Travel Shoe Winners and Losers from Adventures with Sarah's Closet 

Ecco’s are the best for travelling, especially if your doing lots of walking, great support, not slippery & look great. They also last a long time.

I’m really surprised that after traveling so much to Europe you don’t buy shoes over there! They make the nicest and most comfortable shoes that even look stylish!! Don’t waste your time on American shoes. Americans don’t walk much. But Europeans do, and that’s why you can trust them to make a good shoe. I used to live and work there many years and the shoes are the best. Try it.

I take 2 pairs: runners to wear on plane, flats to pack. Worked for me for 2 decades of travel. Thx for showing all these options.

The Kyboot shoes are the best I have ever had! They actually ALIGN my back as I walk. I am 77 years old, 135 lbs., and travel to Europe about 2 or 3 times a year. I walked up the Cologne Cathedral last spring, all 526 steps to the top and back. My legs, feet, and back actually felt REFRESHED, but, the two ladies who went with me (years younger than I am) were exhausted and their legs were weak the next day! My husband and I walk at least 2 miles every day and more miles in the summer. I have tried MANY other brands of shoes but these are phenomenal !!!

Re your ballerina flats, if they are made of leather, try rubbing the inside of the spot where it rubs with a slice of raw potato. My mother-in-law gave me that tip nearly 60 years ago and it still works.

Always test shoes for 6 - 8 hours on a hot day. Heat makes feet soft & prone to blisters. Merrell is great for summer - my all time favourite is their gladiator sandal - I can wear them all day. Had them resoled they are so fab.

I bought a pair of sketchers knockoffs at Walmart and they are so comfortable! And so cheap! They were $12.99! I loved them so much I bought some for work. I’m a nurse and spend a lot of time on my feet and they are great! I’ve since bought many more pairs and wear them everywhere!

The Asics Metrolyte sneakers are awesome! So lightweight and comfortable. (I also add my own insoles: Abeo from the Walking Co). Dansko shoes are great too, but the solid heels definitely weigh more and take up prime real estate in my carry-on (totally worth it though). So expensive, but wonderful ballerina flats are my black Tieks. All leather upper and footbed, with a thick sole. These fold flat (or in half) and store in their own little bag. I've had my black pair two years, walked through rain and slushy snow, sand, all day at Disney, and on cobblestones - they look as new as the day I bought them. The Asics (walking) and Tieks (walking/dressy) are my ultimate travel shoes. My favorite flips are Oofos. Very lightweight, a little bulkier than typical Target or Old Navy flat flips, but the squishy footbed and arch support feel like walking on a cloud. I wear them in in my room, in questionable hotel showers, at the pool, to the beach, and when my feet need a break from my other travel shoes (you can throw them in the washer). I put these in the top zippered pocket on the lid of my carry-on bag. These are my trusted 3! I will swap out black ankle boots or knee-high boots for the Asics or Tieks in colder climates and add my comfy insoles (ex: ski trip). An alternative to Birks are Mephistos. They are super pricey, but equal in quality (maybe a little better in style and comfort?!) than Birks. A quick tip: bring a tiny piece of a Magic Eraser cleaning rectangle to "erase" marks on the white soles of your tennis shoes (Asics) - it will keep them looking brand new. Loved this post.

Hi! I wore Uggs for three months in Paris and Italy - even when it was warm (not hot) but warm weather. Didn’t wear socks of course... I walked about seven to nine hours a day, four days a week. My feet felt like I was walking on clouds. And just a tip. Shoes I love and don’t want to loose them to wear or they have been ruined a bit to wear and tear, I always bring them to a shoe maker - he’s a miracle worker! Hope this helps you!

I've always worn my Converse as silly as that sounds but I find they have work beautifully for lonnng distance and I love how casual they are.

Have you ever tried Crocs? Actually manufactured out west near you (Colorado)! When they started they were pretty basic and plain, designed for hospital workers on their feet A LOT. Now there are lots of styles available. I have big wide feet and chronic foot problems, never could find something comfortable day in and day out till Crocs--now I wear almost nothing else!

Have you ever considered Naturalizer shoes? I used to work in a Naturalizer shoe outlet, and our customers doing walking vacations loved our shoes. There was a particular model, a hiking sandal, that had been made in nice colours. Solid rubbery sole that supported the arch and cushioned the ball of the foot. Velcro straps around the ankle and front of the foot. These sandals looked good with shorts, pants and skirts. So they were useful as an all around walking sandal as well as a hiker sandal. By the way, there are different kinds of shoe cleaners now that can clean and deoderize insoles. Even your sweatiest, smelliest insoles.

I have horrible arthritis in both of my feet, Sketchers are amazing, I live in the two pair I have. I can spend all day in them, and my feet dont hurt at all.

At last! This is invaluable comfortable shoe choices tips, thank you Sarah! Up until now I thought long walking comfortable shoes can only be achieved through tennis shoes (that means no dress up shoes for dresses/skirts) and store salespeople replying to my question: "will this be comfortable enough to walk/run beyond a couple of blocks?" saying "don't worry with everything, you'll need to break it in."

I recently wore Dr. Scholl's flats around Las Vegas casinos and I was so glad that I brought them. I highly recommend these. 😊

I bought the Metrolyte shoes based on your recommendation and they are great. They are the lightest shoes that I have ever bought. I added insoles for added support. They are so comfortable and easy to walk in and wear.

I will probably wear my Asics tennis shoes and Skechers slip-ons for Morocco next year

I’m on my second pair of rominka love them I’ve walked all over the world in them. One day in Scotland I did 22k steps in them. Most days 7-8k

I had two pairs of the DexFlex ballet flats - nude and black - and wore them on two 2-week trips around the UK and Europe, IN ADDITION to wearing them at home for work and leisure. They're both toast now, and of course Payless has shut down where I live! Can't recommend them enough for travel, though. So comfortable.

If you have shoes that seem perfect, but don't have a good sole, you can have your local shoe repair shop add a rubber sole to add grip and cushion.

THANK YOU for this in-depth review. I’m your same height and shoe size, so this was hugely helpful!

I love Dansko so much 💗 Oh! And for your black strappy wedges, have you thought of having them re-soled? You could easily have a thicker tread put on which could help with traction and possibly the noise as well. Love you and your videos! Rick's crew seems so cool!

Great video ... shoes can make or break a vacation ... love the Teva sandals and currently looking for a flat ballet slipper in black for dinners and "dress up". Thanks!!

Great video! I really enjoy all of your videos. Such good advice. Thank you!

Hi Sarah, I just 'discovered' you...THANK YOU so much. Just thought I'd mention that my dad used to take ALL his shoes to the cobbler and have an additional non-slip sole placed on the bottom... perhaps those black strap pies could go to the shoe repair shop and a non-slip sole could be added... worth trying!

After much consideration, I placed an order for Blondi boots that I saw at Nordstrom’s but decided to order from Amazon at the same price. When they arrived, they were fairly well worn. The wood block heel had dents and the heels were both worn down needing new heels. This. Is just a warning that I should have bought them at Nordstrom since they both were the same price.

New comment on an old video, but those seemingly perfect but loud and gripless sandals? Score the bottom and make a design with a hot glue gun. There's your grip. Fill in the heel with a layer of glue. There's your clacking noise fix. :)

Munro “Kaya” is another super comfy sandal with many of the features you showed of the other Munro. It does have multiple straps in case one breaks and the ankle top is lower.

Thanks for sharing these good and not so good travelling shoes! 😊👟

have you tried NAOT? I love them.

I often apply a stick on sole that has a grip to improve comfortable but slippery shoes

How many people squished their earlobes when she was talking about the Toms? 😂🤚

This was terrific! I’m going to Italy in a few days and this was so helpful. Thanks!

I find your packing videos both useful and funny, thanks!

I certainly want to check out some of your favorites!! Right now I'm wearing Catwalk Flats by Bernie Mev. Roomy toe box, memory foam and rubber outsoles. Very cute. Also great is Tulip slip on sneaker by Lines of Denmark. They are foldable and have a kind of stretchy scalloped look. They have a rubber outsole. These are the 2 I am definitely taking to Portugal this fall. The sidewalks are slippery there if they get even slightly wet . I also bought a Thong 1" wedge sandal by Comfortiva with a Pillowtop memory foam insole and rubber outsole so I am hoping those do ok.

Thank you! I'm going on my first trip to Europe in April (The Netherlands to visit a friend). I'm already mentally packing and have been wondering about shoes. If my Chucks had any support, I'd take those. This was great! Also, I'm a Size 11, so I hear you about cute shoes for big feet. :)

As far as I am concerned, most good walking shoes are ugly! I went to Italy last year and was happy as pie with ECCO slip ons, which is unusual for me since I have high arches, bunions, and hammer toes (how about that!). Obviously not dressy, but I took a dressy pair for dressy occasions.

Thanks for sharing this!!! Have you tried Chacos? Great arch support, strong seatbelty straps, and quick dry.

Thanks for the Travel tips, they will surely come in handy.

On the black "strappy" sandal, a good shoe repair person could fix the soles and the "clacky" heels.

Loved video. Looked online for two shoes, could not find ASCS like yours in my 8.5 size , reviews weren't great. Also looked for Tom's but were sold out in wool with the lining. Will continue to look elsewhere. Thank you

Better thing is think about the weather . If not we got trouble. All way 's we can not use light shoes because some times we travel in winter all so. Should be thinks about the days.

Personally I'd throw shoes out if they made my feet bleed o.O

Great video. We are going to Europe for the first time this month and I'm definitely going to look for some of your recommendations.

"Crunchy, granola, hippie shoes" made me snort! :D lololol

My feet are size 10-11 and I'm tall too. One pair that was a winner for me was the NAOT brand. They actually have heels that are around 2 inches (so they make my legs look NICE) but they are incredible sturdy and comfortable. I wore them all summer long and even wore them all day at a theme park. The brand is expensive, but I bought them on a site that has good sales...they were around $70, I think.

The best shoe is the one that is comfortable to the individual. No one shoe is comfortable to everyone. It depends on how one’s foot is formed. I personally like the the Marias from SAS. But not everyone will agree.

Love it!

Very informative!!! Thank you

Have always found 43's to be US11's.

Thanks, very informative

I wore Earth Shoes in the 70s.

Try Frankie 4 from Australia- best shoes for travel/walking!!!!!!

I have some Remonte Dorndorf leather boots that are similar to the ones you talked about. They were great for walking around Copenhagen in March!

Thanks! I'll have to check your recommendations out. Have you checked out KURU shoes? I bought 2 pair one is KIVI style and the other is QUANTUM style. I walked all over Stockholm 2 years ago for 9 days straight for 10 to 15 or more miles a day (and I have plantar fasciitis) and my feet, heels, ankles never hurt me once while there. They were pricey (for me anyway) at $135 and $120 a pair but they were well worth it. They were the only shoes I took to wear and they looked like the shoes the Swedish people wore. So not only did they work well for me, they fit right in. I have worn either one pair or the other every day since then and only recently have they begun to wear out.

Give Ugg a try they are stylish at least the street shoes . They are very comfortable. I have wide feet as well .

Hi Sarah! I appreciate you giving some opinions on comfortable travel shoes. For me, finding shoes is an absolute nightmare. I have clubfoot and my right foot is 3 sizes smaller than my left, depending on the style of shoe. Not only that, but the shape of my foot limits what kinds of shoes I can wear (I can't do anything that has a non-adjustable strap over the top of the foot since there is a bump there. Arch support tends to be an issue for me as well, as the clubfoot has a high arch and the other is fairly flat. I travel to Italy pretty frequently and this fall I hope to move there to attend graduate school. I can only buy shoes from Nordstrom because they allow me to exchange the other sizes & only charge me the price of 1 pair. My problem is that when I buy shoes here, they seem super perfect and comfy until I actually get over to Italy. Apart from walking much more, I think the cobblestones are especially bothersome for me, I always feel like the soles of my shoes are too thin and I can feel every stone! I guess the only thing I can do is try and find shoes with thicker soles here and hope that they will still be comfy when I am not walking on flat sidewalk... Any advice for me? Thanks!

Didn't Earth shoes cause back problems? They were super popular in 1976-77 and then they just disappeared. ( Yep, I remember that far back)

Always wear shoes at least a few days before taking them on a trip. Don't just try them on and take a few steps around the house. You won't know if they pass or fail unless you really wear them three full days and walk a good deal. Avoid unpleasant surprises.

Earth “hobbit” shoes lol well-I’d like pretty & comfy personally .🌷

Great video! I bought your top two to try for myself. Will let you . know how it goes!

you should take your black sandal to the shoemaker and have them fix your sandal. I do it all the time.

Are your dansko shoes still available? Great video...looking into getting a pair of those earth solar shoes.

Privvyet krasavitsa!

I have size 43 too, how do you stand being in Italy where shoe sizes often stop at 40 //

Goodness! These shoes and your feet!! 🤣

What do you think of Vionic or Ecco brand?

I think she meant autonomous

W

I think a EU size 43 is a US women's size 10.

Hotter shoes are the best

Waterproof the insole it will help keep the smells out!

I LOVE TO BUY YOUR OLD SHOES WELL WORN ONCE PLEASE

You need tieks

The volume of your voice is not loud enough.

How about wear what's you have.......

1st!

You talk way too fast

can't watch such nasty old shoes

She was good until I heard “these ones”.... ugh