People want functional footwear more than ever when they travel– but that doesn’t mean you should have to sacrifice style for comfort. Fortunately, these super comfy walking shoe brands make excellent sandals, sneakers, active footwear, booties, and trendy little strappy numbers that are both attractive and supportive.
Below, we spotlight the best comfortable, stylish shoe brands for travel on the market today. Whether you’re looking to walk all day or party all night, they’ll leave your feet feeling ready for anything– and many of these styles can transition seamlessly between daytime adventures and a fancy dinner out.
Functional footwear, moreover, is a lifestyle now. Check out the below brands and see how they serve you on your next trip. I’ve found that when people finally stumble upon a travel shoe or sandal that they really love, they are fans for life.
Enjoy your trip!
***
Naot (Comfy Sandals That Feel Like Clouds)
Naot is an Israeli shoe brand known primarily for its chic, understated support sandals, which marry the casual airiness of a gladiator sandal with the support and refined lines of a much glitzier shoe style. Their wonderful “Kayla” sandals are a beloved staple among millennials and with good reason.
Ultimately, this is a great shoe brand for pronators and people with flat feet or low arches. Moms and active travelers especially love their sandals, as they also offer the perfect amount of breathability and support for pregnancy, childrearing, and simply being on your feet all day (as most of us are when traveling).
The heel strap ensures that you’ll never have to worry about slippage, and the sophisticated color palettes make it so that you can easily match one shoe to any outfit you own. Ultimately, the Kayla is the perfect travel sandal– full stop.
(Editor’s Note: When I’m traveling to a warm weather destination, the Kayla sandal is the only shoe I need to bring; it’s supportive enough to walk around in all day, and stylish enough to be dressed up for more formal events like a fancy dining experience. I’ve worn these sandals with Prada scarves and designer dresses, but also with spandex leggings and running T-shirts. They always fit the bill. 🙂 )
Also Related: Pair any Naot sandal with some non-toxic nail polish and your feet will look super fashionable on-the-go with minimal effort, every time. Meanwhile, your well-supported arches will enjoy the ride.
On Running (Beloved Swiss Activewear Sneakers)
This relatively-new-but-already-a-cult-favorite Swiss running shoe brand makes excellent active shoes for men and women. On Running‘s soft, trendy “Cloud” shoe is specifically designed for travel, as it is lightweight, cozy, breathable, and comes in a variety of cool colors.
The Cloud Hi Edge, meanwhile, is a great urban streetwear shoe with moderate cushioning and a 2 mm toe drop that makes it ideal for everyday wear and travel across mixed terrain. It’s a kind of funky style, so it’s very popular among hipsters and creative types (and a recent, high-profile collaboration with Zendaya via the Challengers movie has only boosted its nascent popularity).
They also have durable trail shoes and waterproof shoes in case you’ll be going off-roading.
Overall, this company is super biotech-y (true to Swiss stereotype!) so the shoes really perform and are super functional.
Intriguingly, all the uppers are made by hand– which is rare even in the wide landscape of running shoes on the market today. On Running’s website is quite sophisticated, too; so it’s a fairly immersive shopping experience once you land on a design you like.
Hoka (Crazy-Cushy Sneakers for Agile Movement)
We love Hoka‘s cushiony-thick soles for pounding sidewalk pavement and elevated trails, alike.
Whether you’re walking around a concrete jungle or hiking through Hawaiian terrain, these running shoes are great for all-over activewear, and they appeal to modern, dressed-down sensibilities.
Hoka’s shoes work well for walking, biking, doing fitness activities, or, ideally, transitioning seamlessly between all three at any given moment. Though Hoka began as a running shoe brand, its lifestyle shoe offerings have rapidly expanded in recent years thanks to the functional streetwear appeal.
This is a great shoe brand to consider if you plan to be active during your next vacation, and the variety of colors and textures make Hoka shoes easy to style for an athleisure look anytime. We love all the genres, but the Bondi and Clifton silhouettes and support are ideal for travel, specifically.
Clark’s (Reliable “Fancy”-Looking Shoes That Are Also Comfortable)
Great sandals and fashionable booties! Clark’s is known as the original functional footwear company in the U.S., and to this day they make of the best, most durable chunky sandals, wedges, and loafers for travel. If you want a shoe to wear to a dressed-up or professional event (that you can still wear out and about while exploring the city)– this is the sandal brand for you.
Clark’s Tuleah Sun leather sandals are a favorite “comfy sandal” for dressing up or down, while super casual support slippers like their Drift Petal slides can work double duty on any beach vacation.
Ultimately, the brand has been around for so long that most travelers can find any make and style of support shoe here to meet their needs– especially if you have time to sort through myriad styles to find exactly what you want from a style point of view. (Whether it’s a loafer, flat, sandal, or sneakers, they are bound to have it.)
Vionic (Orthopedic Shoes That Actually Look Nice)
Vionic is engineered by orthopedists to capture the need for super functional, super supportive shoes that don’t look like traditional clunky (i.e. ugly) orthopedic shoes. Their motto, “Feel Comfortable, Look Great” should be telling.
We love that they offer a dedicated travel shoe collection, which features everything from casual sneakers (the 23Walk 2.0 Sneakers are a wonderful walking shoe option for travel) to ballet flats (including a pair of supportive ballet flats that can be rolled up to fit in a tight suitcase). This is a shoe that you often need to try on before you know if it will work for you– but when it works for your foot, it works perfectly.
Just one caution here: if you like a more minimal amount of support, go with another brand. All Vionic shoes are supportive shoes.
Chaco (Best Waterproof Sandal for Outdoor Activities)
Chaco sandals are super dense and supportive– ideal for pronators or those who want a thick layer between themselves and, say, a rocky riverbed. Most importantly, they last forever and are virtually indestructible.
The women’s Z/2 Adjustable Strap Classic Sandal is a classic on-the-go sandal that comes in a wide variety of colors and styles.
We like this brand because you can wear these sandals to the beach or hiking, and can easily hose them off afterwards and they look brand new; the chunky silicone bottom is easy to clean and perfect for low-maintenance adventuring folks who occasionally like to get dirty during their travels. It’s the ultimate sandal for people who spend a lot of time outdoors crossing variable terrain.
Best of all, if they accumulate any mud or sand, you can just rinse them off while you’re still wearing them. (They dry in the sun super quickly.)
Veja (A Paris Original for Streetwear with Vegan Options)
Veja makes men’s and women’s sneakers that are wildly popular in Paris, London, New York, and increasingly other cities around the world– but they continue to operate like a small luxury brand even as the shoes gain visibility and recognition. As such, they only offer two styles: the running shoe and the ESPAR trainer, which is less grippy on the ground and ideal for streetwear.
This boutique Parisian brand first made a name for itself debuting original vegan rubber shoes almost a decade ago. Today, they make most of their shoes from organic cotton, recycled water bottles, and natural rubber in addition to leather. (They mix Brazilian and Peruvian organic cotton and recycled polyester for the canvas, and focus on sourcing Amazonion rubber for the soles.) They also continue to offer an entirely vegan trainer made from a rubber blend that functions as an alternative to leather.
As such, they’ve become a favorite among the environmentally-conscious fashion set, a group increasingly occupied by famous actresses, thought leaders, and influencers.
Veja sneakers, ultimately, are stylish but unassuming. If you’re looking for a discreetly fashionable sneaker with lasting power and a lower carbon footprint, Veja is a go-to. Shop the entire collection here.
Teva (Normcore Style, Timeless Functionality)
Teva is the OG functional sandal brand, with so many distinct colors and styles! What started as an ironic preppy college fixation with a younger generation has also been a staple in certain “crunchy” outdoorsy circles for generations.
The Original Universal Cotopaxi honors the nascent 80’s colors trend, with astrological designs like the patterned Original Universal Sun & Moon Insignia wink at astrology lovers.
With so many unique colors and strap patterns to choose from, Teva has a schema and a design for seemingly everyone– including, of course, those who just want a simple, solid color.
Teva, moreover, is the ultimate on-the-go shoe for water activities. The original sport sandal was actually designed in reaction to an experience in the Grand Canyon in 1984, when the founders strapped two velcro watchbands to a pair of old flip-flops to prevent the sandals from floating downstream.
This same hustle and resourcefulness now undergirds much of Teva’s brand ethos and functionality, to this day.
All Teva sandals are waterproof and come with an ankle band to ensure they never slip off. As of 2020, all of these straps are also going to be made from traceable, verifiably recycled plastic.
The idea here is that you can have the freedom to explore the Earth in these sandals without tapping too many of its precious, finite resources to make them. It’s a nice reminder as we travel this precious Earth to tread lightly– it’s the only one we’ve got, and it’s a magnificent place to explore.
***
Related articles: 5 Cool Eco-Friendly Comfy Clothes Companies that are perfect for travel.
Read our guide to The 9 Best Cruelty-Free, Non-Toxic Nail Polish Brands. (<— In case you want to spruce up your toes before wearing sandals!)
Leave a Reply