The Best Women's Shoes to Wear to Travel compared

Made with natural materials and listed as machine washable, this everyday sneaker is aimed squarely at travelers who want to toss a shoe in the wash after days of city walking rather than pack a backup pair. The listing frames it as a casual, everyday shoe rather than a technical hiker, so it suits paved city streets and airport terminals more than rough trail. The trade-off is that washability and natural materials come before any stated waterproofing or rugged tread.

Part of Skechers' Go Walk line, this shoe is built around the walking-shoe category specifically, which makes it a reasonable pick for travelers who expect to log significant daily mileage on foot. It's a slip-on style per the line's usual design, useful for repeated security-line removal. As with any walking shoe, it's suited to pavement and indoor floors rather than technical terrain, and the listing doesn't claim waterproofing.

The 990 V6 is a long-running New Balance model sold here as a unisex adult casual shoe, which suits travelers who want one broadly compatible, non-technical sneaker for transit days, sightseeing, and casual outings alike. Its casual-shoe framing on the listing means it isn't positioned as a specialized hiking or waterproof shoe, so it's a generalist pick rather than one built for a specific trip type like rain or trail.

The 2.Zerogrand Stitchlite Oxford is styled as a lace-up oxford, which gives it more visual formality than a sneaker while (per Cole Haan's Stitchlite line generally) using a knit upper construction. That combination suits travelers who need one shoe that can pass in a business meeting or nicer restaurant but still walk city streets. It won't read as a hiking or all-terrain option, so it's best kept to paved, dry-weather travel days.

The Moab Speed 2 Mid Waterproof is explicitly listed as waterproof and built in a mid-cut hiking silhouette, making it the clear choice on this list for trips that mix cities with trails, wet weather, or uneven ground. The ankle-height cut offers more support than the low sneakers here. The trade-off is bulk and weight versus a slip-on flat or a low sneaker, plus it will look more outdoorsy than any of the dress-oriented options.

Rothy's Point II is a slip-on ballet flat with a pointed toe, cushioned insole, and machine-washable, recycled-material construction per the listing — a genuinely packable option that takes up little suitcase space and can be spot-cleaned or washed between wears. It suits travelers prioritizing a dressier, low-profile shoe for flights and evenings out. It is not built or marketed as a walking or hiking shoe, so heavy mileage days may call for one of the sneakers instead.

The Songfish 3-Eye is a classic leather boat shoe, a style historically built for wet decks and casual wear, which suits warm-weather or coastal travel where a sneaker feels too athletic. It reads more casual-preppy than sporty or dressy, filling a specific niche among these nine. It isn't positioned as a hiking or heavy-walking shoe, so it suits lighter sightseeing days rather than long treks.

Dansko's Professional Cabrio is a clog-style shoe from a brand long associated with standing-shift comfort in professional settings, listed here in black leather. For travel, that positions it toward trips involving long stretches on your feet — conventions, work travel, or extended museum days — rather than casual sightseeing style. Its clog silhouette is more distinctive and less versatile-looking than a sneaker or flat, which is worth weighing against its stated comfort focus.

The Midform Universal Wedge Sandal gives some lift via its wedge sole while keeping the strappy, breathable build of a Teva sandal, making it suited to warm-weather trips, beach towns, or destinations where an enclosed shoe feels like overkill. It's the only open sandal on this list, so it doesn't cover cold weather, rain, or rough trail — pack it as the warm-day option alongside one of the closed shoes above.