Beware of the sandals!

Hi Karen,

Have you tried "Keen Newport" sandals? I've walked many miles in them on several recent trips. I think that they are a great compromise between sandals and gym shoes.

Hope your feeling better!
Sharon

"I can remember being 20 and wondering why women in their 40's wore such gawdawful footwear. Now I know." Ditto for men. Plus, travel usually involves far more walking and standing than most people experience in their normal, non-vacation life. Footwear that may feel fine at home may be completely unsuitable for the rigours of travel. So yes, despite all the fascionistas' horror at wearing sneakers in Europe (which is overblown in the first place), if a day's itinerary involves a lot of walking, I shall continue to rely on the comfort and support of a well broken-in sneaker.

Bottom line if you are not comfortable then you are not going to be enjoying yourself as much as you could be.

I doubt that you will have to give up sandals, although what you get might not be as stylish as you would like. I have some ECCO sandals that I take to Europe -- I use a product called "Glide" on the balls of my feet to protect from the hot spots. There are other brands that are for serious travel walking that I'm sure other readers will recommend also. You won't have to travel with your white athletic shoes!

Totally agree with both the Keen Newports and the Glide stick. The Keen's never once gave me a blister even straight out of the box, and they protect your toes and offer good support. Worn them both for long trail walking over rocky and muddy terrain, at the beach and also for wading across streams, and in the city to walk long periods of time. The Glide stick is great to use when you want to wear the cute, but not so comfortable shoes.

I don't think the Keen's are particularly attractive, but I don't care about that if I'm walking for 12-15 hours. I save the cute shoes for dinner or a club. And at least they aren't Crocs which I know many swear by for comfort, but I'd rather hack off my feet with a rusty knife before I ever wear a shoe that ugly!

I cannot handle sandals for the amount of walking/standing we do in Europe. I tend to wear jeans capris or khaki capris that look okay in my dark sneaker type shoes, and no one looks at me weird. I don't care how others might think I look, I want comfort. I do not take the "dressy" capris that would look so much better with my cute, Italian sandals. That's for home.

Did the expensive and supposedly comfortable sandals years ago, and it is indeed true for some of us who hit 40 that with the amount of standing and walking, it does not work...for many of us.

Besides, I look really cute with hair, minimal makeup and a nice top, so who cares that much what takes place from the ankle down? Not I!!! :-)

I am not young by any standard, but a couple of years ago I walked from the 16th arr. in Paris to the Rodin Museum and then on into the Latin Qtr. (a long way) wearing a pair of platform flip flops that I bought at the drugstore. I still plan to bring sandals on my upcoming trip there next month.

I'd like to add my two cents worth: Bring at least two pairs of comfortable walking shoes and change your shoes during the day if possible or wear the other pair the next day. I blame the shoe manufacturers for the "gadawful" footwear us mature women wear. I don't know why they can't design a comfortable shoe that has some pizzaz.

I'm nearly 60 but I still wear sandals in Europe (at least when there aren't a lot of cobblestones) despite struggles with plantar fasciitis. The ones I like are my Orthaheel Wave sandals--they're cute flipflop style thongs that have a built-in orthothotic as the footbed. I found they absorb shock nicely, have terrific arch support, and nice deep heel cups. And they don't look like orthopedic shoes! I wish I could find closed tow shoes as cute and comfy, honestly.

They aren't cheap--they cost about 50 dollars--but they're lightweight and double as airplane slippers/shower shoes as well as sandals. If you ever thought that your flipflop-wearing days were over, check them out.

Well I am one of those old ladies (68) that wears Teva Sandals with low cut expensive padded running socks. Never had a sore spot on my feet nor are my feet hurting at the end of a 10 miles or less sight-seeing day. Hips yes but not my feet.

On travel days when we are jumping on and off trains, I wear the Teva Tennis shoe. I can only wear the tennis about 4 hours...then my feet will hurt under my toes.

In the future I will probably take my Birkenstocks (with the padded socks) as I can walk all day in them without my feet hurting.

I go for comfort.

I was leery of sandals until I got my Finn Comforts. Its not just that they are comfortable, its that they have support. It's the support combined with the comfort that enables you to wear them all day over all kinds of surfaces and not have aching feet at the end of the day. ; ) Pam

I have been wearing ECCO sandals for years in Europe and love them. The pair I love is the ECCO Yucatan. I have had no problems with them in cities or on cobblestone streets. They are great, but to be honest, I do have a pair of ECCO sneakers I bought which I wear on hikes in the countryside.

Thanks for the shoe recs, I'll give them a shot. I'm not unfamiliar with walking. At work I'm on my feet 40-50 hours a week. I'd worn these sandals around town for months, and even on a marathon IKEA shopping trip. I just hadn't hustled around a big city like Chicago. Several years ago I'd stopped wearing the cheap little canvas flats, like generic Keds. They bothered my plantar fascitis too much. These Clarks don't bother my heels at all. I wear a black Propet slip on at work and never have any problems, and that's what I wore last year to London & Paris. From now on, I'm just a slave to comfort.

Also take a look at some Dansko sandals (especially from the Golden Gate line). I did a lot of walking all over Europe in Dansko Lolitas. Loved them.

Also, if the Glide doesn't work for you in preventing blisters, try putting anti-perspirant (I like Secret soft solid) on your feet. Not deodorant. Anti-perspirant. Works like a charm.

I have worn Birkenstock clogs for work for 22 years. When I bought my first pair of sandals a year later my family thought they were the most hideous footwear they had ever seen. That is until they bought the knockoffs(why would I pay $90 for sandals?)and realized how comfortable they are. I still wear Birkenstock sandals when I travel and I alternate with tennis showe. It depends on what we will be doing that day. If we are ambling along at a museum then sandals are for me. You will never see these people again(not always the case) but wear what is comfortable for you and who cares what others think.

Recently visited Venice and Florence. My Keen "Venice" sandals were really comfortable and we walked forever! OK - so they're not that beautiful, however, mine are black and they made a nice change from my New Balance walking shoes. They looked ok with capri pants, too.

Remember advice on here... is just that suggestions.

Seriously, I read all about how great Kean's are. WHAT? On my feet it's like torture and that's IN the store (where they stayed!!)

I did find Merrill's this year and LOVE them after years of loyalty to Ecco, but... YFMV (Your Feet May Vary!)

Good I found this message!

I spent one month in Europe (May/June 2009) with one pairs of sneaker and one sandal.

In the US, these shoes held up and were GREAT. I even ran in my sandal (SAS http://www.sasshoes.com/)

However, they failed miserably in Europe. I had so much blisters, etc, I ended up badging nearly my entire feet.

The sneaker costs over $100 and the sandal costs over $130.

I am thinking of ditching sandals in the future and sticking with loafers (Naturalizer) and perhaps a new pair of sneakers.

Has anyone walked around in loafers under the Spanish heat in July?

Try Clark's sandals-I've walked over cobblestone streets in Italy in them. For my trip next month to Sicily I am trying a pair of Merrell Breeze which are a light weight mesh walking shoe and come in black so I don't stand out so much.

I'm with you, girl. Me and my Nike running shoes. That's all I need.

LOL! Your post made me giggle...NOT at your expense, because even being 29 I've already learned to put aside cuteness for comfort... I'm a Chaco sandals fan, they are by no means cute... but I have some strappy black ones that are fantastic, so much support and can even be paired with a casual, yet dinner appropriate dress!

And you know...there are gym shoes and there are GYM SHOES... many tennis/running/gym shoes are much smaller, sleeker and more attractive than typical gym shoes of the past.... I'm a huge fan of the maryjane style of gym shoe which can look cute and fun w/ skirts and jeans, etc.

I don't think anyone in Europe is going to care what you're wearing on your feet. I saw a lot of different shoewear while I was over there. I tried on several different "comfort" shoes that weren't tennis shoes but they didn't fit my feet as well. So, ended up just wearing my old tennis shoes. My feet still hurt at the end of the day because of all the walking we did.

You do not have to wear hideous shoes anywhere. Really. I don't care what others wear, but there are lots of well-made walking shoes that don't look like clodhoppers. Get a Naot catalog, or check out the newest Privos. No, they're not Jimmy Choos, but they don't look bad and they're made for walking forever.

Karen, Just returned from 4 weeks in Europe. Read many opinions about what shoe/s to take, and worried my feet/legs/back were going to kill me, especially since I had 2 cortisone injections and an epidural steroid injection for a hip problem just before our trip. Not to worry! I took my beloved Croc sandals, a pair of Adidas sandals and a pair of Lindsay Phillips Switch Flops with 4 pair of "switches". I never had one moments discomfort, and we did a LOT of walking in 4 weeks! I even bought some of the socks with toes and wore my sandals on Mt. Pilatus snow in Switzerland! Shoes took minimal room in the suitcase. Have fun!

My point in all of this is that you really have to have shoes that are broken in well. I've worn these Clarks sandals all summer with no problems, but it wasn't until I did very serious city walking that I was in trouble.

Btw, as Fats Waller would say, my feets too big. I don't need shoes to look like I'm wearing clodhoppers. My feet ARE clodhoppers.

"Besides, I look really cute with hair, minimal makeup and a nice top, so who cares that much what takes place from the ankle down? Not I!!! :-)"

I agree, you look much better with hair than without!

"all I took" ,, wow, I have never gone anywhere with only one pair of shoes,, its not just a fashion thing, its about changing shoes off for comfort. Sandals may be great for less active days, or with a skirt for dinner and evening stroll, but for long days sightseeing,, its nice to have a change off.

I do wear my Naot sandals all day,, and can walk miles and miles in them.. but find cheaper "fashiony" sandals,, while normally comfy, are not good for longer then an hour or two of walking.

"All I took" on a 5-day trip to Paris in November one year was ONE pair of slip-on shoes. I did bring along a pair of gel insoles, and alternated wearing the shoes with and without the insoles. The shoes went with everything I brought, and we just had small rolling backpack suitcases. We were so proud of ourselves.

That being said, this upcoming 10-day trip to England, I'm bringing a pair of slim Mary Jane-type Crocs because the resilience can't be beat. They are not clunky in the least. The style name is Olivia. I will still bring another pair of something, though.

Pat, all I took were some Clark sandals, not some little flip flops. I do walk miles in them, I just don't run to catch trains, etc.

As an update, I was back in Chicago a few weeks ago. Wore my Clarks, but took some walking shoes for the serious stuff, and I sure felt better.

Last year I bought some new work shoes, black Propet walking shoes, same as always. My son's girlfriend wrinkled her nose and asked why I didn't get cute shoes. Ah, to be 19 again.