Keeping in contact with fellow travelers??

[lindalou]

I will be traveling with my teenage daughter. She is an incredible traveler and I trust her to go it alone during the day if she likes. Having said that, what would be the best way to come back together at the end of the day if we have not chosen where we will spend the night? Those of you who have done this before - in general, can you make that decision before you arrive in the town you will be spending the night?

 

[grayland]

In my experience, you will have to decide where you will stop each afternoon and where you will meet in that town. A guide book like John Brierly or another should usually give you the name of a place to use as a meeting....a bar, albergue, etc. You could make sleeping arrangements after you met up.
You will probably meet during the day at some point or other along the way.

There may be days when you would be better off to stay a little closer together.

 

[lindalou]

There may be days when you would be better off to stay a little closer together.

OK - I'm game..... Are you talking about being in a more urban area or is there something that I am missing? Are there some parts of the trail less safe than others?
Thanks!

 

[BHfmSanDiego]

It's good you are thinking about this, a lot of people that travel together end up having a different walking pace. More than likely your daughter will meet people her age and want to walk with them and you'll meet people you want to walk with. What worked for me and friends I made along the way was to peruse our guidebook in the evening and decide on what village we would be walking to the next day, the guidebooks would list the alburgues and we would look those over too, we would note what aminities we desired,for example internet, washing machines, one time a German friend saw a swimming pool listed at one of them and that went to the top her list, LOL (Belorado/Cuatro Cantones), etc , the next day at the breakfast stop we would decide on what alburgue we would stay at that night and meet up there, there were usually only a couple of choices so it wasn't a big decision and for the most part what place someone mentioned first was usually the choice. Most of the places were good at letting us save a bunk or 2 (this was usually in the private alburgues which only cost a euro or 2 more than the municipal or church) by just putting a sleeping bag or some personal belongings to mark it. You and your daughter are going to have a very unique bonding experience, enjoy it together and enjoy it apart, it will give both of you stories of your adventures of the day to share in the evening and when you return home!
Ultreya,
Barry

 

[Pablo2007]

There may be days when you would be better off to stay a little closer together.

OK - I'm game..... Are you talking about being in a more urban area or is there something that I am missing? Are there some parts of the trail less safe than others?
Thanks!

Hi,
I don't think its a case of places being safer than others. My experience of the Camino is that it is very very safe. By and large people walk at their own pace and sometimes know in advance where they intend to stop and other times, make a decision as they go depending on how they feel.

There some some plces where most people tend to stop for a variety of reasons, For example I wouldn't walk through major stops like Pamplona, Logrono, Burgos, Leon etc So it depends on where you are starting the day. eg Los Arcos to Logrono is about 30 kms and some people may decide along the way that they dont walnt to walk all the way. If you or your daughter are seprated and one of you want to stop the day early it can casue problems.

Take a couple of mobile phones, get spanish sim cards and you can always call or text each other in an "emergency" such as I need another cafe con leche NOW!!

Regards

Pablo

 

[renegadepilgrim]

I came across a trio of peregrinos from Lopez Island, WA who each had a pre-paid cell phone to stay in contact with each other. The mother was walking slower than the son and his girlfriend. They would keep in contact via phone each day. It might be worth it to invest in pre-paid cell phones or SIM cards if your phones here in the US are unlocked and use them....just to keep in touch. It's simple and if there is an emergency, it would be easier to get in contact with one another.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Two cell phones. A text message is about .25 Euro in Spain. The first to arrive sends a text to the other person. Even when cell phone coverage is poor, the message gets through at the first opportunity and is waiting for the recipient, so no one has to actually answer the phone (about .80 Euro per minute). If you need an actual phone call, there is always that option available. It will cost you about 10 Euro per SIM card if you have an unlocked cell phone.

 

[Arn]

I've hiked with others at different times and, as many have already said...pace, injury, mood can all be factors.

Here's what worked for me:

1. We agree on an intermediate stopping point...where we will meet up and then go on together to our scheduled sleeping point...which can be many km down the Way.

This serves to allow both to catch up on what they've observed/encountered and move at a comfortable pace.

2. When at all possible, the intermediate stopping point will also have a albergue should either one need it.

Texting a fantastic idea.

Buen Camino

Arn

 

[Anniesantiago]

When Joe and I were traveling together, we often walked separately.
We would simply agree ahead to a place to meet up.
We even did this weeks in advance - I'll meet you in Pamplona on (date 2 weeks from now) at (museum) or (albergue) at 2 pm.
It worked fine for us.

I suggest you play it by ear.. .it'll all work out fine, with or without a cell phone.
We did not carry phones - found them to be heavy, expensive, and unnecessary.

 

[nellpilgrim]

Hi Lindalou,
It's a wonderful journey to make with ones mother/daughter. Texting and agreeing on a liaison point and/or place to stay in the larger towns and cities are great ideas.
I'm wondering have you gone on any practice walks together just to see what the difference is between your paces and stamina as that would give you a timeframe to work within e.g.is she's going to be hours ahead of you or just a coke or two ?
And remember sometimes even when the young ones gain extra kms by racing ahead they may also sit down for that extra beer, coke, smoke, chat or to catch some rays while us older 'plodders along' sometimes catch up or, very occasionally, overtake the younger walkers.
If she turns out to be very fast then you could exploit the fact that she may also prefer to sleep a little longer in the mornings by starting to walk early yourself. This will ensure that you have an intermediate 'meeting up' closer to whatever your final destination is as she overtakes you, a better idea of how far you both feel comfortable walking that day and the 'time gap' at the end of the day will be shorter than if you start out together.
Even if something happens to your mobile there is also the 'Camino telegraph' to fall back on. You get to know/recognise other pilgrims and they you and, having asked a few times if they've seen your daughter, people will soon be calling out "she walked past 20 minutes ago and she's going to the municipal" etc. Even when those loose 'walking packs' change over the course of the journey as personal pace and schedules differ and pilgrims leave/rejoin the Camino you'll find no sooner do you 'loose' one group than another one is formed-so that chain of communication remains.

 

[allisgroovey]

Have a great Camino! Nice mother/daughter experience. Just back from Camino Frances last month (March 2011) I traveled with my wife. I'd say agreeing to meet somewhere at the end of the day could work if the place is a church, or other prominent site mentioned in your Brierly guidebook, for example, especially if it is at the edge of a large town. Otherwise, there are often a lot of generic cafes, for example, and it could get confusing trying to get together. I think it will take some patience by both of you to arrive and hang in there until the other arrives. If the first to arrive steps away to get a coffee, check out a gift shop, etc. it could prove frustrating. In a small town, meeting at one agreed upon albergue would work. In larger towns/cities we sometimes had problems locating them. When both of you arrive, check out the albergue for quality you expect and sign in together, or look for another together. You won't have a major problem with this if you are specific and strick to the plan.