Remote working while walking

[canna]

Hi - I work remotely - set hours 2 1/2 days a week I just need a decent internet connection to carry on working as I go - not every week but perhaps every other. Is it feasible to do this, on a practical level, on the Camino or/and am I going to be missing out on the full experience? Thanks x

 

[Deleted member 67185]

Hi - I work remotely - set hours 2 1/2 days a week I just need a decent internet connection to carry on working as I go - not every week but perhaps every other. Is it feasible to do this, on a practical level, on the Camino or/and am I going to be missing out on the full experience? Thanks x

Hi, canna, welcome to the forum.

You can do whatever you want, but I think it misses the point of going on Camino to drag work along with you, irrespective of how often you do it. As to the technical aspects, I haven't needed that level of connectivity, so I don't know what would or wouldn't be workable.

 

[Jan_D]

Many pilgrims find it challenging to keep in touch with family while walking, let alone doing anything else that requires a reliable internet connection and a fair amount of commitment and concentration. Not all the albergues have wifi, and once you arrive at your bunk you'll either be ready for a nap, or else you'll ve dragged off for a cold pint with your new camino buddies. It's like a different world. (Someone on the forum described it as "summer camp for adults" - can you imagine doing homework on a summer camp?)

If you really can't afford to stop working, then my recommendation would be to check into a hotel for two days a week to get through your weekly workload. However if it's at all an option, I'd suggest suspending all work activity until after the Camino, so that you can fully immerse yourself in the experience.

 

[canna]

Thank you for the responses.

Yes - I feel you are right and I would rather not, but getting the amount of time off I would need to do the full Camino is highly unlikely, so I was thinking whether I might be able to do it while I work, or whether it might be a compromise too far.

 

[Jan_D]

It's hard to respond without knowing anything else about your personal situation, for example, where are you coming from? I used to live in France, for example, so would frequently pop down to walk a stretch of the Camino whenever I had a chance, sometimes even for a long weekend. But I think it's different if you're travelling from afar, and really want to fully immerse yourself in a foreign culture and experience. Then maybe it's better to wait. But if you feel a strong pull to do the Camino now, then I think walking 5 days out of 7 (and committing to staying in a hotel for two days a week to work) would be better than nothing!

 

[Katherine Radeka]

I own two businesses, and I've done at least some work on every vacation I've taken for the past 15 years. Most vacation days for me start with 2 - 3 hours of emails and follow up before going out to play.

But the Camino is different.

It's taken me a year and a half to prepare to be completely offline for seven weeks (from the day I leave for SJPP until I arrive in Finesterre) but that's what I'm going to do. I'll have my cell phone, but I'm going to turn off my email, etc. and limit my phone usage to picture taking, and a daily text to my husband to let him know where I am, and that I'm still alive.

From my own experience, I would find that if I was working two days / week then I would still think about work the rest of the time. The only way I've been able to turn that off has been to go on retreat, and turn all of my devices off until I get back. If the retreat center has wifi, I have to pretend that it doesn't. Even then, it takes at least three days for my brain to realize that I'm somewhere else.

For me, part of the Camino experience is the anonymity that I don't have in my daily life. I hope for some time with myself, my God, and fellow pilgrims, with only the possessions I can carry, and my only job for the day is to walk to the next place.

If your work situation is such that you can't take enough time off to do the whole thing then I would suggest taking as much time off as you can, and then doing what you can, immersing yourself in the experience while you're here.

For example you could start in SJPP or Roncevalles and walk through the Pyrenees, then skip part of the middle by taking a bus or train, and walk the last 150km or so. You only need the final 100km to get the Compestela, if that's important to you. Or you could choose to walk as far as you can, and then come back at a later time to finish.

Finally, you may think this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but you can see from many of the posters here that you can return to do it again! Once you have all the gear, aside from any income lost by the time away from work, the air ticket is the biggest expense.

 

[Prentiss Riddle]

I’ve thought about doing the same thing. In fact it’s my wife’s dream that I could somehow support us becoming perpetual pilgrims from a MacBook Air in my backpack!

I agree with others: check into a hotel or AirBnB on your work days. Internet exists in albergues and cafes but it’s unreliable. Not that a hotel is guaranteed to be better...

 

[Shaun-Castaneda-Rio]

Hello Canna

When I first walked the Camino I was self employed, responsible for providing a secure job for two other people, letting them move closer towards their hopes and dreams.

However much I wanted to be selfish and think only of myself I had to consider their livelihood and could not just forget about what was happening 2000+ km away.

I also had to work a few hours a day, or mostly at night when things were quiet in the Albergue kitchens. (When you get bored or need a break you can always do the left over washing up )

I can understand your need to be in communication but please don’t let it take over your experience of the Camino.

Technically - What helped me was a small mifi modem and Orange Espania data sim.

Mifi modems you can find on the internet for around 40 Euro and for the Spainish data sim I paid 10 Euro for 1GB of data with the possibility to top up on line.

One nice thing is you can share this connection with fellow pilgrims if you wish.
(helping others - Camino spirit )

Also it is very comforting for family and friends to receive regular photos of the journey.

My Daughters had a complete map of the Camino at school almost 3m long, and each day printed off a photo of where I was and added it to the ever growing “wool line” pinned to the map.

After reaching Monte Gozo on the map, they knew I would soon be home.

However it works out for you enjoy your time on this fantastic journey.

 

[GettingThere]

Free wifi is fairly ubiquitous on the Camino Frances now, but it isn't always totally reliable. I've found that signal strength can vary tremendously, including in hotels. Sometimes the connection is only in the downstairs office and if your room is a couple of floors up the signal can be quite weak. This can be difficult if trying to maintain a connection - I can only imagine that if your work depended on a reliable connection (especially if it involved uploading or downloading large files) it could quickly become teeth-grindingly frustrating. I think if you decide to go ahead and try to work while on the Camino, it would be worth investing in the type of device mentioned above, or using your mobile data with a good plan.

As others have said - if you can avoid it I think you would gain so much more from the Camino by putting work aside, even if it means you have to shorten your trip (there's no such thing as a "full Camino" of course, unless you're walking from home!), so you could consider just walking for as long as you can manage away from work this time, starting then continuing another year. Although if you are travelling from far away, I know it's possible this may be a once-in-a-lifetime trip for you - I come from New Zealand, which is as far as you can get from Spain, so I know about the cost of long-distance travel.

Buen Camino whatever you decide!

 

[Former member 49149]

Hi Canna, welcome. If your plan is to work every second week, seems like you could easily fit it in. As someone else has said, it is difficult in the vague to say yes or no. However, if you walk two weeks, and stop two and a half days, and pick up for another two weeks, you will be done! It will have taken place, whatever it is to be for you You know, many people can only do a week at a time, or even four days. So you are in a better position , being able to stop and work on the spot, and then pick up again. Hope you are getting some sense of how it might or might not work for you. All the best in making your decision.

 

[mvanert]

I, too, work for myself with no employees. I've been on the camino twice and both times I had to take some time to do work. I found plenty of private albergues that would let me stay for two nights so taking a day to do work is possible (though I did not need to) and even doable. The drawback is if you find a group of people you like walking with you'll most likely not see them again. Which is a bummer.
Once again I will be available for some work while on camino but only for one or two hours once a week and only under emergency circumstances. I think if this is the only way you can do the camino now then go ahead and join us. It'll be fine.

 

[Kiwi-family]

This makes me think of the crowd who insist you need to do a camino alone to get the "true" experience. I've not yet had the luxury as I've taken family every time - but I wouldn't have swapped it for the world.
I can't help thinking your doing a few hours of work here and there would be too different to my nightly blogging. If you know you need to work and don't want to be exhausted, just walk a short distance that day (or work first and then see how far you manage to walk)
Doing a day's work every week need not ruin your experience - it would just be different.

 

[Stivandrer]

What -
please don´t!!
apart from the impossibility of working with a spreadsheet while walking, please consider that the old brain and your whole nervous systems badly need you to be present..
I walked behind a Spaniard who had a busisness discussion for 5 kilometres!, very loud on the phone while beating his single walking cane a-rythmically against the gravel with the other hand.
My mind was divided btw feeling sorry he had to take this long call, and then being annoyed that he was shouting up the entire nature.
I had the choice either to overtake or to take a break.
Of course the itch to connect can be scratched, but regular work while walking, no.
You might get no joy out of neither ! and that´s a double negative, yes !

 

[canna]

Thank you so much for your very full and informative responses!
It's certainly given me much to think about. I am only coming from the UK so it's no effort to break it up into smaller chunks, which might be the way forward. I think one of my fears was meeting Camino buddies and then having to hang back to do work, although I know people have to hang back for a variety of reasons.
If the Camino is as friendly, helpful and welcoming as all of you, I think it's not be missed. My son did it 3 years ago and it was a transformative experience for him.

 

[RJM]

If one has to work, one has to work. Bread does not magically appear on a dinner table. The notion of a working holiday/vacation is nothing new. Not something I would be interested in doing, but I totally understand the concept.
I can only suggest find a happy medium on work time and pilgrim time while walking the Camino. Arrange for private accommodations when you can and work in your room. Usually those private accommodations have better wifi. Maybe tuck away to a quiet pub or cafe somewhere, order a cold beer and meal and do your work there as most establishments like that have wifi access for customers.

 

[MinaKamina]

Hi Canna. Everybody walks their own camino, so if your Camino has several days of work in it, then, well, that is what your full experience is going to be like. Your newly found friends will likely move on, and you will make new friends.
I'm not sure what you mean by 'to carry on working as I go' - do you plan to work and walk on the same time? IMHO it is better to pay attention to your surroundings and internet may not be available in the area when you need it. You also mention 'set times' so apart from only a decent internet connection do you need that connection at specific times at a place where you can work without interruptions? That will require a strict planning and you'll have to organize your Camino plans around it. But planning aside, budding digital nomads enjoy a world of freedom. Buen Camino!

 

[Lance Chambers]

Yes it's possible.

There are a lot of places that have wifi available. Cafes, hostels, albergues, some public buildings, etc., etc. Like any other modern country, you'll find wifi all over place.

Do what you need to do and forget anyone who tells you it's difficult, a waste of time, and 'it's not in the spirit of the Camino'. The Spirit of the Camino is what you make it!

Buen Camino.

 

[NualaOC]

Hi @canna thanks for asking this question and thanks to everyone who has replied. Lots of interesting perspectives.

I'm self-employed and I've always had to do some work while walking a Camino. Mostly, it's just replying to emails or making a few phone calls. I usually try to take time out to do that, rather than e.g. taking a call while walking, or answering emails while sitting with other pilgrims. Once the work is done, I've always been able to forget about it and return to 'Camino-mode'. Not ideal, but that's how it is at the moment. Better to walk now than put it off until retirement!

Re. wi-fi: it's readily available, but there's no guarantee that the connections are secure. You might want to review your mobile phone contract to see if you can get free or reasonably-priced roaming. That's what I use. I don't bring a laptop or iPad, but if I did, I'd use my phone as a hotspot to guarantee a more secure connection.

Happy planning and Buen Camino!

 

[t2andreo]

The standard question at most all bar / cafes and albergues is "tiene wee-fee?" Once a positive answer is received, the next question would be "contra-seh-na" por favor? That is asking for the password or contrasena.

Remember that all such connections are unprotected. I use NordVPN on my home and mobile computers and smartphones. It establishes a safe encrypted Virtual Private Network over any public connection. Consider it, or something like it.

Hope this helps.

 

[november_moon]

if the choice is between doing the Camino and working a few hours a week or not doing the Camino - I say go and work a few hours a week. For me the choice was between going and walking "part" or the Camino or not going - I went and walked "part" of the Camino and had a great experience. Some people don't think I got the "full Camino experience", and that's fine - I got my Camino experience.

I think that the recommendation for getting a private hotel room once a week when you are going to work is good - better chance of not being interupted and having decent wifi. But depending on your work, it may not be essential. And other pilgrims will understand if you need to do some work - they will leave you alone to do it - just like they will leave you alone to nap, meditate, or whatever else you need or want to do.

 

[Anniesantiago]

If you need to work while on the Camino it's absolutely possible.
Nearly every village will have wifi somewhere.
Just keep tight hold on your electronics - and remember the connections are not secure.
Buen Camino!

 

[Givesome]

Hi canna Everyone's life is different and our working environments even more so. In the modern society we are always connected and able to work from everywhere. We have become workaholics with no limits. I have been working in the IT environment for the past 26 years and I have seen how things have changed and the way that we work. You reach a point where your personal life is taken over by work and you work ever night, weekends and even when you go on leave. If you take leave at all.
Last year when I did my first Camino I decided to disconnect completely. Not even a cell phone - no electronics. For me that was the Camino experience to see the world as it is and not through a computer screen. This year I am doing the same.
To get away from it all for me is to disconnect from work and personal life. If you take your work with you your mind is going to focus on work and you might miss the Camino experience. You will be there but not in it.
It is not easy for the normal person to take time off to do the entire Camino in one go and that in itself explains a lot.
Sometime we have to step aside to really see what we have become.
I really hope you can do the Camino or a part of it without the need to work.

 

[Kurt5280]

The purpose of the Camino is to get in touch with yourself...not the world you left behind.

 

[jungleboy]

Once a positive answer is received, the next question would be "contra-seh-na" por favor? That is asking for the password or contrasena..

Just a friendly FYI, it's contraseña with the letter eñe, and therefore pronounced con-tra-SEN-ya.

 

[Peter CapeTown]

I am in a similar position. In 12 days i am starting my first Camino. Being a family man (three 'nearly grown up'children, one with a disability) and the owner/manager of my small business (staff, clients, debt, etc) , your concerns are close to mine too.
I can't advice you as your decision is your own to make. I can reflect on what i did/do in my similar situation, long-story-short: I will 99% disconnect from my work environment, 70% from my family live and 90% of the social life. Made many provisions and plans and structured Plan B and C as well. I am keeping a very low profile regarding all of this and hope most will not miss me (except my wife and family [-: )
All of this terrifies me. Might be the best thing I ever did . . . or the worst. Or a bit of both...
I will be walking in faith on many levels.

 

[Katherine Radeka]

I will 99% disconnect from my work environment, 70% from my family live and 90% of the social life. Made many provisions and plans and structured Plan B and C as well. . . .All of this terrifies me. Might be the best thing I ever did . . . or the worst. Or a bit of both...
I will be walking in faith on many levels.

Same here. I'm doing everything I can to line up things in advance, get agreements in place for work when I get back, and empowering my staff to make commitments on my behalf as much as possible. But no matter what I do, at the end of the day, I'm taking a leap of faith.

 

[mcopeland]

I have an internet business and have worked during 2 Caminos. It takes about an hour a day, less on weekends, and I would take care of business when I arrived or in the evening. This work funds my Caminos! And besides I like it. Seriously, it takes no more time than blogging evey day, which lots of people do. On the few occasions when internet connection was weak or non-existent I just saved the work for the next day. It in no way spoiled my Camino experience. I carried - actually my husband carried - a very lightweight Surface 3 tablet and always connected to a VPN for security.

 

[th_01]

Thank you for the responses.

Yes - I feel you are right and I would rather not, but getting the amount of time off I would need to do the full Camino is highly unlikely, so I was thinking whether I might be able to do it while I work, or whether it might be a compromise too far.

Do yourself a favor and dedicate some time to Camino. Do the Camino in legs taking in all it has to give.

 

[frasert]

Hi - I work remotely - set hours 2 1/2 days a week I just need a decent internet connection to carry on working as I go - not every week but perhaps every other. Is it feasible to do this, on a practical level, on the Camino or/and am I going to be missing out on the full experience? Thanks x

Yes easily done.
I met an Irish couple.
They stayed in hotels when he needed good wifi for work.
He was quite manic though and would often “go for a run” at the end of the day.
Whatever floats your boat!

 

[uscaminodude]

Canna: I have a lot to say on this subject. Both reporting my experiences and sharing my plans for future caminos. I attempted to walk from SJPDP to SDC, in April and May 2017. I am a private practice attorney in the US. First of all, I simply could not go on an extended camino (more than a week) if I did not work 2 or 3 hours a day on average. In the past I knew I could not do this on backcountry boy scouting trips where it simply was impossible to get wifi and/or cell reception, so these trips were limited to one week. However, I have done this for many years, with my family every year eg. at resorts, at Disneyworld and other civilized vacations without a problem. So, with the civilized nature of the camino with wifi, mobile signals everywhere, why not just work a couple hours each day?

my experiences---There was one thing that I learned along the way --that I grossly overestimated my ability to work a couple of hours after walking a normal day on the camino. I almost always was too tired. After the first few days I concluded that I certainly would have enough energy after dinner if I just didn't drink any wine. I tried that and it made no difference. Then I surmised that I would be able to work if I didn't eat anything before I worked because I was too tired after dinner. Nope, that didn't work either. Then I decided not to take a shower before I worked. Again, I had not found the recipe for success. Even without a shower, dinner or wine if I sat down for any extended period of time after a normal day on the camino I just couldn't stay awake or at least focused. By the time I arrived in Astorga, I was way behind in my work. I found a great hotel and worked there for 6 days. I was forced to bus ahead to Sarria where I was meeting up with my wife for the homestretch.
The good thing is I actually had an awesome very spiritual camino and am glad I had the opportunity to do what I did. My wife and I are planning to do it again in 2019.

my plans for future caminos--- I am planning to explore two options on our trip starting in late March.
OPTION 1) my preferred plan-- take the first week off work completely, no contact with the office. This allows me to get accustomed to the walking etc. Thereafter, I plan every week try to get 3 days of walking into 2 days so I can take a day off in a hotel and get my work done and allow my wife to catch up and remain on a normal schedule. We will each get a a few days a week alone but spend the majority of our days together.
OPTION 2) not expected to work as well-- get up extra early and work before leaving. This does not sound as good to me because I think it will likely interfere with my quiet spiritual prayerful time while walking. If I get my mind going on work each morning, I think it will be hard to switch back into pilgrim mode and I will be thinking about work while I am walking. This never happened on my last camino and I loved it. Best Luck Greg.

 

[Wendy Werneth]

My experience has been similar to that of @uscaminodude . Last summer I walked the Camino Francés while in the middle of launching my first self-published book. I only did maybe 30% of the work I had hoped to, but looking back I don't know how I accomplished even that much. I think the only reason I managed to get any work done at all was because: (a) I was walking short distances, about 20kms or so each day, due to an injury; and (b) I was not very social, which was a big mistake.

Eventually I just let go and allowed myself to be immersed in the Camino experience, and in the end, the people I met along the way were what made the Camino the wonderful experience that it was for me. I missed out on a lot of connections I could have made those first few weeks, had I not been tied to my laptop.

I am currently walking with Camino Primitivo, and again I have brought my laptop with me. While I'm not undertaking a huge project such as a book launch this time, I was hoping to keep up with my blog/online business, at least at a bare bones level. I have not managed to get very much done, apart from today, which is my first and only rest day on the Camino.

But that's OK. I have met wonderful people who I've connected with, and for me that is the whole point of the Camino. The work will be there when I get home.

If you do have to work, I suggest taking days off specifically for that purpose. Don't try to work on the days that you are walking. Physically and emotionally, it's just too difficult, and it will detract from the experience.

And from a logistical perspective, WiFi connections in albergues are usually quite poor in my experience. This year, with roaming charges abolished in the EU, I've been using the data service on my phone, since I live in Portugal. If you do not have a European SIM card, it would be worth getting one for the Camino, whether or not you plan to work.

 

[KayVee]

Hi @canna - you asked EXACTLY the question I was planning to ask
I walked the Camino Frances last year when I was between jobs - and didn't have to work. Now the Camino bug has bitten me, but I can't get the kind of time-off I need for all the walking I want to do. So I've been noodling on the "can I work for a few hours each evening" question as well.

I'm going to give it a try, hopefully this fall by walking the Portuguese camino from Porto to Santiago. I have gotten myself a lightweight laptop. My hope is to not walk more than 15-20k a day, start early so I have a few hours in the evening to work. I can do longer distances on the weekend.

If my 'portuguese pilot' goes well, I want to try the same with the VdlP next year. Let's see..
Would love to hear about your experience after you finish your trip. Buen Camino!

 

[Kippax]

Hello, I’m planning a January trip. Can you recommend a European SIM card provider ?

 

[Angela O]

Hi - I work remotely - set hours 2 1/2 days a week I just need a decent internet connection to carry on working as I go - not every week but perhaps every other. Is it feasible to do this, on a practical level, on the Camino or/and am I going to be missing out on the full experience? Thanks x

Canna, I worked the whole 5 weeks that I did Del Norte, every day, and it worked beautifully. Like you, I really could not disconnect. I own a company and have staff and clients that need me, and sometimes there are emergencies. i am 61 and felt that it was now or never, cause I'm getting older, have a host of health issues (not lease of it arthritis), that are not life threatening but will continue to get worse till I die, so postponing my Camino would simply mean i probably would never do it, ever. Already i postponed twice due to COVID lockdowns. My company cell phone account is with Verizon, so I bought a really great international phone plan that cost $10 per day, had a hot spot, so never lost connectivity, even in the most remote parts of El Norte, which is much more rural than El Frances, and even when the albergue had no connection. A friend walked with me, and he used his small computer every night for work and to stay in touch with friends and family, by latching on to my hotspot or the local wifi if there was any; and I used my phone to post every night on Facebook about my progress on El Camino. I had 400 people following me. I was astonished at how many people were hanging on my every word, and how meaningful it was for them, and for me. Very touching.

So, my work experience went like this: my company does a daily huddle call at 8:30 am central time in the US, which was 3:30 pm in Spain, nearly the end of my walking each day. I am a slow walker, so I was always still walking till about 5 pm or 6 pm every day. I would get on the call, often times out of breath, and going up a steep hill, and do the call. Sometimes, I would continue walking while on the call, and sometimes I would stop, take off my backpack, and rest during the call. That call is only like 15 minutes each day. Then, I would get on other client conference calls, that required not a lot of my attention, because my staff handled them, but I wanted to be present and to listen. Fortunately, when i needed to review draft documents prepared by my staff, i could do so at night, get them my comments and do calls with them; and even did 2 interviews by video on my phone with new clients in the US Virgin Islands, who had no idea where I was. The interviews were at 9 pm Spain time. I was luckily in a private room on those nights. But even in the albergues, there was always some place quiet where one could take a video call. I would mute when i wasn't speaking, so they couldn't hear any background noise on my side. I scanned emails every night, while in bed, and only responded to those that were time sensitive.

True confession though, the last 2 weeks, I told my staff I would not be making any more of the calls, not even the daily huddle call, unless they told me it was an emergency, because I was exhausted, and it would take very ounce of physical energy and mental fortitude for me to finish by a certain date. I did Del Norte in 34 days, so basically 5 weeks, not including travel days to and from Spain, and not including 2 rest days in Bilbao and Gijon, and 3 days in Santiago at the end. So total trip was 6+ weeks.

In summary, you can totally work remotely while you walk. If you do what you suggest, which is 2 days per week in a private hotel room, even better, because you need rest days (I wish I had taken more rest days) and it leaves the other 4 or 5 days of the week open to the full Camino experience, socializing with other pilgrims, etc. Go for it. You will love it.

I did it last Sept 20 to Oct 30, 2021. And I'm planning to go back with 2 girlfriends to do half of a Camino Frances from Leon to Santiago, this coming April 24 to May 15. Hoping to do many more Caminos, and unless I sell my company and retire, I will never 100% disconnect. Not possible. I'm the sole owner of the company and sole shareholder, so buck stops with me. I have all the liability of this company. Thank god, I also have wonderful staff, who wanted me to do this, and totally supported me. God bless you!

Buen camino!