Travel Tips & Things I’ve Learnt Along the Way
Travel has a funny way of teaching you things.
Some lessons come from getting it right. Others come from getting it very, very wrong. And some are simply little things you discover after enough time spent navigating airports, train stations, unfamiliar streets, different currencies, questionable maps and the occasional “well, that wasn’t quite what I expected” moment.
This is where I share some of the things I’ve learnt along the way.
Not a rulebook. Not a list of things you must do. Just practical tips, little discoveries, things worth thinking about before you leave home and the occasional piece of advice I wish someone had told me sooner.
Some will be about making travel a little easier. Others might help you save money, pack a little smarter, stay organised or simply feel more confident when you’re somewhere unfamiliar.
Because after all, travel is personal. What works for one traveller might not work for another — and sometimes the best lessons are the ones you discover for yourself.
These are simply mine.
Take what’s useful, leave what isn’t, and perhaps share a few of your own along the way.
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Omio - Easy Train Travel
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There is no such thing as the perfect walking shoe.
There is only the shoe that is right for your feet, your walk and the conditions you’re about to meet.
I’ve learnt this over several long-distance walks — from Sarria to Santiago, most of the Portuguese Camino, the Cotswold Way and, more recently, 130 kilometres of the Via Francigena through Tuscany.
And if there’s one piece of advice I’d be particularly careful about when preparing for a long-distance walk, it’s this:
Wear the shoes that work for your feet.
It sounds obvious. But spend enough time researching walking shoes and you’ll quickly discover that everyone has an opinion. Trail runners. Hiking boots. Waterproof boots. Sandals. Lightweight shoes. Heavy-duty shoes. Wide fit. Narrow fit.
Somewhere amongst all those opinions, it’s very easy to forget one rather important thing.
Your feet are yours.
No two people have exactly the same feet. And, as I’ve discovered, not even our own two feet necessarily behave the same way.
So rather than telling you which shoe you should buy, I want to share what I’ve learnt about choosing footwear for a long-distance walk — from thinking about the terrain and weather, to allowing for swollen feet, finding enough width, choosing the right socks and, yes, even embracing socks with sandals.
Because when you’re walking hundreds of kilometres, your feet are really the ones in charge.