Author of My Adventure

YES!!!! I use to think that the specialty type of shoes you needed depended on only your destination. Now I’m finding for me personally I need to find shoes that fit my foot and my needs. I have a narrow heal, flat arch that was giving me knee pains by the time I was in my early 30s (which I had no idea the two were even related at the time) and then in my mid thirties I got planter fasciitis. The selections of shoes that helped me make it through the day and enjoying my adventures were dwindling down. So now in my 40s, I’m very picky on the type of shoes that will I’ll take traveling with me and I usually pack at least 4 to 5 different pairs and types.

I ended up getting orthotic inserts for my shoes from the Good Feet store and that defiantly helped. To help my knees, I found that Ghosts by Brooks were Amazing. I once again could hike or go on walking tours without any pain. Ghosts are a running shoe with a high- stacked cushion. I do still use my inserts with these tennis shoes. The shoes do run about $139 but I also wear them to work since I’m on my feet all day and my knee pain is gone. So that to me is worth the cost. The Guiderrails by Brooks have a similar feel and support. I also wear those on trips. Merrell makes a hiking shoe called Vibram that worked out well for my feet and worked out great at the parks in Utah. The Vibrams have help up quite well over the years too. These have a feel like there is a built insert so I do not use my orthotics in these shoes. I do recommend renting the the water shoes if you hike the Narrows at Zions because your shoes will get drenched and to me it was worth the money to rent the shoes.

When you go to the beach, you need sandals. I could not find a pair that I could wear that didn’t cause feet pain. Then when I was in Anna Maria, I over heard this lady say she has planter fasciitis and Oofos were the only sandals that she could wear. I had never heard of this brand before so I apologized for interrupting her conversation and I asked her a few questions about her feet and why she likes these types of sandals. After the conversation and having a hard lemonade, I decided to try the pair myself. At that store the shoes were around $80 but the sandals I was wearing were killing my feet. So on a whim, I bought a pair. Best decision ever! Now I buy a pair every summer and they are a must in my suitcase for trips. I did find out that you can buy Oofos on the Oofos’ website for $59.95 and up. I do not were any inserts with my Oofos… I don’t need to because I don’t have any pain when I wear them. The company does carry other types of shoes besides just sandals. I personally have not tried them. As far as other brands of sandals, I have two friends, Anne and Kathy that I travel with all over for girl trips, swear by their Chacos. One bought her pair in 2005 and will not travel with them. The other had to replace hers only because her puppy chewed the straps and she said she replaced them before she traveled on her next adventure. I now also travel with a back-up pair of sandals because on a trip, I broke my sandal… so a back up pair is a must for me especially on my beach destinations. I actually got the idea from my friend, Anne, who I was traveling with because she had a back up pair of sandals that I borrowed for the remainder of the trip.

Not all beaches are filled soft sandy shores, so I take along water shoes especially in I go into the water. I also wear these if I go kayaking or snorkeling so I don’t cut my feet on any rocks in the water. For water shoes I just found an pair at Dicks Sporting Goods and I wait till I get to my destination before I wear them.

Always pack a pair of dress shoes when you travel. With inserts, you can get foot cushions that you can velcro on to the shoe so you can still wear your inserts. I have found that Vionic dress shoes work well for me. Good thing they are made well because these poor shoes travel all over with me.

It is important to find the shoes that best fits your feet and your destination because you want to enjoy your adventures.