This is a question for the die-hard one carryon folks

For the Britain and France tours, I wore my Crocs and had a pair of Keen mary janes and a pair of Keen sandals in my carryon. This year for Ireland I will take do the same only exchange the sandals for a pair of Salomon hiking shoes. The Crocs are easy to take off for security but I have never had them check my carryon shoes though none of them have gel inserts. Went through London, Glasgow, Paris and Amsterdam airport security with no problems.

On our 2 week June RS tour, I took one carry-on and a backpack as my personal item. I wore a comfy pair of Keen Isabella mules on the plane. In my bags were Brooks tennis shoes with padded liners, black Ecco sandals for nights and dressier times, and thick soled Reef flip flops for tired feet. I wore the Keens quite often, even for miles of walking, and the sandals every evening. Yes, this seems like too much footwear to pack, but with all the miles and miles and miles of walking, I just knew I had to have happy feet. I would take the exact same shoes again. I took only shoes that were well broken in. I am not advertising particular brands, just letting you know the ones that worked for me. Have a wonderful trip.

I wear my Danskos--"Ingrid" so I can wear the strap around my heel if I'm walking distances with my pack on my back or wear them as slip-ons to go through security or on the plane. I also take my Dansko "Raleigh" sandals to wear with a dress or just dress up. For me Danskos are extremely comfortable and I never have problems with my feet but I really think it depends on the proportions of a person's feet; Danskos work for some and not for others.

Best of luck in finding the perfect travel shoes!

Sounds like the Keen fanclub is on this site, but regardless of brand, make sure they are well broken in!! I'm currently breaking in new shoes for a May trip and will wear them non-stop for months to make sure there are no surprises. I use orthotic inserts but they are not gel type.

For my 17 day RS Italy trip: Keen Bronx loafers (worn on plane because they were the clunkiest); Keen Vancouver Mary-Jane's (packed in suitcase, stuffed with socks); Birkenstock sandals (packed flat, used at beach and in hotels in place of slippers).

For my upcoming RS Ireland trip: Keen Boston waterproof loafer (will be worn on plane); Sketchers sneakers (waterproof), thin slippers (for hotel time).

There's another thread on this site re: shoe choices and also a section on the graffiti wall on the subject. Remember to consider your destination (will you need "dress up" shoes?) and time of year (will it rain a lot or little?).

Thank you for all of the great tips. I am going shoe shopping this weekend.

I have weird feet and I found Clarks and Keens quite uncomfortable, along with several other recommended brands. I ended up with Propet's Washable shoes; bought them a few months before my trip and wore them every day to work, etc. They're not particularly fancy, but they are black and no one commented. They're also slip-on/off, which was a requirement I had for the airport/airplane.

I did pack a spare pair of dressier shoes (I did a carryon plus a largish purse), but shouldn't have bothered as I never wore them.

So in general terms, I would make sure my shoes were:

1) sturdy and held up to lots of walking
2) fit my feet well and are broken in
3) black or other neutral color
4) slip ons
5) waterproof (if you're likely to get wet)

not sure if you're just asking about women's shoes or shoes in general, but I'm a guy and am a big fan of Rockports. I have a leather pair that is waterproof, very well cushioned, looks nice enough to wear almost anywhere and has a boot-style sole so it is ok to wear on light trails.

One hint is to bring (or buy overseas) some foot powder and douse the inside each nite to help them dry out.

I have VERY wide and short feet with high/thick arches. I go to K-mart and buy men's Easy Striders walkers (black or tan leatherett) in extra wide width. They are great and very inexpensive. Good thick soles and lots of padding. I also have worn their Body Comapany women's walkers.

Ecco - lots to chose from!

Different depending on winter or summer. Wear shoe 1, pack shoe 2

In winter-
Shoe 1 is a waterproof leather walking/hiking shoe that looks good enough to wear to dinner.

Shoe 2 is a light pair of trail runners that work for hiking/walking, aren't white, can be worn with casual clothes but not really nice for dinner. These give me a change of pace, can be worn if shoe 1 needs to dry, etc (all major running shoe brands make trail runners).

In summer-
Shoe 1 is a leather walking/hiking shoe (doesn't have to be waterproof) that looks nice enough to wear to dinner.

Shoe 2 is waterproof sandal that looks nice enough to wear with casuals. Wear for beach, pool, lighter walking, shoe 1 needs to dry or change of pace (Crocs or Keen sandals are two examples).

For women, the sandal might be your nicer looking shoe to wear with dresses.

Sue - I would wear my Land's End All Weather Mocs which are water and mud proof and as comfortable as my most broken-in walking shoe(in black - I have several colors but black is my go-to color) and carry on a pair of Chaco's Z/2 sandals (also in black). The sandals can be adjusted to wear with the strap between the toes or without the toe strap allowing for a thick sock if that becomes necessary. They're made of products that can be rinsed off, dry quickly and so can be worn on the beach. I've had many compliments on the sandals and have walked many miles in both shoes. The Mocs have a removable inner sole which is very comfortable but I've replaced mine with a good inner sole from REI. We've actually taken advantage of that and hidden some of our big bills under the inner sole (packaged in a zip-lock baggie)for travel. Good luck.
DMW - NC

Sue,
I usually wear my black SAS oxfords, which work well for me as walking shoes, and pack a pair of lighter weight shoes for dinner and a change of pace. Most of my travel is summer so it's black Ecco sandals with velcro straps that can be worn over socks, stockings, or bare feet. Last spring in London it was Naturalizer T-straps. Also I pack flip-flops or lightweight slippers. I'm a size 11 so they do take up space in the carryon but I think it's a good use of the space. It is somewhat of a nuisance lacing up the oxfords after going through security, but they are too big to pack! Good luck-

On my RS tour last year, I put my Crocs in the carry on, because they are so lightweight and can smoosh- I also included an old pair of flip flops (also light and take up "no" space" for in the hotel rooms and shared baths. I wore my Keens (another fan, due to the wide toebed for my bunions and great traction)because they are heavy- on the plane and most days. I never bothered with dressy shoes. It might be different on an all- city tour, but this was pretty casual...no matter how broken in your personal favorite shoes might be, you are walking so much more than normal and on all kinds of terrain- so having something to relieve your feet (like the Crocs) from time to time is wise.

I went on a Rick Steves tour with one carry-on. I wore my black New Balance sneakers with motion-control inserts; and put in my luggage a pair of black Dansko sandals (it was summer) and a pair of flip flops (for slippers).

If it were winter, I would wear a pair of good waterproof walking/hiking shoes, and put in my carry-on a dressier pair of good walking shoes and a pair of very thin travel slippers that I could wear with socks.

We usually travel in spring or summer, so I only bring "orthopedic" type sandals by NAOT or Mephisto. They are very comfortably, with excellent arch support.

What ever you take, make sure they are well broken in before you go. Also keep in mind that your feet may swell a little on the flight over, and probably from the heat as well, so having something with you that is adjustable (straps) is helpful.

A tip I got from an RS event was to rub vaseline on your feet before going to bed to relieve "hot spots" on your soles and any potential blisters. I was surprised to find that this really works, and now a small container of vaseline is always in my 3-1-1 bag.

Sorry about the summer tips if what you really meant was for a winter trip. If I were going "right now - February", I would take a low-heeled, dark leather boot. Something easily walkable in, but ever so slightly fashionable, as well as a nice walking-type shoe, maybe from Ecco.

Have a great time on your trip!

"Breaking in"- something to think about.

I used to have to "break in" every pair of shoes I owned, until several years ago when I was given a pair that after I'd been wearing them, people insisted were too big. WAY too big.

It turns out that the shoe stores had been giving me shoes that were too narrow by at least a full size, while they were just barely long enough. Once I started getting shoes that were wide enough (even if it meant going a couple of sizes longer than the salesmen recommended), I no longer had to "break them in".

At the same time, instead of lasting about a year, they started lasting several years.

If you're wearing the soles off unevenly (like all of your weight is on the "outside", it's a good sign your shoes are too narrow.

The shoe salesmen STILL insist on trying to sell me too-narrow shoes. Maybe it's because they don't last nearly as long.

Now shoes are comfortable when I leave the store.

I've been asking myself this same question for my 2 week RS tour coming up this June. I have to think water proof, so I'm probably going to wear my Joseph Seibel monk strap loafers ( light weight, no steel shank and velcro strap for easy on/off).

I want to pack a second pair and I'm considering a North Face all terrain shoe with Gore Tex. Does anyone have any experience with these?

I agree with Leslie on 1/16/08. I love my Solomons. They are the most comfortable hiking shoes (I have the shoe looking ones, not the high-top boots). I wear them at home almost daily in the winter too. The other shoes I took to Europe with me are Soft Walks. I got them at Magellans. They are black leather clogs with "egg crate" foam in them. So comfortable on the plane and easy in/out during security. A bit dressier than the Solomons for dinner's etc, but easy to walk in. The clog has a heel strap for a bit more support (I am very clumsy).