[Gocamino] Communications technology?

[Richard Ferguson]

As part of planning my upcoming Fall pilgrimage, I am thinking about communications technology.   

When I went on pilgrimage in 2002, I carried a Moleskin notebook as my diary.  I used phone cards in pay phones to call home, or occasionally to call a hotel.  I had a film camera.   I used internet cafes to send emails to my family and friends, when I could find one.  All sounds obsolete right now.

At this point, I am going back and wondering if I should change everything.   I suspect that pay phones are not as common as 10 years ago, so carrying a mobile phone may make sense, especially in France, where I understand you need to call ahead and book places to stay.  A smartphone could potentially replace the camera, the diary, phone cards, pay phones, internet cafes, you name it.  Maybe a smartphone is all I would need to carry.   A blog could potentially replace the email list that I used last time.

No, I don't plan to be in constant touch while on pilgrimage.  If I have a phone it will probably be turned off most of the time.

I already have a couple of quad band GSM unlocked cell phones, and would just buy a local SIM card to get a local phone number.   I even have a Treo 650, a first generation smartphone, with a very limited camera and no WIFI.   But I wonder if I would not be better off with a modern smartphone.   In the US, I use an old flip phone; my friends love to show me cool aps on iPhones, but I am not enthused about the additional cost per month..

If I use the Treo 650 I would need to carry a real camera, and buy a data plan for my phone.  This plan has the advantage that I would not need to buy a phone.  

If I buy a modern smartphone, I perhaps could use it as my camera, and avoid a data plan by using WIFI. 

I will probably go with a blog rather than an email list, in any event.

How easy is it to find WIFI hotspots?  In my case, I plan to start in France on the GR65, cross the Pyrenees, and most likely end in Pamplona.

What are people doing these days?   Are people carrying a phone and a camera?   Are there Luddites who are still using film?   How do you keep in contact with folks back home?  Still using handwritten journals?

Richard



Sculptures in copper and other metals
www.fergusonsculpture.com