What kind of shoes are the best for travel?

I love my Merrells. I started with the Jungle Mocs which are very comfy, but they are pretty casual looking (although I love the gunsmoke color).

Then I tried their Spire Emme style. It is a MaryJane style with a 2 inch heel, but does not feel like a heel at all. I can wear them walking around all day on any type ground without a problem.

As I liked the Spire feel so much, I decided to try a pair of sandals with the same basic footbed. I got the Sundial Charade sandal. It is much dressier looking than pretty much any other "comfort" sandal and is still a joy to wear all day on my feet.

My main rule for comfort shoes is that the heel has to be slightly higher than the foot. I tend to put all my pressure on my heels and this forces me to distribute the weight a bit more evenly. Both the Spire Emme and the Sundial Charade do that.

Now, I bring 2 or 3 of the above depending on my needs for the trip.

I take lightweight Vasque hiking boots for daytime, as I need the ankle support. I change them off with Birkenstocks (I need the arch support) and if I'm headed for cities I take black flats for evening.

I am with toedtoes, I love merrell brand shoes. I seem to find a shoe that is comfortable for every season. I do like sneakers as well, but merrell usually has a great city walking shoe. I have never been uncomfortable while wearing one of their shoes and we walk a lot on vacations!

I LIVE in my Merrills. I have several pairs, clog like ones that are "fur" lined for winter..... easy to slip off when going through airport security.
I don't pack boots, no matter how light weight. Too hard to get on and off and the support isn't that different from my Merrills.

There is no "best"; rather several brands that folks swear by and frankly, what works for my foot may not be ideal for yours.

If I need a closed toe shoe, then I wear one of my pair of Keen's -- Keen shoes tend towards a broad "toe box" .... great for those with average to wide feet and especially, if you have any toe issues and don't want shoes that press down on them.

Sandals? It's all about the Birkenstocks .... and even for that brand, there's a variety. I prefer the 'Birki's' or 'Papillio' models. For a good place to purchase Birkenstocks, I suggest QVC --- http://www.qvc.com
They offer more stylish models than what you may find locally.

Lastly, this topic is opt-discussed on Fodor's Forums and here's a thread >>>

Suggestions on Walking Shoes
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&tid=35124676

Oh, and if you do want to seek out Keen's shoes, I've purchased mine at REI >>> http://www.rei.com/category/4500006

I swear by my Keens - I bought them through Zappos.com because I have small feet and couldn't find my size in the stores. Zappos has a great return policy (don't have to pay for shipping).

I've also got a pair of ballet flats from Naturalizer that work great for evenings and days when we aren't walking so much. I like them for the plane too because they slip on and off easily.

I'm still with New Balance tennies-one white and one black and switch em off.

Do make that one white pair and one black pair!

I don't have special shoes for travel. Just take the best ones from my regular wardrobe. I like Geox loafers, Merrill mocs, Nike Air or Brooks sneakers, Naot or Rieker sandals.

Break in any new shoes well before taking them on a trip that requires a lot of walking is my only tip.

bkk

I swear by my Birkenstocks, have been wearing them for years...however i just bought a pair of Keen's...Not sure about them yet, they feel kinda weird so far..we'll see how they are when i go on my next holiday in November!!

I LOVE my Merrels but this summer found something new.
LL BEan makes something called a Beach Sneaker. These are So light and airy and incredible support. I have a bad back aggravated by walking. I took these to France and never had any problems with my back in spite of many, many hours on my feet in Paris.
One caveat - they have holes in the bottoms - I guess because they are made for water sports - so they are not great in the rain. My feet got wet, but dried very fast.
Greatest thing? They only cost about 35 dollars PLUS no tying laces. Just slip on and off - perfect for swelling airplane feet.

I have a pair of Keens that I love. The first time I wore them (had only tried them on for size before) was to trek up to the top of the Acropolis and they were extraordinarily comfortable! For something a little dressier I have a pair of black MAry Janes from Cole Haan, they have a line of shoes that have Nike Air technology so they are super comfortable.

Oh yes, this time I wore very comfy black woven leather sandals (Softspots?) for easy slip off at security. Also wore them if we made special trip to restuarant at night.

Linda, I couldn't find the LL Bean beach sneakers on the website. Did you mean summer sneakers?

I also love my Merrell Phoenicias but they don't have enough support for me while walking cobblestone streets in Europe (have a torn tendon in foot) and recently bought a pair of Dr. Scholls sneaker mules out of desperation from Walmart and they offered me more support than any other shoes I have tried but when I looked for another pair they have been discontinued and the replacements are not nearly so comfortable. Have tried online to find the old ones without luck. Any ideas? thanks

The salewoman at Nordstrom said teachers (on their feet all day) buy Patricia Munro, made in USA. I bought a pair of the 'Tatum' model in black and walked 8 miles in Rome one day with no problem. An inch and a half heel, so suitable to night dressing for a restaurant, and very comfortable. I have another pair in brown I bought for travel comfort too, and when I'm not in my Merrells, the Munros are great.

Munro's don't work for me. Seems like they should, but they don't. Proving once again there's no one right brand or style for everyone.

Joseph Sibel's another one some people love that just does not fit me. And I want them to because they have some great shoes!

Count me in with Merrells too. And sandals by Columbia (in the old Teva style w/velcro straps). I also have but dont love as much: Clark's, Dansko, Ecco I simply will not walk around in white sneakers, and find that the new wave of "comfort shoes" goes with a too-soft sole that doesnt cut it on cobblestones and concrete. As my foot dr told me, the "sole should not be bendable." The new line of Timberland for women line is also good with firm support. I have a black leather but waterproof slip-on Merrell (without heavy lining) that covers any and all city travel, with the more casual styles covering other needs. Have extremely well cushioned black Pumas sneakers, but again, for "miles" of walking, the sole is too flexible/soft. But again I am 61 and not as thin as I should be, which adds to foot fatigue. (You don't want to know how many pairs of shoes I have, mostly non-sensible, but to die for of course.

Looks like most of these posts are from the female point of view. As I male wearer or shoes I could not travel without my Merrell jungle mocs. Through the airport, they are easy off/easy on, same with the airplane with no worries about feet swelling. First started wearing the mocs in 2001 when I discovered them on a trip to Japan (they love them for ease of removal when entering an establishment). Have gone through seven pair. Haven't tried the numerous imitators out there.

Hi...Recently wore ECCO shoes while in Europe and found them great for my feet and legs! Not only climbed the Acropolis, but walked all around Rome! Good luck...

ECCO's.

Comfortable shoes that are broken in, tried & true are the best for traveling!

I had one pair of Ecco sandals that made my lower legs ache. I'd never had that happen before from shoes. Downright weird. They cost over $100 and I gave them to donation after a couple of trips when I figured out what was going on.

I don't have travel specific shoes and always take my most comfortable ones.

My problem is that there are more brands of shoes that I can't wear even the ones recommended here. For example Merrells just don't fit right for me. Same with Ecco, Danskin, and Keen. With shoes you just have to go with what works for you every day.

YEs, Marianna! - My mistake. They are correctly called SUMMER SNEAKERS at LL Bean.
AND they are on sale for now for $19.95 Check out the rave reviews on these lightweight sneakers. I hate for my feet to feel hot in the summer.

Stock item: TK52838

Linda

Tdudette wrote:

I'm still with New Balance tennies-one white and one black and switch em off.

I was just loving that image, until s/he corrected:

Do make that one white pair and one black pair!

Rats!

I was surprisingly comfortable in Italy in a pair of Sperry Topsiders - boat shoes with hard soles.

These are expensive, but worth it to me because I try to bring only two pairs of shoes for traveling in Europe. Mephisto black nubuck sandals for the summer. They are super comfortable and soft and I walked all over Italy in them; they also go from day to evening very well.

waterproof ones

I'm not sure there is a specific best shoe. Here's what I look for in a travel shoe:

Versatile/Flexible, I won't have a lot of shoes so does this pair cover a wide spectrum? I used to travel with a pair of brown water-proof Docker's with a lug sole. They worked good for walking and hiking and looked nice enough to wear with slacks for dinner but not for anything more formal. I now have a pair of black Eccos. They are also water proof and work for walking/hiking but are plane black leather and I can wear them with a suit if I need to.

Comfort: Can I wear these shoes all day long for days on end? It's best to have a second pair of shoes. Both should pass the comfort test.

Size and weight: I'm a carry-on person, so I want shoes that are ultra-light and don't take up much room in my bag. When you shop, pick up different shoes; the range of weights is remarkable.

Danskos have served me well.

SKECHER's....Love them. The styles are from hikers to casual sneaker-types to Mary-Jane styles (which look good with skirts.)

I was just a Kmart and they have some sneaker mules by Cobbie Cuddler (in brown/tan or a very dark navy). They are extremely cushy. I bought both colors since it was buy one, get one 1/2 off ($18.75 each).

Clarks unStructured work well for me. I bought a pair of the un.loop style two weeks before leaving for Rome, so I hardly broke them in ahead of time. We walked everywhere, for hours a day, and the shoes were very comfortable. I subsequently bought the un.pump style, which is a "comfort" ballet flat with lots of support. They're not the most stylish shoe you can buy, but they may be the most comfortable.

For walking the Italian cobblestones I go with Mephisto, Nu Balance and if you are in the Vetralla-Viterbo area stop at Giuliani to try their hand made shoes and individually made soles to insert in your shoes . The Olympic winners, the Swiss Guards , marathon racers and Italian basket and soccer players all buy their shoes and soles (suolette) here.