The Best Travel Shoes

FitFlop are the best ! I bought one pair in 2007 after a herniated disk surgery because they have an ergonomic midsole that prevents back pain and high pressure on your feet. Never had back pain again ! Now I have 10 pairs of them, sneakers, flip flops, sandals… They are sooo comfortable I wore them this summer in Corsica, walked 10.000 feet a day, not a single blister or heavy legs feeling at the end of the day. Bonus : they tone your muscles like toning shoes !
Now my husband is hooked (they have a men’s collection) and I bought 2 pairs to my Mom (ballerinas) to help her with knee joint pain.
FitFlop are just perfect !

The simplest shoes with a good insole will suffice :)

For those with NARROW feet, like me, Birkenstock Ariozona’s in narrow width (yes, this is a thing!) have been great.

For cute, summer-appropriate sneakers, I’ve been living in my Keds (https://www.keds.com/en/triple-kick/28951W.html?dwvar_28951W_color=WF57309#cgid=keds-platform-sneakers&start=1). I wanted a pair of Superga sneaks but they are SO wide they just didn’t work. These Keds are similar in style and have this “ortho-lite” insole that is SO COMFORTABLE. There was no break-in period and I walk a ton living in San Francisco.

We just got back from a 10 day trip to London, Amsterdam and Paris. My feet blister easily so I spent a ridiculous amount of time deciding on footwear before we went. I ended up alternating between Stan Smith’s and Naot Pamela sandals. We averaged about 100 miles in total without a single blister!

Does anyone have any suggestions for great walking shoes for wide feet? Just came back from 28 days in Europe wearing ill fitting shoes, and oh the blisters ? SO HARD to find shoes that are both comfortable and fashionable for us cursed wide feet people!

Significant others have referred to my feet as “dinosaur” feet. Not cute, kinda wide, a little flat and they swell when I’m on them for hours. When traveling, I always carry tons of bandaids in the inevitable circumstance that the pair I’m wearing has rubbed me raw. Before my trip to Rome last year, I splurged on a pair of the Allbirds Tree Skippers and holy cow I will never wear anything else while traveling again. I love them because of course, they are very comfortable, but more importantly, the upper fabric stretches and moves with your feet while the insole provides a good amount of cushion and support. Also, the heel part is sturdy but soft so they don’t rub. They are the literal only shoe I’ve ever worn for more than 12 hours straight and not had excruciating pain. So if you have jacked up feet like me, you should try those.

I always bring three pairs of shoes when I’m traveling, never more. If it’s warm:
1. Saltwater sandals. They’re so cute, I can wear them with dresses or skirts, but they’re great in water too.
2. Slip on sneakers, like Vans, for going through airports and daily wear
3. Lightweight minimalist sneakers for hiking or other adventures (if necessary)
If it’s cold:
1. Slip on sneakers from above
2. Weatherproof booties by Blondo. They’re dressy, go with skirts or jeans, and 100% waterproof.
3. Cute athletic sneakers, like New Balance, that can be worn to work out in but also go with jeans (if necessary).

Loooved reading all of these suggestions. Travel related…. would you guys be willing to post an updated “NYC travel guide”? :) We are going in the spring for the first time and want to hear about all the must see’s, eat’s, and do’s!

For cooler temps/cold weather travel I love my Merrell boots. NOT the hiking boots you’re picturing but the fashion boots they make. They are so comfortable, stylish, many are waterproof and they are lightweight. I’ve had my pair for 6 years and they’ve been in the snow, rain and everything in between. They always look appropriate and chic.

HOBES!!!!! HOBES, HOBES, HOBES!!

Scouring the comments for ideas because, while I love my converse, they are truly the last thing I would ever wear for significant standing/walking.

Supergas, my go-to sneaker for regular days and traveling. Cute, laid back, and light for packing. They come in tons of cute colors!

The Everlane day glove is so comfy, but for all-day walking, I need some sort of sneaker with a good, shock absorbent sole.
I just spent 2 weeks walking around towns and cities in Poland and Germany. All the cobblestone streets are so beautiful, but for 8-12 km of walking all day, everyday, the day glove didn’t have enough sole support, and I sadly had to change into a sneaker.

That picture of Paris at golden hour just made my heart flutter. I’ve been lucky enough to visit that magnificent city twice in the last five years, and I love all of its facets – both the beautiful and the ugly.

On our first visit, I wore my Chucks, as well as some Dr Scholl’s brand shoes, and neither were supportive enough – they actually gave me HORRENDOUS plantar fascitis that made me dread getting out of bed by the end of our two week trip. This most recent time around, I wore the Tom’s canvas classics and had a much better time, they were nice and cushioned and perfect for walking many miles on sidewalks and cobblestones!

I also wore the Toms on a two-week trip to Morocco, and supplemented sparingly with my Nisolo huaraches. The Nisolo’s are so beautiful, and were a great way to comfortably dress up outfits in the evenings. My Tom’s were so stinky and dirty by the end of the trip (Moroccan ports full of fishy puddles, medinas with dusty alleys, etc) that I ended up throwing them out our last day :( I had hoped they would be washable, but I read poor results from others who had tried. My pair also had a woven raffia edging similar to espadrilles that probably wouldn’t have made it. But I will definitely buy another pair for my next walking-heavy trip!!

I love Converse, but what is the sock situation there? When I wear my low-top Converse with dresses, etc. in the summer I always get blisters!

Naots!!!!! I bought them 3 years ago for a 2-month long trip and they are still my fav go to travel and walking summer sandal. They look cute and are like walking on air.

I clicked on this expecting it to be an ad, and I’m pleasantly surprised it’s not!

SALTWATER SANDALS all the way!!!!!

I am now a Salwater Sandal convert, comfy, waterproof, easy to clean.

After doing a year in London, and traveling a lot in Europe fall-spring, some of my fave travel shoes are (weirdly!) these Madewell Chelsea Rainboots: https://www.madewell.com/the-chelsea-rain-boot-E2292.html

They are v comfortable, can be worn with a wool sock in winter and/or dressed up with tights, and are not super heavy (I usually wear on the flight, because they are easy to slip on and off anyway!). Even if it’s not raining, they are so subtle they pass for a normal Chelsea boot. You’re always prepared. ;)

My best luck has been with my Aigle Miss Juliette boots — they’re rain boots, but I don’t feel absolutely ridiculous wearing them if it turns out to not be rainy, and I walked all over Lyon in them without issue.

A few years ago, my best friend and I both packed our Allbirds for a December trip to Paris, and I haven’t been able to look at them the same way since . . . there was sleet, snow, and rain, and our feet FROZE. So good for mild weather, but I wouldn’t again do wool shoes in winter weather!