Neurodiversity on the Camino

[JustOneGuy]

My wife suffers of LORFOP*.

The symptoms are similar: when she hear loud people not caring about others she get really stressed.

We will avoid walking the most popular caminos in summer...

*Lack Of Respect From Other People

 

[RJM]

Hmmmm.....the Camino Frances wouldn't be my first choice if I had such a condition.
It's walked by literally hundreds of thousands of people annually, and one will experience crowded restaurants, cafes, bars, stores, plazas etc. Not to mention the interactions and noises involved with communal living in albergues.
Perhaps a wilderness hike would be more in order.

 

[CarolamS]

Hmmmm.....the Camino Frances wouldn't be my first choice if I had such a condition.
It's walked by literally hundreds of thousands of people annually, and one will experience crowded restaurants, cafes, bars, stores, plazas etc. Not to mention the interactions and noises involved with communal living in albergues.
Perhaps a wilderness hike would be more in order.

You are assuming the OP did not do enough research to know what the CF might involve. Anyone on the autism spectrum is likely to have done plenty of research. Also to be wise enough to ask questions here on issues where specific advice from experienced people might help.

 

[Laura Blue]

I have AuADHD and will be walking the Camino Frances starting Aug 21st 2024. Crowded restaurants with loud music and even louder conversation are my idea of hell. I get annoyed by the sound of traffic from the road next to my apartment. One of the reasons I'm walking is to get away from urban noise. Would love to hear about experiences and tips/ tricks to avoid overstimulation and have a better time.

Here's a metaphor for the experience of being noise sensitive. It's a normal mildly irritating ant bite but there's nothing you can do to stop it hurting unless you're a mile away from civilisation. But you have a job / friends / family etc so you just have to bear with it. Forever.

Better stay away from groups of Spaniards, Spanish people tend to be noisy! I guess it depends where you are walking, but I would say there is probably plenty of urban noise as you walk from one small town to another. If you are staying in albergues, then you will be sharing your space with fellow pilgrims, so there will be noise, including snoring, people getting up before you, going to be after you etc.

 

[JustOneGuy]

Let me share a NYT article that may be of interest for you: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/23/...e_code=1.FU4.GJAe.qiR2adBlBe-Q&smid=url-share

 

[lsg]

I'm finally back in Singapore. I started on 21st Aug and got to Santiago on 24th Sept so I finished in exactly 35 days. It was challenging but I don't regret it and time permitting, I'd do the Camino Frances again. I feel I only really enjoyed the Camino experience for about a week because I spent the first 2.5 weeks adjusting and fixing various problems and then at the end you hit Sarria and the crowds (boo).

Here are some tips I have for future pilgrims with autism or ADHD:

Accomodation
- Walk during shoulder season when albergues are still open but it's not too crowded.
- As much as possible, stay off stage
- Book your albergue at least 1 day in advance so you have more options to choose from. When making a reservation, ask how many beds are there in a room and carefully scrutinise any photos available online. My comfort limit was 6 beds in 1 room.
- Avoid all municipal albergues and donativos. Skip Roncesvalles if you can.
- If you can afford private accomodation the whole way, do it.

The walk itself
- Start walking early (<7am) so you can have some peace and quiet.
- Bring an eyemask for sleeping.
- Bring noise cancelling earbuds, noise cancelling headphones AND earplugs.
I wore both noise cancelling headphones and earplugs and they were effective against some snorers so they saved me a night's sleep here and there.
The headphones don't feel secure when you're going up or down a mountain so wear the earbuds instead.
Wear something while walking along the road.
Headphones might feel too heavy when worn for extended periods so swap them out with the earbuds.
- Do your own thing. Don't feel obliged to socialise or follow other people's schedules.
I travelled with a group I met along the way and it was a really really bad decision because they only slept for 8 hours per night while I needed 9 hours so I wasted a whole week becoming increasingly sleep deprived/grumpy/depressed before I realised what was going on and finally left.
- Embrace being bored. This is especially for people with ADHD for which feeling bored = being in pain. It hurt and it sucked and I avoided it for a few days by listening to audiobooks then I decided to just ride out the experience of being bored and it was horrible but didn't kill me and now my brain has learnt to entertain itself and it's wonderful.
- Take note of stuff that annoys you and fix it asap. Shell clicking against your plastic zip and making a noise when you walk? Tie it somewhere else or put it inside your bag. Pants too itchy? Get new ones. There's no virtue to suffering needlessly.
- The food. I was okay with eating the food available but if you are particular about food, you'll have to plan in advance. That said, I had indigestion the whole way because my body wasn't used to the incessant potatoes/ bread.
- Develop a routine. This will make you feel more comfortable. Every day I'd get up, walk, get to the albergue early, have lunch, shower, do laundry, plan my route/book the next bed, journal/relax/walk around town/socialise, have dinner then go to bed.
- Remember to rest. I tried to not walk or only walk to the next town on Sundays. This ensured I stayed off stage and away from the crowds.
- Complete the Sarria to Santiago section as fast as possible. It was SO crowded.

Buen Camino!

 

[Kirkie]

I'm finally back in Singapore. I started on 21st Aug and got to Santiago on 24th Sept so I finished in exactly 35 days. It was challenging but I don't regret it and time permitting, I'd do the Camino Frances again. I feel I only really enjoyed the Camino experience for about a week because I spent the first 2.5 weeks adjusting and fixing various problems and then at the end you hit Sarria and the crowds (boo).

Here are some tips I have for future pilgrims with autism or ADHD:

Accomodation
- Walk during shoulder season when albergues are still open but it's not too crowded.
- As much as possible, stay off stage
- Book your albergue at least 1 day in advance so you have more options to choose from. When making a reservation, ask how many beds are there in a room and carefully scrutinise any photos available online. My comfort limit was 6 beds in 1 room.
- Avoid all municipal albergues and donativos. Skip Roncesvalles if you can.
- If you can afford private accomodation the whole way, do it.

The walk itself
- Start walking early (<7am) so you can have some peace and quiet.
- Bring an eyemask for sleeping.
- Bring noise cancelling earbuds, noise cancelling headphones AND earplugs.
I wore both noise cancelling headphones and earplugs and they were effective against some snorers so they saved me a night's sleep here and there.
The headphones don't feel secure when you're going up or down a mountain so wear the earbuds instead.
Wear something while walking along the road.
Headphones might feel too heavy when worn for extended periods so swap them out with the earbuds.
- Do your own thing. Don't feel obliged to socialise or follow other people's schedules.
I travelled with a group I met along the way and it was a really really bad decision because they only slept for 8 hours per night while I needed 9 hours so I wasted a whole week becoming increasingly sleep deprived/grumpy/depressed before I realised what was going on and finally left.
- Embrace being bored. This is especially for people with ADHD for which feeling bored = being in pain. It hurt and it sucked and I avoided it for a few days by listening to audiobooks then I decided to just ride out the experience of being bored and it was horrible but didn't kill me and now my brain has learnt to entertain itself and it's wonderful.
- Take note of stuff that annoys you and fix it asap. Shell clicking against your plastic zip and making a noise when you walk? Tie it somewhere else or put it inside your bag. Pants too itchy? Get new ones. There's no virtue to suffering needlessly.
- The food. I was okay with eating the food available but if you are particular about food, you'll have to plan in advance. That said, I had indigestion the whole way because my body wasn't used to the incessant potatoes/ bread.
- Develop a routine. This will make you feel more comfortable. Every day I'd get up, walk, get to the albergue early, have lunch, shower, do laundry, plan my route/book the next bed, journal/relax/walk around town/socialise, have dinner then go to bed.
- Remember to rest. I tried to not walk or only walk to the next town on Sundays. This ensured I stayed off stage and away from the crowds.
- Complete the Sarria to Santiago section as fast as possible. It was SO crowded.

Buen Camino!

Glad you made it, and thank you for reporting back.

 

[CarolamS]

Congratulations and great feedback which will be of interest to many future pilgrims. Thank you.

 

[C clearly]

Start walking early (<7am) so you can have some peace and quiet.

Maybe, but another approach is to start a bit late - after the rush. Most people are well on the road before 8 a.m., leaving the paths empty. I found that a leisurely start was great, if I was staying in private accommodation.

 

[NualaOC]

Congratulations @lsg and thanks for sharing your experience.

 

[Robo]

@lsg

Glad it went OK for you.

I've had to cope with ADHD my whole life. Now 67.
My 4 kids have it too.
We were actually a case study!

Coupled with very bad Tinnitus, it can be challenging at times.

I find I'm OK in small groups, but beyond about 6 people it all just turns into white noise and is very hard to follow. And very stressful.

I describe it to people as walking into a TV shop with 10 different channels on loud and I'm trying to listen to them all. And end up running out of the shop..........

I've only had one problem on the Camino.
Many years ago, I was hanging out with a couple of different Camino families on the CF.

And one guy suggested we meet up for dinner in Burgos.
There must have been 50 people there!
I just had to leave........it was way too stressful.

But I find mostly on Camino, I can avoid large groups.
Hanging out with just 2 or 3 other Pilgrims is great.
And easily done.