Packing Tips: How Many Shoes You Should Travel With

Traveling with one bag is something I have fallen in love with. As I have written in previous articles, one of the funnest parts of traveling this way is planning out what you actually want to take on your trip. Having the limited space of a travel backpack really forces you to think through what you will need for your trip and come up with some creative ways to take what you need. One of the hardest things to decide on with limited space (and if you are a shoe aficionado such as myself) is how many shoes you can take without sacrificing the flexibility of multiple styles of shoes  and, more importantly which types to bring with you. In this article I talk about the number and types of shoes that I have found to be perfect for the trips that I have taken so far. 

How Many Shoes 

Obviously different trips and individuals will have different needs (more on that below), but after all my one bag travels I have determined that my favorite number of shoes to travel with is.....3! 

So why three? As I have gone further into the one bag lifestyle I have found that I am not quite a super minimal packer, but I still want to be able to travel with just the one bag. So if you are really hardcore or it is a shorter trip, one pair of shoes might suffice. If you are still getting used to traveling with less and feel the need to take an additional carry on, then you may want a few more just for piece of mind. However, with three pairs (one that I wear during transit and two in my bag) I have always felt that I am prepared for pretty much any situation no matter where I go, not counting extreme situations such as visiting Antarctica. 

Types of Shoes I Travel With

• Chukka boots or some sort of dressier shoe (current favorite: Clarks Desert Boots)
• Casual sneakers (think Converse All Stars / Adidas Stan Smith) or running shoes (Nike Free RN)
• Versatile and lightweight slip on (if you have followed us in the past you know I LOVE to travel with TOMS)

​With these shoes I feel like there is almost no activity or location that I will not be ready for. 

Consider Your Destination and Activities

• During Travel: Do you want something that is easy to take on and off in airport security checkpoints? Do you need to save space in your bag? 
• Daytime: Will you be walking all day? Exploring in the jungle? Or laying by the beach all day? 
• Nighttime: Planning on dancing? Any super fancy restaurants or clubs that you want to hit? 

Where to Pack Them

• A tip you have very likely heard before, but make sure to wear your heaviest or bulkiest pair of shoes to save space and weight in your bag
• Whatever shoes you end up bringing I recommend placing in the bottom of your bag to form a sort of base to allow you arrange the rest of your stuff around

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