Welcome to the Freaking Nomads Newsletter, your weekly dose of stories, insights, tools, and opportunities for digital nomads and remote workers building a life without borders.
Hey Freaking Nomads,
Five years of being a digital nomad, and the thing I still get wrong is… shoes.
I'm packing my 20L backpack again, and there's room for only two pairs.
Same dance every time. Sneakers, obviously. Sandals, obviously. And then the "nice" pair I debate bringing every single time.
When I do, I wear them once, and then proceed to carry them across six countries completely unused ✌️
Shoes for digital nomads have to go café/coworking → beach → airport, handle an easy hike, and then not humiliate you over cocktails. That's four jobs. Most shoes are good at two.
We keep a guide on this that we're constantly updating, and the most useful bit is that you should never pick one shoe, but always two pairs that can cover each other's weak spots.
So, after spending way too much time and money on travel shoes for 5+ years, here are my tried and tested best combos:
The city combo
Adidas Ultraboost Light (men's / women's) + Birkenstock Arizona Soft Footbed (unisex). Chunky enough for 20k step days, and in all-black you can get away with dinner. The Birks do the heat and the beach walk.
The outdoorsy combo (my favourite one)
Altra Lone Peak 8 (men's / women's) + Teva Original Universal (men's / women's). Proper grip for trails, waterproof sandals for everything wet. Fair warning, the Altras only come in colours that announce themselves, which I personally love!
The true minimalist combo
Vivobarefoot Primus Lite III (men's / women's) + Tevas. Barefoot shoes pack down to almost nothing and dress up better than any trainer. They need a break-in period though, so don't buy them the week you fly.
And the last thing, which took me embarrassingly long to accept: versatility has a ceiling.
When I did Acatenango in Guatemala, I didn't fly my monster boots across the world for one overnight hike. I rented them there for a few dollars, gave them back, kept my bag light.
Your shoes don't have to do everything. They have to do the 95% you live in. Rent the other 5%.
So what's on your feet right now, and how many pairs are in your bag? Hit reply and tell me. If there's a pair we've missed, I'll add it to the guide!
Irene
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Since I've spent this whole newsletter talking about not having room for a third pair of shoes, it feels dishonest not to mention the thing that actually gave me the room.
Ever since converting to these compression packing cubes, I got about a third of my 20L back. Not a small difference when your entire wardrobe is the bag!
What they actually do:
A second zipper that squeezes the air out once the cube is full
One cube per category, so you stop unpacking the whole bag to find one t-shirt
A dirty cube for laundry, which is genuinely the best part
Ultralight sets weigh almost nothing, so you're not trading weight for space
An extra bag just for your second pair of shoes
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