Update: In Search of the Perfect Travel Shoe

It’s been 2 years since my original post and would you believe the search is still ongoing!? It appears that it’s a hot topic in the media too. However, I think I’m a lot closer to the ultimate shoe than before. As an update, I’ve still been traveling primarily with my sneakers (my favorite daily driver is the Adidas Ultraboost Parley) as the main shoe that I wear around the airport, onto the plane, etc, and in my luggage I have also packed my Tory Burch Minnie and sometimes also pair of flip-flops or water shoes, depending on the destination. Given that I travel with a 19″ carry-on spinner only, I try never to have more than 3 pairs of shoes with me, and ideally only 2, including the one I’m wearing.

Last time around, one of my friends advised that I look into boots (or booties) instead. The advantages of boots seem to fulfill all of the criteria I was looking for in my original post:

• Looks cute, multi-purpose – can look good with jeans and dresses/skirts, appropriate for nice dinners
• You can wear any socks with them because they’ll be hidden, so you can wear nicely padded socks and not have to worry about no-show sock liners bunching up in the front of your shoe
• Comfortable – there are a number of boots out there that have sneaker-like soles, so it’s like you’re wearing sneakers
• Easy to clean and durable – the good brands are made of leather

However, the one downside of boots are they are usually bulky and/or somewhat heavy, and they’re usually not very breathable, especially if made of leather. They would be great for the winter, but maybe not so much for summer. I did find a number of boots I really liked, mostly from the Dansko brand. However, I have to admit I’ve never brought them with me traveling just because I didn’t think they could replace my Ultraboosts, and if I wasn’t going to wear them as the main shoe, then I didn’t want to wear my Ultraboosts AND have the Danskos in my luggage since they are so bulky. Maybe I’ll do a post on boots sometimes.

So…back to looking for that elusive lightweight and comfortable travel flat!

The contenders this time include (in the image from left to right, top, then bottom row):

• Rothy’s The Point ($145) – yes, again
• Muji Ballet Flats (around $30) – bought on a whim from a Muji in Thailand
• Tory Burch Minnie Travel Ballet Flat (around $150-200) – I realized I never actually reviewed this last time
• Toms Jutti Ballet Flat ($80) – recommended by random lady I met while waiting for our food at Yankee Pier in SFO
• Allbirds Tree Breezer Flats ($95) – bought on a whim after seeing an Instagram ad, they got me!
• Crocs Kadee Flats ($35) – I’ve actually had these for over 10 years and am surprised they are still being sold

Rothy’s The Point ($145)

What I liked:

• I didn’t before, but now I actually really like this style, the sharp point and the V-cut look particularly professional and elegant. Even Meghan Markle wears these, so it must be a pretty big deal. To be honest, it was seeing her wear them on her Australia tour that put these shoes back on the map for me again. Looking back on my previous post, I mostly liked them.
• As before, they are extremely lightweight
• Great colors to choose from
• Sole has great traction
• Would be easy to wash

What I did not like:

• The back of the shoe was actually pretty irritating, which is my usual complaint with many flats. In the picture above showing all the shoes, I had to place silicone inserts to raise my heel to minimize the irritation from the stiff back.
• Not only was the back irritating, the insole was as well. I think it was due to the texture and material of the fabric. It was also thin and not very cushioned. I didn’t realize this before, but once I started trying to wear these shoes outdoors and for hours, it became very apparent. Wearing socks didn’t help. I had to add more silicone inserts to cushion the bottoms of my feet against this material.
• I also tried custom Profoot insoles and it didn’t really help to make this shoe more comfortable, so eventually I realized I was trying too hard to make it work, as I have with previous shoes, buying all sorts of inserts, heel liners, etc. That’s just not ideal.
• I ended up filing a Citi Return Protection (since it was past the 30-day return period) and shipped them to Citi.

If, after reading this review, you still want to try it for yourself, here’s my referral link for $20 off.

Muji Ballet Flats (~$30)

What I liked:

• These shoes feel like a sock! They’re nice and stretchy, and the ankle doesn’t rub on any stiff and irritating materials, because the back is soft as well.
• Lightweight and breathable
• Rubber sole has pretty good traction
• Muji prices!

What I didn’t like:

• Unfortunately, the insole was very thin and non-cushioned. I replaced it with a Profoot insole, and it’s much better, though it sometimes causes my heel to slip out because maybe the it’s not able to get a good grip with the insole taking up more vertical height than the original.
• The front of the shoe is a bit too large and covers too much of the foot for my taste, but it’s a pretty minor quibble.

I mostly keep this one for walking around my building and short walks outside. Sorry, I can’t seem to find this shoe online to link you to it. They seem to only have sneakers on their US website right now.

Tory Burch Minnie Travel Ballet Flats ($150-200)

What I liked:

• Super comfortable, soft leather, heel does not rub
• Folds in half and fits in a travel pouch that it comes with, so I can carry it around in my purse during the day and do a quick switch
• Lightweight
• The shape, slightly rounded toe, the front is not too big overall
• Makes me look slightly more fashionable since I’m wearing an obvious and slightly obnoxious brand logo
• The insole is removable and replaceable

What I didn’t like:

• I don’t like that it’s made of leather; while it the leather used here is extremely comfortable, leather gets ripped and scratched easily, so it wears out faster.
• The insole was too thin and required replacing with a Profoot insole as well for more cushion

This has definitely been my go-to travel shoe for its portability, but it’s getting a bit of wear and tear despite not actually wearing it for long periods of time. This shoe was actually mentioned in this Vox article that also discussed Rothy’s, Allbirds, and Everlane.

They have it on Amazon but I’d probably recommend getting it from Nordstrom’s or directly on Tory Burch’s website if there’s an Amex Offer. 😉

Tom’s Jutti Flats ($80)

What I liked:

• Love love love the look – pointy toe and V-cut, but neither are too sharp and extreme
• After working the heel and flexing it back and forth, I’ve managed to soften it up enough to not scratch and irritate the back of my ankle too much

What I didn’t like:

• It’s not comfortable, but it’s not uncomfortable either. I’ve been able to walk for a couple hours in them on concrete sidewalks, but it’s not a wonderful sneaker-type feel. I’m actually surprised the backs of my ankles are not complaining too much since I feel like they’re always on the verge of complaining.
• The insoles are not removable, so I can’t replace them to improve the cushioning. Not much of an arch support either.
• Not a huge fan of suede, but didn’t really like the other options. I don’t like suede because it’s not very durable – it rubs off easily and shows wear and tear quickly. UPDATE 8/6: this happened even earlier than expected…after wearing these shoes for about 2 weeks, I’ve already found several missing patches of suede. They have a canvas version, but not in colors that I like.
• My feet are slightly wide and I had to break these in for a while because they’d press on my bones. But eventually I think they stretched enough.
• The bottoms of the shoes have this annoying slippery felt covering. I’ve tried taking sandpaper to it but I think it’s really just going to have to come off over time. Not a great shoe bottom in terms of traction.

Not amazingly comfortable, but I’ve been wearing it a lot trying to break it in and make it more comfortable, and it’s convenient to slip on and off. I’m going to keep them, but I don’t think I can recommend traveling with these. The lady who recommended them to me at SFO airport said she’s on her 4th pair and she exclusively travels with them as her only pair of shoes (and she has a little kid so you know she be running after him), so I guess they work for some people.

They have it on Amazon with Prime Wardrobe (try multiple colors/sizes before you buy), but you could also get it at DSW if you have rewards there or a number of other websites

Crocs Kadee Flats ($30)

What I like:

• These were actually my unicorn shoe 10 years ago. I still have them, because, well, Crocs never die lol. So number one thing here is durability.
• It’s amazingly comfortable, no irritation or rubbing
• Highly cushioned with that thick rubber sole
• Has a bit of arch support
• Easy to clean, just wash and scrub with water
• Super lightweight
• Not as ugly as other Crocs, and actually since then I’ve seen Crocs produce a number of cute shoes of various styles, all based on their Croslite material
• Can stand on my feet for days in these, and walk for miles/hours, and actually have. Back when I was working in clinics all day, these were a godsend.
• The price!
• They make great watershoes too.

What I didn’t like:

• They obviously look like Crocs
• Can’t wear socks with this style, it wouldn’t look appropriate. I always mention socks because I like wearing socks to absorb any sweat and keep the shoe clean so you can wear them day after day without starting to smell.

So I also still keep these around, but I don’t wear them as much anymore since I don’t really love the look.

Allbirds Tree Breezers ($95)

What I liked:

• HALLELUJAH!!! I think this is the ultimate travel shoe! It feels amazingly comfortable all around:
• The upper is a silky soft and smooth fabric (made of trees?) that wraps around the foot like a sock, but doesn’t press against any wider areas or bunions.
• The ankle DOES NOT RUB. In addition, it has a soft microfiber lining at the heel that feels oh-so-glorious on the ankle. It has a perfect fit/height that doesn’t fall off the heel.
• The insole is lined with wool and it’s super duper cushioned, just like a sneaker insole! It doesn’t have official arch support but I didn’t actually feel like I needed to add more support. YMMV.
• The bottom is rubber with great traction.
• Great build quality, I have no doubts it will be durable and be able to withstand scrapes that leather and suede cannot.
• Easy to clean (machine-washable, even the insole), and lightweight, breathable, flexible.

What I didn’t like:

• The color – fortunately, that’s an easy fix. I sent it back and a new color is on the way. They have a small selection of colors, and I’m sure there will be more in the near future.
• If we’re being really nitpicky, I think the shape could be made cuter, if they copied the Tom’s Jutti shape with the soft point and the V-cut, it’s absolutely be the holy grail of all flats.

I did notice the uncanny striking resemblance between this shoe and the Muji flats. They look almost exactly the same (and I bought the Muji flats almost 2 years ago). But even if they did copy the style, they delivered on the comfort and functionality.

Like I said, I sent this ugly (sorry, just to me) periwinkle color back and will get the navy blue one in exchange. Free exchanges and free shipping both ways. They have a great return policy of 30 days, even if you’ve worn the shoe outside. But I won’t be returning mine once I get it back. I do honestly think I could walk for 10+ hours in these, and they could actually completely replace sneakers as an all-around travel shoe. But it may be a while before I’m weaned off traveling with my sneakers. At least I know for sure that I can leave the hotel for a packed itinerary, with just these on my feet, and not have to bring extra shoes in my bag.

You can buy them from Allbirds.

UPDATE: Replacement color arrived

I returned the other color and got the Nikau Seashell color instead. I love it so much more! Indoors it actually looks like a heather gray, but in the sunlight, it has a bit of a lavender hue to it. I’m digging that. Moreover, due to the prominent band around the top, I think that makes the look more distinct such that it doesn’t look like it comes up so far up the front of my foot. Not sure if that makes sense, but my previous gripe about the shape doesn’t really apply quite as much. I still wish it had a V-cut and a more pointy toe though.

The insole is still amazing. Feels like a sneaker, without looking like one. I tried removing the insole and putting it in my Muji pair, and that makes that shoe amazing too. So if I just switch the insoles to whichever pair I want to wear, I now have two colors of an amazing shoe! Fortunately, Allbirds sells these insoles alone so I can put them in all my shoes and not wear one set out switching them between all my shoes…

LATE ADDITION: Tieks Greystone ($195)

In the last update of this post, I said I would try Tieks but I didn’t want to go for leather anymore since it gets beat up so easily, and in trying it briefly a year or two ago, I didn’t really find it to be much different from my Tory Burch leather flats. But I found out that Tieks has non-leather flats (their “Vegan Collection”), so I ordered a pair and tried it out! I picked Greystone for the color and material. Ordered in my usual size 7.

What I liked:

• Tieks has a billion colors and patterns to choose from!
• The sole is thick, you won’t feel individual rocks you walk over
• It’s foldable and packable, and comes with a nice silky elastic pouch
• The style is cute and I love the Tiffany blue soles

What I didn’t like:

• The insole is stitched in permanently, so you can’t just take it out and throw in a comfy Allbirds insole, for example. The Tory Burch insole is replaceable, by comparison.
• The insole is also very hard and does not have much cushioning at all to soften the impact, which is why I’d prefer to swap it out for a soft Allbirds insole. It doesn’t have any arch support at all, either.
• Size 7 was really tight on me, it started hurting everywhere (front pinching and back rubbing) after just 5 minutes of wearing them while sitting down
• I exchanged for a Size 8 (they only come in full sizes, another downside) and it fit much better, but the back still rubbed my ankle raw after less than 15 minutes. This is the most common issue I have with flats, and it is absolutely a dealbreaker. I decided it wasn’t worth keeping, especially at this price, and requested to return both pairs.

Future Testing

I have a few more shoes I wanted to buy and try:

• Hotters Jewel (these look super cute, with a sneaker sole, but I haven’t been able to buy it in a desirable color and size) — Update: I just ordered this in an ugly color, but wanted to try it for the feel! Will report back.
• Something from Cole Haan (I like that they often have sneaker soles, and I’ve tried a bunch in store, but haven’t loved any of the styles)
• Lucky Emmie Flats (these are hugely popular, but may be similar to my Tory Burch flats, and are also leather)
• Dansko Lina Bow Pump (I did try this briefly in-store before and really liked it – it is as comfortable as wearing a sneaker – but it’s probably a bit bulky/heavy for travel, and it’s leather)
• Lanvin Classic Ballet Flat (recommended by @jetsetnom, looks similar to Tieks/Lucky/Tory Burch, and it’s leather too, unfortunately)
• Any other suggestions?

But for now, I think Allbirds are the winner.