Connecting Travels
Train service to Saint Jean Pied-de-Port leaves from Bayonne, which has good train connections from other parts of France. Those who want to fly to a nearby city will find Biarritz a good transit city, but also Toulouse and Carcassonne farther to the east will work.
Leaving Santiago de Compostela to go home has become much easier in recent years after budget airlines have begun service to and from the city. It makes it possible to make late bookings, i.e. not having to depend on an arrival date in Santiago weeks ahead, at a reasonable cost. At least two budget airlines fly to Madrid, but also U.K. cities have good service.
High-speed, direct train service to Madrid has cut the travel time to less than six hours, so the capital city, with many more train and air travel options including budget airlines, should be considered in the departure schedule. Seniors get 40% discount on Spain's train services with the purchase of a senior discount card (€5.15, valid one year from purchase. ID with date of birth is required).
Note that the ticket office at Santiago railway station will sell tickets only to through-going (no change) services, of which there aren't many. So if you have found what you think is a workable train service from Santiago to, say, Pamplona with change of train on the way, it won't allow you a ticket at the station ticket office. Go figure! Maybe a travel agent will sell the ticket, but be prepared to pay a hefty commission.
The long-distance bus service is excellent and the network is extensive. Compared with discount airlines and trains, buses are expensive and slower but with more direct services and more frequent departures.
Charging Electronic Devices
This is never a problem. Hostels, hotels, restaurants and bars have electrical outlets aplenty and available for free. Just remember the conversion plug to the continental-Europe electric system. In hostels with private rooms and in hotels the room electricity, including television and wall outlets, is most likely activated with the electronic door lock card. When in the room, the card has its permanent place in a slot right inside the room entrance. To make sure that electronic devices are charged when you are not in the room, get two lock cards: One to take with you when you leave the room (and give you access when you come back), one inserted in the electricity activation slot.
How to Pay
Train service to Saint Jean Pied-de-Port leaves from Bayonne, which has good train connections from other parts of France. Those who want to fly to a nearby city will find Biarritz a good transit city, but also Toulouse and Carcassonne farther to the east will work.
Leaving Santiago de Compostela to go home has become much easier in recent years after budget airlines have begun service to and from the city. It makes it possible to make late bookings, i.e. not having to depend on an arrival date in Santiago weeks ahead, at a reasonable cost. At least two budget airlines fly to Madrid, but also U.K. cities have good service.
High-speed, direct train service to Madrid has cut the travel time to less than six hours, so the capital city, with many more train and air travel options including budget airlines, should be considered in the departure schedule. Seniors get 40% discount on Spain's train services with the purchase of a senior discount card (€5.15, valid one year from purchase. ID with date of birth is required).
Note that the ticket office at Santiago railway station will sell tickets only to through-going (no change) services, of which there aren't many. So if you have found what you think is a workable train service from Santiago to, say, Pamplona with change of train on the way, it won't allow you a ticket at the station ticket office. Go figure! Maybe a travel agent will sell the ticket, but be prepared to pay a hefty commission.
The long-distance bus service is excellent and the network is extensive. Compared with discount airlines and trains, buses are expensive and slower but with more direct services and more frequent departures.
Charging Electronic Devices
This is never a problem. Hostels, hotels, restaurants and bars have electrical outlets aplenty and available for free. Just remember the conversion plug to the continental-Europe electric system. In hostels with private rooms and in hotels the room electricity, including television and wall outlets, is most likely activated with the electronic door lock card. When in the room, the card has its permanent place in a slot right inside the room entrance. To make sure that electronic devices are charged when you are not in the room, get two lock cards: One to take with you when you leave the room (and give you access when you come back), one inserted in the electricity activation slot.
How to Pay
Do not expect businesses on the Camino to accept debit or credit cards. Spanish culture and business "systems" allow considerably flexibility with regard to reporting of income and taxes, and electronic payments counter both. Only establishments with considerable businesses activity will accept plastic. Among sleeping establishments only hostals with a busy restaurant will take a card. No municipal and only very few private albergues (hostels) will accept a credit or debit card. Even in Santiago de Compostela you may find that smaller restaurants will take only cash.
None of my guide books had information about the location of ATM and banks. Only a sheet with practical information handed to me in the official pilgrim office in Saint Jean Pied-de-Port had these details. So walk with cash and stock up whenever you are running low.
Tipping
Tipping
Restaurant, coffee shop and bar bills do not include tips. It is customary to pay 10% tip in cash. If you think the service deserves more than that, add a few euros. Pilgrims and walkers are the only source of income for a lot of businesses and their staff along the Camino, so your generosity will really be appreciated.
Bed Reservation
None of the municipal albergues on Spain's El Camino accept advance reservation. Beds are allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. Private albergues and hostals will accept a reservation and hold it without credit or debit card guarantee until a reasonable time in mid-afternoon.
Cameras
If you take a lot of pictures with a digital camera, make sure that you have enough memory space (memory cards) to last to the end of the trip or the next place to copy the pictures to another mean of storage. The big cities - Pamplona, Burgos, Leon, and Santiago de Compostela - have photo stores that can make a copy from a memory stick to a picture CD, for instance, but outside those places there are no facilities. Finding an Internet café with a computer that can take a memory stick to upload to a photo library is pushing one's luck.
If you take a lot of pictures with a digital camera, make sure that you have enough memory space (memory cards) to last to the end of the trip or the next place to copy the pictures to another mean of storage. The big cities - Pamplona, Burgos, Leon, and Santiago de Compostela - have photo stores that can make a copy from a memory stick to a picture CD, for instance, but outside those places there are no facilities. Finding an Internet café with a computer that can take a memory stick to upload to a photo library is pushing one's luck.
Communication
The entire Camino has very good mobile telephone coverage, though there may be pockets in remote or mountainous areas with unstable connection. Wi-Fi (pronounced wiffy) is available at no charge in almost every place of accommodation, restaurant and café. iPads and similar tablets will come in handy for those who must have Internet connection, but remember that even their relative light weight will be felt on a long walk across Spain.
A smartphone is the obvious do-it-all device on a long walk like this, though it may come at a price. One advantage is that Skype (or similar Internet based telephone system) can be loaded on a smartphone and make wi-fi enabled telephone calls very inexpensive (or even free between same-provider accounts). I recommend this over the purchase of a Spanish SIM card.
A smartphone is the obvious do-it-all device on a long walk like this, though it may come at a price. One advantage is that Skype (or similar Internet based telephone system) can be loaded on a smartphone and make wi-fi enabled telephone calls very inexpensive (or even free between same-provider accounts). I recommend this over the purchase of a Spanish SIM card.
Walking in the Rain
A practical tip about walking in the rain if you must. You will probably wear a poncho or some kind of oilskin or plastic cover over your clothe. Make sure it is long enough to allow drips to fall away from legs and shoes or you will soon find yourself with soggy socks! If your backpack does not have a raincover, a poncho wide enough to cover that too will keep your carry-along dry.
Small Things to Make the Walk Easier
Bring a few safety pins, a clothes line for drying washed items, a few clothes pins, a Swiss army knife with a built-in lamp, and plastic bags for wet bathroom sandals and damp clothes.
