Packable, walkable, comfortable—three keywords to bookmark when shopping for a travel sandal, though finding all of them in one pair can be a journey of its own. You may find that your comfiest sandals are a bit too bulky for a weekend bag, or that those slim flip-flops that slide so easily into a duffel pocket have a devastating lack of arch support. We did the footwork, searching high and low for the goldilocks of summer travel sandals that don’t sacrifice style for comfort (or vice versa).
After all, vacation packing goes beyond sheer practicality; you’ve probably been mood-boarding a capsule wardrobe perfectly fit for the destination on the other end of your plane ticket for months. We’ve got you covered there too. From sporty sandals fit for grand mountain landscapes, to colorful, beachy flip-flops and chic woven sandals for city touring, these travel shoes mix and match flawlessly with every outfit you have packed.
Ahead, 24 perfect pairs of travel sandals for whatever adventure awaits—march on to find the right style for your itinerary.
Sport Mode
For the ultimate practical travel sandal, sporty is the way to go. These picks are engineered for movement and comfort—but they’re also right on trend (even Miu Miu and Celine have gotten in on the gorpcore look). Xero’s collab with J.Crew combines a packable slim profile with preppy colorways.
The ultimate choice for an itinerary involving multiple hours of sight-seeing and gallery-hopping. A molded footbed provides the arch support and padding you need to maintain all-day comfort, while chic uppers—like woven leather from A.Emery, or suede straps from St. Agni and Birkenstock—won’t get in the way of your holiday wardrobe.
Sun, surf, and sand calls for a pair of sandals that slip on and off easily—you’ll be mostly barefoot, anyway. From Ancient Greek Sandals to Christopher Esber, these foam footbeds and jelly straps can handle sandy shores and poolside splashes, while being some of the easiest shoes to pack up.
Headed somewhere with beautiful (albeit hilly) cobblestoned streets? Look for something with a little more stability. These styles feature a thicker strap that’s wrapped around the heel—no sliding here. Khaite’s Boden sandal can even unsnap to lie completely flat, so it takes up less space in your suitcase.
We love a slim sandal as much as anyone, but it just won’t cut it when it comes to hours of wear. Up the comfort factor with a platform: A thicker foam footbed provides much more padding and keeps you a little lifted from sticky summer streets. (Good news: Our beloved Havaianas come in a platform silhouette, too.)
If having your toes out at the airport isn’t your style but you still need a sandal to suit warm-weather travel, the fisherman sandal is your best friend. This shoe is designed to be worn to long, sunny lunches along some Mediterranean coastline; plus, the closed toe offers more security and stability.
