What are the best travel shoes? We get this question a fair bit, actually. What kind of shoes are best for the Disney Parks? What about a Disney Cruise? Visiting Europe? You get the idea. We’re going to answer those and the question of best travel shoes, in a minute, but first, a story.
A Travel Shoes Story
Way back in college, I got in a motorcycle accident. I shattered my right ankle in the accident. Since then, I deal with various levels of pain in that ankle. You see, when you shatter a small ankle bone, it doesn’t heal properly. You can either deal with the pain or fuse the ankle and be permanently limited in your mobility. So, I deal with the pain. No big deal.
When the accident happened, my ortho doc said I should wear shoes with a large arch support and lots of padding (a thick sole). What I’ve found in the 20+ years since the accident is that the closer I am to barefoot, the less pain I have. Makes sense, doesn’t it? I mean, you’re born barefoot. Your foot is designed for walking and running, barefoot.
Just one little issue. Shoes that get you close to barefoot generally are not very “fashion forward” shall we say? There’s a few out there that aren’t too bad. Merrell makes a “foot glove” shoe that looks pretty much like a normal tennis shoe. Of course, there’s lots of sandals, but until recently, the “barefoot” style sandals looked like they only belonged on women’s feet. No dress shoes or other options, for a while.
Best Travel Shoes: Xeroshoes
I’d known about Xeroshoes for a while and they really fit the standard “barefoot” sandal mold. They looked like women’s shoes. I bought a couple pair and wore them, occasionally, but still wasn’t a huge fan.
Then, they went on Shark Tank. After the show appearance, they EXPLODED! All kinds of new styles (and they’re always coming out with more new styles) for men and women. I fell in love.
Xeroshoes are pretty much all I wear, now. I have a pair of Prios for working out and running. Hanas are my go to dress shoe. Finally, a pair of Z-Trail sandals for all my fun, outdoor adventures.
Women’s XeroShoes
Now, you’re probably saying, “But Tim, these are all men’s shoes. What about us women?”
Well, XeroShoes has great shoes for women, too!
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I can’t say that Allison has jumped on the “fan bus” of XeroShoes the way I have. In fact, she doesn’t have a single pair. She prefers Sanuks.
Allison pretty much only wears these yoga slings from Sanuk. Always. Everywhere. She has a couple other women’s Sanuks, too.
Sanuks are great. I wore them almost exclusively until about a year ago when I started my XeroShoes obsession. For the last year or so, I’ve only worn XeroShoes.
Why XeroShoes are the Best Travel Shoes
So, why do I say that XeroShoes are the best travel shoes? Well, for starters, they’re the most comfortable shoes I’ve found for all the walking you do when traveling with my foot and ankle issues.
Beyond that, they literally will roll up in a ball and take up no space in your luggage.
I always take my Prios, Z-Trails, and Hanas on every trip we take. They take up no space and I always have a casual, yet dressy shoe, a sports shoe, and a sandal with me on every trip. No need for something fancy and BIG taking up a fourth of my travel backpack.
You do a LOT of walking when you travel. With XeroShoes, I have almost no pain and almost forget I’m even wearing shoes.
I do plan to get some of their other models, soon, too. I have their hiking boot that I love, but I also want their new hiking shoe, the TerraFlex.
Overall, they’re just a great shoe, no matter the style. XeroShoes does offer a no questions asked 1 year warranty and I’ve warrantied one pair. Super easy and they send you out a new pair before you’ve even sent the old ones back. They also offer a 5,000 mile sole warranty. You won’t wear these things out!
