Happy-walker-MN
Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Planning from SJPdP 2015-16 winter
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Your cell service provider will have available an International package, covering network data and reduced call rates. (At least ATT does, and I assume the others have something similar.) It's a great way to avoid those $800 end-of-trip phone bills....We will have our US iphones with us and in an emergency we'll pay the higher rates...
I would suggest that you either use you cel carriers international plan (cheaper) or if your phone is 'unlocked' you can buy a Spanish SIM card (we have used Orange and it was fine) in Pamplona for around 20 euros and that will be cheaper still. My wife and I walked the CF at that same time of year and found places to stay in all the larger towns. However, many albergues in the smaller villages will be closed. Calling ahead is the best plan as even albergues listed as being open all year can sometimes be closed. It worked for us. You will have a wonderful time and Christmas on the Camino is always memorable. Buen Camino.My husband and I are planning to do a Camino from St Jean to Santiago and possibly Finnesterre starting in mid December 2015. (We know about Napoleon route being closed and plan to go Valcarlos route).
My question is: Based on how many things will be closed at this time of year, do you think it's necessary for us to carry a Spanish phone? We will have our US iphones with us and in an emergency we'll pay the higher rates to make a call. We also plan to use wifi based calling for calls home or to make calls when we're in towns and places that offer wifi. We'll also call ahead from each albergue to make sure we know what is open ahead (to confirm the gronze and list is accurate.). But, given that it's winter and with limited things open, how often do you think we'll want/need to make calls when we aren't by wifi? I'm imagining the situations such as "arrive at a locked albergue door and the sign says to call ## to have the key brought"? Or, if we plan to hike 25km and know that albergue is open, but upon arriving feel like it's a beautiful day so we'd like to call 10km ahead to see if the next one is open (if the 25km albergue is closed or doesn't have wifi nearby?)...
Thank you in advance for you suggestions!
My husband and I are planning to do a Camino from St Jean to Santiago and possibly Finnesterre starting in mid December 2015. (We know about Napoleon route being closed and plan to go Valcarlos route).
My question is: Based on how many things will be closed at this time of year, do you think it's necessary for us to carry a Spanish phone? We will have our US iphones with us and in an emergency we'll pay the higher rates to make a call. We also plan to use wifi based calling for calls home or to make calls when we're in towns and places that offer wifi. We'll also call ahead from each albergue to make sure we know what is open ahead (to confirm the gronze and list is accurate.). But, given that it's winter and with limited things open, how often do you think we'll want/need to make calls when we aren't by wifi? I'm imagining the situations such as "arrive at a locked albergue door and the sign says to call ## to have the key brought"? Or, if we plan to hike 25km and know that albergue is open, but upon arriving feel like it's a beautiful day so we'd like to call 10km ahead to see if the next one is open (if the 25km albergue is closed or doesn't have wifi nearby?)...
Thank you in advance for you suggestions!
My husband and I are planning to do a Camino from St Jean to Santiago and possibly Finnesterre starting in mid December 2015. (We know about Napoleon route being closed and plan to go Valcarlos route).
My question is: Based on how many things will be closed at this time of year, do you think it's necessary for us to carry a Spanish phone? We will have our US iphones with us and in an emergency we'll pay the higher rates to make a call. We also plan to use wifi based calling for calls home or to make calls when we're in towns and places that offer wifi. We'll also call ahead from each albergue to make sure we know what is open ahead (to confirm the gronze and list is accurate.). But, given that it's winter and with limited things open, how often do you think we'll want/need to make calls when we aren't by wifi? I'm imagining the situations such as "arrive at a locked albergue door and the sign says to call ## to have the key brought"? Or, if we plan to hike 25km and know that albergue is open, but upon arriving feel like it's a beautiful day so we'd like to call 10km ahead to see if the next one is open (if the 25km albergue is closed or doesn't have wifi nearby?)...
Thank you in advance for you suggestions!
There is a dedicated website for this, updated daily from November through March by camino pioneer Lourdes Lluch. To learn which albergue is open during that time, look on www.aprinca.com/alberguesinvierno.
Thank you all for the responses. I finally got some information about my At&t options. Varying monthly rates with a charge per minute (higher monthly fee gives lower price per minute). I don't think I'd be making a lot of calls- I plan to call from albergues/bars in advance to check what is open for most nights, ask local bars, etc. I think my Spanish is good enough to do this, if my accent doesn't get in the way too much ( or I should say accents: an American speaking school-learned Spanish that has been practiced mostly only in South America or with Mexicans)
But I want to be prepared for days when we decide to walk less or more than we planned, or where the albergue the night before did not have an option to use their phone to call ahead.... I just wish I knew how many calls that may end up being....
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