Walking stylish sandals/flats
Good Evening,
I'm in my late 20's and looking for stylish shoes that I can take on my first Europe trip. I would like to take 2 pairs of shoes only (I am backpacking) well maybe 3. 2 pairs of flats and 1 pair of sandals. I would like some suggestions please...thank you!!! |
I think you should think less about stylish and more about comfort. If you have comfortable shoes that can handle cobblestones and uneven surfaces, I would take them rather than buying something new. I like my Merrell Mocs. Not so stylish, but I can walk for long distances without feeling tired or getting blisters.
Once you get here, you will see people wearing a wide variety of footwear and most are not very stylish. I've seen people in your age group wear boots, sandals, athletic tie-ups, whatever. They are also wearing all manner of jeans. Wear what you would wear at home and you'll fit in just fine. |
I understand your desire for stylish. I wear sandals and flats made by this NZ company - they deliver worldwide - and I haven't found any shoes that fit the comfort/style brief like these.
http://zierashoes.com/Shoes/Sandals |
I have Geox Respira flats (D Piuma Ballerina), stylish and comfortable and great for walking on all the cobblestone (and uneven) pavement here in Central Europe!
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Shoes that are comfortable on one person are torture on another. I suggest you bring a pair or two of well-broken-in walking shoes and a pair of good sturdy walking sandals. You'll be doing far more walking than you do at home, and (at least in Italy) over uneven paving and cobblestones. Style won't get you anywhere if you're limping.
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You need one pair of sturdier, closed sneakers/walking shoes for rainy weather and uneven ground. Period. Even in summer the weather can be lousy.
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I had never seen the Zeira line before. They are very nice.
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After more than 100 trips to europe I can only confirm that comfort MUST be paramount for day time walking shoes. (I also bring a pair of pretty shoes - usually wedges for better balance on cobblestones for going out to dinner, opera, etc).
What will be most comfy for you depends very much on your foot - and they must be well-broken in. I don;t like sandals except for the beach - since they often leave your feet open to stubbing on uneven pavements and cobblestones (found almost anywhere) and your feet often get really dirty. Also they're not great when it rains (will happen on almost every trip to europe more than a couple of days). I have several pair of mary jane style skechers in different colors - for me they are very comfy, the soles are fairly flat so you have secure footing, the straps hold them on (I have skinny feet and many shoes tend to flop up and down) and they are reasonably attractive. But they might not work for you and your feet. Just be sure whatever you bring is really comfortable - if you want to use current shoes go out and walk 5 miles in them a couple of days in a row to be sure. |
The Zeira shoes do look very nice, and I'd be tempted to buy a pair, except that the descriptions don't indicate the materials used in the construction of the shoe. (They do say the uppers are leather.) I've sent them an email asking for information about the soles.
I refuse to buy any more shoes that have polyurethane soles, because I've had four pairs whose soles crumbled to dust while I was wearing them. Some of them had hardly ever been worn, but it seems that's exactly the problem. You have to wear regularly any shoes with PU soles, because moisture accumulates in polyurethane, causing a chemical process called hydrolosis that causes the polyurethane to crumble. Walking presses out the moisture. I have lots of shoes, so I can't wear them all regularly. Moreover, I don't wear sandals in the winter! The fact that it's quite humid in Italy in the winter doesn't help, I'm sure. However, not all of the shoes were sandals. An expensive pair of sandals crumbled all over my house yesterday before I noticed it. At least I wasn't away from home when it happened. A few years ago, a pair of good shoes, hardly ever worn, crumbled while I was at a wedding reception, and I had nothing else to change into. My wedgies turned into flats; I was surrounded by a field of black crumbs, which I tried to sweep under the table with my foot; and I almost ended up with no soles at all. |
I got these sandals made by Camper and have walked all day on rough surfaces. Also danced for 3 hours solid one night. Very comfortable and stable.
http://www.camper.com/en_US/women/sh...icro-22555-001 Mine are orange but they also come in black. Didn't think I had anything to wear with the orange but was tired of black. I've found that they go with almost everything and add a nice touch to many outfits. |
I have walked in Spain and Croatia in Noat sandals and have found them very comfy. I need a comfortable shoe and was very happy when I tried them. This is just one website. Not sure where you're from but Amazon carries them as well.
http://www.onlineshoes.com/womens-na...ist_br40,oc407 |
Well, if you want stylish sandals, Miss Thing, check out Bernardo sandals.
You can order them from Zapposdotcom. The Chloe scalloped flat is all the rage in the canyons of the East 60's. Seen on celebs at the bar in the Pierre. Thin |
Whatever you choose, make sure they have lots of support. My daughter insisted on wearing flip flops on a six week European trip (despite my advice) and her feet, years later, are still paying the price for it.
I wear Born sandals with a strap in the back, and lots of support and sole. I've worn them on cobblestones, up and down hills and stairs, and for hours and days at a time. Jokingly called my "orthopaedic" sandals, I reluctantly gave up style for comfort, although they're a neutral, so they blend a little better! This year I'm also taking Sofft cork soled sandals. I've never had an issue with my feet getting dirty in sandals, and I hate the feeling of sweating feet in socks and shoes when it's hot. I also take North Face waterproof walking shoes. You could wear them with shorts or a skirt and look adorable and comfortable, at my age I wear them only with pants, as my legs aren't what they used to be! I personally find ballet flats aren't comfortable for long treks, not enough support. I bring them solely for wearing to dinner, but for backpacking, I might bring a foldable pair if I wanted something a bit dressier. |
As someone else mentioned above, one person's comfort is another's torture. Buy only what you can try on, and well before your trip. Shoes that feel fine in a store can become alarmingly less so after an hour. So buy them well ahead and wear them for days, at least, so you know. This is no time to guess or to assume. Take no recommendations from a forum that you can't try on.
One broken-in pair for walking, style-be-damned, and a second, flats, for dinner out. I also take flip flops that double as slippers and for a rest from shoes. |
When I'm looking for new 'comfort' sandals for all day walking, I order a bunch of pairs from Zappos. That way I can try them out for a longer period or time then at a store, and I can compare several at the same time. Return shipping is free, so it's easy to do.
I also like to bring a pair of flip flops to wear at night in my hotel room (love the Clarks sea breeze.) |
Birkenstocks are stylish in Italy, believe it or not, for women and men, but don't know if you find them comfortable or stylish. I love FitFlops, also very popular in Italy, and Teva makes many stylish sandals if you look at their product line.
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Zeira brand is often recommended by podiatrists in Australia.
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I too have finally decided to forego looks for comfort, I've had my last uncomfortable trip due to aching feet (hopefully). There is no way I'd wear sneakers of any type, just don't find them comfy so I bought a pair of Wolky Jewel, not attractive in the least but lots of fun colors and they aren't quite as ugly in person. I'm in love with the comfort they provide, the arch support and adjustable straps. I think I've found my travel shoes.....finally.
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I am obsessed with Yosi Samra's flats YosiSamra.com. They are foldable so they, literally, fold into a tiny little package. They're comfortable & come in a ton of stylish colors.
I wore these during my last Europe trip: http://bit.ly/1FnFEq6 |
Those are cute GLM, I have bookmarked the site, thanks.
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