Ok, so here it is.

We are planning this all out and it hits me. What kind of shoes will I wear? I am a finicky person when it comes to shoes.

I have high arches, I’m pretty sure one set of toes are longer than the other, I have big feet [que size 11 anyone] and I love to walk on the edges of my feet leaving me with a 67%/34% balance ration according to the walking company.

To top it off I hate shoe shopping and am incredibly picky. I know, beggars should not be choosers but I am who I am.

With all that said I am literally scorching the internet driving myself bonkers over what to wear. I thought to help you out (if you fall into a category like myself)  and collect the information and recommendations I’ve found and ask you for some of your own.

For starters, for myself I am bringing three pairs of shoes. A pair of ballet flats, a pair of comfortable sandals, and a pair of running shoes. I chose this combination mostly based on recommendations from other packing sites like HerPacklingList and TravelFashionGirl. The issue is none (very few) of the writers have my issues (mentioned above) and I like to be cute. I use to run around in Lucky Brand Flats and they were perfect for my feet but the brand has recently changed the way they make the shoes (or at least it feels this way) and wearing my new Lucky brand shoes have really hurt my feet. So here are my shoes for travel.

• 1 pair of My joy Ballet Flats
• 1 pair of aetrex sandles Janey Braided Slide.
• 1 pair of UQ Cloud running shoes with inserts

Ballet Flats:

In my opinion, these are very hard to get right. Either they hurt your toes, they cause blisters, or they hurt your bottom of your foot due to lack of support. Plus they can actually be bulky. I found the perfect pair of flats at Bloomingdales. They are not cheap by they are flexible (As I can literally bend them, they come with a cute travel bag, and they have a lining that feels really nice). They are leather, so I will opt to wear them when I am going out to nice restaurants or to a fancy club. These shoes are not for all day use because of the lack of support. But they do not hurt my feet after wearing them for four hours or so. To test them out before the trip, I wore them all day while taking a photography class and walking all over San Francisco (including taking them through some muddy areas in the Flower Conservatory near the De Young Museum). They were perfect. I’ve opted to buy gel pads for my heels when wearing these but otherwise, the flats work. So check out Salvatore Ferragamo’s Ballet Flats at Bloomingdales.

Sandals

I really came up when I bought the Janey Braided Slide sandals by Aetrex. Most of the shoes only go up to a size 11 which is perfect for me. The brand is known for comfort and most good shoes will run you up to $110. Which is not cheap but for this kind of comfort it is worth it. The last thing you want is to ruin a good trip due to blisters. Another thing I like about these shoes is that they are cute. These shoes are comfortable without sacrificing too much style. As a 30-something year old, feet health is really important for me, so I will always opt for some comfortable shoes. Aetrex is not the only brand in comfort. I’ve also purchased comfortable shoes from The Walking Company. Their sizes go up to a woman’s 14 and when you enter the store they will measure your feet and your balance and determine which shoes can work for you. I bought most of my work shoes from them and wear them daily. I also want to give a shout out to the Huffington Post for their article about fashionable shoes for women with big feet, read it here. Not all of the brands featured here are known for comfort but they are known for big feet. I must say these shoes are fantastic. The only issue I’ve had with them so far is that the velcro is getting worn from use.

Running Shoes

I usually swear by Merrell running shoes. However, living in NYC means that there’s not one Merrell store nearby (Did I mention I miss San Fransisco sometimes?) and I hate ordering shoes online, because, let’s be honest, it never works out for me. So, I went to an orthopedic shoe place in midtown and found UQ shoes. UQ shoes, especially the new Cloud running shoe is fantastic. It’s comfortable, lightweight, and it’s fashionable. It’s also Swiss. I’ve been wearing them all over and they do not feel heavy on my feet. They run up to a size 11 for women and size 14 for men but they have the same looks. I totally recommend this shoe. It does not keep you dry in the rain but it does dry quick.

Do you have shoe issues like me? Who do you buy and who would you recommend? What are your favorite travel shoes?