due to my example. That was unexpected but heart-warming for me.

So bottom line, I think you can't go wrong.

 

[Former member 104756]

I can relate to that Bill - apart from writing for myself I write for my #1 reader - my 94 year old mother who often says ‘if only I’d known about the Camino a little sooner’

 

[Sundevil]

This is a great suggestion. I was going to use Signal, but this appears to be so much better. My daughter and I are starting our trip the third week of August.

 

[trecile]

I have used Find Penguins for all of my Caminos. It's much easier than sending updates to individuals or a WhatsApp group. Unlike using Instagram or Facebook those who want to view your blog aren't required to below to a specific platform. Of course Find Penguins will suggest that those who want to view your blog join it, but it's not necessary unless they want notifications of new posts. All that you need to do is give them the link to your blog.

 

[andywild]

Do a blog! I'm 94% stupid and still found it relatively easy to do using WordPress.
You get a great diary of every day including photos and you get to share your experience with other people. I write mine every time I walk and really enjoy doing it.

 

[trecile]

I just learned about a feature on Find Penguins that I was unfamiliar with. If you would rather not have people know precisely where you are you can use "time delayed sharing.". This setting is available in the Trip Settings under "Advanced Settings."

 

[trecile]

Do a blog! I'm 94% stupid and still found it relatively easy to do using WordPress.
You get a great diary of every day including photos and you get to share your experience with other people. I write mine every time I walk and really enjoy doing it.

Since I'm about 1% stupider than you I decided on the Find Penguins platform because it's already set up for travel blogging and creates a map of your journey.

 

[andywild]

Since I'm about 1% stupider than you I decided on the Find Penguins platform because it's already set up for travel blogging and creates a map of your journey.

Since I'm about 1% stupider than you I decided on the Find Penguins platform because it's already set up for travel blogging and creates a map of your journey.

Being at least 14% stupider than you, I've never even heard of it! The map thing sounds good though although I think it's a bit late for me to swap platforms.. someone start a poll !!

 

[Sundevil]

Do you have to have your phone on all the time to create your journey in Find Penguins, or can you turn it off to save battery and turn it back on to take photos or send a footprint?

 

[trecile]

Being at least 14% stupider than you, I've never even heard of it! The map thing sounds good though although I think it's a bit late for me to swap platforms.. someone start a poll !!

Please, no polls!

Do you have to have your phone on all the time to create your journey in Find Penguins, or can you turn it off to save battery and turn it back on to take photos or send a footprint?

Yes, you can.
Find Penguins will use the location data of your photos to place them in the correct locations on the map of your trip. Or you can set it manually.

But I never had a problem with my battery leaving my phone on all day.

 

[andywild]

Please, no polls!

I bet there's loads of people that would love a poll... I wish there was a way to find out how many.

 

[Sundevil]

Please, no polls!


Yes, you can.
Find Penguins will use the location data of your photos to place them in the correct locations on the map of your trip. Or you can set it manually.

But I never had a problem with my battery leaving my phone on all day.

Thank you.

 

[Paynefive]

I took LOTS of photos and posted the best on Instagram and wrote daily on the posts of the places I visited, towns and albergues I stayed at and a few personal things, mainly to jog my memory when i got back. Some people take a journal and write heaps but I found there was so much to see and do, and wonderful people to talk to I didn't have much time for that.

I’m thinking this may be what works for me, too. I have an IG account already. I would like to say I will write in my journal regularly but I don’t always get to it, so… like everything Camino related-we will see!

 

[Paynefive]

Part of me thinks that remaining silent is good. You won't spend time thinking "this will be good to share." You'll be in the moment more.

That said, I chose the opposite approach. I wrote a daily blog and shared 4-6 photos and 2-3 paragraphs each day, with an occasional video. The biggest surprise of my Camino was how much joy I got from the interaction with my friends and family that were following me on the blog. Their support and interest astonished me, and definitely was a big encouragement. I think I can say that it even made my Camino more rewarding. As a bonus, a few have taken on their own Caminos or adventures, in part, due to my example. That was unexpected but heart-warming for me.

So bottom line, I think you can't go wrong.

So many people are curious, and excited for me, that I think they would enjoy seeing what’s actually happening in real-ish time. I will also be on my own after the first week, so the interaction and encouragement, as you mention, could be a morale booster!

 

[Paynefive]

I use Polar Steps and love it. My friends can see as much of my Camino's as they want.

I’ve never heard of Polar Steps, either! But, I will check it out, too!

 

[Paynefive]

Please, no polls!


Yes, you can.
Find Penguins will use the location data of your photos to place them in the correct locations on the map of your trip. Or you can set it manually.

But I never had a problem with my battery leaving my phone on all day.

That is very cool!!

 

[BillW]

So many people are curious, and excited for me, that I think they would enjoy seeing what’s actually happening in real-ish time. I will also be on my own after the first week, so the interaction and encouragement, as you mention, could be a morale booster!

FWIW... Most people I know posted their content using tools like Instagram and Facebook. I used WordPress. It's more complicated than a social media platform, but if you're mildly comfortable with technology, it gives good results for moderate effort. There is a fee for services like this, though, so it may not be worth it to you. Good luck.

(Here's an example post from my blog billonthecamino.com)

 

[AnneO]

My advice is to do something every day, even if just for yourself. The days of walking all kind of blend together after a while. I made daily videos that I posted on YouTube and I have just started going through them now that I have been home a few weeks. I am so glad I have them to remember each individual day now.

 

[Janny]

What is the best way to document this journey? Everyone who hears I’m about to do this, wants to know how they can follow me. A part of me wants to share what I’m doing, and another part of me wants to be silent. But! So many people don’t know this exists and really need to-and, most importantly, what’s been most helpful later? After you’re done and home? What helps to remember it all?

I liked Polarsteps. Friends and family back home could follow my trip

 

[Paynefive]

This is a great suggestion. I was going to use Signal, but this appears to be so much better. My daughter and I are starting our trip the third week of August.

I will start walking from SJPP on Aug 27, @Sundevil! Maybe I will see you at some point!

 

[Paynefive]

My advice is to do something every day, even if just for yourself. The days of walking all kind of blend together after a while. I made daily videos that I posted on YouTube and I have just started going through them now that I have been home a few weeks. I am so glad I have them to remember each individual day now.

I’ve definitely thought about videos. And I do want there to be something to mark each day, so maybe the combo of the Polar Steps or Penguin app would show me my location and a short video could remind me of how I was feeling. How are you feeling now that you are home?

 

[AnneO]

I’ve definitely thought about videos. And I do want there to be something to mark each day, so maybe the combo of the Polar Steps or Penguin app would show me my location and a short video could remind me of how I was feeling. How are you feeling now that you are home?

I feel great, but I miss the Camino a lot. I think about it every day. Struggling to get into a good walking routine now that I am home though. I don’t want to lose the fitness I gained! Life is much easier when the only thing you need to do each day is walk.

I think your plan of a short video a day in addition to an app is great!

 

[trecile]

I feel great, but I miss the Camino a lot. I think about it every day. Struggling to get into a good walking routine now that I am home though. I don’t want to lose the fitness I gained!

At home I basically walk in circles - I really miss having a daily destination.

 

[Bristle Boy]

I bet there's loads of people that would love a poll... I wish there was a way to find out how many.

Start a poll on who wants a poll.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

At home I basically walk in circles - I really miss having a daily destination.

Me, too, but I still gott'a keep my legs moving, even though it is usually rather boring...same ole', same ole'.

 

[BillW]

I can relate to that Bill - apart from writing for myself I write for my #1 reader - my 94 year old mother who often says ‘if only I’d known about the Camino a little sooner’

This makes me smile. My 93 year old mother is my biggest fan. After 70 days of blogging my Camino, she told me... "you should keep blogging each day when you get home." I guess my mom thinks my life at home is a lot more interesting than it is. Of course, she's in an assisted living facility, so just about everything outside her door looks interesting.

 

[BarbaraW]

Like many others I prefer to stay in the moment and don't want to spend time on my phone. And am fortunate (others may think otherwise) in not having people in my life who need to know what I'm up to all the time. And (ditto) not thinking that anyone else should be interested in what I'm doing.

But I like to keep a diary, and my handwriting is dreadful. My solution was to dictate an email to a different friend each day, attaching the day's diary notes for them to "ignore, read or share as they wished".
Once home i could copy and paste from my sent emails into a reasonably coherent document. The most important aspect of which, by far, is the record of the interactions with people I met on the way.

 

[RRat]

What is the best way to document this journey? Everyone who hears I’m about to do this, wants to know how they can follow me. A part of me wants to share what I’m doing, and another part of me wants to be silent. But! So many people don’t know this exists and really need to-and, most importantly, what’s been most helpful later? After you’re done and home? What helps to remember it all?

Keep a journal and take pictures. Share after you get home. Disconnect from home and experience the Camino.

 

[Mr BWE]

I marched the French Camino in 2013, after retiring for the third time. My family and pals asked me to keep a diary and share it en route. I bought an Ipad and found a programme called Wordpress which suited me as a novice technotype. I wrote it daily as a Word doc at lunchtime in bars and in the evenings if I wasn't too bushed. I also took quite a few photos. When I found a wifi connection I transferred it all online.
I received many encouraging messages from friends & family, also from complete strangers whi had stumbled across it.
I understand that things are much improved nowadays, with almost universal wifi and better programmes, cameras, etc.
I think that, if you want a record of the journey, a blog is the best answer, and do try to keep a contemporaneous one, as over a few days details can be lost; photos are vital too.
I've written enough now, prob too much, but I ought to tell you that, on my return, my next-door neighbours (who were following my route and blog, with maps on the wall,) etc produced a box with many of my photos thereon. Inside the box were two folders: the first recording my preparations and the second the actual journey. It's such a wonderful souvenir.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I think that, if you want a record of the journey, a blog is the best answer, and do try to keep a contemporaneous one, as over a few days details can be lost; photos are vital too.

I agree. I find if I don't write about my daily observations when walking by the end of the day, I lose some important things I wanted to say. It's surprising how much can get lost in the shadows of the "now".

 

[CWBuff]

Surely, All Y'all mean a "pole" as in Pilgrim's Staff!

Calk one more for FindPenguins; I've been using it for about 5-6 years now with all my trips big and small. Perhaps it takes a bit to figure it all out but once that is done - easy, peasy, breezy!

Yes it will work with the phone off and at the very least on Airplane mode (I used that while walking instead of just turning one off - never know when you may need the actual PHONE!)

And yes as @trecile pointed out you can make the trip private so its only visible to people who has the link (which you then can provide to them) and you can indeed delay your location on the map. I also usually wait until Im far enough from my physical house (home) before I allow it to track - this way no one knows where exactly I nlive and that "nobodys home"

Once of the things I truly loved about it on the camino was the fact that i would take tons of photos and videos through the day perhaps with some small notations on each footprint (sort of as a placemark of a sort). Then in the evening safely ensconced in the comfort of my humble Pilgrim bed I could expand on the footprints, adding any interesting stories of what happened here (or during the day or whatever), perhaps include a bit of History - make it a little more interesting to my followers (and yes, most important - keep on showing my Mom that I am indeed not hiking Sahara, Gobi or even North Pole... for whatever reason she was completely terrified of the whole thing). Given the fact that US is 6 hours behind - it worked out perfectly as most of uploads would show up "home" at about 4:00-5:00PM and sometime I would even get a quick response from "the groupies" (yes you can absolutely develop those as well)
My latest thing (I just did it on my trip to Maine Mountains couple of weeks ago) - I got a card reader from my kids for my B-day. That allows you to take photos and videos with your SLR and transfer them into the phone for IMMEDIATE (if you will) attachment to the footprint (prior to that I always had to wait until I get home to be able to do so utilizing my laptop... and by that time ....well to some folks the novelty already worn out - you are back home...)

That said - I didn't take my SLR on the Camino (one less thing for me to worry about) but I know folks do. and THAT said I also got a AKASO miniature camera so perhaps I might see if I can incorporate that into a next trip

Anyways, try it I think you'll like it - many options to play with

Good luck & Buen Camino