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Information - Digital or on Paper?

Gwaihir

Active Member
Time of past OR future Camino
2019: Nijmegen-Fisterra
2022: Trans-European Trail
I´ve been hoarding information on routes, gites and campings along the way (NL, BE, FR and Spain). There are also handy documents here on the site.

Most of these are either in .doc or .pdf format. Which begs the question: do I print them and take them along in a map? Seems like it might not be very camino-proof, dirt and weather - wise.

What do you travelers do? Do you load all the information on your phone? Or just carry along several guidebooks?

Another n00b question
 
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...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
I normally print the critical stuff (like Ryanair boarding passes) and put the rest in a trip folder in my travel email account. I also usually have a guidebook on Kindle or as a PDF. It's worth asking whether there are parts of the trip with bright sun that will make it hard to see the phone screen, or particular maps you want on paper (for example, I've printed a map of detours around Pamplona during the festival).
 
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I do a mix. I normally carry a paper guidebook, and a minimal set of key emergency information that I photocopy and keep in a ziploc bag that normally stays in my bag. Otherwise, I try and get as much on my phone as possible.
 
tomnorth said:
I scanned documents so that I could access them on my iPhone.
Click to expand...
Me, too. I even scan my whole paper guidebook when I'm ready to go. It actually goes quite fast and includes all the notes from forum members I'd written in. I then delete pages daily as I use them.
 
Let us pick up your suitcase once you arrive in Europe....
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
I have everything on my phone. I think that’s an even easier choice if the information started out digitally as in the OP’s case, because there’s no scanning involved.
 
Gwaihir said:
What do you travelers do? Do you load all the information on your phone? Or just carry along several guidebooks?

Another n00b question
Click to expand...
When walking through lots of countries I had all the information and guide books on my phone. Great to minimise the weight but not so good when you need to check directions in the rain! (Especially if there is no shelter...)
On shorter caminos, I usually have one guidebook and the rest on my phone.
I made an exception for the Via Tolosana and Lourdes at Easter: I was so worried about not finding the way (and knowing there would probably be no other pilgrims), I carried three Guides! (Including the Miam Miam Dodo)
A bit of an overkill but at least I didn’t get lost

Ps: A good App for France is Iphigenie. It’s free. It may work for Belgium and the Netherlands as well, I don’t know. Worth checking it out.
 
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I heard of a guy who took all of his guidebooks and maps and distilled them into a design, which he had tattooed over his body, so that he would always have access to the vital information for his ... Oh wait, no. That was the TV show, Prison Break.

I just put keep everything on my phone. I have an app called Scanbot that lets me scan any documents that I might come across on the way.
 
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I print on paper, but often distill the information - I don't really need all the scenic descriptions from several of the Spanish web pages. And then I throw the paper away as we pass.

I have a few things on my phone as well, but have several times had problems seeing well enough when the information is formated for A4. And then the time my phone ran out of power because the on-button had been squeezed in my pocket...
 
Thanks all!

This has been very helpful. It never even occurred to me that I could potentially scan guidebooks. The battery on my phone is crappy so I might have to carry a powerbank... or get a new one...


Raggy said:
I heard of a guy who took all of his guidebooks and maps and distilled them into a design, which he had tattooed over his body, so that he would always have access to the vital information for his ... Oh wait, no. That was the TV show, Prison Break.
Click to expand...

xD

For the cost of one small tattoo, I could get 20 guidebooks though!
 
I tend to carry them on the phone. When in doc or pdf format I will upload them to Google drive so I can access them from any computer should I lose my phone (especially important for things like return tickets). But in that case, be sure your phone isn't your only available second factor authentication for your Google account so that you are not locked out if your Google account if you lose your phone.
 
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I go with gronze.com which contains everything you would ever need to know about the camino. No point lugging extra weights (guidebooks & maps). You do need to get a Spanish SIM card though.
 
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