My Favorite All-Purpose Adventure Travel Shoe

If you don’t mind packing large luggage, or carrying around multiple pairs of shoes around the world, then this post probably isn’t for you. This post is about a shoe that will perform multiple functions well and have you only packing one pair. Except for a few volunteer medical and building trips where we have to check sensitive or heavy equipment, we are carry-on only travelers. For us, the benefits of carry-on only travel far outweigh any negatives. We tend to, as many folks do, travel across different landscapes, climates, and urban areas, sometimes all on one trip. That’s why for years I’ve been trying many different shoes(my wife calls me a shoe whore, I disagree, I call it research), in hopes to find the ONE pair that I can travel around the world in. These are my must haves.

1. Looks Normal: I’m no style icon….maybe one day. But for now, I just want to be able to walk around major cities around the world not looking like a hiker that just emerged from the woods.

2. Hikes well: But I also love hiking! So I want a shoe that performs well on the trails.

3. Tough and durable: No one wants a shoe falling apart on the road.

4. Packs easily: Not bulky, and fits in my carry-on backpack with ease when I want to walk around in my flip flops.

For now, I have found my favorite travel shoe that hits all my must haves!

The Adidas Outdoor Terrex Swift Solo Approach Shoe fits the bill! It’s an approach shoe. This basically means it’s made for rock climbers, and is used to hike to the base of a climbing route while carrying their gear. It’s also built for climbers to be able to test out their starting holds on a rock wall before donning their real climbing shoes. So, they have a very strong rubber toe that withstands stumping your toes like a boss. While these shoes aren’t marketed as water resistant, I’ve worn them on multiple mildly rainy days and had dry feet. I do like waterproof shoes for certain situations, but these breath well, unlike many waterproof shoes.

I have taken my one pair of these shoes all around the world the last year and a half and they have performed remarkably along the way. Last year included a trip to China with multiple 10 mile+ days walking around Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing. I used these hiking quite a few miles down the Great Wall of China as well. I also traveled with these to the West Coast US putting in long days walking around Tacoma, Mount Rainier, San Francisco, Riverside, and Las Vegas. Last summer had us in Brazil for a few weeks, where these worked great in town for dinner or clubs around the urban areas of Goiania and Brasilia. Also, these were my only shoe for our few weeks in Nicaragua a couple months ago, where I hiked cloud forests, volunteered building houses, and rode a motorcycle around the southern coast. I continue to use these on multiple day hikes around the Central Florida area as well.

While I realize everyone’s experience with a pair of shoes is different, and everyone has different wants and needs from their footwear, I have found these to consistently perform well for me all over the world.

*Pro Tip* If you’re a frequent flyer, and like being able to remove and replace shoes quickly for airport security, or if you’re lazy and hate tying laces, try Lock Laces out.

Check out more of the gear we travel with over on our gear page!

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