SimplySina
New Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- 08/02
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Thank you for your words. I hope to be able to tell you afterwards that I also felt safe for the first time. Will you walk this path again?I walked the Portuguese in May by myself (55yr old woman). I felt completely safe. In fact, that sense of safety was the first time in my life that I’ve felt that. I’m not suggesting that bad things never happen on the Camino, they do, but compared to many other places I’ve been & even where I live, this is safe. With that said, I am always aware of my surroundings & had the mindset that if someone wanted to rob me, I’d let them have my belongings without a struggle.
About day 10 I eventually met up with folks and we walked together. Not out of safety, but out of the need for companionship.
And you are truly never completely alone - there are folks around. There will be stretches when you don’t see too many people, but it isn’t like you are in the deep backcountry alone.
Your walk will be beautiful. Enjoy.
Hi, @SimplySina,Hello, my dears,
I'm walking the Camino for the first time in August. I urgently need the time for myself but Im thinking about if it is dangerous for me as a woman to walk the Camino Portugues all by myself. Anyone have some helpful thoughts for me on this?
Thanks
Hey Laurie, thank you for taking the time to share your experience with me. I am a mother of four and can't remember the last time I was alone. Of course, the thought of being completely on my own unsettles me a bit, but I'm sure that it will enrich me to make it. The last few years have been hard for me and I have the feeling that I urgently need to unload a few stones on the Camino in order to be able to go through life again without this ballast.Hi, @SimplySina,
Welcome to the forum! You are not alone in wondering about safety, but I know that there are many forum members just like me, who have walked many caminos alone. Just last month, I finished walking the Lana from Alicante to Burgos. Though I was lucky to always have one or two friends to meet up with at night (@C clearly and @Krimpa), we very regularly walked alone. And I do mean alone — because in all our four weeks on this route, we did not meet any other pilgrims at all!
I have walked many caminos in solitude, which I love. I have had a fair number of flashing incidents, but I have been able to deal with that and not let it ruin the Camino for me. I love walking alone and cannot imagine a camino without huge chunks of alone time.
I cannot tell from your post whether you are fearful and anxious, or if you are simply wondering about safety. If it’s the latter, I can assure you that the Camino is one of the safest places anywhere, though of course bad things occasionally happen. If it’s the former, if your brain just can’t accept the reality of the data and you are scared, then I don’t think you should walk alone. Walking in that state of mind will probably make it a walk full of anxiety and feeling uncomfortable. And that’s certainly not the point of walking a camino!
The Camino Portugués is a very well-traveled route, at least from Porto north. You can probably be assured of having others to walk with if you are feeling nervous. If you are starting in Lisbon, I think you will have to accept the likelihood that there will be many times when there are no other pilgrims in sight, and you will at most only have a few for company at the end of the day.
Good luck with your decision, let us know what you decide to do! Buen camino, Laurie
Hi, I walked the Norte solo and walked with my husband on the CP. Both experiences were great but different in nature. First, violent crime is rare in Portugal and Spain. On the Norte, I kept my antennae up as we women always do. I never felt unsafe, and I was alone in urban and remote areas the majority of the time. Walking solo is empowering. I had to rely on just myself for all decisions large and small. It was freeing. I learned so much about myself. It was one of the best experiences of my life. I hope you give going solo full consideration.Hello, my dears,
I'm walking the Camino for the first time in August. I urgently need the time for myself but Im thinking about if it is dangerous for me as a woman to walk the Camino Portugues all by myself. Anyone have some helpful thoughts for me on this?
Thanks
Too many incidences of men exposing themselves. Find a walking partner when you start. This behavior does seem to occur more often in Portugal.Hello, my dears,
I'm walking the Camino for the first time in August. I urgently need the time for myself but Im thinking about if it is dangerous for me as a woman to walk the Camino Portugues all by myself. Anyone have some helpful thoughts for me on this?
Thanks
Hi SinaHey Laurie, thank you for taking the time to share your experience with me. I am a mother of four and can't remember the last time I was alone. Of course, the thought of being completely on my own unsettles me a bit, but I'm sure that it will enrich me to make it. The last few years have been hard for me and I have the feeling that I urgently need to unload a few stones on the Camino in order to be able to go through life again without this ballast.
I will start in Porto on August 2nd
Best regards,
Sina
Well this is nasty behavior, but a full grown women can survive this attempt of intimidation. Women, do not let yourself be controlled by this deviant male behavior. Do not short or limit yourselves because of what “might” happen. Control your destiny.Too many incidences of men exposing themselves. Find a walking partner when you start. This behavior does seem to occur more often in Portugal.
Hello! I walked del Norte to el Primitivo to Santiago to Muxia and Finisterre in April and May this year. Weeks 1, 4,5 and 6 I had company. The 2 weeks I was alone, (Bilbao to Oviedo) were great (as we’re the others) I felt completely safe, and very self-sufficient I might add. Going back soon!Hello, my dears,
I'm walking the Camino for the first time in August. I urgently need the time for myself but Im thinking about if it is dangerous for me as a woman to walk the Camino Portugues all by myself. Anyone have some helpful thoughts for me on this?
Thanks
Just a gentle reminder that sometimes “full grown women” have histories of really difficult experiences and may or may not feel able to shrug off this kind of behavior.Well this is nasty behavior, but a full grown women can survive this attempt of intimidation. Women, do not let yourself be controlled by this deviant male behavior. Do not short or limit yourselves because of what “might” happen. Control your destiny.
It’s sad that we Americans have this mindset of fear anytime we consider going somewhere alone. Either we are conditioned to believe we are generally unsafe in the world, or we are in the habit of feeling fearful. I’ve spent years traveling solo (I’m married to a wonderful man) all over the world and I’ve never had a problem. I practice good sense; valuables are kept on me at all times, dress conservatively and plainly, walk in well lit places… etc. I’ve never felt unsafe. I’ve never had a problem. Portugal was just fine. They drive fast there. Good luck!
I can't think of a better environment for a first solo travel experience than the Camino, which is so supportive.Male or female, I suggest that before doing walking the Camino that you should already have independent travel experience in Europe or even a major American city
Agree, and in those circumstances professional help should be sought out. Being defined by past traumas is a continuation of victimhood. Case in point, denying oneself an extremely liberating experience like a solo walk.Just a gentle reminder that sometimes “full grown women” have histories of really difficult experiences and may or may not feel able to shrug off this kind of behavior.
We've been around this bouy before, although there appears to be a new twist to this current advice.Male or female, I suggest that before doing walking the Camino that you should already have independent travel experience in Europe or even a major American city. You should already know how to secure your valuables and be aware of your surroundings, so you won't be any easy mark for pickpockets.
The Camino itself is very safe, but less safe are the airports and trains stations that you need to pass through on the way to/from the Camino.
I walked the CP recently as a solo female and really enjoyed it. I mostly walked the Sende Litoral and, while it was very quiet, I felt totally safe. It’s a magical route along endless beaches for the first two thirds and then moves inland to forests and country lanes. It gets very busy from Redondela. Enjoy planning!Hello, my dears,
I'm walking the Camino for the first time in August. I urgently need the time for myself but Im thinking about if it is dangerous for me as a woman to walk the Camino Portugues all by myself. Anyone have some helpful thoughts for me on this?
Thanks
Same as all adults, especially women, should do at home or abroad.You should already know how to secure your valuables and be aware of your surroundings
Absolutely the same for me. Walked Portuguese coastal in May 2019 and always felt completely safe. As previous response mentioned, if being alone is a concern, you really never need to be unless you chose to be. Portugal and Spain are incredibly safe countries. I travel a lot on my own and tend not to be scared or intimidated in most places or locations but in particular the Camino feels incredibly safe and I had absolutely no issues. Honestly, just go. You will see for yourself.I walked the Portuguese in May by myself (55yr old woman). I felt completely safe. In fact, that sense of safety was the first time in my life that I’ve felt that. I’m not suggesting that bad things never happen on the Camino, they do, but compared to many other places I’ve been & even where I live, this is safe. With that said, I am always aware of my surroundings & had the mindset that if someone wanted to rob me, I’d let them have my belongings without a struggle.
About day 10 I eventually met up with folks and we walked together. Not out of safety, but out of the need for companionship.
And you are truly never completely alone - there are folks around. There will be stretches when you don’t see too many people, but it isn’t like you are in the deep backcountry alone.
Your walk will be beautiful. Enjoy.
Hello, my dears,
I'm walking the Camino for the first time in August. I urgently need the time for myself but Im thinking about if it is dangerous for me as a woman to walk the Camino Portugues all by myself. Anyone have some helpful thoughts for me on this?
Thanks
One of the things that people don't understand is how safe Portugal is. The thied safest country in the world. My wife waljs to her keep fit class twice a week. The class starts at 20.30. She has never once in the last 7 years felt unsafe. In the UK she wouldn't have even considered it. In the US when I visit family, even I fell unsafe.Hello, my dears,
I'm walking the Camino for the first time in August. I urgently need the time for myself but Im thinking about if it is dangerous for me as a woman to walk the Camino Portugues all by myself. Anyone have some helpful thoughts for me on this?
Thanks
But in this instance, the OP appears to be from Germany, and suggesting that they get travel experience in Europe seems rather strange when they live there, and suggesting they go to a major American city to experience independent travel in preparation for going to Spain seems equally if not more odd.
I rather think that you will have all the forum members from the small towns of the US and Germany now wondering why they have been singled out in this, whereas members from elsewhere might feel relieved that you think they are sufficiently competent to undertake travel to walk the Camimo without such special preparations.If you live in a small town in Germany or the US, I'd recommend that you get some independent travel experience in a large city in your own country before traveling further. Start locally and build on your experiences to travel further.
You don't learn to swim by jumping into the deep end of the pool! Yet this is what is happening to people with no international travel experience that insist on doing the Camino.
-Paul
That was part of the physical, mental and spiritual challenge for me (walking, not learning to swim). Wherever your first international travel experience happens, most people feel a little apprehensive, so what better place to start out than on a çamino, where there are others who will offer support?You don't learn to swim by jumping into the deep end of the pool! Yet this is what is happening to people with no international travel experience that insist on doing the Camino.
I would argue that the missing factor (for some individuals) is education about other countries in the world.Yet this is what is happening to people with no international travel experience that insist on doing the Camino.
I just started a thread for women to make reports of male aggression on the Camino, but Ivar, the male admin, shut it down and said we didn't need it.
I think women should move off this forum and onto one where our thoughts, comments, fears and experiences are not moderated by men.
@IJS I see that you are a new member, so may not have read the many posts from women who have been intimidated or sexually harassed. These posts have always been dealt with fairly and the women well supported by many of our male pilgrim members. Please don't paint them all with the same brush. The biggest problems in life often begin with dividing societies. Like all evils, it is the minority that give the rest a bad name. We need and welcome the support of honest, gentle and caring men and many of those are sitting behind their screens now. If you wish to leave the forum, that is your choice, but please don't blacken the name of Ivar, who through his hard work and dedication has helped so many of us.I just started a thread for women to make reports of male aggression on the Camino, but Ivar, the male admin, shut it down and said we didn't need it.
I think women should move off this forum and onto one where our thoughts, comments, fears and experiences are not moderated by men.
A danger on a forum is using opinion rather than information. I fall into the trap! If you think you should move to a different platform, go in peace.I just started a thread for women to make reports of male aggression on the Camino, but Ivar, the male admin, shut it down and said we didn't need it.
I think women should move off this forum and onto one where our thoughts, comments, fears and experiences are not moderated by men.
I am a female moderator on the forum and have found Ivar to be fully supportive and accepting of the female perspective.I just started a thread for women to make reports of male aggression on the Camino, but Ivar, the male admin, shut it down and said we didn't need it.
I think women should move off this forum and onto one where our thoughts, comments, fears and experiences are not moderated by men.
I just started a thread for women to make reports of male aggression on the Camino, but Ivar, the male admin, shut it down and said we didn't need it.
I think women should move off this forum and onto one where our thoughts, comments, fears and experiences are not moderated by men.
Hello, IJS, I am a moderator and was involved with and agreed with the decision to delete some of your posts. Four moderators are women, two are men. If you search the forum, you will see there are many threads reporting the fact of flashing or other sexual aggression towards women. These threads are not shut down, stifled, or censored. We try to keep the threads limited to the facts, and leave it to each individual forum member to decide how to react or behave in light of those facts. There is a fine line between factual reporting and fear mongering, and I believe you have crossed it.I just started a thread for women to make reports of male aggression on the Camino, but Ivar, the male admin, shut it down and said we didn't need it.
I think women should move off this forum and onto one where our thoughts, comments, fears and experiences are not moderated by men.
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