What Shoes to Pack for a Summer Vacation

[ann]Product Details: Braided Slide Sandals | Sunglasses | Bag | Tory Burch Flip Flops | Adidas ‘Superstars’ | Color block Espadrille Flats | Cognac Platform Espadrilles | Yellow Gingham Dress | Blue Stripe Dress | Carry-on Bag | Lemon Espadrilles (pictured below) | Sam Edelman Heels (pictured below)[/ann]

Happy Friday!  Daniel and I are headed on a long weekend getaway to Charleston, South Carolina this morning and I am so excited to see the cute little town and explore a new place for a whole five days with my best friend.  I’m sure you have a trip planned this Summer like us, so today I wanted to share my tips for what shoes to pack for a Summer vacation.

As a proud over-packer, I am not one to save space in my suitcase when it comes to clothes and shoes and can count the number of times my suitcase hasn’t been over 50 pounds on one hand.  Poor Daniel is rearranging our bags every time we fly in the middle of the airport trying to disperse the extra six (or ten…oops!) pounds I overpacked.  Almost every time the extra weight is due to too many shoes, so while I was packing for this trip, I really thought about what I needed to bring and tried to consolidate.  I’m still bringing more pairs of shoes than we have days there, but hey, progress is progress 😉.

My number one tip for packing shoes for any vacation is to stick with neutral colors!  As long as your shoes are some shade of a neutral color, you will be able to mix and match them with most of the clothing in your suitcase.  Then, decide what types of shoes you need while you are there.  For every Summer vacation I pack at least one of each of these four types: sandals, sneakers, flats, and date night shoes.

Sandals

Is it really a Summer vacation if sandals don’t come along?  These are the easiest to pack because they are usually flat, and the shoes I wear most while we are at our destination.  My favorite type this summer are slide sandals, and specifically this pair.  And if you look close enough in these photos, you can see how much wear I get out of them!

Flip flops are also a must for any vacation and are the best for throwing on to go down to the pool and spa at the hotel.  These Tory Burch Miller flip flops are my all-time favorites, and I have them in three colors.  They are definitely an investment, but 100% worth it in my opinion.  Whenever I invest in a shoe like these, I alway buy them at Nordstrom.  They stand behind the products and help you insure that your investment stays nice.  There has been a few times that I have literally worn out some of my high-quality shoes, and their shoe department has had them repaired like new for me!

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Sneakers

In Charleston we are going to be doing a lot of walking around, exploring, and shopping.  Sneakers are an absolute must for me on every vacation because you are usually on your feet walking around all day.  And without them, you will be in serious pain by the middle of day one!  Take it from someone with experience 😉.  This trip I am bring these all-white Adidas because they go with everything!

I will never forget our first trip to New York when I didn’t bring comfortable walking shoes, thinking I would just “look cute” instead.  Let me tell you, comfortable trumps cute every day when you have 20 blisters on your feet.  And if we are headed somewhere tropical instead of a city, I still like to bring sneakers to hike in and explore different areas in where flip flops wouldn’t cut it.

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Flats

While I’m traveling, I don’t pack many things with a heel because of the sheer fact that we are typically walking a good amount.  Heels also take up a lot more room in my suitcase and require much more protection in packing.  I like to bring along a couple pairs of flat shoes that can go with dresses or jeans that aren’t just sandals or sneakers.

Right now I am on a huge espadrille kick, and I am bring this adorable lemon pair with me to Charleston!  I can’t wait to wear them because of how fun and Summery they are!  Make sure to size up in them, because they run a 1/2 size small.  I also am bringing these Tory Burch espadrilles that I wear non-stop (you can see them in this post).  They are my most comfortable pair and the leather makes them super easy to clean.

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Date Night Shoes

The one exception I make to bringing heels on vacation is a cute pair (or two!) for date night.  Daniel and I love exploring new restaurants in the cities we visit and always make a point to have a special dinner out on each trip.  During the summer months, my most worn date night shoe are these wedges and they are coming with us on this trip, too!

I also love these neutral Sam Edelman heels because they go with absolutely everything.  I own them in both this neutral suede as well as black, but since I wanted a more Summery feel to my outfits this trip, I am bringing the lighter neutral pair along.  Just a tip: Be sure to pack more delicate shoes like these in a dust bag (like you get with a handbag).  It keeps them from getting scuffed by the bottoms of your other shoes!

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I’m so excited to share the rest of our trip with you!  I will be recapping it on the blog in a couple weeks and sharing all the details of where we are staying, what we did, and where we ate, but for now be sure to follow along real-time over on Instagram, HERE!  Have a great weekend!

Thanks to Nordstrom for sponsoring this post.  As always, all opinions and selections are my own.

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