If you know me and my shoe obsession, this shouldn't be a surprise that I'm having a hard time deciding what shoes to bring on our trip. Actually, I enjoy wearing the same shoes for days on end, but having the option to choose is nice. So having to pick only 2 (maybe 3??) pairs to bring is really hard! Especially because we will be traveling in a variety of climates and enjoying many different types of activities - from long days of walking in the city, to hiking in the Swiss Alps, to enjoying the fashionable streets of Paris, to trekking in the mountains & countryside of Scotland.
These are the shoes that I'm trying to decide between... and most of the decision will rest on the types of outfits I end up putting together, but they also have to be comfortable enough and durable enough that I won't end up with blisters and soaking wet feet.
Trekking/hiking/supportive walking shoes: either the Keens or Vasque tennies. Both have the same issue, they are about 1/4 size too big, so I get blisters if I wear them super long, and end up bruising my toes when I am doing intense downhill hiking.
Casual walking/optional dress up shoes: either Toms, Clarks flats, or Born boots. It's just so hard to decide! I could also bring the super flat/light weight sandals as another option... The boots are heavy and bulky, and I could wear them on travel days, but we're doing so much in between travel, that I'd be wearing them a lot... they're super comfy, but I just don't know if I want to wear them that much.
Chacos. I could write pages on how much I love these. I need sandals for hostel showers, and they're super supportive, and I could walk for days in them, but we're going in October. Sandals in October in Switzerland? Not sure. They're also super heavy.
Shoes are tough. Comfort over style always for your trip. If your Chacos are comfy bring them for sure. Even in Switzerland you may want to switch into them in your hotel room if your feet are tired. Go with the Chacos, then either your Keens or Vasque and one other comfortable pair. The Chacos won't take up much room in the suitcase. Either the Toms or the Clarks flats as your third pair? The Clarks you could dress up for dinners. You might get too hot in the boots I would think and the boots will take up a lot of room and weight. My Naot brand Mary Jane shoes were my workhorse shoes on my trip. I could wear them with skirts but they were super comfy and did serious cathedral dome climbing in them.
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