Good shoes for travel?

[emilyj]

I am going to be in Scotland and Ireland for two weeks in July ;D and I'm looking for a recommendation for a good, multi-functional shoe. I was going to wear sneakers, but meh. That seems so...meh.

I am going to be there partially for work, so I will have a pair of heels. I am going to try to do the entire two week trip in just carry-on, so I'm not interested in bringing a bunch of different shoes - ideally it would be my work shoes and one other pair.

We are going to walk. A lot. We are active people. We've got a trip up to the Highlands planned where I know we are going to do some mild hiking. We'll be walking around Edinbugh and Glasgow. In Ireland we'll be doing a ton of walking, and we plan to rent bikes and ride the Dingle peninsula one day, and ride bikes out on the Aryan Islands.

Any recommendations for a non-sneaker shoe that would fit the bill for all of this?

[hz80408]

It's still somewhat sneaker, but I bought Puma Zandy ballet flats from Amazon (for $35!) in the silver birch on our 18-day Europe trip this spring. They were so comfy! And since they're somewhat ballet flats, I still wore them with jeans/blazers, etc.

[Norticprincess]

I have little black Merrells, Keens, an Ahnu shoes that are very comfortable to walk in and semi waterproof. Check out Zappos.com

[lizardesque]

I have some J-41s and OTBTs that are super comfy.

[cricketwife]

I have some Josef Seibel's similar to this:

www.zappos.com/product/8010478/color/3?zfcTest=fw:1

They aren't cute but I've worn them for work, hiking, walking all day on cobblestone, etc. and they're always very comfortable.

[Deleted]

Merrell Jungle Moc....
I have a few pair of these (different colors) and I wore them hiking all over Alaska. They are lightweight, very comfy, and plain enough to wear with everything.

[tricolore]

Clarks!!! Anything by Clarks. I also like Cole Haan air shoes (some good flats).

My personal new fav is Clarks' Wave, which are like glorified 'walkers' (aka sneakers). I know, I know, meh. But trust me, enough rainy cobblestone, and you too will stash the stiletto booties for, lame, but happy feet . I say this after a Xmas eve spent in the hail waiting for 4hrs in front of St Peters (in stiletto booties .
Anyway, even if the wave line isn't for you, check Clarks and have a great time!

[aurora]

Jun 18, 2012 14:54:08 GMT -5 tricolore said:

...But trust me, enough rainy cobblestone, and you too will stash the stiletto booties for, lame, but happy feet ....

Yes, I must say I got some giggles at watching women try to negotiate wet cobblestones in stilettos, or even regular heels in many cases.

I love Clarks and Danskos personally, but I have to say I was surprised at the number of people (and not just tourists) wearing more sneaker-like shoes on my recent travels through Europe.

Also, I'm not sure if the rules are consistent across carriers but when I flew Lufthansa overseas I tried to bring just a carry-on but even though it met the size limitations it was too heavy (and the weight limit is really low) so I had to check it anyway. You might want to research the weight limit for your carrier before you go.

[emilyj]

Jun 18, 2012 14:54:08 GMT -5 tricolore said:

Clarks!!! Anything by Clarks. I also like Cole Haan air shoes (some good flats).

My personal new fav is Clarks' Wave, which are like glorified 'walkers' (aka sneakers). I know, I know, meh. But trust me, enough rainy cobblestone, and you too will stash the stiletto booties for, lame, but happy feet . I say this after a Xmas eve spent in the hail waiting for 4hrs in front of St Peters (in stiletto booties .
Anyway, even if the wave line isn't for you, check Clarks and have a great time!

No, not meh. This is exactly the type of thing I am looking for. I wanted something a little more 'dressy' than sneakers, but something that was still sporty enough to do tons of walking, climbing, etc. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm going to see if I can find them locally and if not, I'll order online.

Aurora, we're going Delta, which I've gone before so I know we're ok carry-on wise there. I think we may have to check a bag when we fly from Scotland to Ireland because I can't find the bag/size restrictions there, but I'm not going to go mental about that. If we do, we do. I'm more concerned with the big flights, not that one.

[Ramz-ee]

Jun 18, 2012 14:54:08 GMT -5 tricolore said:

Clarks!!! Anything by Clarks. I also like Cole Haan air shoes (some good flats).

My personal new fav is Clarks' Wave, which are like glorified 'walkers' (aka sneakers).

I second Clarks' Wave line. I purchased a pair for our trip to Paris. We walked everywhere. My feet didn't hurt at all. I wear them all the time now because they are so comfortable.

To me, they look more like a hiking shoe than a sneaker. Or at least that's what I tell myself.

www.clarksusa.com/eng/product/wave_wheel/86510

[aurora]

Jun 19, 2012 0:09:53 GMT -5 emilyj said:

Aurora, we're going Delta, which I've gone before so I know we're ok carry-on wise there.

Good to know - I hadn't thought to look into it before myself but I'm glad the rules aren't consistent across carriers.

[Deleted]

What sort of shoes would you wear at home if you were doing those activities?

[alithebride]

i'm a huge fan of cole haan with the nike soles. i have a great pair of mary janes that went all over italy for 3 weeks with me and are still going strong.

[Deleted]

I use black nike free's. They're light, I can use them as a running shoe and they tend to be more diverse than an average sneaker. (Keep in mind I am a comfort over style type of gal)

[Deleted]

I've learned that no matter what comfortable shoes I get, my feet always hurt after a lot of walking. But there are some shoes I like better than others:

I have something that looks kind of like this:
www.zappos.com/ecco-hill-light-oyster-moon-rock?zfcTest=fw:1

These aren't too bad:
www.zappos.com/josef-seibel-caspian-imola-denim-leather?zfcTest=fw:1

I just wore these in NYC - although my feet still hurt after a day of walking, I was amazed at how supportive these were for a sandal:
www.zappos.com/cole-haan-air-bria-thong-sandal-tango-red-patent?zfcTest=fw:1