FlipFlopping Around Cuba, Bestival, Catalonia and Munich

My name’s Vicky, although most people know me as VickyFlipFlop. I’m a travel and festival blogge and am now your regular columnist here.

I love a good flip flop adventure so I thought I’d use my travels to give you a few new ideas for cool places to explore, and which flip flops to bring with you from the great selection on here.

After a disastrous flip flop month in August where I tripped over my broken suitcase in the middle of the road in Montreal and snapped my green and silver Havaiana slims I was happy to get some new ones this month. I’d had to get by on some New York Yankees specials from Walmart, which lasted all of about a week in the Adirondacks in New York before they looked like I’d had them all my life.

So this month I have mostly been wearing my Roxy Sevilla in Brown for smart and the Havaiana Slim Fresh in Black and Pink for daytime and all other activities.

It’s been a busy month for my flip flops, although they definitely got some rest during my week in Cuba. Apart from that day in Havana, I barely moved from around the pool. Oh actually, I did have the three-minute walk to the beach a few times. Flip flops are an absolute necessity on that hot Caribbean sand.

I love when you get brown feet and a mark where your flip flops have been – shows you’re doing life right.

The Roxys were perfect for wearing with my red dress or my jeans at night – enough leather and glamour to dress up an outfit but a good enough design to let some cool air in in hot Cuba. These sandals are so comfortable. I’d advise you to get a size less than you actually are though, same goes for Havaianas. It’s fine if you just want to chill out in them, a la I did in Cuba, but if you’re like me and want to wear them as much as possible you’ll want them to stay as close to your feet as they can.

After the beautiful and welcome heat of Cuba it was time for Bestival, which was ruddy bloody freezing on the Isle of Wight. I still packed flip flops though, obviously. Whatever the weather I always think a good pair of flip flops like the Ipanemas or Havaianas are essential for festivals in case the weather changes, in case you want a shower, and for rushing out to the toilet in the middle of the night / early morning when you don’t have the time or inclination to put your shoes on, which was exactly what I used them for. The rest of the festival was a fancy dress ‘Summer of Love’, and it was freezing, so I wore boots.

Next up, I went to Catalonia. Beautiful heat yet full days of cycling so I was told it wouldn’t be a good idea to do a 36 km cycle ride with my Havis on. Point accepted. I had to wear those foot prisons known as trainers when I was on the bike but I kept my flip flops with the rider so I could change as soon as I got back to the car. Again, it was spongy Havaianas by day and the Roxy’s by night – the perfect duo.

My brother lives in Barcelona and took me up to this incredible viewpoint by scooter where we got 360-degree views over the whole city. I climbed over the wall to get this shot, in my flip flops. It was raining but sometimes I think that’s where flip flops shine as the underdog, if it’s hot rain anyway. You can get wet but they soon dry out again, and you don’t have to put up with stinky shoes.

Jeez it was cold here. Makes me sad when it comes to the end of the flip flop season in Europe, and that time had definitely come in Munich. I was in the city for Oktoberfest, where there’s actually a ban on flip flops at the festival. Too much broken glass and crazy dancing for that kind of foot freedom.

So neither pair managed to see the light of day in Munich but I was staying in a hostel for most of the time, so those multi purpose Havaianas definitely came in handy when it came to shower time.