Ali's Travel Shoes

In a post from last week I talked about the torture of trying to find a comfy and cute travel sandal. This week I will show you all of the other shoes I decided to bring and why each one is essential for the destinations I am going to. This spring I will be visiting Iceland, the UK and Italy. I decided on 5 pairs of shoes...I know it seems kind of crazy to bring that many pairs but I am only counting it as three since my flip-flops and leopard flats are so tiny they can squish or fold up into nothing. Last year when I went to London and Paris for 2 weeks I only brought two pairs and was perfectly fine the entire trip, but this year the trip is so different and I am going to so many different climates, I just couldn't limit it down anymore. 

1.

The first pair of shoes is a good sneaker, mine are etnies but Converse shoes are really popular and cute as well. They need to be a comfortable shoe that you can plop your orthotics into and be good walking for up to 7 hours in (yes 7 hours! The first day I was in London last year I walked for that long). As a pharmacy student that needs to stand 8 hours a day when I'm working, I really know how to appreciate a comfortable shoe that can fit my orthotics. These shoes are cute with jeans or some shorts and are still comfortable without making you look like a grandma. Make sure they match the majority of clothes you are bringing, I am packing mostly neutrals since I don't have that much room for clothes (with my 5 shoes and all) so I decided to bring a pair with more colour to spice up my outfits. These will be my main shoes for London and Iceland since it might be too cold or rainy to wear my Birkenstock's there.

2. 

The next pair of shoes are my leopard flats. Normally, I wouldn't even bother bringing flats to Europe because for me they are not comfortable enough to walk for miles in as they have almost no support and not enough cushion. This year I decided/needed to bring them because for the course I am taking in Italy we have to have a nice pair of closed toe shoes that can be worn to the dinners my classmates, teachers and I have together. My course is also in a small town with not many miles to cover so I figured I would be able to wear them around town when I was going to the market and not walking very long distances. They will look cute with jeans, dresses and shorts and I can even wear them when we go out.

3. 

Runners. Runners are key for pretty much all trips. You can use them for moderate hikes, caving (like I will be doing in Iceland!) and for exercising. Usually I am not motivated to exercise while on holidays but since I will be living in Italy for 4 weeks, I thought I should probably try and burn off some of the pizza and pasta calories I will be consuming. Although runners are probably the most comfortable pair of shoes they are not really stylish enough to wear as your sole pair of shoes when travelling to Europe, which is why I needed my sneakers as well.

4. 

Flip-flops are essential for any holiday where you will be staying in hostels or sharing your showers with a bunch of people. After learning about all the foot and nail fungi this semester, this is one shoe that I would never eliminate from the packing list. Flip-flops are not very useful for walking long distances in but besides just the shower I can also make use of them when I go to the beaches in Italy. 

5.

I talked about the comfortable walking sandal last week in this post. I can use these in the warm climate in Italy when it might be too hot to wear my sneakers, for light hikes and walking for hours around the different towns while still being comfortable and having good built in arch support. These will be my main shoes in Italy when I need something comfortable for long term use but it is too hot to wear sneakers.

-A