I love wearing Flip-Flops. I guess that is because wearing them means it`s warm outside. And believe me, I am such a happy kid once the sun is out. So even though travelling doesn`t mean being in warm weather all the time, Flip-Flops still implicate the “travelfeeling” for me. So the question I asked myself was: “How many pairs of Flip-Flops will I actually need throughout my travels?” That is why on this page I`ll keep track of how many pairs exactly will get lost, break or simply end up being unwearable…

• Flip-Flops Pair Nr. 12: Currently in use…

                               

Knowing that Flip-Flops Pair Nr. 11 wouldn´t last much longer I knew: the next Havaianas shop would be mine. And when Mike and me where strolling through a mall in Iloilo, a city in the Philippines, I saw the sign. Havaianas. I went straight in and bought this pair. Let´s see if Pair Number 12 will outlast the others…

• Flip-Flops Pair Nr. 11: March 2017

These were the Flip-Flops the waitress in the restaurant had given me when mine had vanished. At nice as that was unfortunately these Flip-Flops were already quite used up. So it didn´t take long until one of the strings broke. I took a chance and used my best friend Superglue to fix them. But when they broke again a few weeks later I gave up – and threw them in the bin.

• Flip-Flops Pair Nr. 10: February 2017

Bought in a Havainas Shop in Manila, the journey of this pair had just begun when it ended only a week later. They didn´t break. They got stolen. On my birthday. Karma, what did I do to you? We were in the Visayas in the Philippines having dinner in one of those restaurants where you have to leave your shoes at the entrance. When we were about to leave they were gone. We looked everywhere, searched the whole restaurant, stared at everyones feet – but they weren´t there. Someone had obviously taken them. I was so upset! Not because of the money that I had invested in them and that was now gone. No, it was more about the fact that someone had actually stolen them. I just couldn´t get it into my head. Who would do something like that? As travellers we are all in the same boat so something like that you just don´t do. I didn´t understand it. The staff of the restaurant was really nice, they all helped looking for them and tried to comfort me saying that surely someone must have taken them by mistake and will bring them back the next day. (Obviously that didn´t happen.) They also wanted to give me an extra pair of Flip-Flops they had in the bar. Those were too small though. So instead one waitress just took her Flip-Flops that she was wearing of and gave them to me. To keep. How lovely is that. And why can´t everyone be like that?

• Flip-Flops Pair Nr. 9: February 2017

Bought in Germany, before hitting the road again, this pair of Havaianas was going stroooong. Until it happened. I tripped and the left string broke out of the shoe. And then the next day, it happened to the right Flip-Flop. Over the next 1 1/2 months I fixed it over and over with the good old super glue. Which actually worked quite well. But I had learned my lesson until that point. You are able to fix it for a period of weeks but once the string has been out of the shoe once, the end of the life of your Flip-Flops has been decided. So as soon as I found a Havaianas shop I bought myself a new pair and these went into the bin. They had made it through five months of being worn every single day. Not bad, not bad at all.

 

• Flip-Flops Pair Nr.8: End of December 2015

The other 2,50$ pair from Cotton On. Same story as for the pair below. But at least they lasted long enough to endure the few weeks of travelling through New Zealand as well as the flight home. Where they found their way to the bin. Moral of the story? I might aswell have burnt the 5$ I spent on these two pairs. But then again, they lasted me for the time I needed them. So probably it wasn`t the worst spent money after all.

 

• Flip-Flops Pair Nr. 7: Beginning of December 2015

When I finally threw my old pair out, I was living in Auckland, New Zealand and was just about to go and travel the country for a month. And I knew, that after that I would be going home, where it was the middle of winter. Meaning I obviously wasn´t too keen on spending too much money on a new pair. So I went into Cotton On and got two pairs of Flip-Flops for 5 $. Sweet. Until I wore them for more than a day. I think it was latest day 7 when I could already feel the sole getting thinner and thinner. On day 14 I was basically walking on my bare heels. So on day 21, when little stones pushed into my foot, I knew the end of the road was here. To be fair, what can you expect of a pair that had cost you 2,50 $? The shoes landed in the bin and, hello again, the other 2,50$ shoes were given a chance.

• Flip-Flops Pair Nr. 6: End of October 2015

Bought right after I lost one of my Flip-Flops I went into a real Havaianas shop in Nicaragua. Well, at least I was told they were real. And looking at the price, you better hope that was true. But over the months of travelling I had learned my lesson – even though Havaianas do have their faults aswell, of all the Flip-Flops brands out there, they are simply the best. And they didn´t leave me hangig. Over the next 5 months they were by my side. Day after day. Until they broke.  The strap, that keeps your feet to your Flip-Flop broke out of it´s hole. ( There is literally no good way of explaining this. I am sure anyone who ever had a pair of Flip-Flop understands what I mean with that description. And for all the others  I just hope you just kind of get what I mean.) As you can see on the picture, I used any kind of method to keep them going. I just wasn´t ready yet to give up on them. First I tried the good old method of using the clip on a beer can with which you open the can. I clipped it under the sole, keeping the strap connected to the bottom of the shoe. That only worked for a short amount of time. Until the beer clip itself broke. And then the second one broke. And then the third one. So I figured I need another way of fixing my shoe. I then used a hairband holding the Flip-Flop string in it´s place – which worked perfectly. (Well, at least I thought so. You might want to ask anyone of my friends who was walking next to me and had to stop every 5 minutes when I had to readjust the hairband.) You might think now: Why on earth did you not just buy a new pair?? Well, yeah, I know, I could have. But at the same time, for me at least, they were still working fine. Eventually though, after a few more months, I  had to give in. The hole in the shoe got so big, that even the hairband was powerless. So  finally (to everyones joy) I accepted defeat – and threw them in the bin.

• Flip-Flops Pair Nr. 5: End of September 2015 (But really though End of Mai 2015, after wearing them only for a few days)

I brought this pair as an emergency pair. A present from a friend, who had gone to Thailand a few weeks before seeing me, it was a pair of (obviously) fake Havaianas. They came in handy, when my other pair (see Flip-Flops Pair Nr.7) was playing up. But even only wearing them for a few hours, I noticed straight away that they just weren´t made for my feet. The straps rubbed pretty badly and I ended up with  a few open wounds. So I put them back in my bagpack (you know, just for the super emergencies) – and ended up finally throwing them out in New Zealand, realising there was no reason to keep them as I would have rather walked barefoot (which I actually really like doing) than wearing this pair.

 

• Flip-Flops Pair Nr.4: End of December 2014

My lovely Havaianas! Sometimes it is worth the trouble spending a little bit more money on good quality: After almost 3 months my Havaianas were still in best form, not run through in the slightest and incredible comfortable. I know other travelers who have been wearing their pair since years. But unfortunately I seem to be predestinated for losing Flip-Flops. And so on christmas morning I couldn`t find my right Flip-Flop anymore. I searched the whole hostel ( which was harder than you might think now because 70% of the hostel side were flowers, plants and fields) – but my Flip-Flop was still nowhere to be found. So there was nothing left to do for me but to bite the bullet: I bought myself new Havaianas and with a heavy heart threw my left old, single Flip-Flop in the bin.

I should probably start tying my Flip-Flops around my ankles…

 

• Flip-Flops Pair Nr.3: Beginning of October 2014

A present from Sweden, decorated with a floral pattern and a thin sole: these Flip-Folps were most likely made for wearing them only occasional – but definitely not every day. But they hold out longer then I thought. One whole month they went with me wherever I walked – during which the material left the shoe more and more and the sole got thinner and thinner. At the end I had to accept it – I needed new Flip-Flops. So for the first time on this journey (as the three pairs I brought with me where all gone) I went and  bought new Flip-Flops. And decided to buy the brand of all brands on the Flip-Flops market: Havaianas. Though not quite sure if the ones I bought are original or fake. I reckon we`ll know when seeing how long they will actually last.

 

• Flip-Flops Pair Nr. 2: Beginning of September 2014

The story of this pair ist short and simple. I woke up in the morning, looked around my hostel room – and just couldn`t find my left Flip-Flop. I searched the whole room three times – but the Flip-Flop was gone. And because it isn`t the most practical to walk with just one shoe, there was no other way than to say goodbye to the remaining Flip-Flop.

 

• Flip-Flops Pair Nr. 1: End of August 2014

With these Flip-Flops my journey began. More then a year old, they were still in good condition. Shortly before the start of my travels though I had to do some small fixing on both the left and the right shoe. And after a few weeks in Southamerica part of the right Flip-Flop broke apart. I fixed it as much as possible but now the shoe was a little bit too wide for my foot. For a few weeks I still kept them in my backpack because I just couldn`t bring it over me to throw my beloved Flip-Flops away. But at one point it just had to happen – I had to be reasonable and my first pair of Flip-Flops of this journey went into the bin.