Help ladies! I am looking for ideas on shoes for my trip. Last year, I didn’t have proper shoes (apparently) and my feet and legs hurt so bad I was miserable. I ended up with plantar fasciitis from that trip. I have high arches and need something with good arch support. I prefer sandals. Can you all please help me by giving me suggestions? There are so many to choose from. Chacos, Teva, Vionic, etc. Thank you!!
My favorite shoes might end up being the worst for you, so here are some tips:
-Make sure to try them in store. I would even try them on the street and return them if they don’t work. Not all stores will take them back, but REI (sports store) will take back ANYTHING, even after wearing. I would check the store return policy.
-I would chose at least TWO pairs of comfy shoes to bring with you. I usually do three: walking sandals, hiking/running shoes and flip flops. It helps to move the pressure points around.
-My favorite sandals that do not hurt my feet are Teva and Ecco. I tried a few models of Keen and they were not comfy for me.
-I also have real hiking shoes that I wore all throughout Europe. That was awesome. But they are not always good for very warm Florida days. The brand is Salomon.
-I also always bring my flip flops. When I have some pressure points, it helps to relieve some of it. It is not great for standing up a long time, but it is a good break from shoes!
-Check for in-soles: they really helped to relieve pressure sometimes!
I have a lot of shoes. When I spend the day in the parks, I usually go for my Ecco sandals, Teva sandals or my Salomon hiking shoes.
I, too, have trouble with my arches, and I never, ever, wore sandels until I found SAS sandles. They are very soft and cushy under my feet and conform to the shape of my arches and then give the right support for me. I get the ones with adjustable straps around my instep and around my ankles, so they fit perfectly. I have now been wearing these for about 25 years, and
my feet do not hurt (I spent my childhood crying about how much my feet hurt) and I walk all over WDW, with not trouble with my feet or legs
I also recommend going to REI to try things out. But offhand for high arches I would go with a pair of Chacos, and a pair of Oofos flip flops, and alternate. The Chacos are more rigid and the Oofos are squishy.
You definitely want arch support. Chacos have really great support. I would also mix it up and wear different shoes, as already recommended. I have found I can wear different styles of sneakers (specifically, New Balance, Vejas, and Adidas) if I have inserts I got from my podiatrist. They are not custom orthotics, but they work better than the drugstore inserts. As long as I have those inserts, I don’t get plantar fasciitis. I’m still befuddled by this, and my podiatrist says they shouldn’t, but my Birkenstock Gizeh sandals seem to aggravate the issue. In fact, I think they are what started it.
I have Teva Verras, and love them for long days of pounding pavement. I have high arches, and these have good support. The soles are thick enough to cushion the foot. These have a strap around the ankle, so it stays on and moves with your foot. The X-strap across the toes is adjustable, which helps it fit my narrow foot. This is my third summer of wearing them most of the time.
See, and I love my Birkenstocks. I wouldn’t wear them to Disney anytime when it was hot, though…the leather straps tend to rub and cause a blister or a sore, at least. But I’d totally wear them in cooler months. I have high arches and find that since they mould to your feet they’re a good option for me. Make sure they’re well-broken in, though! New Birks are not something you should to wear to Disney World!
Here are tips from a pro
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My favorites are Birkenstock and Chacos
In an act of pure desperation on day 2 of my trip last October, I bought a pair of Mickey Crocs on Main Street, begged for a handful of band-aids and moleskin from First Aid, and gave up on socks and sneakers for the rest of the trip. I will never go back to wearing anything else at Disney. Usually I am a fashion-over-function girl when it comes to shoes, so Crocs were previously never even considered an option! But at Disney, Crocs are the only thing I have found that do not cause massive blistering. They literally saved my entire vacation.
My wife has issues with her feet a lot (heal pain, etc). So for trips, finding shoes/sandals for all-day walking is a challenge. But so far, what has worked for her well has been Skechers. Through the years, she’s tried several different “models” of Skechers, and they have been great. Here is an example (although this particular style she’s never owned…but ones like it):
There are plenty of similar styles/looks.
Regarding Birkenstocks…I, personally, have struggled to find comfortable sandals. After years of failures, I finally gave in and paid the big bucks and got some Birkenstocks. I gave them 6 months to “break in”. In the end, huge mistake. Hated them. It would have been a waste of money had my DS18 not happened to have the same size feet and took them. He likes them (more for the look than the comfort). So, clearly you either are or are not a Birkenstock person! Anyhow, I ultimately found “Reef” brand sandals, both in a thong style and a strap-on that are amazing. And I bought BOTH styles for about half the price of the Birkenstocks.
Sketchers with memory foam … break them in for a couple of months before your trip … best trainers I’ve ever owned with plenty of support
You should NEVER have to break in a pair of shoes. Ever. If you do, they aren’t the right shoe. They should be perfectly comfortable when you first get them.
I can’t speak to Skechers in this regard, but I’ve gotten shoes with memory foam, and ultimately now avoid it. The reason is that while memory foam in shoes is comfortable when you first put them on in the store, over time the foam compresses and then provides no on-going cushioning. If they have memory foam, make sure that isn’t in replacement of having a good firm foam that provides on-going cushioning. I believe the material Skechers uses in the soles is a nice quality, so the memory foam insole is really just a marketing thing to get you to love them in the store. 
I will say that Birks take a looooong time to break in properly. Depending on how often you wore them, six months might not have been long enough! I find mine the most comfy after about two summers’ worth of wear. I got a new pair last summer and they’re still not quite right. I mean, I’m still wearing them and they’re not hurting my feet or anything, but they’ll be perfect by next summer. 
I disagree with this. Shoes that have ongoing, good support, can take awhile. Anything that’s fantastically comfortable right away will likely not be comfortable in a year if you wear them a lot…
Or…I can buy a pair of Reefs that are comfortable immediately and wear them comfortably for two years.
I used to believe that. Then I started reading about how shoes should never need to be broken in to be comfortable from reputable sources. After that, I changed my buying habits and have never looked back. Turns out, “they” were so right. Ever since then, my feet have been much much happier.
I guess that since I live overseas where good quality anything is not so easy to come by I’m more likely to spend $100 or more on a pair of shoes if I know they’ll last for years and years. I don’t want to spend $30 on a pair of shoes that will fall apart after a year or two because then I’m left high and dry with no shoes and no options to find something that fits my “big” (9.5 or so) feet.
I guess I’m also of the opinion that if I can buy something that lasts twice as long for twice the price that I should do that. Same amount of $$ spent, less trash in the landfills.
Well, I don’t think shoes should be uncomfortable when you first buy them. I just think that shoes can get more comfortable as you wear them and break them in.
That may be true. My point was only that you shouldn’t count on that. They should be comfortable immediately. If they get MORE comfortable over time, so be it. Bonus!
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