there are a lot of quotes about good shoes out there (“good shoes take you good places” is a particular favourite), but they’re all pretty true: good shoes are good for a reason: the balance between fit, comfort and style. especially if you’re traveling, you want your shoes to fit well and be comfortable (stylish is a give or take with me, sometimes)!
so, what do i look for in a pair of shoes for travel? well it definitely depends on what i am doing in those shoes (hiking? just walking around sights? walking through cities?), i try to have a few pairs that are versatile: you want to find a pair of flats that you can walk around the city in AND wear to dinner with a dress, a pair of boots that you can hike in AND wear with leggings and a dress, etc.
i have a few favourites.
i’m partial to my sperry angelfish boat shoes, for one. i can pair them with shorts or jeans, and they’re alright for a casual dinner. they’re also insanely comfortable. i also like the angelfish ones better than the orginal boat shoe for the simple reason that they have a smaller top and i feel like my foot breathes more. i also have an original shoe, and weirdly, they never molded to my foot the way that the angelfish ones do. that being said, if i’m going someplace and packing light, i might swap those out in favour of a simple pair of black flats. merrell makes several good flat shoes that also roll up for easy packing. since merrell is an outdoor company, you know their shoes are going to be well-made and fit nicely, as well as have good cushioning. the same goes for keen – they make stylish, comfortable walking shoes. toms are also insanely comfortable and easy to walk in, my only real complaint about them is the lack of support.
if you’re hiking, you’ll want to invest in a good pair of hiking shoes or boots with ankle support (depending on your hiking style.) i love my merrell hiking shoes, although they’re on the heavy side. when i was working on the boat in costa rica and panama, i took a lightweight water hiking shoes (also by merrell) that i could hike in and use for wet landings. i never took both at the same time, if i could avoid it (sometimes we went from one extreme to the other.)
in cooler weather climates, i really like my teva boots. i know i mentioned them in another post. they look nice – semi equestrian style, with buckles and a mauve leather front with a grey waterproof canvas back (see photo above) – but are also well-soled and have a good interior cushion. i think i mentioned once already that i wore these almost for the entire month that i was in scotland, iceland and norway, and i don’t regret a moment of it.
if you’re going to be near the beach and want breathable sandals, consider ones with a strap, so that if you go hiking, you can wear those as well. chacos, keen, sanuk and merrell all make shoes like that, and a lot of my former coworkers swore by chacos. i think the fabric-style ones by sanuk are really cute, but are not so practical for hiking. if you really want flip flops or dressy sandals, those can be tossed in and don’t usually take up a lot of space!
and since i said that your choice in shoes depends on what you’re doing while traveling, if you need a pair of heels for a fancy dinner, look for ones that have good cushioning. in europe, walking on some of those old streets in a pair of heels can utterly destroy your feet (or your shoes, for that matter.)
if you have questions about shoes, rei experts write about walking shoes, and you can check out their advice here: rei advice.