Best Sandals for Travel - 8 Comfortable & Stylish Options
What are the best sandals for travel?
When it comes to holidays, picking the best sandals for travel seems to be the last thing on our minds. Too focused on packing, not overpacking, planning out the activities you want to undertake...
The sandals you pack should be one of your top priorities. There are many factors to consider when picking the pair you should bring - What am I going to be doing? How long am I going for? What type of support do I really need? - If you’re going somewhere with lots of beaches like Big Sur, for example, you may want to invest in a good, waterproof pair of sandals, while if you're often hiking in places like Yosemite you may want to choose sandals with good grip.
We have put together this list of the 8 best sandals for travel to ensure you can find a pair, no matter what your needs are. By the end of this list, you’ll be practically running to get on the next flight to Bali.
The 8 best sandals for travel:
Teva Men's M Hurricane XLT2 Sport Sandal
Teva Women's Original Universal Sandal
Merrell Men's J65243 Water Shoes
KEEN Men's Newport H2 Sandal
Dockers Men’s Newpage Sporty Outdoor Sandal Shoe
ECCO Women's Yucatan Outdoor Offroad Hiking sandal
Northside Women’s Burke II Sport Athletic Sandal
Merrell Women's Terran Lattice II Sandal
The Best Sandals for Travel: Reviewed
Teva Men’s M Hurricane Xlt2 Sport Sandal
The first sandal mentioned in our list just so happens to fit our hypothetical Bali holiday perfectly-- these Teva Men’s M Hurricane Xlt2 Sport Sandals are perfect for those beachy days, with polyester described as being ‘water ready’, they are great for playing on the sand, or in the sea, and are quick to dry if they do get wet.
The cushioning in the footbed is made of foam, which provides all-day comfort and support, allowing you to properly explore your destination and get the most out of your holiday.
The heel strap is padded, ensuring that you won’t end up with any friction blisters, and the sole has been modified to provide even better traction than previous models-- don’t be afraid to get out there and climb those rocks! These sandals are built to be taken on hikes, with tough exterior and superior comfort, you won’t want to be caught wearing anything else.
Teva Women’s Original Universal Sandal
Sometimes, you just want to get away from wearing sneakers, but you’re unsure if a pair of sandals will ever live up to the expectations. These Teva Women’s Original Universal Sandals are among the best sandals for travel - they will not only change your mind, but blow your mind. When they say universal, they mean universal.
Camping, general walking, amusement parks, beach days, there isn’t a travel activity these sandals won’t be able to cover. They provide great support and comfort through the use of an Eva foam footbed, spending 10 hours walking will feel like an absolute breeze.
Want to get your feet wet, but you’re worried about ending up with soggy sneakers? These sandals are great to use in the water, they are lightweight and making walking across slippery or rough surfaces, such as wet rocks, like a walk in the park. The polyester webbing ensures the sandals are quick to dry when they do get wet.
Best sandals for travel?
Merrell Men's J65243 Water Shoes
A hiking holiday is the perfect opportunity to get yourself a great pair of sandals. You look up your path, and notice there are MANY creeks and other wetlands you need to cross, what shoes do you wear?
The Merrell Men’s J65243 Water Shoes are here to save the day, and your feet. These shoes attack the terrain, the waxy leather upper shedding water easily, allowing you to travel through small bouts of water without the worry that comes with wearing traditional sneakers.
Still providing top protection, with drainage holes scattered around the shoe, you won’t be stuck with any soggy fabric weighing you down on your hike. The soles give a great amount of traction, no need to worry about stepping over slick rocks or sliding on any riverbeds. They’re quite easy to clean and dry, and if you find yourself consistently wading through mud, you can even throw them in the washing machine.
KEEN Men's Newport H2 Sandal
If you’re an avid traveler who prefers to pack light - say, you have many hikes planned across a span of a few days, and can’t bring much more than the necessities - The Keen’s Men’s Newport H2 Sandals are probably the best sandals for travel you can choose. Even though they are lighter than previous versions of the Keen’s sandals, they don’t skimp on any of the quality. The covered design gives excellent toe protection, ensuring you don’t end up with any bare stubbed toes, like you may receive with the open-toed ones on this list.
The multi-directional pattern on the sole gives increased traction, which should lead to less slips and falls on tough terrain. The polyester webbing is washable, allowing you to throw them in the washing machine if they get a bit too dirty. The fabric is equipped with Cleansport NXT, which provides natural odor control.
Dockers Men’s Newpage Sporty Outdoor Sandal Shoe
Let's say you’re just looking for a sandal that can keep up when you’re exploring new cities. If you aren’t really looking for something that has all the bells and whistles of a hiking sandal, the Dockers Men’s Newpage may be the best sandals for travel for you. Comfort being a main priority, the insoles are made of memory foam that instantly shapes to fit your foot, which leaves pretty much no need to ‘break in’ these sandals.
The velcro straps help to provide a more relaxed fit, allowing you to loosen or tighten how the shoe sits on your foot with ease. These quite easily can be used as a comfort shoe, or even as the shoes you choose to wear every day, depending on your preferences. You will be walking for hours before the possibility of stopping crosses your mind if you pick up a pair of these sandals.
Best sandals for travel and hiking
ECCO Women's Yucatan outdoor offroad hiking sandal
Finding a dynamic hiking sandal to fit your needs can be hard, but the ECCO Women’s Yucatan outdoor offroad hiking sandals could not be any more perfect for the job. The design hugs the foot without causing irritation, and provides an excellent amount of support, even when climbing rocky trails or getting stuck on rough terrain. The tread pattern has been specifically designed to provide comfort, as well as give traction.
These sandals come in a variety of colors, including a floral pattern, which means you don’t have to settle for some rugged looking shoes if you don’t want to - everyone likes a bit of style with their comfort every now and again. Adjustable straps help you customize your comfort with ease, and then you’re ready to hit the trails!
Northside Women’s Burke II Sport Athletic Sandal
An affordable option when it comes to high quality, waterproof travel sandals, the Northside Women’s Burke II Sport Athletic Sandal does not skimp on quality for its low price. The neoprene and mesh upper provides the breathability you need, allowing air to flow through the shoe, keeping the feet cool and not trapping in sweat. The toe arch is described as being ‘abrasion resistant’, meaning you are less likely to end up with blisters after wearing these sandals for a long period of time.
The EVA insole provides cushioned comfort for those extra long walks, or day tours, and the shoe is even equipped with a toe bumper-- which prevents you from stubbing and hurting your toe on rocks, or while bike riding. The shoe is also completely waterproof, and easy to dry, making the Burke II some of the women's best sandals for travel.
Merrell Women's Terran Lattice II Sandal
The Merrell Women’s Terran Lattice II Sandal is an ultra lightweight, ultra comfortable walking shoe, that provides all the quality of a typical supportive sandal, without being chunky or unwearable. The thin straps and variety of colors ensure these sandals have a ‘low profile’, nobody is going to know that those dress-y sandals are actually providing you with the most amazing comfort, and arch support.
These are extremely easy just to slip on, adjust the heel strap, and get going, no need to worry about any clunky buttles or other velcro straps. There is absolutely no breaking in time needed for these sandals, just strap in and go. They make for the perfect travel shoe, as they can really fit in anywhere.
So, what are the best sandals for travel?
So, what are the best sandals for travel?
Even narrowing this list down to just the 8 best sandals for travel was hard, as there are so many different kinds and types. You must consider your trip, the activities you plan to wear them for, and what exactly they should be doing to benefit you. Will they be used as a one off shoe, for specific activity? Or will they become the sandals that you wear on a daily basis? These are all things you should consider when deciding what the best sandals for travel are.
Throughout this article we have been able to provide you with a variety of options, based on different price brackets, uses, materials and overall reliability of the brands. From this list, hopefully you will be able to pick up a pair of sandals that will adequately suit your needs, without having to spend hours and hours browsing.
Picking a holiday is easy, but deciding what necessities you need to bring can be hard. Be sure to check back with us for updates on the most recent travel gear and technology.