Why I travel with at least 3 pairs of shoes

All over the internet you will find tips and tricks for minimalist packing and how to fit everything into a carry-on. While there are good arguments for traveling in this way and I have personally started to travel with less (not always to the confines of carry-on, but less than I used to), there is one non-negotiable item for me when it comes to packing: shoes.

To me, shoes are the most important article of clothing I pack. They complete an outfit, but they also contribute to my experience. The wrong shoes that make your feet can make a fun day exploring a new city miserable and even ruin subsequent days. The right shoe keeps your feet and your body happy while enjoying all of your adventures of traveling. Many podiatrist also recommend switching up your shoes from day to day to alleviate stress cause by repeatedly being stuck in the same shoe and to air them out to reduce the smell.

I often travel with at least three pairs of shoes. Each pair has a different function, a different purpose, and different style. The shoes I travel with are sandals, tennis shoes or sneakers, and a pair of "dressy" shoes. For longer trips I may pack more than three pairs of shoes, doubling up in some categories or adding new ones.

Sandals

Growing up I would often travel to a beach or to somewhere with a pool. Sandals seem very obvious for these purposes because they are easy to take on and off and can get went. I continued to pack sandals when traveling for going to hotel pools, but also for just walking around hotel rooms (gross, barefoot at a hotel) or sitting by a campfire after having hiking boots on all day.

I switch up which sandals I bring depending on where I am going. Flipflops were often the go to since I owned several. When I went to Europe I purchased slides to wear on the plane. Slides are great because you can where then with socks (compression socks were a game changer for me on long trips). The also make you seem like less of that jerk on the plane if you take your shoes off since most of your foot is already exposed. Both flipflops and slides are very light weight and don't take a lot of room in my bag.

Tennis shoes & sneakers

I love doing active things when I travel whether its hiking or walking around a city or strolling along the edge of the water at the beach or even just walking the length of the concourse before a flight. Therefore I bring walkable shoes. If I plan of hiking I will bring tennis shoes. For something like a girls weekend of food, drinks, and shopping, I might opt more for a cute sneaker., like my Ecco slip-ons. Either options should be comfortable to wear all day and be able to clock some miles.

"Dressy" shoes

I call this third category of shoes "dressy," but really it can be casual shoe that can be used in dressier situations if needed. For some people their choice in sneaker could fulfill this criteria. My go-to shoes in this category are either a pair of wedge strappy heels for warmer months, booties for colder months, or flats. The wedges and booties take up a little bit more room in my bag, but they add variety to my looks during a trip. Flats obviously take up less space when packing. For the longest time I did not like flats, until I did my research to find a pair that did not make me feel like waddling and could endure the uneven cobbled streets of Europe.

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