Ok, let’s talk about shoes to pack when traveling. While traveling you want to be fashionable, but you will most likely be walking and exploring a lot. You need to make sure your shoes are also comfortable and have support. Here are some of my favorite comfortable but stylish walking shoes for travel!
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Tips for Picking which Shoes to Pack:
1. Comfort over Fashion
I cannot emphasize this enough. Comfort is so much more important than fashion. If your feet aren’t comfortable then you are going to have a terrible time walking around.
2. Wear the Right Socks
Part of wearing the right shoes is making sure you wear the right socks. For example, if you don’t wear hiking socks with your hiking boots you may end up with blisters. This applies to most shoes. Make sure you pack the right socks for each pair of shoes you are bringing.
3. Support
Shoes that have supported are the best shoes in my opinion. Especially when exploring a new city, you want some foot/arch support.
4. Break in your shoes
Do NOT wear a new pair of shoes while on vacation without breaking them in first. Just wear them for a few days even around your house to make sure they aren’t going to rub your feet the wrong way or give you blisters
5. Match your shoes to the Destination
If you are traveling to a beach destination you don’t need multiple pairs of tennis shoes or snow boots. Make sure the shoes you bring with you make sense.
6. Choose Versatile Shoes
Try picking shoes that can go with more than one outfit. I try to bring no more than 3 or 4 pairs of shoes with me on a trip. I like to bring a pair of comfy walking shoes to wear exploring and on my travel days through the airport, a pair of boots or sandals for nights out or fancy dinners, and a pair of flip flops if we are going to the beach or hiking boots is we have hiking planned. Want more tips on packing light? Read our post here.
Now that you have read all the tips here are my favorite comfortable but stylish walking shoes for travel!
Best Shoes to Wear for Travel Days
Travel days can be long and you do a lot of walking through the airports. My favorite shoes to wear these days are comfortable slip-on style shoes. If you don’t have a pair of slip-on or don’t want to buy a pair then wearing a pair of running shoes is great. Anything that you can easily take on and off.
When you are going through TSA you will have to take your shoes off and then of course have to put them back on after you are through. I also like to take my shoes off on the plane if I have a long flight and put on some cozy socks.
Want to see what else I bring on long haul flights, check out my post here. You can also wear your bulkiest pair of shoes you are bringing on the plane to save room in your luggage. Just try not to wear something that will take you forever to get on and off because it’s such a pain.
Here are my favorite comfortable shoes for travel days:
Best Stylish Walking Shoes for Days of Exploring
I don’t know about you but when we travel we walk almost everywhere. Especially if we are staying in the city. When we went to Italy we averaged about 18,000 steps a day!
I prefer to wear some of the same shoes I wore on my travel days. A pair of running shoes or my Dr. Scholl’s slip-on shoes are great and comfortable. If you are traveling somewhere that is really warm, or if you are at an amusement park then Teva sandals are a great option too.
I usually don’t wear flip-flops unless I am at the beach because they always seem to hurt my toes if I walk too long in them.
If you are a flip-flop lover then Teva or Rainbows are really great brands.
Here are my Favorite Stylish Walking Shoes for Days of Exploring:
Best Walking Shoes for a Nights Out
Going out and exploring the nightlife is always a fun thing to do while traveling. Be sure to take into account the type of ground. In Italy, there is a ton of cobblestone. Wearing high heels that have a skinny heel can be super difficult if you aren’t used to wearing them. I always opt for booties or wedge heels because they are easier and more comfortable to walk in.
If you are in a beach town then a cute pair of sandals or wedges with a maxi dress is a cute option.
Here are my Favorite Shoes for a Night Out:
Best Comfortable Shoes for Hiking Days
I almost never hike in anything other than my hiking boots. Those are just the most comfortable for me and gives me the most support. I wear Salomon hiking boots that come up over my ankle for extra protection. There are a ton of different hiking shoes on the market for any type of hiker. You can read our article about how to choose the right hiking boots here.
Here are a few of my top Hiking shoe recommendations:
I hope this helps you pick the best comfortable yet stylish walking shoes for travel. There are a ton of options but hopefully, this post narrows it down for you. What are your favorite travel shoes? Leave them in the comments.
I always struggle to find the right shoes for a city trip in the summer. I’ve used Tevas in the past but they are just not fashionable, although really good for walking.
Author
They definitely aren’t for everyone! I like the ones I have and don’t think they are super ugly haha
Interesting blog post, loved it
Author
Thank you so much!
Having the right shoes for travel should not be underestimated. Nearly all travel experiences requires a good deal of walking or exploring! Having great shoes is a must (bonus for style). This is very helpful post!
Author
Yes! Thanks so much for reading Keri. Glad that I can give you some more fashionable options haha
I struggle so much to find comfortable travel shoes. You listed out so many good options to try. Great tip about not breaking in your shoes on your trip. Had to do that before ( because I can’t wear sandals in -30C weather), and I ended up having to wear unfashionable but oh so comfy crocs the rest of the time instead. Lesson learned!
Author
Hey Donna! Comfort over fashion is my best tip! I would much rather wear something that’s not as fashionable than to have my feet hurt haha