With the wide range of travel experiences you can try, it helps to figure out what type of traveller you are to narrow down your destination and activities to what you can truly enjoy. For instance, you might be an adventure traveller, which a previous post explains to be someone who prefers spontaneous journeys over overly planned itineraries and avoids tourist traps in favour of daredevil activities like mountaineering.
While an adventure traveller embraces spontaneity and thrill, this doesn’t necessarily mean you should forget about essentials that otherwise ensure a safe and smooth experience. Among these is a pair of sunglasses, which helps shield your eyes from sunlight, wind, sand, and other harsh outdoor elements that may otherwise compromise your vision. In many cases, sunglasses can also enhance your outdoor performance by improving the detail and clarity of your surroundings — here are the best ones you can choose from.
Oakley Wind Jacket for off-mountain activities
Oakley has always been lauded for its outdoor-oriented eyewear that balances style, comfort, and performance. Its latest range of sports glasses features lightweight frames, top UV protection, and an enhanced field of view that delivers maximum visibility for various sports and adventures.
If you’re opting for activities like skiing in the Alps or biking the mountain trails in Australia, your best bet is the Oakley Wind Jacket 2.0. Its cylindrical lenses block wind and sun glare, while its O Matter frame material is built to withstand off-mountain performance standards. It is also available with Prizm lenses to enhance colour, contrast, and detail.
Bollé C-Shifter for cycling
Cycling can be a great travel adventure, as you can take in spectacular sights while testing your physical strength and endurance. You’d want a pair of cycling sunglasses from Bollé to provide a clear view of the road ahead and avoid straining your eyes, especially on particularly long rides like the Great North Trail.
This French brand has a rich history of sponsoring professional cycling teams at the Tour de France, thus guaranteeing only quality and comfort from its C-Shifter frames. The C-Shifter combines a nylon-based cylindrical design, a half-rim shield, high-contrast lenses, and an adjustable nose piece and tips for a perfect balance of ventilation, fit, and functionality.
Julbo Explorer for mountaineering
While sunlight can provide warm and suitable mountaineering conditions, it can also serve as a hazard for the skin and the eyes. This struggle can be amplified during winter, as reflective surfaces like snow and ice can further harshen the glare.
So, Outdoor Magazine’s resident Gear Guy, Joe Jackson, recommends the Julbo Explorer glacier glasses to help prevent harsh light from leaving you with a headache or impairing your vision when up in snowy mountains like Mount Townsend in Australia. The original Explorer frames have soft plastic sides, a wide nose bridge, and adjustable temples for optimal fit, breathability, and circulation. Julbo also released a slimmer, more stylish version — the Explorer 2.0 — for the more style-conscious travellers.
Costa del Mar Antillle for boating
Of course, we can’t leave out the travellers who prefer water over land. If you’re going on a boating adventure along the Amalfi Coast or French Riviera, a pair of polarised sunglasses from Costa del Mar will ensure you can immerse yourself in all the offshore sights without straining or squinting your eyes.
Since Costa is a brand that values environmental sustainability and conservation, you can get the Antille sunglasses from the Untangled collection, which uses an upgraded NetPlus™ material made of 97% recycled fishing nets. The Antille pair, in particular, boasts a hybrid performance frame style with additional coverage for the eyes and nose pads that improve ventilation. These regular-fit frames also come in various polarised glass lens tints, such as blue mirror, green mirror, and grey.
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