Carrying phones and other technology.

[Kathryn Leong]

My friend and I elected to use a smart phone and small camera when we walked the Camino Frances in 2012 which worked pretty well. We used a travel sim that we bought in Australia and loaded on the plane on the way. We also used Vibr when we could and regular Internet at refugios when available. A friend did take a computer and maintained a blog but did find that she became a bit overloaded trying to maintain a daily blog. I think that blogging is a good way to keep everyone in the loop though. I also wrote an old fashioned diary!

 

[Magwood]

My friend and I elected to use a smart phone and small camera when we walked the Camino Frances in 2012 which worked pretty well. We used a travel sim that we bought in Australia and loaded on the plane on the way. We also used Vibr when we could and regular Internet at refugios when available. A friend did take a computer and maintained a blog but did find that she became a bit overloaded trying to maintain a daily blog. I think that blogging is a good way to keep everyone in the loop though. I also wrote an old fashioned diary!

I set up a blog before walking the camino Frances last year. I made a few posts about training but had not used the blog a great deal before setting off. My main advice would be to practise before setting off. Write loads of posts and include photos, even if you don't publish them (leave them as drafts) - it will make the process a bit quicker on the way.

It can be very time consuming and I made it my priority every afternoon/evening, after showering and washing clothes. I probably put too much time into it and missed out a bit on socialising as a result. However the main purpose was to provide a journal of my journey because I have a terrible memory and knew lots of events would be lost if I did not commit them to the written word.

I also collected sponsorship for charity (a local cancer hospice) and offered to send a link to all those who sponsored me, and wrote a short article in a local magazine with a link to the blog, and of course let my friends and family know about it. I had amazing and totally unexpected support from my friends and their comments every day really lifted my spirits when I was flagging.

I continue to post occasionally about life as an expat here in southern Spain and shall be making a daily post from my forthcoming camino Portuguese in May.

I used an iPad mini (without sim) as a blogging tool, which I also used for skyping, keeping up to date with emails and as a camera. It is an excellent piece of equipment and very light weight compared to the full version. This year I will also take a small digital camera because I really missed the ability to zoom in on distant subjects.

I often dip into my blog and read random posts from my camino Frances - it really brings the experience back to life. I only really expected the blog to be of interest to a very small circle of close family and friends, but has now reached over 30,000 hits. It has been worth all the effort - but I would reiterate - practise before setting off, or it is likely to be a very frustrating experience.

 

[ManyMiles2Go]

I used my phone for pictures and my wife used a small digital camera. Her pictures were better quality, but my phone made it easy to upload to our blog we did for our friends and family at home. I would take both again next time!

 

[Al the optimist]

Last year I carried a camera and a phone. I now have a new phone that is better than the camera! Also with a slightly larger screen it also works well as an e-reader. So more space and weight saved! My UK contract includes the phone calls and texts to Spanish phones and back to the UK free of charge as they are included in my unlimited minutes and texts. I will use the WIFI where available.

 

[OTH86]

Al, how can I know which new camera you're using without breaking the "no advertising" "rules"? ;-)
I quite liked the quality of the photos I took with my Touch, but need to consider a phone with good camera...

 

[Suzanne Edminster]

I bought a small point and shoot camera that sends photos wirelessly to my IPAD mini, the non-SIM kind. It's working really well and seems rather magical. There are several brands that do this now. I am going to carry an IPAD mini with non-sim wireless, a camera, and maybe a phone. I don't know if I really need one. I'm planning to blog every couple of days. My blog is my scrapbook of the trip... most of the public part, anyway....