13 Nov Travel Fashion: Tieks Review

I always have problems with finding the perfect pair of shoes for traveling, but I have finally found a pair that I have fallen in love with: Tieks! As with all my travel clothes, my requirements are versatility, comfort, easy to pack, and stylish, and these shoes fit perfectly into each and every category.

After hours of research on comfortable travel shoes that fit my requirements, I kept circling back to Tieks—they were just so cute, looked comfortable, and I’m a sucker for anything that packs into a tiny space. I had my eye on Tieks shoes for quite a while, and I’m so glad I finally have a pair. It took some time to decide on a color—I absolutely loved the olive green pair but ultimately, I wear a lot of black and neutral colors, so I decided on black, as they would go with most everything in my suitcase.

First things first, they do come with a higher price tag, starting out at $175, but I look at it as more of an investment. I would normally never spend that much on a pair of shoes—I like to save money for travel expenses and experiences, but after numerous unfortunate shoe experiences, I knew something had to change.

What are those unfortunate shoe experiences you might be wondering? Well, for starters, last year at the TBEX conference in Dublin, I wore out my adorable black Target flats in just one week. Another one of these events happened this past summer in Las Vegas—I wore my black Express flats our first night when walking on the strip, and ended up with 4 extremely painful blisters that I had to deal with during the upcoming adventurous week. These are just two of the many incidences, but needless to say, I have a thing for black flats, but apparently, they don’t have a mutual love for me. So, with a two-week trip to Greece coming up, I figured it was the perfect place to put my new shoes to the test.

How did they do? They actually did amazingly well, and let me tell you—I put these babies to the test. I came home from the trip without accumulating any blisters and besides needing to be cleaned up a bit, they are still in great condition! I packed three pairs of shoes for our trip to Greece: one pair of Toms, one pair of sandals and one pair of Tieks. Between these three pairs of shoes, I was equipped for every situation we would encounter—my TOMS are older and are perfect for light hiking, the sandals for if it’s hot, and the Tieks went with almost every outfit and could be dressed up or dressed down. I was smart enough to wear my TOMS for hiking the volcano in Santorini, but not quite smart enough to leave them at home for our hike the next day. I ended up wearing my Tieks for the 4-hour hike along the rim of the Santorini caldera, and even though they were comfortable the entire way and they stayed in great shape minus a coating of dust, I shouldn’t have worn them. I figured most of the hike would be on paved paths, but we encountered high winds, lots of dust and some rocky dirt paths—throughout the walk I just kept hoping I wouldn’t destroy my new adorable shoes. Thankfully, I didn’t. I also ended up wearing my Tieks during a couple of heavy rainstorms in Athens—the streets were flooding and I thought for sure my shoes were done. But, once again, they came out unscathed both times! After all of this torture on my poor shoes, I would say that I have found my new best friend…or umm, my new favorite pair of shoes.

Tieks are made from high quality, soft leather that is custom-made in Italy, and they have cushioned backs and instep to up the comfort level of the shoes. They are definitely made to last, and it shows in the level of craftsmanship and design. There are also vegan options if you don’t want to wear leather shoes—I love the new vegan Greystone style. One of my favorite features is that they fold up and fit into a tiny pouch, which is perfect for traveling or if you have to wear heels but want to switch to a comfortable pair of shoes later.

Another reason that I love these shoes is because the company has a foundation to empower women around the world as a means for social change. To help the fight against global poverty, they contribute to Kiva campaigns to assist women entrepreneurs. At this point, they have contributed over $1 million, and they are still going strong. Companies that donate to help better the world are always a win in my book, and it’s great to see companies that encourage women to become successful and self-sufficient.

Because of what the company stands for, and the comfort, durability and versatility of the Tieks, I am so happy to finally have a pair. I love them so much that I am seriously considering getting another pair—maybe this time in a bolder color choice!

Do you have a favorite pair of travel shoes? Share with us below!