Doing the Camino de Santiago to disconnect
Doing the Camino de Santiago can function as excellent therapy to disconnect from technology. The pilgrimage is a spiritual journey that serves to combat a multitude of addictions. This time, in our blog about the Camino de Santiago we want to talk about addiction to technology and how the Camino de Santiago can help you.
Before delving into how to make the Camino de Santiago disengage you from technology, we want to share with you some reflections on what is an addiction to technology and its consequences. You may not have noticed and you also need to make a trip on the Camino de Santiago to forget your screens.
How you know if you need to travel to Santiago to disconnect
Almost all of us should take advantage of all our trips to disconnect from technology. The truth is that most of the population lives permanently hooked on social networks and email. How many hours a day do you spend in front of a screen? Many, for sure. Add the mobile, the computer, the TV and also your eBook and video games, if you use them.
Have you finished adding up? What’s the surprise? Life escapes while you’re sitting in front of a screen. Perhaps the time has come to live a unique experience, to force you to disconnect. For that, we recommend you to do the Camino de Santiago, it’s a perfect spiritual journey to change unhealthy habits.
Do you want to disconnect by looking at the green forests of Galicia? Completing the Camino de Santiago from Sarria is an excellent option to see beautiful landscapes, relax and meet other pilgrims. Tell us when you want to go and leave everything else in our hands.
Now surely you will be thinking, the article of this blog of the Camino de Santiago is not for me. Perfect! The first symptom that indicates that it is for you. One of the things that people who have an addiction do is to deny it.
Test: Do you need to disconnect on the Camino de Santiago?
Now you have to be honest with yourself. Answer the following questions to find out if you need to disconnect:
- Do you spend more time in front of the screen than with your partner, friends or family?
- Has anyone complained that all your time is spent on a mobile, computer or video games?
- Are you unable to go out to dinner or have a coffee without taking your mobile?
- Do you talk to your friends or family more by WhatsApp than in person, despite living in the same city?
- Do you take your mobile to the bathroom?
- Are social networks the last thing you look at before you go to sleep?
If in the previous list there are many “YES” replies, the article in this blog is for you. If you are one of the lucky ones who has answered “NO” to most questions, we also recommend you to make the Camino de Santiago. In this post, you will find a list of reasons why it’s worth it to make a journey on the Camino de Santiago. Don’t go without reading it.
How to disconnect from technology during the Camino de Santiago
If you have reached this part of the text, both because in the previous list you have obtained a great number of “YES” replies or if you are following our advice to make the Camino de Santiago that we give you in the article how to enjoy the experience of the Camino de Santiago, congratulations. You’re very close to making a big change in your life.
Disconnecting from technology on the Camino de Santiago is very easy. The best therapy to forget a bad habit is to change your routine. On the Camino de Santiago, you will quickly acquire the pilgrim routine, you’ll see that there is little room for screens.
The easy part: Goodbye to large screens
The days you dedicate to complete the Camino de Santiago you will completely forget about TV, computer and video games. The reasons for this are very simple.
On the one hand, in the backpack you will take to the Camino de Santiago you cannot carry a computer. As we were talking about in the article about what things to take for your journey on the Camino de Santiago, your baggage cannot exceed 10% of your weight if you are going to carry it. So loading a big screen is not an option.
On the other, we know that you can find a loophole, you’re the one who’s going to do the Camino de Santiago without carrying the heavy items. You like the idea of hiring a baggage shuttle. Perfect! We just hope it’s not an excuse to take your computer on the Camino de Santiago.
The Camino de Santiago with a PC
In the hypothetical case that you decide to take your computer on the Camino de Santiago, we are pleased to inform you that you will hardly have time to use it. There are different types of routes on the Camino de Santiago, but the usual thing is to travel an average of 20 km daily.
That means that you will spend an average of 5 hours a day walking. You add 8 hours of sleep and at least 3 hours of meal times, in total 16 hours. You have 8 hours free of the 24 during the day. No, pilgrim friend. You can’t dedicate 8 hours to the computer.
On the Camino de Santiago, there are many things to do, besides walking. You will have hours to talk with other pilgrims, you will have plenty of places to visit and you will have to wash your clothes unless you go for a few days and you contract a backpack transfer between stages. How many hours do you think you’ll have left to sit in front of the computer? It’s not worth taking it with you.
Doing the Camino de Santiago without your smartphone
This step is a little more complicated than the previous one. But let’s face it, the screen that has more negative effects on our lives is the one we take everywhere – our smartphone.
We know that separating ourselves from the mobile in our daily routine may seem like real torture. But the motivation to do the Camino de Santiago will be a good reason to do so. Leave your little screen at home!
When you forget your mobile you will learn to live every day. You will also be more open to all types of life lessons that you can do when you do the pilgrim’s route. Do not forget that it is a spiritual journey and therefore can be very transformative.
How to do the Camino de Santiago without your mobile
In Santiago Ways, we are not psychologists. We are simply a travel agency specializing in the Camino de Santiago, but we know that you will find several reasons not to give up your mobile.
So we have prepared this list of tips to make the Camino de Santiago without your mobile. We do not know much about therapy, but the Camino de Santiago, yes.
Take holidays to complete your journey on the Camino de Santiago
Surely in your infinite search for excuses not to get rid of your mobile, one of the first things that come to mind has been work. I have to answer emails, waiting for them to call me or check the messages.
To do the Camino de Santiago, you will have to take a few days off on holidays. No matter how many days you can take, there are routes that you can do in just a few days.
If you are on holidays there is no reason to be aware of what happens in the office. Even more if you’re out of town. So take advantage of your trip on the Camino de Santiago to also disconnect from the work routine. Remember that addiction to work also exists.
There are alternatives to GPS
Another of the reasons that will roll in your head when you get rid of your mobile is: “What if I get lost on the Camino de Santiago?”. It’s normal that you think about it, we are so used to using maps online and geolocation apps, that we find it hard to imagine another way to orient ourselves.
However, one of the advantages of the Camino de Santiago is that the pilgrim routes are quite well signposted. If you are leaving your mobile at home, you may want to use a path that has good infrastructure and where you find it easy to meet pilgrims on the route. The Camino Frances It’s an excellent choice for that.
If it doesn’t seduce you, you have many kinds of routes to Santiago. In this blog article we talk about all the pilgrim routes to Santiago de Compostela that you can try.
Another option is to bring a map. Yes, there are maps of the Camino de Santiago. Yes, they’re on paper. It seems prehistoric, but there are a lot of people who use them. In fact, even today, when you visit interpretation centres on the Camino de Santiago or in some hostels, you can get one.
On the Camino de Santiago you won’t need an alarm clock
“And how am I going to wake up?” will be the other thing you’re probably wondering. In this post about advice on how to do the Camino de Santiago and not die trying to do it, We warn you that waking up early happens in its proper measure.
After you finish a stage, you’ll be so tired that you’ll go to bed early. Pilgrims don’t usually stay up late. Therefore, the probabilities that your body will awaken, naturally, at a good time to embark on the road, are very high.
However, if you are like a bear and you do not trust yourself, you can always take with you a small alarm clock. No, it’s not heavier than your mobile, don’t make an excuse about the weight now.
Tips on how to bring your mobile on the Camino de Santiago and disconnect
OK, it’s true that we do a lot of things with our mobile. Take photos or make emergency calls, for example.
Taking photos on the Camino de Santiago could easily be solved by carrying a small camera with you. The emergency call thing is a little more complicated. But one option would be to take with you one of those old phones, with which you can only make calls.
However, we are aware that we are asking you to carry many things to replace what you do with your mobile. And everything to get you not to spend the day hooked on social networks or mobile games. So we’re going to give you a tip to do the Camino de Santiago and forget about looking at your mobile.
Make a spiritual journey without a Wi-Fi connection
The Camino de Santiago is a spiritual journey that has a connection with everything around us and with ourselves. You don’t need a Wi-Fi connection. The problem is not the device; the problem is the Internet connection. It moves us away from the here and now, from face-to-face conversations and moments of solitude to be with oneself.
The solution is easy. Disable your Wi-Fi connection on your Camino de Santiago. If you are prepaid, do not recharge your mobile. If you have a contract, many companies allow you to block the service if you are out of the country, ask to cut the data connection during your stay on the Camino de Santiago.
In this way, there will be few places where you can find an open network to be able to connect to consult social networks or speak on WhatsApp. You’ll see that at once you will stop feeling the anxiety of not checking your phone’s screen.
Of course, if you are hooked on a mobile game, uninstall it before going on to the Camino de Santiago. You will hardly want to reinstall it during the tour.
How to manage your accommodation on the Camino de Santiago without Wi-Fi
One of the reasons that will take you not wanting to do without your Wi-Fi connection, on the way to Santiago, is accommodation. How to find where to sleep on the Camino de Santiago, if you have no connection?
Very simple. In all the localities you will find signs of the available accommodation. You can also take a guide on the Camino de Santiago to tell you which hostels are on each stage. Choose one that works without the Internet or buy a paper one.
Another option is to book your accommodation on the Camino de Santiago previously. So you won’t have to worry at any time where you’re going to sleep. If you want, we can take care of it. You only have to call or write to us.
We hope that the information that we have provided will help you, whether you do the Camino de Santiago for other reasons as if you are looking for a trip to disconnect from technology. If you think that a friend spends too many hours in front of their screen, do not hesitate to share this information with him or her, it will help to change their life.
Buen Camino!
