Why Woven Flats Are a Traveler's Best Friend

There's a 95 percent chance Senior Editor Christine Sarkis is thinking about travel right now. Follow her on Instagram @postcartography and Twitter @ChristineSarkis.

Christine Sarkis is an SATW-award-winning journalist and executive editor at SmarterTravel. Her stories have also appeared on USA Today, Conde Nast Traveler, Huffington Post, and Business Insider. Her advice has been featured in dozens of print and online publications including The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, and People magazine. She has also shared travel tips on television and radio shows including Good Morning America, Marketplace, and Here & Now. Her work has been published in the anthologies Spain from a Backpack and The Best Women's Travel Writing 2008. She is currently working on a travel memoir.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: The Trtl Pillow. It's easy to pack and comfortable, and makes it so I can actually sleep on flights.

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: Seeing the Aurora Borealis from the comfort of somewhere warm, like a glass igloo or hot spring.

Travel Motto: Curiosity is an amazing compass.

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: Aisle all the way.

Email Christine Sarkis at editor@smartertravel.com.

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The shoe company Bernie Mev calls itself the “Master of Woven Footwear,” and after walking miles in the brand’s Bella Me Slip-On, and putting them through the rigors of travel, I agree.

Price and Where to Buy: $35 to $79 (depending on color) on Amazon.

How It Rates:

Usefulness: 10/10. These woven flats provide a comfortable but secure fit with a memory-foam footbed. Best of all for travelers, if your feet swell a bit from air travel, walking far more than you usually do, or heat, the woven uppers on these flats expand enough to keep the shoe comfortable. These are basically the “elastic-waistband pants” of shoes. And they manage to pull off this sort of comfort while still dressing up any look.
Value: 9/10. The current Amazon range of $35 to $79 puts these flats at the affordable end of the flats spectrum.
Portability: 9/10. They’re light, and because they’re woven, they can be compressed easily in a suitcase.
Durability: 9/10. These shoes stood up to weeks of testing without showing any wear. Bonus: the soles are no joke; they’re thick without being chunky, and offer great stability.
Cool Factor: 9/10. These flats pull together any outfit while still offering the sort of comfort that travelers need.

Final Verdict: The combination of forgiving, woven upper and memory-foam footbed make these flats ideal travel shoes.

Follow Christine Sarkis on Twitter @ChristineSarkis and Instagram @postcartography for more advice about making every vacation the best vacation.

Editor’s Note: Reviews are based on usefulness, portability, durability, value, and “cool factor.” Some review products are sent to us free of charge and with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions, positive and negative, and will never accept compensation to review a product. If you have any questions or comments concerning our reviews, or would like to suggest a product for review, please email us at editor@smartertravel.com.

(Photo: Amazon)

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