love how much you emphasize compassion, consideration, empathy

Thanks for your excellent video. Us older folks appreciate the bottom bunks. We get up more often at night.🤣

I date anything I leave behind. Peregrinos do not have to smell it, eyeball it, or guess how long the item(s) have been lingering in the fridge or cupboard.

Another way to be considerate is using a headlamp that has a red light. I find a red light is sufficient to navigate when the lights are out.

Congratulations on being named one of the top 4 Camino KZfaqrs. You deserve it. Job well done.

I am an early riser and like to be out of the albergue by 7:30 latest, so I also prepare the night before and have my backpack all packed the night before and except for toilettries & pijamas which I take outside w/backpack to put away. This routine works very well for me with minimal disturbance for my fellow pilgrims🙏

Thank you for acknowledging that us snorers can't help it. Believe me, if I could change it I would. I have found that mouth tapes (not just any tape, but product specifically for this) can work somewhat. But not 100%. Everyone gets old, and most of us oldsters snore.

Thanks for mentioning that chairs in the bunk room are for sitting on or for getting into a top bunk. As an older person, when I have a top bunk I can't put my socks on without sitting down.

Another area of consideration is sharing wall plugs to recharge your mobiles. In some albergues a wall plug is shared for a bunk bed or for multiple beds. So don’t monopolize them. If you have a plug or adapter that allows for simultaneous multiple charging, share them

Do not nudge or move a person asleep who is snoring.. if they’re a vet, it will not go well for you… if you’re staying in a public location, it’s part of the adventure

Thanks Nadine, you have the very best Camino video series, hands down.

Thank you for teaching consideration, respect and compassion!

I love community spirit. Its good to know about albergue etiquette. Thank you ❤️

I’m doing my first Camino with my grandmother in September and we are so excited, great advice, thank you! ❤️

I snore and believe me, waking me up won't make me stop. My wife has tried. MANY YEARS. 😂😂😂

Very helpful tips. Thank you 🫶👍😊

What a great idea for a video, Nadine! 👏

Great info thanks,planning my first Camino and finding out the dos and don'ts beforehand is extremely helpful

spot on- you answered so many questions, that i had. Thank you!

Lose the crunchy plastic bags in knapsacks, please! Great video🎉

Excellent. Hopeful that Pilgrims Office would provide you list in their materials.

Many thanks, Nadine! another wonderful video! Great info and practices for stay in albergues! and buen camino to you as well!

Thank you for sharing yet another wonderful and informative video!

Excellent advice, all kind and respectful. Well done. I especially agree about the chair for the pilgrim in the top bunk. When I have to take a turn on top, it really helps to have a chair to help with the ups and downs.

Thanks, Nadine, for all the great etiquette tips. God bless you! 🌷

Hi Nadine, love this video and thank you for all the tips/advice. You’re the best. I can’t wait to start my camino in May. Buen Camino. 😊

Hello from Canada. Great tips. I love your on trail vlogs but also these offseason tips videos.

Thanks so much for the great tips. We’re heading off on our first Camino in 2 weeks (from Australia) Very excited & nervous at the same time. Dennis & Debbie 😃👩

Nadine, thank you. The sound in this video is so "real" that on headphones I thought you were in my room with me. :)

Thanks for the tips!

Great video and a very good information session about the alburques behavior and what is acceptable😊

Thank you! You are spot on!

Hey Nadine, i walked the Camino twice and have to support everything you said. I walked only in sep/okt when there is not that much traffic. This year i start in April, so i thought it would be a good idea to check the etiquette 😂 great video!!🌹

Thanks. That's very helpful. Buen Camino 😊

Super nice video, from a pilgrim’s heart. I loved it.

First, love your videos. A couple tips I would add - pack all you can at night and not in the morning. And sleep in the clothes you will wear that day. It saves on making noise in the morning. I was told my second night, since I apologized upfront to my bunkmates, snoring is natural and a lot of people do it. This put my mind at ease and allowed me to sleep better. I'm still a light sleeper and self conscious in groups about my snoring. I have been told it's very minor compared to some.

I experienced the Camino 10 years ago and I think this video is very valuable for future pilgrims. Great job. Top bunk snoring guy.

Thank you for the best tips! In my humble opinion the best one was "Treat the other people like you would like to be treated! Buen Camino!

Very helpful tips!

Dickinson! My son graduated from there and is now back working at the school. A lovely campus!

What a useful idea for a video, Nadine! 👏 I might add minimising how much you use your phone or other electronic screens after lights out as the light bleeding can be off-putting for some (although usually those people will have brought eye masks).

Another great video! Thanks!

Love this! Thanks so much for focusing on this topic. I so want to do the albergues correctly when I do my Camino! Where do you put your backpack? Is it next to the bed? foot of the bed? against the wall? I have even heard of albergues where backpacks are in an adjacent room, and you go back and forth from the bunk room to the "luggage room" as needed. Like you, it has been so long since I stayed in a hostel, I am trying to remember all the things I used to do.

Quite an informative video Nadine. Well thought out and based on lots of personal experience. I particularly agreed with not nudging or waking someone who is snoring. We don’t know someone’s past. What may seem like an innocent act, may traumatize someone with a history of abuse. Thank you again for your great content.

Thanks for all your help and suggestions basically me being disable it really helps (apropo I see that you are a big fan of "Albert Dürer Hase" ) keep on doing what you do, I really enjoy what you do to help others, Dankeschoen

Thank you for mentioning flashlights in the early morning in the albergue. I have a headlight for walking in the dark that is quite bright. I also have a tiny light on my key chain that works well when I am getting out of bed and leaving the albergue so as not to disturb those who are still sleeping. This tiny light weighs only a few grams.

Great video! I’ll add something else I’ve experienced. In one albergue there was a person that decided to read an ebook on her iPad. This was going on till 4 am on the morning. Not sure if you can imagine but the glare from the iPad radiated through out the room keeping everyone awake but no one wanted to say anything. By 4 am I did take it upon myself to say something to no avail. What she did instead, covered her iPad with a blanket and that made it even worse. This turned into a lamp shade. By that time, everyone was p’d off and slowly decided to start walking at 4:30🫣🥴. Suggestion for everyone that cannot sleep but wants to keep on reading….get up and go into a common area away from all others. This was not cool and totally disrespectful.

Hi Nadine! First off, I just want to say: Roll Dev’s!! My daughter’s currently a student at Dickinson and absolutely adores it!! I want to say, your video here was one of the best I’ve seen on Albergue etiquette. I’ve walked about 400Km of the Portuguese Way Camino recently and fell completely in love with it. I’m going back to EU every year now to walk more Caminos and pilgrim trails. Your comments on snorer’s and older people is so very sweet and kind and I agree 100%. That’s how people should treat each other on the Camino: with love, respect and total acceptance. It’s this aspect of Caminos that make the experience so special for everyone. Well Nadine. I’m one of your subscribers on your Channel and I hope to stay connected for a good long time. I post on KZfaq myself too, but so far have only posted shorts of my Camino sections. I’ll be posting my long episodes soon. I look forward to seeing more of your videos on my feed, and who knows, maybe we’ll bump into each other someday on the Caminos. Buen Camino!❤❤

Common courtesy is always good advice.

Wonderful to share how to be considerate. Although I also snore sometimes, it still is not being as quite as possible, and trying not wake the roommates. I am surely not saying I or we or they can help it. But if half the room can't get their needed rest or sleep, it is a serious problem. Might anyone think of another way to handle this? And to every pelgrim, safe journey! ❤

thank you good tips... keep smiling 🙏🏿👍🏽

I love the top ones! Better breathing and view at the celling😊 though im 63.

I always take my pack quietly out to the common area in the morning as well. I use my head lamp, but I put my fingers around the light so that it shows red (unless I have a red feature). I usually put my hand over the red light too. Also: check your bunk before you leave! How many pairs of socks have I left behind? (so many). Also Nadine: I bought the electric coil to use this April when I go, with a very light tin cup. Good idea, that one.

Great tips as always. I would add bringing ear plugs and an eye mask (or putting the face mask over your eyes) to shut out some of the unwanted noise and light.

I’m starting the via del plata from Seville in a few weeks, planning on about two thirds wild camping and one third albergues; can’t thank you enough for you insightful videos and positive outlook. I also share your coffee addiction.. but hey, it’s a ritualistic quest to start the day 🥰

Nice tips. For sure one of the best bits of etiquette is to respect that others might still be sleeping/resting while you’re heading off. Please, please, please pack the night before and just get up quietly and go (and yes, do the last minute stuff in the common areas not beside the beds). ❤

Same here i use infra red light during night then full beam when outside dormitory

Thanks!

Thanks for tips- great channel. Couple of etiquette questions. These days, I take a couple of overnight bathroom breaks, guess etiquette is minimise disturbance, use a head torch etc. Also, what to wear in bed in bunk rooms? Was thinking of tee shirt light loose 3/4 length pants. It’s many years since I have stayed in a hostel bunk room. In the spring I will continue my Camino from Bordeaux, into Spain and the camino norte. Realise that things will become much busier compared to my experience so far. Not sure how I feel about crowded hostels, will be looking for other options if feasible.

Great tips- thanks so much for this. There were a few points where I wondered about theft...do you encounter any issues? Thoughts in general? thx

Goodness me - if that was clickbait, then I clicked 🙈 great video as usual 😎

You reminded me of the municipal albuerge in Zubiri back during my Camino Frances in September.. One of the Pilgrims in my room "snoozed " her alarm at 5 am in the morning.. Beyond rude. You set it at 5 , you better wake up at 5. Turning on lights, rustling the pack.. unacceptable before 6 am.

Hi Nadine , great informative video, I am thinking of doing the English way next year , ferron to st compostelle , Have you done this 😊heart❤

The good advice you're giving here really helps to make the Camino an enjoyable experience and shows you to be a very considerate person. However, I just want to give another perspective on snoring... For some people like me, the sound of snoring is completely intolerable - it's akin to a phobia, i.e. we know our reaction is irrational, but we can't do anything about it. For us, there is no possibility of sleeping in a shared dormitory, because 'Murphy's Law' says there will ALWAYS be a loud snorer in there with us. I always show consideration for snorers and would never wake them up. But for me this means I can never stay in shared sleeping accommodation and I will always have to pay much more for a hotel when travelling. (Earplugs can reduce sound levels but will not stop you hearing a loud snorer: soundwaves travel through your skull, so you will always hear a loud noise regardless.) I've always thought that this situation is illogical, even for people who aren't as bothered by snoring as I am. We are expected to show consideration during 'quiet hours' by keeping lights off and avoiding using alarms on snooze etc. but we also scatter a few loud snorers around the dormitories so that everyone has their sleep disturbed anyway(!) Surely, a better solution would be to have a 'snorers dormitory' so the people who snore are kept together and everyone else can have a quiet night? I know this might be unpopular for some of the snorers, but surely it is a better arrangement because the minimum number of people would have their sleep disturbed and the maximum number of people would get a quiet night.

Thank you, Nadine for this timely reminder of Albergue etiquette. I am sorry to say I am a snorer, I cannot help it, but I will not alert or give permission to tap me to turn over, because I hate being woken up. I will however do my best to sleep on my sides to avoid snoring. Conversely, I will NOT tap anyone no matter how badly they snore. Otherwise, I agree with all other suggestions. Buen Camino, pilgrim🙏

Fantastic video, ❤ I'm rather concerned about rude inconsiderate pilgrims for that very reason I'm packing my ultralight tent . If I have to I will sleep in the yards or wherever as I won't tolerate in particular drunks. Today at my beach town it was hurricane rains and winds so I did 3 hours hiking fully loaded. Thanks again my Camino starts in 5 weeks

As a snorer - I carry a bag of earplugs which I leave on a nearby table/chair. I try and warn those near me they may need it. Also, I try and get as many private rooms as budget affords. On another aside, I also once got shushed for singing "Let it go" from Frozen in Portuguese as I was learning it from a Portuguese person on the Camino. Definitely a no-no after 9pm!

Take the bottom bunk. Switch with those that need it. I've left the bottom bunk many times when early and the one below didn't cater for those that might need it.

On 6:15 seems to be the bathroom of the albergue of Fontanillas de Castro on the Via de la Plata: 1 of the best albergues without any doubt!! Beside that: nice video! All (beginning) pilgrims should get educated how to behave in the albergues AND on the camino en general. If I get up and there are still people sleeping I grab all my stuf, get clothed and pack my backpack OUTSIDE the dormroom.

I totally agree with all you've told, common sense and rescpect for other pilgrims. The annoying part is the snoring, but we have to accept it.

It all may sound like common sense... but that virtue is not in high accessibility these days... so, kudos on creating this video. A wise person once told me, "Kindness often is in the deed one does... but more often it is in what one doesn't do." Cheers and adventure on!

Backpacker/hostels/alburgues, its all the same to me...regarding being a considerate person. In regards to snoring... Some people aren't always the best sleepers, any other tinnitus suffers out there? Honesty sometimes a 30Km walk is not enough too tire me out enough, to counteract the ringing. If a chronic snorer actually is nice enough to warn others in advance, theyd be resented by others so much less, its a kind gesture! If the snorer is as loud as chainsaw, aside from wishing that they had looked into seeking medical advice, ill usually end up outside the bunk room and find a quiet place to sleep. If im lucky, i might even find a sofa. Yes, you might have to get up earlier and forego using a mattress, but it so rarely snoring is that torturous, im okay with it. And theres always the option, of an ocassional private room. On the longer caminos/hostel journeys, sleep is kind of important, and you have to make it happen somehow.

Nadine, excellent videos!! I am writing down every applicable tidbit of information that you can offer. I am very interested in getting a map like the one shown in the video, Day 2 of Via de la Plata. Where did you get it? How did you mark and number the routes? I wrote the same comment under said video, about 8 days ago but haven't got an answer for you :(

I snore...loud. When I walked the Portuguese it was something I didn't want to have to deal with so I stayed in private accommodations. Kind of feel like I missed out on part of the experience.

As to the snoring. I think it is good to be told if you snore. If you one is told, they should be proactive about related policies. I would always tell people that I suspected I snored but was uncertain, so if I snored just feel free to nudge me or wake me up. (I also slept in the afternoons and barely slept/meditated over night.) Pilgrims will talk and will discuss "that terrible snorer". I think it is worse if people are talking behind your back and you just do not know why others may be avoiding you.

I'm always surprised by how quickly I adjust to the snoring chorus, it's the flashlight shinners that get me, and watch out for the snoring talking in their sleep sleepwalkers with dreadful flatulence, that's an experience I'll never forget.

Hey #1 Phillies phan/on the Camino/Nadine! My friend wants to do the Camino Frances in Late March - early April and they report many of the auberges don't open until mid or late April. Is that a thing? Do you have any experience on the Camino in late March or early April? #2 Phillies Phan on the Camino/James

Hi Nadine, it is Grace. Thanks for your informative albergue etiquette video.Can the compact trekking poles stay with the backpack? Also, can a person hang the backpack with a carabiner on the bunk bed if a person gets a bottom bunk? Also, do people have their names on their shoes? Thanks😊

Im doing the Camino Frances in Aug-Oct. ive been walking with my pack - im in Eastern Pa - what are similar trails in the area?

Lights on kindles and phones can be a bit annoying late at night. Plastic bags at 04:30 in the morning or 23:00 at night are noisy. Pack your bag before 22:00 or take it in the common room in the morning. No showering in the morning, it makes the floors all wet. Brush your hair away from the sink. If you do get hair in the sink, wipe it away please. Pick up your trash, do not leave it in your bed. You really should not be eating in the bedrooms anyway as it draws bugs. Ask about closing or opening windows and get a consensus from the others in the room. It is not "your" window.

Maybe you could include a section on security of valuables in Albergues , what to do with money / passports while you shower etc . Ear plugs are a must As some people are incredibly loud in everything they do and you wonder how they can make so much noise doing the simplest of things . Thanks for the video as it had a lot of good information . Maybe you could also cover actually getting from say CDG airport to the start of Camino How to actually buy a train ticket etc Cheers 😊 15:09

Is it frowned upon to set alarms to wake up in the morning?

Even people who don't snore can snore in the Camiño, because of being tired and sleeping on small beds with stomach up. A couple of extra tips as dos in the albergues: Allways carry a triple plug. That way you can charge your phone and leave space for your partners on your plug and no one has to wait. DO NOT USE PLASTIC BAGS... use fabric bags to store stuff because they don't make noise. Bring 6 or 8 Clothes pegs, you will be amazed at how many people don't have a clothes peg and the ones in the albergues are not enough to all the clothes.

Hopefully inconsiderate hikers will be a bit more considerate after watching your video. Well done! 😊👍👍

Thanks Nadine. I see you did not mention sandals in the shower. While recommended, it is not good to wear your outdoor sandals into the shared shower. Remember what you just stepped in on the path there.

When I was younger, I would wake up fighting if someone shook me. Im not a violent person and I had no control over it. I grew out of it eventually.

One thing you did not address is people using the radiator to dry wet stinky clothes. Please don’t do that it’s really gross when the whole room smells like your body odor.

I'm probably one of those albergue purveyors of faux-pas ness 😂. I'm fine until bedtime, keeping noise down to a minimum, acting with some semblance of decorum but I do toss & turn on those plastic mastresses, with the excitement of the morrow & then I probably get up too many times 🙄. In Porto, I was first out the door at the Albergue, I think at 05h45 in the middle of a rainstorm.

I like to use my buff as an eye shield. I settle in bed and pull my buff over my eyes, and that is my cue that it is my sleep time, even if the light is still on It works for me for a nap too.

Btw Al Dickinson great liberal arts school!!

Summary: Be nice. 😇

I'm afraid people who are respectful and responsible will use it, and vice-versa.

The one thing I don't get with snoring is, most snoring is very much treatable. It baffles me that people would willfully take YEARS off of their live by never ever sleeping properly. Like, we do have health care in Europe. O.O

This is what people seem to want the Appalachian Trail to be like.

I saw a bunch of people face timing in the bunk rooms. Beyond rude.

I am not sure it is the right place to write it, but it might save some people from the misery me and my friend had been in. Rule n1: don't bring your dog to the Camino. Rule N2: DO NOT BRING YOUR DOG TO THE CAMINO!!! Rule N3: Read the first two carefully!!! Unless you want to sleep outside during the whole Camino, don't bring your dog. I know it seems like the best place to go with your dog (at least that's what I thought - trees, rivers, nature... Awesome time to spend with your doggo, right? Wrong!!!).. It was super awful to be wet to the bone after two days of rain and not being able even to enter to dry out clothes. We froze like hell. And although I am quite used to sleep outside, during the Camino you will be very tired and at least once in a while it is good to sleep comfortable (not even starting about shower and all that).

Too safe spacer! All this shit is obvious. Let people live. Part of the Camino experience is being and coming across those who need it…..and don’t we all

Perhaps snore strips, cause I cannot sleep once awoken by snoring, perhaps the should get their own room, love that it seems like it all works out, don’t wake them with your alarm, hmmm but okay to be woken in the night, your right get your own room

All the rustling of plastic bags in the morning very annoying

Etiquette ? From an American? Ha ha!