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Have we finally found the Best Walking Shoes for Travel? When it comes to shoes, a girl has high standards – especially when it comes to travel shoes.
You can’t just pick up any old pair of shoes – they have to pass rigorous tests to determine if they’re truly worthy of acting as crucial components of a vacation or backpacking adventure.
Best Walking Shoes for Travel
When Cushe Footwear hit me up about reviewing their Hellyer slip-on shoes I was stoked when I saw they’re line of travel shoes. I was really excited for the opportunity to get a little closer to finding that perfect shoe.
The second I received the package the most notable thing I felt was how light the shoes were. As I opened up the bag and felt the shoes I saw that their sole has a fabulously airy texture making them feathery light. They also have a nice classic, canvas style similar to the popular slip on shoes of the moment.
They seemed perfect.
Unfortunately, the size 7 I ordered fit my narrow 6.5 foot slightly too wide and long so when I saw the excited look on my mom’s face I knew she was the next best person to test them out
Read more about How to Choose the Best Shoes for Travel.
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This is a pic of me wearing the shoes
My mom’s verdict: She absolutely LOVES them. Despite her serious back problems, she’s found these shoes to be extremely comfortable for her and has worn them almost daily for the past 2 months. She even brought them as her walking shoes on our 5 day trip to Tulum.
My mom loves them, but do they pass the Travel Fashion Girl travel shoe test?
With a classic style, they can mix and match easily. They look just like Toms but with the addition of soft cushy padding and an almost Styrofoam-like sole.
Their slip on style makes them easy to wear and quickly get them on and off through airport security (and for temples I’d imagine) and their canvas material seems to be sturdy and holds up well.
The neutral color we received is great and doesn’t dirty as easily as I initially thought it would. My mom wore them to the Coba ruins on a rainy day so they got a bit muddy and still held up pretty well and didn’t look too bad once they dried.
These shoes are feather light and hardly weigh a thing. If you’re on a quest to pack light, heavy shoes are not ideal.
My mom finds them to provide adequate support which she really needs with her back problems. She didn’t experience much discomfort of after standing on her feet all day. Both her back and her feet felt good wearing these shoes.
Comfort is key when traveling – standing on your feet for long periods of time can make for a sour journey.
Travel Shoe Test Result
1. Support: good
2. Comfort: excellent
3. Weight: ultra-light
4. Durability: sturdy tentative
5. Functionality: versatile
6. Style: classic
All in all these shoes get shining stars!
The main thing I still need to verify is how well they’d hold up on a long term trip where you’d be continually walking every day for months at a time – you’ll have to tune back in for an update in a few months. So far, my mom’s had them for two months and they’re her go-to shoes that she wears every day.
I suppose at this point the biggest drawback is that they don’t come in half sizes! I’m a 6.5.
TFG recommends :
These shoes are best for trips that require casual walking shoes that are comfortable and basic. I wouldn’t recommend going hiking with them as they don’t provide ankle support but they’re perfect for walking through cities, villages, and towns.
I’m not sure if I can say that these are the best walking shoes for travel…but they come pretty damn close!
About the Hellyer Slipper by Cushe:
- Colors: 9 colors/prints
- Sizes: 5-11 whole sizes only
- Upper material: Premium canvas textile upper.
- Lining: Breathable canvas lining.
- In-Sock: Microfiber.
- Outsole: Moulded EVA with manuka honeycomb grip.
- To buy: Amazon.com
or Cushe.com
Love the reviews here! It’s so hard to find a good walking shoe that will also dress up on a trip!
Thanks Fara 🙂
I just got back from two weeks in Italy. Remember all the streets and sidewalks are really uneven and bumpy. None are smooth. Not like here. Be sure to wear well supported and super comfortable shoes.
Great tip! Hope you had a good trip Susan 🙂
Hi!! Great post, I’m travelling to Venice, Tuscany and Rome next april and i’m searching for shoes that are comfortable for walking but also pretty, I really like these ones, would you recommend them for cool wheater? It will be spring and the temperature is between 10 and 20°C…. Thanks in advance!
Hi Caroline! This is a conversation we had on Facebook about shoes for Europe with great suggestions 🙂
travel fashion girls I know you love talking about shoes, so help a girl out:
Travel Fashion help: Going to Rome on friday for one week. I want to be fashionable, and yet i know we will walk a lot! How do i combine comfort and style? Are Danskos totally out?
Got any ideas to share?
412Like · · Share
Never Leave Here, Lila Rygza and 2 others like this.
Celina Wei Boat shoes are my no1 choice for travel.
March 6 at 7:10am · Unlike · 2
Turnipseed Travel I think a very “rome” look would be a pair of plain, sturdy, comfortable – yet beautiful – ballet flats. I have heard everyone rave about Tieks but haven’t tried them out myself. I think a little black dress or black trousers w a wrap style blouse with a pair of bright colored ballet flats would be very chic and striking. A pop of unexpected color will keep you from feeling too dull. An overall neutral color (dove grey, black, chocolate brown – or cream, if you live on the edge when you eat your pasta!) would fit in nicely in Rome.
March 6 at 7:11am · Unlike · 5
Sabrina Royle Tieks all the way!
March 6 at 8:12am · Unlike · 1
Migdalia Camacho Denike What do you think about boots?
March 6 at 8:21am · Unlike · 1
Kath Fryia classy coloured driving mocs
March 6 at 8:44am · Unlike · 1
RTWgirl.com Personally I’d say no to Dansko. Do you need your feet to be covered?? Gizehs or Madrid by Birkenstock are a bit more stylish with great colours or if you want to go to the clog route, try Swedish Hasbeens!! I’m a sneaker type girl and was lucky to be sent over some Converse. If I were to go somewhere now and do a ton of walking I’d wear some Nike Flyknits!!!
March 6 at 9:34am · Unlike · 1
Jenna Francisco My experience with shoes and even with shoes in Italy last year: they need to be damned comfortable! I took boots that are usually comfy but even those were pinching after all the walking. Merrells and Crocs (they have cute Mary Jane styles now) are my absolute faves for the combo of sorta stylish and very comfortable. The Merrells I have don’t look bad at all. I wore them in Italy. Also, Converse are terrible for comfort.
March 6 at 10:06am · Unlike · 2
Travel Fashion Girl What awesome tips ladies! You rock I think you’ve done a great job of helping out your fellow travelers with fashionably stylish shoes!
March 6 at 12:07pm · Like · 1
Cherie Shepherdson Ankle boots and ballet flats for sure. Just add some insoles if they’re not comfy enough
March 6 at 12:11pm via mobile · Unlike · 1
Clover Beal Thanks all! It’s supposed to be rainy and getting chilly. Did I mention that we leave this Friday?
March 6 at 12:35pm via mobile · Unlike · 1
Caroline Hardy Converse! Danskos are indeed completely out! Even so Birkenstock turned out to be very fashionable last summer in France…
March 6 at 1:57pm · Unlike · 1
Flashpacker Family If you need something semi-fancy, wedges are the best for cobblestone streets in Europe.
March 7 at 1:02pm · Unlike · 1
Were these shoes slippery on wet surfaces at all?
I am going to London,and parts of Europe where it will be wet at times, and
I don’t want to fall! Thnx
My mom says that she doesn’t find the shoes to be slippery but I suppose the best way to guarantee your footwear is rainproof would be to buy specialty footwear with a strong grip made for uneven surfaces. Hope this helps!
The cusche website only delivers to the US 🙁 I would love to get my hands on a pair of these and Amazon charges $20USD for postage to Europe *double sad face*
I think they’re from the UK so I’m pretty sure they should have a Europe site? Double check because paying double for import duty tax from the US is never any fun 🙁
Hi Liz
I’ve just had a quick look online and it looks like a few places stock them in the UK – I’ve used Surfdome before and they’re pretty good. No super high postage required 🙂
that’s awesome! those import taxes are STEEP, i ordered a pair of boots from Modcloth to the UK and the taxes cost me almost as much as the boots!
They come in size 11 for those of us with giant feet!
Lots of color choices!
They are 50 bucks!
I love my tieks but these might become my “casual” travel shoe. Thanks for reviewing them.
Hi Laura! Yeah these are pretty impressive shoes. I’m bummed they don’t have my shoe size 🙁