Your First Hike

How To Prepare for your First Hike!

Hiking is one of the most enjoyable ways to see the world while travelling and here are our top five reasons for hitting the trails or taking a day for walking, whether you’re discovering your own backyard or on a bucket list trip!

You really experience a place

When you commit to a hike – be it in the mountains or a walking tour – you get a far better sense of the landscape, local people, history and more that’s completely unknown until you’re there. There’s a really meaningful connection between putting your whole self in a place and committing to a start to finish discovery compared to visiting a lookout just for the photo.

You can fit it into most budgets

In most cases, hiking trails or notable walks are free or have a small nominal charge that directly contributes to upkeep or protection of the area. If you’re travelling and running low on funds or like to challenge yourself to find no-cost activities, then this is a wonderful way to see a place while still being able to afford a delicious post-hike feast.

Your First Hike

You learn new things that apply to all your travels

There are many skills you acquire when hiking that will surprise you. From logistics to a more nuanced approach to risk assessment, you will be able to transfer this knowledge directly into the practical way you travel and your life at large. Even the skills of understanding what clothing to wear for a hike, and what’s worth the investment, will be invaluable for packing and shopping moving forward.

You're staying active

It goes without saying, but few people truly enjoy maintaining an exercise routine on holiday (we’d apply this to the weekend, too). Enter hiking and walks as your go-to workout such as a sunrise hike, walking around instead of using transport, and looking for attractions that are part of trails. You’ll feel great and see even more of your location in the process.

You see the sights and sites in a new way

Lastly, hiking and walking while travelling immediately deepens your experience. When you replace a bus between monuments with walking or taking in a stunning peninsula by trails, you follow in the footsteps of people who’ve been there before you all while uncovering unmarked spots that you’d have otherwise missed.

These five reasons are merely the tip of the travel iceberg when it comes to hiking and walking. To delve deeper and help get you started on preparing to take your first day hike Gabor Shoes developed this infographic resource. Check out the guide below for more reasons to hike, the clothes and equipment you need, decoding hiking shoes and boots (including the fit!), and the ins and outs of planning your hike.

Here’s to more intrepid adventures near and far!

Your First Hike

This great infographic resource with advice for beginners on hiking footwear, gear and clothing, and the 20 tips to bear in mind before, during and after your first day hike will, I'm sure, encourage all adventuresses out there to pull on their boots and venture out!