WHEN POSSIBLE, I prefer to not check a bag. Not a never, but when we’re jumping city to city, and from train to hundreds of stairs in Italy, let me tell you, less luggage = more joy!
I’ve done it with a week in Italy, four days in Paris, a long weekend in London where I somehow ended up at two dinners I didn’t plan for. The reason most people think they can’t do it IS THE FOOTWEAR. Because shoes are heavy, shoes are bulky, and most women pack seven pairs for a five day trip because they can’t commit to a system.
I’m going to give you the system I like to use.
The secret is not packing fewer shoes, it’s packing shoes that each cover more ground. You need three pairs that between them handle every single thing you’re going to do. And you need to know that before you pack, not after you’ve already thrown in the mules you wore once in 2023.
Full suggested euro summer packing list on TikTok… but here are the three categories of shoes we stand by:
Shoe 01: The workout-to-wear-all-day sneaker
This is your walking shoe, your museum shoe, your 18,000 steps before dinner shoe. The one that carries the trip. The one that *if* you decide to do a little workout in your hotel gym, she works. I fear it needs to look like you got dressed on purpose while also being so comfortable you forget you’re wearing it by noon. Two options depending on your personality.
If you want your sneaker to be theeee moment right now: the Saucony Ride 1 with the yellow sole. Sporty without reading athletic, which is exactly the euro summer energy.
Our next pick? the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 10. This is a reimagined 2009 archive shoe brought back with serious modern cushioning underneath that original mesh silhouette.
Wears with: the linen dress, the cool trouser for when things get slightly more serious, or a big button up with tiny shorts (a personal favourite).
Shoe 02: The sport sandal
This is your daytime shoe, your walking shoe, your cobblestone shoe, your I-just-got-off-a-boat shoe. The sport sandal is having a serious style moment right now and the key is finding one that doesn’t look like you’re about to do a hike. What you want is supportive, clean, and versatile enough to go from the market in the morning to a long lunch in the afternoon without a second thought.
Our go to right now? Naturalizer Fab sandal. Genuinely comfortable from hour one, not hour three when most sandals decide to become comfortable, and clean enough that it works with everything on my list. Linen pants? Yes. Trouser short? Obviously. The sundress to dinner that you just couldn’t manage the heeled flip flop with? Done.
Not a toes-out person? The Naturalizer jelly flat is the same answer with a closed toe. Slightly glossy, slightly unexpected, photographs beautifully on any surface. You get the comfort story and the style story without exposing a single toe (no free foot pics around here).
Wears with: the denim cutoffs, the linen sundress, the cool sporty short for a little high-low.
Shoe 03: The fun pair
This is the shoe that we JUSTTT manage to make room for (we can wear her on the plane!). The one that turns a simple outfit into an outfit. THIS is the shoe that makes everything else you packed feel like it was planned. Dinner, a wine bar, the slow walk back along the river when the sandals have done their job and you want to feel a little more put together.
Right now a PERFECT example of this shoe is the New Balance 1890A. Loafer-adjacent in the best way It’s different enough to make someone at the next table lean over to ask what you’re wearing, interesting enough to anchor a simple outfit, and comfortable enough to actually wear for an entire evening.
Wears with: the trouser short for dinner, the linen pant for the elevated evening, the cool trouser for when things get slightly more serious.