SDA1

When traveling, I never wear sneakers (so I don't call attention to myself) and I only wear mules (slip-on shoes) to avoid blisters on my heels and to make it easy to casually slip them off when I sit down for breaks during the day.

In the summer, I usually wear skirts and capris, so I bring:

1 pair of black-leather closed toe mules (Clarks)
1 pair of cushioned flip flops (like Born)
1 pair of low-heeled black-leather dressy shoe.

I wear the closed-toe shoe on the plane, so the other 2 pairs fit tightly in my suitcase.

And don't bring many shoes, so you haave room to bring some home!

keepmoving

timetraveler -

I would definitely wear socks with those sneaker type Skechers. Very cute by the way. My friend that is accompanying me on the trip got shoes like that, but not Skechers and I am sure she paid a lot more.

I've walked around in the other Skechers without socks with no problem.

If you have a problem with your feet sweating get socks made of Coolmax. I have run in these socks for years and they are great. Cotton socks should be outlawed!
http://www.roadrunnersports.com/rrs/products/WWU102/

suze

Sorry, but I do not believe wearing sneakers "calls attention to myself".

SDA1

Suze, I generally live in Europe for stretches of 1-4 months at a time every year and it has been my experience that Europeans in my age group (30s-40s) don't wear sneakers outside of the gym (or fleece, shorts and clothing with printed text). They do wear those stylish sport shoes like the sort Diesel puts out, but by "sneaker," I meant the kind you typically find in the athletic section of a shoe store. There are many Europeans who wear athletic sneakers when walking around, of course, and I don't mean to suggest that "standing out" as a tourist is a bad thing anyway. Comfort is key to enjoying anything you do. I just prefer to steer toward comfortable non-sneaker, black leather shoes like a cute pair of Clarks, and for men I recommend I recommend Rockports and Eccos.

cshellen

Hi ladies - I wanted to post a follow-up to my post about buying the Keens as suggested by many of you. I just spent 2 weeks hiking up and down subway stairs, streets and hills in Japan and my Keens were AMAZING! My feet never hurt, even though I did more walking this time than on any trip before. Best of all, they kept their shape, never got dirty, and managed to keep my feet dry in a total deluge. I'm buying pairs for my entire family... these shoes are magic!

timetraveler1028

cshellen
which KEENS did you get?

emerald013

I just got a pair of Mephisto Helens... my mom had a pair many years ago and loved them, and I love my new ones. They come in a variety of colors (mine are a distressed gold), and after an initial break-in are absolutely comfortable and look pretty good on the foot too! I will be taking them to Egypt/Turkey in a few days so we'll see how they fare over there!

For a sandal, also try the Merrell Gardena (last year 3 weeks in Greece/Italy I wore these). Very comfy, but they pretty much wore out from use!

My mom swears by the Munro thong sandal.

cshellen

Oops - sorry Timetraveler - I wasn't checking my email!

I brought the Sydney IIs with me (http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/15370442/c/3.html). They're so comfortable and sort of asian in style (they're actually cuter on than they are in the picture... I usually prefer heels, but these made my legs look surprisingly good). When I came back, a very style-conscious friend of mine actually said, "Ooh - those are cute!" yet they're more comfortable than my running shoes.

I also bought the Barcelonas (http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/23122557/c/21095.html) which I'm going to try out in Europe this summer. They're not waterproof, but they feel just as comfortable.

Seriously - during my last trip to Europe, I was almost crying my feet hurt so much, and I was wearing tennis shoes! But those Keens are magic. I'm a total Keen convert.

flygirl

Just before this trip I bought a pair from the Privo line (Clarks). Just about the most comfortable walking shoe I've ever tried - especially right out of the box. I took a pair of Born sandals last year which were OK for about 4 days then gave me hellish blisters for the rest of the trip. A lot of support and cushioning - but big blisters.

These Privo shoes, on the other hand, were grand. No problems whatsoever. I did pack my Borns (never wore them once) and a pair of Ferragamo loafers which only came out for dinner (a little too stiff for all day walking).

lacohn

I agree with the Privo suggestion! I just returned from a two-week trip to London and Paris. I was the only one out of the family of four whose feet weren't killing by the end of the day. The famliy was ready to quit, and I could keep going. I bought them for my daughter as well (but she wore them without socks, which gave her blisters). Here are the ones I got from Zappos.
http://tinyurl.com/2mzptz

nutjobz

Just an FYI about shoes. I am sitting here in a pair of very comfortable Mephisto sandles that I got 2 years ago in Germany for E 115. I just saw them in a Mephisto store near Washington for $240.

mcnyc

Not sandals, but the most comfortable pair of shoes I've worn. They're Aerosoles, one is called Handsem, another is called Semi Circle. Love them both. And they're great for walking on cobblestones (the front of my building is cobblestone central, if I can walk and not teeter precariously and w/o pain, the shoes see action at work).

At the risk of sounding like na advertisement, I got mine on sale at the Aerosoles store, but you can find them also at zappos.com.

nmsky2007

I just got some nice looking Pumas at Nordstroms and have been trying them out around town before my trip. They feel pretty great and the hip, young receptionist in my doctor's office said, "Cute shoes, where'd you get them?". So I'm feeling pretty confident. Also got some Clark's Artisans that look more girly and are very comfortable, and Picolinos with a little heel. Not quite as comfortable but very nice looking Spaniosh shoes that are sold in some specialty shoe stores. After a few very difficult years there finally seem to be good-looking comfortable shoes out there.

GiuliaPiraino

Since this thread has been revived by a spammer, why not...

I bought these SOFTWALK shoes from Nordstrom for my last trip, they have a little heel which I need and they feel like you're walking on air. I bought the flat black not the patent black.

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/softwalk...esultback=2166

elnap29

I wouldn't mind a new thread on this. I thought I had it all figured out (loved my Mephistos), but styles and colors have changed, along with my season of travel. So what's new out there for early Spring 2011 with closed toes?

Fodorite018

Even an old thread can be useful

I read through this thread again and made note of a few shoes. On our trip in 07, I ended up buying a pair of Naot Ashley's the day before we left, as my mother insisted they were heaven. They were! Took them back to Paris in '09 and they were so comfy I wore them to Versaille. Big mistake. Comfy yes, but their sole with the stairs were not good and I slid down a bunch and ended up with knee surgery. So, this summer, as much as I love them, I am obviously afraid to take them at all, even though I know how well they worked for most of the trip. I mean who knows, I could have fallen wearing tennis shoes too.

After that fall, the only shoe I wore the rest of the trip was a Teva sandal. Very comfy, but my feet got so dirty.

Anyway, the one shoe that has been consistently comfy on these trips are the Munro brand. So guess it is time to check the shoe closet and see what will work and if I need to head to Nordstrom.

So as elnap said, any new ideas are appreciated!

basingstoke2

DW swears by Wolkys and rarely buys anything else. You can sometimes find a good buy on them on the Sierratradingpost.com site.

elnap29

Are Wolkys available in stores or just online?

joannyc

I have these in suede and wore them on my last trip. Very comfortable.

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/54072...#ppMoreDetails

basingstoke2

They are available in stores, but not too easy to find. They seem to cost less, sometimes a lot less, online and DW says they run true to size, usually given in european sizes since the company is in the Netherlands.