Is walking the most adventurous way to travel?
![Leon McCarron hikes through the glorious blood-red canyons of the Sinai mountains.](https://adventure.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Life-at-3mph-joy-of-walking-Photo-courtesy-of-Leon-McCarron-21-1180x664.jpg)
Walking encourages strangers to welcome you—for some reason, seeing someone on foot and carrying their life (in that moment, at least) on their back, seems to generate the most amazing acts of kindness.
![Leon McCarron and his travel companion pull their gear through the desert sands.](https://adventure.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Life-at-3mph-joy-of-walking-Photo-courtesy-of-Leon-McCarron-27-1180x787.jpg)
In a world that’s increasingly being pulled apart, with fears of ‘otherness’, walking puts people back in touch with one another.
Gallery: Take a look at the friends Leon met on his walking adventures.
I like the idea that we can walk not just from place to place, but from conversation to conversation, and from story to story, creating our own individual narrative—with footsteps.
![Leon McCarron looks small in comparison to the big desert sky.](https://adventure.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Life-at-3mph-joy-of-walking-Photo-courtesy-of-Leon-McCarron-28-1180x787.jpg)
I like the idea we can walk not just from place to place, but from conversation to conversation, and from story to story, creating our own individual narrative—with footsteps. That, as much as anything else, is a good reason to strap on a rucksack, pack some sandwiches, lace up our boots, and experience life at a walking pace.
Author: Leon McCarronAn Adventure.com featured contributor, Leon McCarron is a Northern Irish writer, filmmaker and speaker. A Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, he’s covered thousands of miles in the pursuit of slow and immersive storytelling.