As you likely know, we will be leaving on our Luxury Round-the-World trip in just over two weeks and I have been STRUGGLING with finding shoes to bring along for the trip. If you’ve followed the blog closely or know me in real life, you’ll know that I refuse to check baggage and try to travel as light as possible. I do this for many reasons but one of the biggest ones is that I have had luggage lost in the past and it was a nightmare. Couple that with the type of travel we do (staying in cities for 1-5 nights at a time) makes reuniting with your luggage quite difficult.
One of my biggest challenges when traveling is shoes. Shoes generally take up a LOT of room in your luggage and if you move through a lot of different countries, climate can play a significant role in what you need. I’m trying to minimize the amount of space I have to dedicate to shoes so it’s one of the first places I look to try to save on space.
What I Want
Maybe I’m crazy and this is a shoe that only exists in fantasy but here’s what I am looking for in a shoe:
- Lightweight and breathable
- Able to dress up without being looking out of place at a nice restaurant
- Packs up small
- Comfortable enough to walk in for 5-10 kms a day
What I’ve Used Before
In the past, I have just accepted that I wouldn’t be going fine restaurants with the footwear that I packed so I was okay with just some sandals and sneakers. On our last mini-RTW trip, I had a pair of Sanuk sandals but the shoe that I used most often was the Merrell Bare Access 4. 
This is the second pair of Merrell’s that I have owned for the purposes of walking while traveling. I am legit in LOVE with the shoe because it is incredibly light, breathable and almost bulletproof, though truth be told, because of its lightweight design, your feet tend to get rather cold in winter climates.
While the shoe is fantastic and meets almost every criteria that I am looking for, it’s pretty easy to see how it wouldn’t dress up at all for a nice night out. So while this is my backup if I can find my mythical perfect shoe, I am still on the hunt for the perfect pair.
Am I Crazy?
Am I banging my head against a brick wall or is there a shoe out there that would make sense for what I need?
Please tell me … I’m going nuts trying to find the solution.
Just like I would stop you from trying to find a Singapore Suites redemption using Aeroplan because I know it’s an impossible task, please tell me if I’m out to lunch.
Or if this magical shoe does exist, PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD TELL ME WHAT IT IS!!!
