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Not quite sure why being older than you would change anything about the safety factor for the older women on this forum. Or perhaps I am missing something. If anything, you can run faster that the older ladies and are therefor safer than they are.I'm sure this question has been asked countless times, but most of the threads I can find on solo female travelers are significantly older than myself - so some of the advice I feel doesn't cover my concerns/doesn't apply to me.
Cher99840 (is that like 90210? ;0) ) I keep hearing that 40 is the new 20 (plus wisdom and experience), that 60 is the new 40 (plus wisdom and experience) etc. Violence against women has nothing to do with lust, it only has to do with lack of respect for a fellow human being. Anyone willing to hurt an 18 year old on the Camino will be perverted enough to go after a 30, 50 or 70 year old.Having reached that "invisible" age, .
I'm sure this question has been asked countless times, but most of the threads I can find on solo female travelers are significantly older than myself - so some of the advice I feel doesn't cover my concerns/doesn't apply to me.
Basically, I'm 18 years old (will be turning 19 during travelling) and about to start uni in October studying Spanish post A Level. During the summer I want to maintain my Spanish, and have wanted to do the camino for a long time. Growing up walking has played a large part in my life, and I've done quite a few long distance hikes (including camping etc) in the UK - though none for as long as I'm planning this time.
However, due to my age and the fact I'd be alone (and female) I'm worried about safety concerns. Does anyone have any advice on how to stay safe? Or any experiences they can share?
it seems that i am missing something here: Pray, to tell: what's 'the invisible age'?Also being of the invisible age, I find that unwanted interest and even harassment is much reduced in my life now, even if real risk of violence may be no different. That said, I completely agree that I'd be happy for my daughters (or granddaughters if I had any) to walk the Camino. Safer than most places they might travel. And there are so many respectful pilgrims who will watch out for you!
Having travelled alone in Europe (age 16 and upwards) and on the camino, I'd say it's as safe/unsafe as all other places i've travelled worldwide.I'm sure this question has been asked countless times, but most of the threads I can find on solo female travelers are significantly older than myself - so some of the advice I feel doesn't cover my concerns/doesn't apply to me.
Basically, I'm 18 years old (will be turning 19 during travelling) and about to start uni in October studying Spanish post A Level. During the summer I want to maintain my Spanish, and have wanted to do the camino for a long time. Growing up walking has played a large part in my life, and I've done quite a few long distance hikes (including camping etc) in the UK - though none for as long as I'm planning this time.
However, due to my age and the fact I'd be alone (and female) I'm worried about safety concerns. Does anyone have any advice on how to stay safe? Or any experiences they can share?
thank you for filling an 'awareness gap'.
I'm 57. I used to highlight my hair and stopped doings so in 2012 because my hair dresser told me that it was getting too obvious and I either needed to let it grow out or dye it. Unwilling to dye it, I let it grow out. Within a year I was completely grey. After 2 years experiencing invisibility first hand, I highlighted my bangs bright pink last summer! It did the trick -- my students think I"m hip (or at least trying to be) and I never feel invisible. Maybe I've gone to far the other waythank you for filling an 'awareness gap'.
how most curious this is. never heard of it. perhaps it's a northern american culture 'thing'? will inquire w/ girlfriends across the globe if that's an 'issue, noted or a concern' in their countries/cultures.
am not saying it does not exist, just because i have not encountered this. but then again, i am 180 cm tall (6') and i wonder how this is going to look like - being invisible or becoming invisible just because the body is naturally ageing but still remaining the same height... - Invisible age ... what a concept?! going to observe how others try to ignore just because i am not 45 any more. ---- sorry, i know it's off-topic ... but i had to ask. thanks for so promptly clue-ing me in
cheers -
sounds like a brilliant idea ... and fun! impossible to be invisible when one is playfulI'm 57. I used to highlight my hair and stopped doings so in 2012 because my hair dresser told me that it was getting too obvious and I either needed to let it grow out or dye it. Unwilling to dye it, I let it grow out. Within a year I was completely grey. After 2 years experiencing invisibility first hand, I highlighted my bangs bright pink last summer! It did the trick -- my students think I"m hip (or at least trying to be) and I never feel invisible. Maybe I've gone to far the other waybut I'm having fun with it. Liz
it seems that i am missing something here: Pray, to tell: what's 'the invisible age'?
I'm 57. y. I highlighted my bangs bright pink last summer! .Liz
sounds like a brilliant idea - your idea might start setting a trend of the tribe of the neon-bangsc
ah - thanks for asking - i keep forgetting my brit english. rest assured, has nothing to do w/ sausages (bangers) - i suppose you'd call it 'fringes' ? haircut above forehead? - i remember using the word here 'cut the fringes please' - and i only got blank looks from the hair stylist. heaven knows what they might have thought. - which, incidentially, reminds me of those old TV happening of the 'fringes' that morphed into monty phyton. oohps - off topic again :-/Now "am I missing something" what are " bangs" ? What can older men do to make themselves visible, I keep having near misses with people walking towards me looking at their mobile phones they never see me until the very last minute when I have stopped!!!Would "bangs" make me more visible, interesting I don't have this problem ever on Camino
Double-LIKE on that oneI'm with SYates on this. I feel liberated to enjoy my travels more now than I did as a young woman, when the mating imperative was always lurking. I don't colour my bangs (but good idea). However I love to surprise people by not being too typical.
Now if I could just stop further deterioration... That is what brings this back onto the camino subject - walking is so healthy!
Maybe we can add a member category on the forum- "Invisible"
P.S. I realize that we've gone off topic and maybe we're not providing the support the young OP asked for! We all encourage to to enjoy her youth, and not be afraid of either the camino or growing older!
Apparently any woman over the age of majority ;0)it seems that i am missing something here: Pray, to tell: what's 'the invisible age'?
These are my "bangs"! They were purple in the pic. I change them around. They are magenta now. Nothing too radical! But I agree with all the sentiments about safety and age. I agree with everyone who has emphasized how safe the Camino is. My daughter walked as a 20 year old in 2009. I was fine with it then and I would be now. But the unfortunate bottom line is that any woman still in the sexually active age range needs to be more careful about unwanted attention from men. On the Camino, and anywhere. I don't think the Camino is any different that most other places you could find yourself. So Elaras, if you have followed this entire digression, I'll say once again -- go for it! LizNow "am I missing something" what are " bangs" ? What can older men do to make themselves visible, I keep having near misses with people walking towards me looking at their mobile phones they never see me until the very last minute when I have stopped!!!Would "bangs" make me more visible, interesting I don't have this problem ever on Camino
sounds like a brilliant idea ... and fun! impossible to be invisible when one is playfulthanks much for sharing - your idea might start setting a trend of the tribe of the neon-bangs ... cheers and very best wishes, c
yes -thank you - and that's what i thought: it would be pleasant even not to be noticed in the 'appeal' department and it would free one up to relate on another level entirely . ---- it's such a veryyy interesting topic - it might merit a thread on its own - to discuss and explore this topic.Amorfati (I love the name):
We men also become "invisible" at a certain point in life. It is rather pleasant in some ways; fewer suppositions and expectations are placed on you and one can just get busy enjoying being alive.
Roberto
I'm sure this question has been asked countless times, but most of the threads I can find on solo female travelers are significantly older than myself - so some of the advice I feel doesn't cover my concerns/doesn't apply to me.
Basically, I'm 18 years old (will be turning 19 during travelling) and about to start uni in October studying Spanish post A Level. During the summer I want to maintain my Spanish, and have wanted to do the camino for a long time. Growing up walking has played a large part in my life, and I've done quite a few long distance hikes (including camping etc) in the UK - though none for as long as I'm planning this time.
However, due to my age and the fact I'd be alone (and female) I'm worried about safety concerns. Does anyone have any advice on how to stay safe? Or any experiences they can share?
Honestly, you have coded your concerns so it is not entirely clear what they are!However, due to my age and the fact I'd be alone (and female) I'm worried about safety concerns.
This is news to me! I have never encountered a mixed showering facility in any of the albergues I used, either private or municipal. I know there are some, there as others have mentioned them from time to time, but over half !!!How much privacy can I expect? Over half the shower and toilet facilities are mixed man/woman. There is privacy, but not a lot. The only private space for dressing and undressing may be in the toilet stall. Most pilgrims are quite respectful of privacy, but a gawker or an exhibitionist in the dormitory is not unknown.
I think we need to clarify what is meant here by 'mixed showering facility.' Personally, I think it means a showering area / bathroom for both men and women, with each person using an individual shower stall, with door. There is privacy in these shower stalls, limited perhaps somewhat by the next person waiting to use the shower. I encountered several of these facilities. If one is thinking that mixed showering facility means a communal room with several shower heads and zero privacy, that I never encountered, and I would not want to.This is news to me! I have never encountered a mixed showering facility in any of the albergues I used, either private or municipal. I know there are some, there as others have mentioned them from time to time, but over half !!!
Sorry, @wayfarer, I've just re-read your post. I would say that all of the albergue dormitorios I stayed in, had mixed shower facilities, save for the albergue at San Juan de Ortega ........ and enough has been said about that one! I will stress tho' that I still have very fond memories of that ancient treasure.This is news to me! I have never encountered a mixed showering facility in any of the albergues I used, either private or municipal. I know there are some, there as others have mentioned them from time to time, but over half !!!
It may have been just the way it worked out for me but all the places I stayed had separate facilities.Sorry, @wayfarer, I've just re-read your post. I would say that all of the albergue dormitorios I stayed in, had mixed shower facilities, save for the albergue at San Juan de Ortega ........ and enough has been said about that one! I will stress tho' that I still have very fond memories of that ancient treasure.
May I walk with you next time?It may have been just the way it worked out for me but all the places I stayed had separate facilities.
If one is thinking that mixed showering facility means a communal room with several shower heads and zero privacy, that I never encountered, and I would not want to.
I love your bangs!These are my "bangs"! They were purple in the pic. I change them around. They are magenta now. Nothing too radical! But I agree with all the sentiments about safety and age. I agree with everyone who has emphasized how safe the Camino is. My daughter walked as a 20 year old in 2009. I was fine with it then and I would be now. But the unfortunate bottom line is that any woman still in the sexually active age range needs to be more careful about unwanted attention from men. On the Camino, and anywhere. I don't think the Camino is any different that most other places you could find yourself. So Elaras, if you have followed this entire digression, I'll say once again -- go for it! Liz
Icacos, I have come across this in Pobena, on el Camino del Norte. The showers (2) are in a large room. The shower heads face eachother, one on each wall, and the only thing separating the bathers is a flimsy shower curtain.
Other degrees of 'lesser modesty' being offered:
In Logrono, in the large 4 storied albergue there were separate facilities for boys and girls, but with absolutely no room in the shower stalls to change or bring in your clothes while keeping them dry. So you would have to undress and dress in the room, but in front of women only.
In Estella, at the albergue in the Jakue albergue has modern corner showers with transparent plastic doors. Might as well not have those doors ;0)
But in my experience the coed bathrooms/shower rooms are all equiped with stalls that allow you to completely undress and dress in them, while keeping your clothese dry - often because of a little partition (Pamplona for example) or lots of space (Castro Urdiales - where it's basically a 5 x 12 room).
I grew up going to ballet classes when all the women, from 7 to 2o something changed in one large room, in plain view of eachother, and then in bording school where we had a wall with 4 showerhead and ridiculous shower curtains to separte us. After 2 or 3 days those showercurtains were rolled up on the rods, and after a month completely gone. The Camino is neither of these.
But they will be sudsing up separated by the shower partitions. It is equally likely in many places to be followed by a man or woman (or 54/46% ratio of pilgrims) when finishing a shower. The proportion will be the same in the stalls next to the one you use. You will be horrified if you expect a lot of privacy! That is just not the case. There is enough for modesty, not "a lot".thinking they'll be sudsing up man and woman next to each other!
I don't think she looks 12, and if she does look younger than she is that shouldn't define her---its probably something she already has to deal with too much as it is (people underestimating her because she looks younger than she is). I try not to judge by age in general (I had camino friends my junior and camino friends 55 years my senior), but if one must, at least judge by age not appearance.We have no idea what Camino the OP is talking about. She posted Thursday, it is now Monday yet no acknowledgement of any replies. She is in high school (yet, forgive me - looks 12). No idea of whether she has banking experience, parental support, funds or any solo experiences with mass transit. I think the absence of acknowledgement after posting speaks volumes. IMHO
We have no idea what Camino the OP is talking about. She posted Thursday, it is now Monday yet no acknowledgement of any replies. She is in high school (yet, forgive me - looks 12). No idea of whether she has banking experience, parental support, funds or any solo experiences with mass transit. I think the absence of acknowledgement after posting speaks volumes. IMHO
It certainly changed the focus of the thread from her anxieties to others' anxieties!So true, but we had fun with it.
Whoa, people are making this confusing by talking about/defending group showers in the same conversation as mixed gender showers. Let me state for the record that I have never heard of a communal/open shower with both genders, and I highly doubt you would run into one on the camino.
I am a swimmer and I've taken wide open showers with women my entire life. It isn't a big deal, and it is even less of a big deal for Europeans. One could actually argue that if we were more comfortable around others of the same gender, we wouldn't have as many self esteem issues. This article, that i had to read in college, written by a high school student, is pretty compelling http://www.utne.com/community/bathing-beauties.aspx#axzz3PwLDEhqw I'd also argue that I almost prefer a lack of door/curtain, because that fosters mold and I get claustrophobic in tight spaces that feel dirty. I'd just as soon shower in the open and feel clean.
But while Maya and Amenos seem to be making that argument let me be clear that I think the vast majority of people would be horrified at the idea of not having a lot of privacy if the showers were mixed gender. This was a fear I had before the camino, and I was relieved to find that all of the showers that mixed gender were perfectly private stalls. I occasionally ran into a shower with only a flimsy curtain or no curtain (again, this doesn't bother me) but always in a women's only shower. Let's not confuse/worry people into thinking they'll be sudsing up man and woman next to each other!
So glad to see Maya pipping up about what she said and did not say. Because Anemone (not Amenos) did not advocate for free bathing, but listed places that came as close to it as possible, weather it was men and women or women alone. I did clearly say that no places like boarding school and ballet class situations would not be found on the Camino - mind you, except Logrono.But while Maya and Amenos seem to be making that argument let me be clear that I think the vast majority of people would be horrified at the idea of not having a lot of privacy if the showers were mixed gender. This was a fear I had before the camino, and I was relieved to find that all of the showers that mixed gender were perfectly private stalls. I occasionally ran into a shower with only a flimsy curtain or no curtain (again, this doesn't bother me) but always in a women's only shower. Let's not confuse/worry people into thinking they'll be sudsing up man and woman next to each other!
WHAT?? A pepper spray?I too carry pepper spray.
I too carry pepper spray.
I too carry pepper spray.
Elaras, to return to the topic - you will be as safe as a woman anywhere else. So proceed with optimism and energy - but you can buy cans of mace in Spanish/French knife shops! When I started travelling as a teenager my father advised me to have a pot of pepper in my pocket at all times (as well as training me in unarmed combat!) and in all the hitch-hiking and unwise ramblings I only had to use it once - but I was so glad I had it...
I did NOT carry pepper spray on the Camino. But I carry it in the States. I refuse to carry a gun; they are the problem, not the answer. But the U.S. has 4 of the most violent cities in the world. Pepper spray is made from hot chiles and the reason for its use is that it is temporary and gives you a chance to get away. And yes, I'm trained in its use and physical self-defencse. As someone who has survived a violent attack, I will do what I can to protect myself from another. I NEVER felt a need to carry it anywhere in Europe. But, some 35,000! people are killed in the States every year with firearms. There is a reason to be careful, the gun culture is so strong.
Please, stop putting words in my mouth. I didn't say I carried it on the Camino.
I was living in France at the time I walked. I have dual citizenship.
Yes, and I am keeping a sense of proportion. In a decade of caminos, this is the first armed robbery I have heard of. There may have been others, but the number is low. As a single data point for a prospective pilgrim, it may not be too useful. In those ten years tens of thousands have been robbed at gunpoint in cities (perhaps most in the U.S.). I still get the sense from the original post that the question was about general safety and sexual harassment. Almost everyone is aware of the general dangers of life.Is anyone else reading this thread while keeping up with the thread about the woman who was robbed at gun point? Random parallel, anomalous misfortune, or is there some significance?
I'm sure this question has been asked countless times, but most of the threads I can find on solo female travelers are significantly older than myself - so some of the advice I feel doesn't cover my concerns/doesn't apply to me.
Basically, I'm 18 years old (will be turning 19 during travelling) and about to start uni in October studying Spanish post A Level. During the summer I want to maintain my Spanish, and have wanted to do the camino for a long time. Growing up walking has played a large part in my life, and I've done quite a few long distance hikes (including camping etc) in the UK - though none for as long as I'm planning this time.
However, due to my age and the fact I'd be alone (and female) I'm worried about safety concerns. Does anyone have any advice on how to stay safe? Or any experiences they can share?
Buen Camino.Hey gurl I'm 23 turnig 24 on the journeyI'm also a tad concerned about this but I start next week so I will let you know! I'm waking the camino portugese, so I'll email you when I'm finished..proud of you for doing it!
This is news to me! I have never encountered a mixed showering facility in any of the albergues I used, either private or municipal. I know there are some, there as others have mentioned them from time to time, but over half !!!
Probably because I never met a female when using them. My Catholic upbringing would have been shaken had I.Most bathrooms are mixed gender - how could you miss that? The actual shower cubicles are singles but the bathrooms tend to be mixed gender.
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