Choosing and packing shoes for travel

[snowbot]

I'm curious what sort of shoes (and how many pairs) the female forum folk tend to take on vacation travel. There was some talk a while back about minimalist/barefoot shoes and I'd like to hear how different brands have worked for all-day walking.

My last multi-week trip to Australia I wore a pair of Keen low light hiking shoes and packed a pair of Dansko mary janes to give my feet a change and for dressing up. I'm planning another Australia trip and am trying to decide which shoes to bring. Over the past time I've been doing most of my distance walking in a pair of minimalist Merrell Pace Gloves. I'm currently planning on bringing a pair of minimalist shoes with me on the trip because they keep my feet stretched out and they take up almost no room and add very little to a bag. The mary jane's are no longer an option. I had to get some elastic replaced on them and afterward they felt too tight so I'm going to send them to a friend who has slightly smaller feet than I do.

[Darcy]

Good question! I'm curious about that too. I have a terrible time choosing which shoes to bring on trips and it's not because I have a lot of them. Part of the problem might be that I want to bring these with me, at least on road trips.

[nukediver]

Since almost all of my vacation travel takes me to tropical/hot/wet locations, I live in these shoes. And if I feel the need to take a second pair, it's either these or these.

[dorayme]

Much curiosity here too. I usually wear my Danako clogs or boots since they are the bulkiest things I pack. But what I bring along varies greatly depending on where I am going and what I will be doing there. I have problems with taking along too many shoes. I like to switch so that I don't have back or lower extremity pain/fatigue.

Thanks to Jenne, my favorite spring and summer travel shoes are Mohops and now Sseko sandals because I can get many different looks from the one pair by bringing along a few sets of ties. They are remarkably comfortable.

[Maria]

I only have a few pair of shoes. But am very picky as to which ones I like and bring for travel. I limit myself to three pairs, including what I am wearing:

- black leather ballet slippers to use indoors only. They take up almost no room, keep my feet warm, and nice to have something on your feet rather than just socks when visiting someone's home. (Normally I remove my shoes when entering a home - seems a Canadian thing.) Plus - they come in many sizes and widths. With leather soles too, so they last a while. (Well, much longer than when I used to dance that is.)

- slip on loafers for air travel, usually with a heel. (I had a pair of Clark's but they did not have a leather lining and my feet did not really like them, plus they barely lasted a year with walking every day so I will no longer buy them.)

- leather "ballet" flats for a change, pack light, plus I can wear them for dressier outfits and also for walking. Wear with jeans or a skirt, so they are a wardrobe staple that I think is a good investment. Many brands to choose from, and for those of us with wide feet it's nice to have a choice.

Note: I don't usually wear strappy sandals, as I walk to much to make them practical for me.

[darbs]

I have these shoes that I practically live in. If you search for them on Amazon, you can get different colors and a great price. I wear them at the gym, walking around town, in the airport, etc. I have tried these on in the store and they will be my next purchase. There is also a version without the strap across the top. I'm thinking I can make them a little dressier. I really want a pair of these, but they are a little pricey for me considering that I can't seem to find them anywhere else on sale. What can I say, I like a bargain! LOL! And these are my go to flip-flops. I have been wearing them for 13 years and can't live without them. I probably buy a new pair every 18 months. But I wear them a LOT since I live in Georgia and our "winter" is only about 3 weeks.

[Guest]

argh. Am I the only one who hits "cancel" instead of "post quick reply"? I wrote this long answer about shoes. Here's the shorter version. I just got back from 3 weeks in Europe and these are the shoes I took with me:



Way too many, as you can see! They did all fit on the side pockets of the Aeronaut but I have to learn to limit myself to 2-3 pairs...

[snowbot]

Peregrina, I see Mohops and Keens, and maybe Merrells. What is the second pair? (I saw the photo of your shoes in the Aeronaut side pockets which was linked from the Tom Bihn blog. It made me want an Aeronaut.)

[moriond]

I only have a few pair of shoes. But am very picky as to which ones I like and bring for travel. I limit myself to three pairs, including what I am wearing:
<snip>

- slip on loafers for air travel, usually with a heel. (I had a pair of Clark's but they did not have a leather lining and my feet did not really like them, plus they barely lasted a year with walking every day so I will no longer buy them.)
<snip>
Note: I don't usually wear strappy sandals, as I walk to much to make them practical for me.

Like maria, I usually wear slip on loafers. Clark's used to make better quality shoes, but I haven't used them in several years. For the last several years I've been using SAS Walking shoes. I'll just get the model that fits most comfortably for my foot at any time, but generally among the women's styles that might be like one of the styles in the second row, like Jewel, or occasionally the Classic. These are comfortable and work well as walking shoes (e.g., traveling around cities in Europe, North America, and Asia), but the soles aren't really designed for rough terrain. So in those situations I'll use these MBT's. Again, this is just the model that was most comfortable for my feet.

SAS doesn't sell on line, and asks their retailers not to (see the FAQ), although you can probably find a few on Amazon or eBay. They expect you to check the fit to your foot in a local store. I'm also not aware of their advertising. I think that a typical price for a pair, not on sale is about $85. I don't have a default brand for sandals or "slippahs", and I never take more than two pairs of shoes with me when I travel. (But then, my trips usually aren't longer than a week or two).

moriond

[Lani]

Wow, I'd never seen Mohop shoes before. They're adorable and versatile! I wonder if they're comfortable for MY feet? Hmm

[Guest]

The second pair from the top is also a Merrell, I've had it for about 6 years and it is perhaps the most comfortable pair of shoes I have...

Peregrina, I see Mohops and Keens, and maybe Merrells. What is the second pair? (I saw the photo of your shoes in the Aeronaut side pockets which was linked from the Tom Bihn blog. It made me want an Aeronaut.)

[Guest]

Wow, I'd never seen Mohop shoes before. They're adorable and versatile! I wonder if they're comfortable for MY feet? Hmm

If you find a store that carries them, it's worth trying them on. I was surprised at how comfortable they actually are! I also found that the mid height one was more comfortable than the flats... Love my mohops!

[darbs]

After stalking out the Mohops on the web, I now totally want a pair. LOL! Thanks ladies, now this site not only feeds my bag addiction, but my shoe one as well.

[dorayme]

I don't have any ownership experiences with the RTW collection of Mohops sold now in stores. Mine are Annie made from her studio in Chicago. With the RTW ones she first tried a factory in China and had some issues with quality and now has moved to a factory in Europe. She and her "staff" of one or two does the finishing in the Chicago studio still. The ones she personally made and sold on Etsy were made with reclaimed domestic wood and the color of the shoes was from the actual wood. The RTW collection are stained Para wood. My MIL bought a pair of the RTW Cherry midsole peep toe wedges after she saw mine at Christmas. I got to see them a month ago. We wear virtually the same size so I tried them on. They were comfortable for the few minutes I wore them, but they felt nothing like the Mohops I own.

I haven't seen very many of the Annie made on Etsy after she started her RTW collection. I know the prices went WAY up on the hand made ones, the RTW prices are a little below what her original prices were. I'm glad I was able to get some of her hand made shoes, they are a treasure.

[snowbot]

I bought a pair of the RTW low "walnut" slides about a year ago. I wish I had been able to afford a pair of her handmade ones back in the day, but I was on a grad student stipend at the time. I consider them to be my warm weather dress shoes, so I don't wear them a lot. For dress shoes, I find them to be comfortable. But it's hard for me to get them to feel as secure as I like "all day" shoes to feel. Also, they are a little loud <clop clop clop> and I guess I prefer ninja shoes at work.

And speaking of expensive product habits other than Tom Bihn, I'm a big fan of Fluevog's. These were my most recent splurge.