The Best Vionic Travel Shoes for 20,000-Step Days

Ballet flats, flip-flops and your comfiest-looking sneakers might be the three pairs letting you down on holiday. Here's what two orthopaedic surgeons say to pack instead, and the Vionic styles that do the job.

Ben Parnham Senior Copywriter at The Comfort Co, the team behind Vionic in Australia. He manages a back injury from 2014 with the alignment and daily movement that comfort shoes make possible.

We've all done it. You pack the shoes that feel lovely around the house, then spend day two of your trip hunting for a pharmacy that sells blister plasters. Home comfort and 20,000-step comfort are two very different things.

The best shoes for travel are the ones that make it through a big sightseeing day, and they share three things: a heel that stays put, support you can feel under the arch, and a sole that doesn't twist or fold when you wring it. Two orthopaedic surgeons, Dr Stephanie Avner of The Centers for Advanced Orthopaedics and Dr Natasha Trentacosta of Cedars-Sinai, made exactly that case to Travel + Leisure in September 2026, and Dr Avner named two Vionic styles as the pairs to pack instead: the Willa 2.0 Loafer and the Walk Max Wanderer Sandal.¹

Below are the five swaps they recommend, with a Vionic pick for each one. Everyone has a different travel style. If you're not a big walker, these swaps still apply to airport days, cruise excursions and that one long museum day every trip has, and even making sure you're as comfortable as you can be poolside (and have the option to go explore if you get the urge midway through your holiday).

Five travel shoe swaps, and what to pack instead

The surgeons weren't telling anyone to live in running shoes for a fortnight. Dr Avner pointed out there are "more supportive versions of almost every style".¹ That's the idea behind every swap here: keep the look you like, lose the version that gives up by lunch.

Flimsy ballet flats for a cushioned loafer

A lot of ballet flats are little more than a thin sole and a pretty upper, with almost no shock absorption. For a dressier option, Dr Avner looks for a cushioned or removable insole, a rubber outsole, room for your toes and a secure fit, and the Willa 2.0 was one of the two loafers she named.¹

The surgeon's pick

Willa 2.0 Loafer

Our top-selling slip-on loafer, updated with a flexible, cushioned rubber outsole, so it handles footpaths and station platforms as well as dinner. Vio Motion underfoot, a removable footbed, a 1.5cm heel and the APMA Seal.

Shop the Willa 2.0

The packable one

Uptown Loafer

Deconstructed so it folds flat in your case, with a buttery unlined upper and a light, flexible sole. Travel + Leisure's writer walked all over Paris in a pair.⁵ Comfort-tested by Heeluxe, with the APMA Seal.

Shop the Uptown

Not ready to give up the ballet flat? Not every flat is flimsy. The Klara Ballet Flat comes with two removable insoles, so it's a flat with the support built back in. Browse the full ballet flat range.

Flip-flops and slides for a sandal that holds your heel

Save the flip-flops for the pool. With nothing securing your heel, your toes grip to keep the sandal on, and that gets tiring fast over a long afternoon. University of Salford researchers found a standard flip-flop changed how the ankle moves and how the foot is loaded compared with walking barefoot, while a sandal with a thicker, shaped midsole softened impact forces.² Look for a heel or ankle strap, a contoured footbed and a broad, stable sole.

The surgeon's pick

Walk Max Wanderer Sandal

A proper walking sandal. Adjustable hook-and-loop straps, dual-density support and Super Critical Foam, our lightest nitrogen-infused midsole, over a rubber outsole with real grip. Heeluxe comfort-tested, with the APMA Seal.

Shop the Wanderer

The one for lunch too

Reese Back Strap Sandal

Hook-and-loop straps across the foot and a strap behind the heel keep you sitting on the arch all day. Dressier than the Wanderer, so it goes from the markets to a long lunch, and it comes in a wide (D) width.

Shop the Reese

For more options, we've rounded up the best sandals for a supported summer.

Flat thongs for a toe post with support built in

The surgeons said to save flip-flops for the pool, and we agree. If your holiday is mostly sun lounger, a good book and the odd swim, you still don't have to settle for a flat slab of foam underfoot. A Vionic toe post keeps that easy slip-on feel with the arch support built into the footbed, so the wander to lunch or a spur-of-the-moment trip to the markets is covered too.

The poolside pair

Bella Toe Post Sandal

A thong sandal with Vio Motion built in, a microfibre-covered footbed and a light, flexible EVA midsole, over a rubber sole with a patterned tread for grip around the pool. It carries the APMA Seal, and the woven straps dress up nicely for a sunset drink.

Shop the Bella

The more affordable option

Islander Toe Post Sandal

A soft woven toe post and a foam-lined strap on the same Vio Motion footbed, over a durable patterned tread. The easy pick if you want a supported poolside sandal for less.

Shop the Islander

Too-soft sneakers for a stable one

The squishiest sneaker in the shop isn't automatically the best one for a big day on foot. "More cushioning does not automatically mean more support," says Dr Avner.¹ She'd rather see a broad base, good traction and a heel that doesn't slip, and Dr Trentacosta suggests checking whether a shoe twists or folds too easily.

For the biggest days

Walk Max Lace-Up Sneaker

Cushioned and stable, which is exactly the balance the surgeons are after. A thick walking sole gives you a broad, substantial base, the laces lock your heel in, and Vio Motion adds structure under every step.

Shop the Walk Max

Walking shoe, city looks

City Walk Casual Sneaker

Built like a walking shoe, styled for jeans. First Ray Technology helps the forefoot stay stable as it flexes, over a light EVA midsole and a removable footbed. It comes in a wide (D) width only, which is great news if your feet like room.

Shop the City Walk

Style-first fashion sneakers for supportive lifestyle ones

Some fashion sneakers are really dress shoes with a sneaker outline. The checklist is the same one Dr Avner gave for loafers (a cushioned or removable insole, a rubber outsole and room for your toes), and Dr Trentacosta adds that the shoe should bend at the ball of the foot without folding in half.¹ The City Walk above earns a spot here too (Travel + Leisure listed it in this exact category), and for a clean white lace-up or an easy slip-on, pack the Winny or the Kearny.

The everyday white sneaker

Winny Sneaker

A classic white leather lace-up that dresses up or down, with Vio Motion built in, a rubber sole and a removable footbed. InStyle named the Winny one of its best packable shoes for summer travel.⁶

Shop the Winny

The airport-friendly slip-on

Kearny 2.0 Platform Slip-On

Off and back on in seconds at airport security, with Vio Motion built in and a leather upper. The footbed lifts out if you'd rather use your own orthotic, and the roughly 4.8cm platform adds a little height without a heel.

Shop the Kearny

Want more? Browse our casual sneakers and walking sneakers.

Everyday sneakers for a proper hiking shoe on rough ground

A week of beach walks and exploring a city is a very different trip to a week on uneven mountain tracks. For rough terrain, the surgeons want grip, a stable base and, depending on the trail, some structure around the ankle to help stop a roll.¹

Here's our honest answer: Vionic doesn't make a hiking shoe. Our Spencer Boot has hiking-style eyelets and a lugged sole, but it's a heeled fashion boot, so please don't take it up a mountain. For gravel paths, park trails and cobblestones, the Walk Max Lace-Up and Walk Max Wanderer will serve you well. For a real hike, pack a dedicated hiking shoe that fits properly, and keep your Vionics for the town days.

Which pairs to pack for your kind of trip

Most trips need two or three pairs, not six. Pick for the days you've actually got planned:

Heading to Europe? The Comfort Co's European summer packing guide covers the outfits to go with them.

The five-minute shoe check before you zip the case

Run every pair through this at home, not at the hotel:

1. Heel check. Walk up and down the stairs. If your heel lifts out or you're gripping with your toes, it stays home.
2. Twist check. Hold the heel and toe and wring the shoe gently. A little give is fine. If it twists like a tea towel, it won't steady you on uneven ground.
3. Bend check. It should bend at the ball of the foot, where your foot bends, not through the middle.
4. Toe check. Feet swell on long-haul flights and in hot weather. Try them on in the afternoon, with the socks you'll travel in, and make sure you can wriggle your toes.
5. Pain check. Pinching, rubbing or pressure are red flags. Dr Trentacosta doesn't recommend buying a painful shoe and hoping to break it in.¹

One nuance on that last point. A contoured arch can feel noticeable if you're coming from flat shoes, and that's different from pain. Our own product guidance suggests wearing new Vionics for a few hours a day for the first few days, with full comfort usually within one to two weeks.³ Buy your travel pair at least two weeks before you fly, and never wear a brand-new pair on day one.

Why the footbed matters on a 20,000-step day

Every pick above sits on Vio Motion, our podiatrist-designed footbed, developed in the Vionic Innovation Lab.⁴ It lines up neatly with what the surgeons asked for.

Many Vionic styles, including the Willa 2.0, Uptown, Walk Max Wanderer, City Walk and Winny, also carry the APMA Seal of Acceptance, awarded by the American Podiatric Medical Association to products its committee of podiatrists has reviewed as promoting foot health.⁷

What the travel press says

Vionic turns up in travel shoe roundups a lot. A few recent ones:

• Travel + Leisure (September 2026): the Willa 2.0 and Walk Max Wanderer were named by an orthopaedic surgeon as travel swaps, with the City Walk in the lifestyle sneaker edit.¹
• Travel + Leisure: a writer walked all over Paris in the Uptown Loafer.⁵
• InStyle: the Winny, one of the best packable shoes for summer travel.⁶
• AOL: the Walk Max, in a podiatrist-informed guide to the best shoes to wear while travelling.⁸

Travel shoe FAQs

What are the best shoes for travel?

The best shoes for travel hold your heel in place, support your arch and don't twist when you wring them. From the Vionic range, it depends on the trip. For long walking days, the Walk Max Lace-Up Sneaker or the City Walk Casual Sneaker. For a dressier shoe, the Willa 2.0 Loafer or the packable Uptown Loafer. For warm-weather walking, the Walk Max Wanderer Sandal. All of them are built on Vio Motion, with a contoured arch, a deep heel cup and cushioning.

Are loafers good for walking all day on holiday?

A supportive loafer can be. Orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeon Dr Stephanie Avner told Travel + Leisure to look for a cushioned or removable insole, a rubber outsole, plenty of toe room and a secure fit, and she named the Vionic Willa 2.0 Loafer as one dressier option for travellers.

Are flip-flops bad for walking on holiday?

Flip-flops are fine for the pool or the beach, but they don't secure your heel, so your foot works harder to keep them on over a long day. For sightseeing, choose a sandal with a heel or ankle strap, a contoured footbed and a broad, stable sole, such as the Walk Max Wanderer.

What shoes should I wear on a long-haul flight?

Wear a comfortable slip-on with a little give, because feet can swell on long flights, and make it your bulkiest pair so it doesn't take up room in your case. A soft, deconstructed loafer like the Uptown is easy to slip off and on at security.

How far ahead should I buy new shoes for a trip?

At least two weeks before you fly. A shoe that pinches or rubs is the wrong shoe, but a contoured footbed can take a few days to feel normal. Wear new Vionics for a few hours a day at first, with full comfort usually within one to two weeks.

Whatever the trip, pack for the days you've got planned, run the five-minute check and give your new pair a head start at home. Your feet will thank you by day three.