Caminho without a phone

[Josephus]

So, before I began my third Caminho Portuguese from Lisbon in April of this year, I had a week with a friend who lives in the Algarve beforehand. However, literally on the first night of landing in Portugal, I was mugged at knifepoint for my phone. Now, this normally wouldn't matter, as for over a thousand years, the pilgrimage has existed without these pieces of plastic and lithium. Anyway, I digress. Knowing the Portuguese Central (especially from Ponte de Lima onwards, given most people dare not to take the Central from Porto), and it would be busy from Ponte de Lima onwards, I reluctantly pre-booked accommodation from there to SdC. Anyway, Booking.com would not give me details of where I was supposed to be staying (you try remembering 11 hotels in 11 different towns). Regardless, being the enterprising Englishman I am, I managed to virtually find every hotel/albergue and secure my accommodation. But this was extremely difficult, and certain fellow pilgrims made this experience more difficult, but again, there were two (you know who you are), who genuinely went out of their way to help me, even though one of them wasn't even starting until Porto (again, you Canadian legend, you know who you are). Also, a rumour also began that I'm the "Brit who hates Americans". A) I'm not British, I'm English, and B) I hate everyone equally. Again, I digress, but this is my question. Is it really possible to do the Camino in 2024 without a smartphone, or without reservations? Thoughts?

 

[C clearly]

Booking.com would not give me details of where I was supposed to be staying

I don't understand this. How did Booking decide where you are supposed to be staying? I usually tell them where I want to stay.

Is it really possible to do the Camino in 2024 without a smartphone, or without reservations? Thoughts?

From your post, it seems that you did it without your phone in April 2024. How was it? I suppose it is very possible, as many people do choose to live without mobile phone. However, I love my phone and would not go on a Camino without it. My husband can stay home, but my phone must come!

As to the question of whether reservations are necessary, I expect it depends a lot on when you are walking and what your accommodation expectations are.

 

[Josephus]

this. How did Booking decide where y

I made the bookings a month beforehand, but couldn't remember every single accommodation where I stayed, and booking.com wouldn't tell me where each hotel/albergue was even though I knew which town I was staying in. Like I said, try remembering 11 hotels in 11 different consecutive towns.

 

[Josephus]

I don't understand this. How did Booking decide where you are supposed to be staying? I usually tell them where I want to stay.


From your post, it seems that you did it without your phone in April 2024. How was it? I suppose it is very possible, as many people do choose to live without mobile phone. However, I love my phone and would not go on a Camino without it. My husband can stay home, but my phone must come!

As to the question of whether reservations are necessary, I expect it depends a lot on when you are walking and what your accommodation expectations are.

And yes, I "managed" it, but with great difficulty, and with very little sympathy from fellow pilgrims. If it wasn't for the actual Portuguese/Galicians, I dread to think how I would have got on. And don't even start me on trying to get home. Lol.

 

[Kathar1na]

I made the bookings a month beforehand, but couldn't remember every single accommodation where I stayed, and booking.com wouldn't tell me where each hotel/albergue was even though I knew which town I was staying in. Like I said, try remembering 11 hotels in 11 different consecutive towns.

I am very sorry to read that you were mugged at knifepoint for your phone on the first night of landing in Portugal. This is horrible.

When you say that Booking.com would not tell you where each hotel/albergue is I suppose this means that you phoned them and they would not reveal these details to you? Otherwise, if you had access to the internet and had been able to log into your account you would of course have seen all the details of your bookings including instructions on how to get to each hotel/albergue.

FWIW, although I make extensive use of my mobile phone for many practical purposes I am still so old fashioned that I tend to print out my online reservations for planes, trains and accommodation.

 

[MikeJS]

I made the bookings a month beforehand, but couldn't remember every single accommodation where I stayed, and booking.com wouldn't tell me where each hotel/albergue was even though I knew which town I was staying in. Like I said, try remembering 11 hotels in 11 different consecutive towns.

Why not access the booking site or your emails (as you have an email confirmation of every reservation) from another phone/computer?

 

[TravellingMan22]

So, before I began my third Caminho Portuguese from Lisbon in April of this year, I had a week with a friend who lives in the Algarve beforehand. However, literally on the first night of landing in Portugal, I was mugged at knifepoint for my phone. Now, this normally wouldn't matter, as for over a thousand years, the pilgrimage has existed without these pieces of plastic and lithium. Anyway, I digress. Knowing the Portuguese Central (especially from Ponte de Lima onwards, given most people dare not to take the Central from Porto), and it would be busy from Ponte de Lima onwards, I reluctantly pre-booked accommodation from there to SdC. Anyway, Booking.com would not give me details of where I was supposed to be staying (you try remembering 11 hotels in 11 different towns). Regardless, being the enterprising Englishman I am, I managed to virtually find every hotel/albergue and secure my accommodation. But this was extremely difficult, and certain fellow pilgrims made this experience more difficult, but again, there were two (you know who you are), who genuinely went out of their way to help me, even though one of them wasn't even starting until Porto (again, you Canadian legend, you know who you are). Also, a rumour also began that I'm the "Brit who hates Americans". A) I'm not British, I'm English, and B) I hate everyone equally. Again, I digress, but this is my question. Is it really possible to do the Camino in 2024 without a smartphone, or without reservations? Thoughts?

To me a phone is imperative when you travel. They give you the opportunity to be efflcient and tailor your experience to what you want, make ‘on the spot’ decisions, be flexible with your plans and limit your reliance on others. Of course you can go without a phone but it’s unthinkable to me.

So this morning I have totally changed my travel plans for the next few days based on train availability. In 5 mins I cancelled one hotel, booked another, booked a train ticket, etc. couldn’t have done that without a phone.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

it really possible to do the Camino in 2024 without a smartphone, or without reservations? Thoughts?

Possible, yes, but as always a lot of factors are involved.

Which camino and when being the two most important ones.

On a remote camino I would suggest even if just for emergency purposes a phone would be very important, let alone for navigation should you lose the trail. Also for calling the key holder, or booking one or two days ahead - occasionally necessary, because if they're not expecting anybody, they won't open.

Booking: On mainstream caminos how fast and far you are able to walk feature. If it's during the busy time and you are a slow walker you may struggle to get to a municipal albergue in a timely manner. That said, reports from the Frances over the last couple of months show that the municipals have normally had multiple beds available even quite late into the day. But Bruma on the Inglés for example was completely full even before opening (ie a que bigger than capacity) Meaning you may have to walk further. Which means you need to know where you are going, and be able to get there.

None of which is to say that it's not possible, I am positive that many do it and don't just survive, but thrive.

But personally I find my phone extremely useful.

Edited to Add: I've just realised you specified smartphone. Yes you could use just a dumb phone so long as you can speak Spanish

 

[markie6]

I've only ever booked ( busy period of September ) St Jean and Roncesvalles, have bought ticket home also in advance. You could get by without a phone if you don't want or need to be able to easily keep in touch with anybody at home ( or people you get to know on the Camino)

Having said all that, I did take my phone but only really used it often as a camera and a means for people back home to be able to track me using their pc's

difficult but not impossible. It certainly helps in emergencies which will be enough for most people to take at least a dumb phone if they want to be disconnected from the real world

 

[Bradypus]

Of course you can go without a phone but it’s unthinkable to me.

I walked my first Camino from SJPDP to Santiago with no mobile phone (and no internet access at any point along the way either). Not through choice - simply because for all practical purposes they didn't exist at the time. These days I carry a mobile phone and am very glad to do so. In fact I carry a backup as well! I'm sure that I could walk a Camino without one but having done it twice already I'm in no hurry to make the experiment again.

 

[t2andreo]

It seems to me that the main problem when walking a Camino without a smartphone, by design or as enforced on you (e.g. by loss or theft), is that virtually everyone else has one. Hence, they have the advantage over you in route finding, finding and managing accommodations, and obtaining useful information.

Plus, there is the issue of pre-registration to obtain your Compostela at the Pilgrim Office in Santiago. The new process (since 2022) relies heavily on using a smartphone to submit you personal information BEFORE arriving at Santiago.

This, of course, presumes you wanted a smart phone in the first place. If you CHOSE not to have one, for whatever reason, you assume these inconveniences as a voluntary choice.

While I minimize communicating with others during the day, when I am on Camino, at least until I am settled for the evening, I could not imagine doing any Camino successfully without a smart phone. It replaces so many paper documents and books.

Hope this helps.

Tom

 

[lt56ny]

So, before I began my third Caminho Portuguese from Lisbon in April of this year, I had a week with a friend who lives in the Algarve beforehand. However, literally on the first night of landing in Portugal, I was mugged at knifepoint for my phone. Now, this normally wouldn't matter, as for over a thousand years, the pilgrimage has existed without these pieces of plastic and lithium. Anyway, I digress. Knowing the Portuguese Central (especially from Ponte de Lima onwards, given most people dare not to take the Central from Porto), and it would be busy from Ponte de Lima onwards, I reluctantly pre-booked accommodation from there to SdC. Anyway, Booking.com would not give me details of where I was supposed to be staying (you try remembering 11 hotels in 11 different towns). Regardless, being the enterprising Englishman I am, I managed to virtually find every hotel/albergue and secure my accommodation. But this was extremely difficult, and certain fellow pilgrims made this experience more difficult, but again, there were two (you know who you are), who genuinely went out of their way to help me, even though one of them wasn't even starting until Porto (again, you Canadian legend, you know who you are). Also, a rumour also began that I'm the "Brit who hates Americans". A) I'm not British, I'm English, and B) I hate everyone equally. Again, I digress, but this is my question. Is it really possible to do the Camino in 2024 without a smartphone, or without reservations? Thoughts?

I am very confused by your post. Most people do walk the central route from Porto, although the coastal is getting more popular every year. As @C clearly asked for clarification about Bookings. Are you saying that Bookings would not release your information on which hotels you booked? Again some confusion. Why would certain pilgrims make it more difficult? But to your question of walking without a phone.
I walked my first two caminos, SJPP to Finistere and Le Puy to Santiago without a phone. When I walked from Le Puy I only had a tiny little Michelin guide that had a map with a few towns in every stage a few gites listed. So it can be done but I was a young buck then (only 60) and I have had a phone ever since.

 

[C clearly]

There is still a role in life and on the Camino for the occasional pencil and piece of paper to supplement the phone.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket!

 

[BarbaraW]

I met a Spanish guy on the Ingles in April who made a point of walking without a phone. He stayed in albergues and left his device at home because it helped him to disconnect from his usual daily life and focus on his pilgrimage. I think there's a lot in that. However when I tried to make a similar point in a post once, I managed to upset several people.

There is no doubt that a phone is indispensable for most practical things, though as a grumpy old woman who also travelled in pre-tech days, I still feel it's a pity that the phone has replaced so much direct human contact (though of course it can also enable contact. ) The challenge for me is to use my phone when needed and not as a crutch the minute I feel lonely/uncomfortable/unsure/bored. I hope these thoughts don't upset anyone.

And having once left my phone on a train while travelling to Austria, I now always carry hard copy details of booked transport and accommodation, as well as emergency contacts.

 

[truenorthpilgrm]

A) I'm not British, I'm English, and B) I hate everyone equally.

This made me chuckle.

 

[C clearly]

the phone has replaced so much direct human contact (though of course it can also enable contact. )

Therein lies the source of our different reactions. I hate some types of direct human interaction, especially with strangers, but the phone brings much closer contact with my extended family.

I hope these thoughts don't upset anyone.

No matter what you say or don't say, it is guaranteed that you will upset someone!

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

The challenge for me is to use my phone when needed and not as a crutch the minute I feel lonely/uncomfortable/unsure/bored. I hope these thoughts don't upset anyone.

For me too.

And as for a paper backup (hardcopy), I, too, have learnt that lesson the hard way.

 

[Joynz]

And yes, I "managed" it, but with great difficulty, and with very little sympathy from fellow pilgrims. If it wasn't for the actual Portuguese/Galicians, I dread to think how I would have got on. And don't even start me on trying to get home. Lol.

Do you back your phone up to the cloud? My iPhone is set up to do this automatically so I can always access my data from any internet enabled device. So as long as I can access the internet, I can check my emails for bookings etc if my phone is lost..

I wonder if any fellow pilgrims would have lent you their phone etc for this purpose. Or maybe an albergue operator would have done so - or the police?

 

[Bradypus]

There is no doubt that a phone is indispensable for most practical things, though as a grumpy old woman who also travelled in pre-tech days, I still feel it's a pity that the phone has replaced so much direct human contact (though of course it can also enable contact. )

Therein lies the source of our different reactions. I hate some types of direct human interaction, especially with strangers, but the phone brings much closer contact with my extended family.

My early Camino experience was very solitary. Perhaps 30 other pilgrims encountered in total over 800km. I was very happy with that level of contact. Walking the Portugues recently and seeing more than double that number pass by in the time it took to drink a little water and eat some chocolate was disconcerting. I lean more towards @C clearly 's point of view. I now use my phone for many things but primarily to keep in touch with friends and family. Something that in the past was only possible by post or landline phone at great expense. If my mobile phone also acts as a shield against unwanted intrusion from over-familiar complete strangers then I will count that as an 'undocumented feature' rather than a bug.

 

[naplesdon]

I am from the same mindset and era as Bradypus, forced to resign from walking Camino in 2019 due to my health. I remember finding lodging each night without a reservation and using computers in libraries along the way to communicate with friends. Life is no longer as blissful as my memories are just one short decade ago.
As a resident of Portugal, I am more interested in hearing the back story about you "mugging at knife point." Where did this happen? Granted, there are some sketchy areas in Lisbon but unless you are roaming around at some ungodly hour, there are enough good hearted citizens there to hear your call for help!

 

[Kathar1na]

I wonder if any fellow pilgrims would have lent you their phone etc for this purpose

I guess that not every fellow pilgrim was willing to do so but a few did. I guess that is why @Josephus wrote:

I managed to virtually find every hotel/albergue and secure my accommodation. But this was extremely difficult, and certain fellow pilgrims made this experience more difficult​

I am trying to put myself into the OP's shoes and also into the shoes of his fellow pilgrims. I myself would be very reluctant to hand over my mobile phone to someone else to click around on it and type and swipe and what have you. OTOH, I would not hesitate to look up an address myself on my own phone for another person and to call up a maps app and explain to the person how to get to the hotel or albergue where he has a reservation.

OTOH again, to access one's own email or one's own list of reservations on Booking.com on another person's device one must know one's passwords. And if one is as security conscious as one should be, these passwords are rather complicated and it is next to impossible to memorise them. It would probably be easier, before departure, to learn to memorise the names and towns for 11 hotels / albergues and their physical address.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

I think the simple answer to the OP's questions is "yes," and "yes."
The rest seems to be him trying to needle people into conflict.

 

[dick bird]

So, before I began my third Caminho Portuguese from Lisbon in April of this year, I had a week with a friend who lives in the Algarve beforehand. However, literally on the first night of landing in Portugal, I was mugged at knifepoint for my phone. Now, this normally wouldn't matter, as for over a thousand years, the pilgrimage has existed without these pieces of plastic and lithium. Anyway, I digress. Knowing the Portuguese Central (especially from Ponte de Lima onwards, given most people dare not to take the Central from Porto), and it would be busy from Ponte de Lima onwards, I reluctantly pre-booked accommodation from there to SdC. Anyway, Booking.com would not give me details of where I was supposed to be staying (you try remembering 11 hotels in 11 different towns). Regardless, being the enterprising Englishman I am, I managed to virtually find every hotel/albergue and secure my accommodation. But this was extremely difficult, and certain fellow pilgrims made this experience more difficult, but again, there were two (you know who you are), who genuinely went out of their way to help me, even though one of them wasn't even starting until Porto (again, you Canadian legend, you know who you are). Also, a rumour also began that I'm the "Brit who hates Americans". A) I'm not British, I'm English, and B) I hate everyone equally. Again, I digress, but this is my question. Is it really possible to do the Camino in 2024 without a smartphone, or without reservations? Thoughts?

Yes, probably. If not, you’ll find out quickly enough. If you are worried about it, buy another smartphone.

 

[Johnnyjenga]

I made the bookings a month beforehand, but couldn't remember every single accommodation where I stayed, and booking.com wouldn't tell me where each hotel/albergue was even though I knew which town I was staying in. Like I said, try remembering 11 hotels in 11 different consecutive towns.

Did you make these bookings on Booking.com as a guest? If you have a registered account, all the bookings will be available if you sign in, click your profile and then my trips.

Alternatively, you can access your email account from any computer and check the archives for emails from Booking.com with your confirmations.

If all else fails, you can contact your credit card company, get the reference number from the booking and contact Booking.com with that information. Once they see one booking, they will see them all. You may have to re-establish your identity with them. Good luck.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I would be "up a creek" if I were in the OP's situation as I only use my Android phone to make all of my reservations on my booking.com app. Thankfully I bring a copy of my spreadsheet with each night's lodging reservation, location, and phone #; definitely better than nothing. Next time I will add my booking.com app's password and keep it on me in a separate spot. I'd never considered the potential problem like the the OP has had, but I definitely sympathize with him.

 

[VNwalking]

Is it really possible to do the Camino in 2024 without a smartphone, or without reservations?

Yes, clearly it is because you managed, right?
So why stir the pot?

However when I tried to make a similar point in a post once, I managed to upset several people.

Never mind those folks, Barbara. Everyone has opinions. (I didn't see your post but would have happily agreed.)

left his device at home because it helped him to disconnect from his usual daily life and focus on his pilgrimage. I think there's a lot in that.

I do too. But these days it's an unpopular thought around here.

That said, I take my phone because at this point it's my map and a camera, and library. Not to mention a way to get out of a dicey situation if rescue is needed. So I'm not a laddie, just someone who likes silence. And I don't tend to book ahead except in Santiago - and then I have a print out...

 

[Josephus]

Yes, clearly it is because you managed, right?
So why stir the pot?

"Managed" being the operative word. I'm not trying to stir up any pot. Sounds like you are more than anything, but I digress. I'm just trying to gauge reaction. To answer other questions, I was actually mugged in Faro, in a rather sketchy area has I had to fly there and it was too late to go to Portimao. My major obstacle was the two step verification for Gmail. I knew my password, but obviously couldn't type the verification code into a phone I wasn't in possession of. Booking.com wouldn't give me the exact address of all the accommodation I'd booked from Ponte de Lima to Santiago, despite me knowing which town I'd be on which date. GDPR, apparently. Like I said, I admire anyone who can remember 11 hotels/albergues in a row. Luckily, I'd prepaid my week in the Algarve, and my 3 nights in Lisbon. It wasn't until I got to Azambuja/Santarem that I started to worry, as booking started to take money from my account, but I didn't know where it was going. Anyway, the amazing hospitalero in Azambuja and I spent 2 hours on his iPad going through every hotel in each town on my itinerary, managed to remember 10 of the 11, and he phoned the 2 in Portugal to explain my circumstances and confirm I would still be arriving. The lovely receptionist at the hostel in Santerem phoned the others and did the same. But that wasn't the end, 2 were cancelled in the meantime because I didn't confirm (although as I just explained, I had), so my first thoughts upon arriving in a certain town was A) would I actually have accommodation? and B) was it paid for? This was stressful to say the least, and this culminated in my final night with me sleeping in the airport carpark in A Coruna, after my hotel there was cancelled. As for what I was saying about other pilgrims, I have noticed people do not like parting with their phones, pilgrims or not. I remember asking one particular British couple if I could use theirs just to phone my ex or stepdaughters just to let them know I was still alive, and it was like I was asking them to donate a kidney. I even offered to pay. That is just one example. The not so good experiences far outweighed the good, but I'll choose to remember the angels. As I have stated, I'm not here to agitate, I'm just genuinely curious to see if you can more than just "manage". Because of course it's possible, but it is obviously becoming increasingly difficult, as I can attest to.

 

[dougfitz]

In the last few days, I have been preparing for my upcoming pilgrimage on the Gudbrandsdalsleden. This has included moving key documents into a cloud storage space, and ensuring that I have two-factor identification options that do not rely on my phone. The OPs experience suggests how important taking simple steps like these can be when the unexpected happens, and one no longer has access to a mobile phone.

edit: I should add that these measures have been recommended by other experienced members for some years. There are always some valuable nuggets that might otherwise go unnoticed when we are preparing ourselves for our pilgrimage journeys. Its not all about flights, packs and packing lists

 

[naplesdon]

So the mugging was in Faro. What time of day and where exactly?

 

[WalkinRon]

I recently had the same problem when I left my cell phone in an Uber. I used a laptop computer to log on to my Uber account... After my email address was confirmed and my password was confirmed, it asked me to enter the four-digit number that was just texted to my cell phone! Eventually I found another way to get "help" from Uber but I still had to give them my office phone number so that the driver could call to arrange for the return of my phone.

On the Camino, as previously mentioned in this thread, everyone assumes you are walking around with your phone in your pocket. On more than one occasion I arrived at my reserved accommodation and found a sign on the door saying to call this number and someone would come let me in.

I kept my back up information the old fashioned way--in this little notebook that I found on Amazon. I could jot down notes like "check in time is xx:xx or after". Or call this number if arriving after xx:xx or reservation will be cancelled. After my Camino I now have a nice record of how far I walked each day and where I stayed each night.

 

[Josephus]

So the mugging was in Faro. What time of day and where exactly?

Yes, as I stated in my previous post. It was around 11pm, in the old town, on my way back to my hotel after an evening meal. Why do you ask?

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I put all of the information provided for each of my lodging reservations on a spreadsheet and print it out before I leave home.

 

[Pilgrim9]

This is my technique for data resilience:

1. Print a paper copy of each of my Booking.com confirmation .PDFs. File in ascending date sequence in a manila file folder. Take folder with me on pilgrimage. After checkout, tear out the now-dead confirmation sheet and stuff into bottom of my pack. This exposes the confirmation sheet for the current day. Put the manila file folder back in dedicated pocket of pack.

2. File an ecopy of all of the aforementioned .PDFs in a dedicated trip-specific online folder. Rename each file from (<original Booking.com filename>) to (YYYY-MM-DD - <original filename>), where YYYY-MM-DD is the date of check-in. These are the back-ups.

3. Write username and password for each mission-critical online account in pencil (it's sweat-resistant) on a sheet of paper. Fold paper so that the data cannot be seen. Enclose in a baggie (sweat-resistance again) and secrete the baggie in my skin-coloured money pouch. Money pouch always stays with me 24/7/365, even when sleeping, and is always under my undershirt except when in private space (private room or locked bathroom etc.)

4.1 To date I have not carried a smartphone on pilgrimage. Instead, I have been using an 8" Android tablet for navigation, emails, and evening readings of news etc. However, I do not trust Android enough for online banking, so I have also been carrying an iPod Touch which I have been using for online banking. The system has worked well so far, except ...

4.2 On two occasions my not having a smartphone created real problems; specifically, an inability to receive by text message the secret street-door-opening codes for an unstaffed hostel in Pamplona, and another unstaffed hostel in Sarría. In early sunlight afternoon it caused delays of a few hours getting in, and I had to persuade my way in with some other guests. Had it been later in the evening, no stranger-guests would have trusted me enough to let me in, and I would have been sleeping under a bridge, dreaming of my already-paid-for but inaccessible room.

I did buy a smartphone after that pilgrimage and now I would not go without it.

 

[C clearly]

Anyway, the amazing hospitalero in Azambuja and I spent 2 hours on his iPad going through every hotel in each town on my itinerary

It's great that you got this help. I am still puzzled why you couldn't log into your Booking account, using his iPad, to get the information. Was there a 2-factor authentication problem?

 

[Josephus]

It's great that you got this help. I am still puzzled why you couldn't log into your Booking account, using his iPad, to get the information. Was there a 2-factor authentication problem?

No, I just couldn't remember the correct password or combination of, hashtags, commas, etc. And after 3 attempts it booted me out. But yes, a special shout out to Miguel at the Azambuja municipal albergue. A true Camino angel. Muito obrigado

 

[Sharpy]

Very sorry to hear about your mugging - that would terrify me at the thought of my personal safety being compromised more than losing something material. You're very brave to continue on your Camino after this experience - though in saying this I trust your walking and the rest of those whom you encounter will help heal you of your ordeal. I've done several Caminos without a phone - as I always take a guidebook with me rather than relying on cyberspace for information and always stay at Albergues etc without booking. Occasionally when I haven't found an albergue I've found other accommodation such as cheap hotels that again I've just walked into rather than any pre-booking. When I walked the Portuguese Coastal Camino in October 2022 and the one albergue and accommodation of any kind in an isolated village was already full, the hospitalero kindly phoned a hotel for me in the next town and made a reservation for me there. My experience is there are many angels along the Camino who very generously assist us with whatever our needs be at the time. Buen Camino!

 

[TravellingMan22]

Sorry about the mugging. Had similar back in the day (2000) with a knife held to my throat and sand stuffed into my mouth. Before my mobile phone days so one thing not to worry about. I’m no medic but just keep an eye on your mental state. I forgot it very quickly as it happened so quickly and I lost a few quid but I had flashbacks about 20 years later and medics (after me realising what could have happened) told me that it fed into some of my ‘catastrophization’ anxieties. Sure you will be fine tho and best wishes!

I couldn’t/ wouldn’t do it without a phone, and may have bailed if it happens to me esp. given you are from Europe and close by. Well done for cracking on! Not just managing the Camino trip but life back at home - ordering medication, paying bills. The word phone is a misnomer to me as about the only thing I don’t do on my phone is make calls apart from my mum and I need to download as app for that to get cheap rates! I wouldn’t hand over my phone, but would sit with someone and try and work through it with you and I think most folks would. I have been mugged quite a few times and have really had to rely on folks and largely that have really helped. Even stuff like not being able to freeze my bank account after an ATM withdrawal would impact me.

I don’t carry paper but I do carry a spare phone without a number so would limited value but pretty sure I can get into booking.com, and travel apps.

Its obv. possible but comparisons with days of old are pretty much null and void with me as the world is designed around the mobile phone nowadays.

 

[David Tallan]

My major obstacle was the two step verification for Gmail. I knew my password, but obviously couldn't type the verification code into a phone I wasn't in possession of.

I had a similar problem when my phone went astray on my birthday on my Camino Portugues in 2018 (not a theft, fortunately). All of my plans and plane tickets home, etc. we're on my phone and in my Google Drive. But the two factor authentication meant that my Google Drive was inaccessible without my phone. Fortunately, a fellow pilgrim leant me their phone when I finally remembered that I could use "find my phone" to track down its location and we were reunited. Since then, I always carry a slip of paper, separate from my phone, with the pre-issued Google authentication codes I can use if my phone is unavailable.

I think there is a big difference between setting out without a phone on a Camino, where you plan for ways to organize things without it (e.g. printing out return flight tickets in advance) and suddenly finding yourself without a phone. In general, the ways we got around pre-phone still work, but you have to be prepared to use them. If you had planned to be without your phone (e.g. either not done bookings or done them in advance and carried the details with you in a notebook, or done them at public computers and carried the details in a notebook) things would have been a lot easier. It is the suddenly finding yourself without when you haven't planned for it and built reliance on the phone into your Camino that is so challenging.

 

[naplesdon]

Yes, as I stated in my previous post. It was around 11pm, in the old town, on my way back to my hotel after an evening meal. Why do you ask?

Because I am thinking about living there.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I had a similar problem when my phone went astray on my birthday on my Camino Portugues in 2018 (not a theft, fortunately). All of my plans and plane tickets home, etc. we're on my phone and in my Google Drive. But the two factor authentication meant that my Google Drive was inaccessible without my phone. Fortunately, a fellow pilgrim leant me their phone when I finally remembered that I could use "find my phone" to track down its location and we were reunited. Since then, I always carry a slip of paper, separate from my phone, with the pre-issued Google authentication codes I can use if my phone is unavailable.

I think there is a big difference between setting out without a phone on a Camino, where you plan for ways to organize things without it (e.g. printing out return flight tickets in advance) and suddenly finding yourself without a phone. In general, the ways we got around pre-phone still work, but you have to be prepared to use them. If you had planned to be without your phone (e.g. either not done bookings or done them in advance and carried the details with you in a notebook, or done them at public computers and carried the details in a notebook) things would have been a lot easier. It is the suddenly finding yourself without when you haven't planned for it but built reliance on the phone into your Camino that is so challenging.

Yes, exactly this! Best well-rounded reply imo.

 

[Josephus]

Because I am thinking about living there.

By all accounts, it's generally safe. But as with everywhere, crime is rising. I live in London, so there's more chance of it happening here. I guess it was just a case of wrong place, wrong time. Don't let my experience put you off. The Algarve is beautiful.

 

[VNwalking]

I'm just genuinely curious to see if you can more than just "manage". Because of course it's possible, but it is obviously becoming increasingly difficult, as I can attest to.

Fair enough.
And yes, you're right about needing tech more. And more places won't even take cash - you need to have your card, your phone, or your smart watch. Fortunately this hasn't yet reached Spain yet.

 

[VNwalking]

Not only did I not know the address of the hotel, I didn’t even know the name. All I do is click on directions in booking! Thankfully I found it by chance.!

Nothing personal meant @TravellingMan22, because I'm not immune.

But it just shows how we're all outsourcing our memory and intelligence to machines. I treasure the little ability to remember I have, but that's less and less exercised because it's so easy to click on an app.

 

[WGroleau]

So, before I began my third Caminho Portuguese from Lisbon in April of this year, I had a week with a friend who lives in the Algarve beforehand. However, literally on the first night of landing in Portugal, I was mugged at knifepoint for my phone. Now, this normally wouldn't matter, as for over a thousand years, the pilgrimage has existed without these pieces of plastic and lithium. Anyway, I digress. Knowing the Portuguese Central (especially from Ponte de Lima onwards, given most people dare not to take the Central from Porto), and it would be busy from Ponte de Lima onwards, I reluctantly pre-booked accommodation from there to SdC. Anyway, Booking.com would not give me details of where I was supposed to be staying (you try remembering 11 hotels in 11 different towns). Regardless, being the enterprising Englishman I am, I managed to virtually find every hotel/albergue and secure my accommodation. But this was extremely difficult, and certain fellow pilgrims made this experience more difficult, but again, there were two (you know who you are), who genuinely went out of their way to help me, even though one of them wasn't even starting until Porto (again, you Canadian legend, you know who you are). Also, a rumour also began that I'm the "Brit who hates Americans". A) I'm not British, I'm English, and B) I hate everyone equally. Again, I digress, but this is my question. Is it really possible to do the Camino in 2024 without a smartphone, or without reservations? Thoughts?

Yes to both. Having a GPS on a phone or other device is convenient but not necessary. And in all my Camino time, I never made a reservation anywhere.

 

[CourtneyLee]

I had to travel 13/14 days of the Camino Primitivo without a phone. The way I was carrying it while hiking, sweat droplets got into it and short circuited it. It was very HARD, walking on faith, that there’d be a free bed along the way.

One town, all beds were taken and I had to taxi to the next town.

As I got closer to Santiago, it kept being an issue.. one fellow pilgrim lent me her phone for the final two day bed reservations, and I was so grateful!