He's known as the 'Barefoot Backpacker' and yes, he will happily walk through snow 🥶
Ian Oliver has travelled the world, but when it comes to packing, there’s one thing he doesn’t worry about – shoes.Ian first started getting comfortable with being barefoot as a teenager but admits that as a child, he really disliked the idea.‘I remember once my parents dropping me off at school, then getting them to go back home to pick up my trainers for PE that I’d realised I’d forgotten to bring, rather than have me do it barefooted.‘Over the years, I got more and more brave about doing it.
‘Obviously also some wilder environments are often unsuitable; rocky hills and thorny forest paths most notably.’In these circumstances, he will wear thin sandals, which protect his feet and are easy to slip on and off.He says: ‘They make my feet uncomfortably warm and stuffy, and sometimes make me feel like I’ve got two bricks on the bottom of my legs.‘Doubly so considering I love to walk around a lot, or am stuck on transport in enclosed spaces with dodgy air-con.
But living barefoot isn’t without issues. Ian says the most frequent question he gets is about stepping in something unpleasant or painful. He says: ‘I’ve crossed a number of international borders barefoot, including in West Africa and the Balkans. I’ve travelled on coaches, local buses, trains, through airports with mostly no worries, and riding on the back of motorbike taxis in Africa barefoot felt so free and refreshing.‘In more recent times, I’ve been going to restaurants, pubs, etc with no-one batting an eyelid about the fact my feet were bare, although admittedly this is usually while wearing my barefoot sandals.
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