I'm also a SAS fan....the ugliest ones, the walker. No breaking in time, no sore feet, no back aches, etc. I've tried sooo many shoes and this is the only style that makes me smile.

Hi Mike, my husband swears by Hush Puppies ultralite walking shoes. They are literally lighter than sneakers. They are VERY attractive for comfy shoes... He bought them at Shoemakers Warehouse for 75$ <BR>Judy :-)

I second BookChick's reco for shoe inserts; I think it's Dr Scholls who makes gel inserts that add a lot of cushioning (bring them with you when you try on shoes). Look for shoes with thick PLIABLE rubber soles (I bought a pair of thick soled shoes that didn't bend, they were as hard as concrete, ditched 'em day one). Don't change shoe style, i.e. high-tops if you're used to wearing wing-tips or vice versa. And you'll need two pairs, not necessarily both heavy-duty walking shoes, so you won't have to wear wet shoes when you get caught in the rain.

This one if for the girls. <BR> <BR>Springers sandals, sold in Clarks in UK. Very padded and comfortable, last for ages, not too expensive and have a huge choice of designs and colours... <BR> <BR>Kavey

ttt

The most important is to get shoes that fit your feet. So many stores only carry medium width- if you need wides, etc. order from someone who carries them. My husband and I prefer some type hiking book- for summer, the low LLBean type. Really look hard at getting the right kind of socks- the Smartwool are absolutely the best and will help tremendously to prevent blisters. Just be sure you try them on with the shoes you plan to buy because they are thick. I buy Rockports, New Balance and Mephistos and like them all. The only problem with the Mephistos is that they do not come in a women's wide width so I can only wear them with thinner socks.

Clark's of England get my vote. I wear a pair of their boat shoes which are extreamly comfortabe (the most comfortable shoe I've ever owned of any brand or style) they also make several styles that would probably be more suited for "tourist" walking.

Mike, <BR>I have bad feet too. The best thing I ever did was have orthotics made which can go into different shoes. I brought them to Paris and wore them with my Finn Comfort shoes and never had a problem. I also bought Mephisto shoes while I was there and put the orthotics in them because you can take out the insoles. Also, Birkenstocks can make you a sandal with your own orthotic built right in. Expensive but does the trick.

You can get Merrill shoes online. Type Merrill into a search engine (like Google, yahoo, etc.). I got mine at a store in Boston called the Walking Company.

I also like SAS shoes but will explore all the wonderful options given here. I have terrible feet - I'm the shoe salesperson's worst nightmare. Over the years I've learned that if it doesn't feel good in the store, it will never feel good and I've wasted my money. There is no such thing as "breaking in" a shoe. It feels good from the start or I don't buy it. I also use orthotics. <BR> <BR>My first experience with SAS: The salesperson kept bringing out shoes and there must have been 20 different styles scattered around me. Finally, she said she might have a shoe for me, but had to warn me that it was the ugliest shoe in the store. I told her to bring it out. It was a pair of SAS and I've never looked back. Yes, they are ugly but oh so comfortable.

I have a new pair of Romika walking shoes and like them better than my Eccos, which I really like too.