If you’ve been following our journey, you know that we like to hike pretty much 2-3 times per week. Today I decided to write about all the reasons we love hiking because as it goes well beyond the fact that it is a really affordable activity that can be done anywhere. Are you ready to learn more about some of the great benefits of hiking?
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10 reasons we love hiking
1 – Hiking lets you access places we can’t visit otherwise
As slow travelers and full time nomads, we love to explore the world. Hiking is often the only way of transportation we can use to access some of the most remote and beautiful places on this planet. You can’t use a car, a scooter or even a bike if you want to access places like the ancient & mystical temple in Tepoztlan (Mexico), secluded beaches in Koh Lanta (Thailand), the fortified city of Kotor a UNESCO’s world heritage site (Montenegro) or the meanders of Rivière du Diable in Mont Tremblant (Canada).
Old temple in Tepoztlan 
Old fortifications of Kotor Old fortifications of Kotor Hidden beach in Koh Lanta 
Hidden beach in Koh Lanta
2 – Hiking lets you make friends
Hiking has become such a popular activity that in most places we go, there is always a hiking group for us to join. This is a great way to discover new trails but also meet new people along the way. And even when we used to hike back home, we always joined friends that would often bring along their own friends, so we always have the opportunity to create new connections.
3 – Hiking keeps you fit
From your quads, hamstrings, calves, glutes, hip muscles and abs, hiking will work a bunch of your muscles and get you tired. Hiking is also associated with improved blood sugar level, blood pressure, increased bone density (as a weight-bearing exercise) and lower the risk of heart disease. And believe it or not, a full day of hiking (~5-6 hours) can let you burn anywhere between 1,000 to 2,000 calories (based on distance, elevation, weight and other factors).
Who needs a gym membership when you can exercise for free while inhaling fresh air?
4 – Hiking is cheap
When we review our expenses through our spending reports, people are always surprised to see that our budget for outdoor activities is very negligible. It’s because most of our outdoor time is spent either hiking, biking, and more recently river tracing (since we‘ve been stuck in Taiwan). It turns out that all of these activities have in common is that they are pretty damn cheap (if not entirely free).
For hiking, your initial cost can be summarized to a pair of hiking shoes (like Mr.NN’s Xero Shoes TerraFlex), a proper backpack (like Mrs.NN’s Gregory Maya 16L Hiking Day Pack), a water bottle (like this Simple Modern Wave Water Bottle) / or water pouch (like this Hydration Pack Waterproof). And once you are properly equipped you just need water, snacks and you are pretty much good to go!
And even if you want to venture on a multi-day hike, staying overnight at a cabin or yurt, the cost is usually really low. If you compare hiking to skiing, golfing, or even scuba diving, hiking remains the cheapest outdoor activity of all.
5 – Hiking makes you happy
There is nothing better than the excitement of going on a day hike. The simple fact of getting outside of our apartment immediately makes us happy about everything hiking has to offer. We get to fill our lungs with fresh air, we enjoy good company, we get to exercise our body and we feel good about ourselves after completing a rewarding hike. What else do you need?
6 – Hiking helps you bond with nature
When we are on a trail, we are in direct contact with nature. Going through a forest, hiking along a ridge overseeing the mountains or even hiking (barefoot!) on the beach are some of the many ways you get to bond with nature.
People in Japan even have a term to bond with nature: “forest bathing”.
Forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku. Shinrin in Japanese means “forest,” and yoku means “bath.” So shinrin-yoku means bathing in the forest atmosphere, or taking in the forest through our senses.
Source: https://time.com/5259602/japanese-forest-bathing/
7 – Hiking presents breathtaking views
Whether you are at the top of a 10,000 feet mountain, at the bottom of a giant waterfall, or enjoying a sunset, we have countless memories of amazing views we get to enjoy while hiking.
8 – Hiking is meditative and relaxing
The act of putting one foot in front of each other can already be a very meditative experience by itself (there is actually such a thing as “walking meditation”, though this won’t be suitable to practice while hiking as you walk at a very very slow pace).
As we hike for several hours, we like to make a few stops along the way to recharge or eat our lunch. These stops are also a great way to disconnect, relax, and even meditate to the sound of nature. For hiking to be meditative thought, you need to remind yourself to slow down and be in the moment, and don’t forget to leave your phone behind!
9 – Hiking brings quality times
As life gets busier, it is hard to have a long period of time to hang out with friends nowadays. When you hike you get plenty of quality time to (re) connect with your friends again and have the perfect opportunity to start great conversations!
10 – Hiking is never boring
We’ve probably been hiking hundreds of times since we started our nomadic journey back in 2018. Even here in Taiwan where we’ve been “stuck” in the same country for a long period of time, we have never done the exact same trail twice.
Even when we do repeat a trail, we always add variation to it, which makes for a completely new experience. And even if you would take the exact same route twice, the surrounding, weather, and people along the way always change which will definitely affect the experience.
Our bottom line
Hiking is probably one of our favorite outdoor activities. Besides being easy to do anywhere and being very affordable – hiking is a great way to stay in shape, access spectacular places, enjoy breathtaking views, and bring us back to a state of happiness no matter where we are.
These are our 10 reasons we love hiking. What about you? Is hiking one of your hobbies or regular activities? Can you think of another reason hiking is a great hobby to have? Please let us know by leaving a comment in the comments section below.
2 Comments
Neha · December 22, 2020 at 7:10 am
Great article on hiking!!! The photos in the breathtaking views article are amazing!!! How do you recommend beginners to get started with hiking where they live?
Mr. Nomad Numbers · December 22, 2020 at 8:57 am
Thank you, Neha! I was wondering how useful would this article be, especially at this time of the year. As for your question, I would start joining a Meet-Up or a Facebook group that would welcome beginners hikers. From our experiences, the organizers of these groups are really good at introducing new comers. Plus if the level of beginners it should work like a charm for you. Keep us posted on how your first hike goes!