Think outside the rigid toe box

Stiff hiking boots provide ankle support to long walkers, like you'll be, but can horribly overheat feet on a European street in high summer. They take a looong time to break in, too -- think hot spots turning to blisters halfway through your trip. And toe-pinching fashion is not a good thing when it comes to wandering soles. Pick a pair of style-unconscious shoes that do the ahhh thing to aching arches, like Birkenstocks, or provide breathing room in wide toeboxes, like Tevas. Of-the-moment boots and almost anything with a real heel -- yeah, not so much.

I did some substantial European city walking on an EF Tours trip wearing waiter's favorites, Danskos, and my ankles were semi-sorry, and I've walked all around and outside of some world cities in soft hiking boots; I've climbed up and down pyramids and walked what felt like halfway across Mexico in the right flip flops, and I've deeply regretted hobbling around airports in brand new trainers. My best travel shoes advice? Check some choices, get what feels good well in advance and break 'em in pre-trip or suffer the blistery consequences: blisters can ruin a trip faster than you can ask for the Bandaids™.