When in NYC this last week I learned many things about myself, my bff and fashion. Lesson 1: While ballet flats are uber stylish, they aren’t the best for pounding the Manhattan pavement for hours on end.

The Globe and Mail, Canada’s answer to The New York Times, recently recommended ballet flats as a comfortable alternative to high heels. My bff agreed until she pirouetted her toes to death in Manhattan.  Here are my top 3 comfortably stylish picks for those planning summer vacations to places like NYC or Paris where walking is defo in the cards.

Sandals

The key to comfortable shoes are ones that have heart and sole: structure on the inside and grip on the outside.

In order to remain on trend, you want to get sandals that are still cute, which means absolutely no Tevas, thank you very much.  The gladiator style continues to rock the streets, even in NYC, so try that style on for size.

I bought a pair of Timberland sandals to hike around Paris that still served me well two years later in NYC.  The left Timberland Women’s Kennebunk Braided Ankle Strap Sandal are super stylish and will defo keep your toes twinkling.

Fashionable Sneaks

These types of sneakers aren’t for running since they won’t provide the same level of support, but they certainly are far more comfortable than ballet flats.

When buying fashion sneaks, watch for natural linings like leather.  Leather is more breathable, whereas synthetic linings (often made from polyurethane (PU), a form of rubber) tend to get smelly after a while.

The right Puma Lanai Sneaker is casual enough to be worn with Lulu Lemon pants, but would look cute paired with a denim skirt, white tank and cardi as you walk around Central Park snapping pics of the Jackie Onassis Reservoir and Bethesda Fountain.

Comfy Flats

Finally, there are comfy flats that will keep you and your walking partner happy all day long.  Sadly, comfort can come at a cost but with these shoes you literally get what you pay for.

Camper shoes are designed by Europeans for Europeans.  Therefore, they are tried, tested and truly the best.   The styles can be quite “Euro”, so it might take time to fall head over heels for them, but you’ll get there!  The Casi Janis Mary Jane Campers are my fave with the blue strap and brown shoe.

Happy Summer Holidays Everyone!

Happy Sunday Faithful Readers.  I am heading to NYC for a vaycay so you won’t be hearing from me for a little while.  I’ll try to post some pics of NYC fashion or perhaps a celeb or two. Apparently our TriBeCa hotel is a celebrity hotbed! Talk to you soon!

Before I started frequent travel for work, flying on an airplane was a stressful experience.  If my mother was flying to Ireland (to visit my Nana) she would plan her “plane outfit” months in advance.

Never mind celebs who must impress the paparazzi, my family must impress Nana!  One year, my mum spent a small fortune on a safari style Simon Chang suit that she only ever wore on a flight to Belfast and sold at a consignment store the following year.

Nana expects that when you fly into Belfast you arrive fresh, well dressed and ready to be received by family and friends.  When the time came for me to travel to Belfast without my mother, I was well informed of the expectation.

There I was at the international gate, 17 years old, decked out in a Nana appropriate outfit: black Club Monaco skirt lined with silk, leopard print; black stockings; fitted red, sleeveless, cable knit Gap turtleneck with a black, t-shirt underneath; knee-high boots; and, coordinating red leather jacket.  No way was I going to “let the family down”, as my mother put it.

Nowadays when I travel for work, it’s a luxury to dress casually as opposed to formally.  Even though I comfortably rock my Lulu’s, hoody and sneakers (casual yet hip, of course), I am still pretty surprised at the state of some people on an airplane.  It doesn’t take much to make an effort and, if you are being received by family and friends on the other end, it’s not about you, it’s about respecting your relationships and putting in the effort.

I won’t mention the time when I was 20, fresh off an alcohol fueled, all-night club hopping fest in Edinburgh, Scotland to catching a 6am flight to Belfast (still half-pissed, okay totally pissed) and being met by my dear Nana in Belfast.  Suffice it to say, I am still living that one down.

Heed Nana’s advice when flying and think about who is meeting you at the other end of your transatlantic or cross-country journey and plan accordingly.  You never know, you might just get bumped to first class just for looking good!

On a recent snowbird trip to Mexico, I found myself thinking more like a tacky tourist and less like myself.  I observed beach vendors selling brightly coloured wrap dresses, hats, personalized rice grain pendants and friendship bracelets.

I realised when people head on sunny vacations in the middle of winter, the sun melts away any common sense.  Women parade in ill fitting bikinis, men sport women’s sundresses around the pool with a beer in hand (okay just one man, but still worth mentioning) but most of all, everyone simply relaxes and stops caring.  This is fine when confined to your resort, but when you head out shopping, you should always retain some sense of your life at home.

Consider if you would wear the item at home before dropping hard earned cash on tacky tourist hats and dresses. Think about summertime and invest in items you will wear again.  I ended up purchasing an oh-so-glamorous, wide-brimmed hat that I wore daily in Mexico and envision myself wearing to the beach at home.

My favourite purchase in Mexico, however, was a silver cuff bracelet (pictured below).  I splurged on the cuff as it was from a shop rather than a beach vendor.  I feel confident that the bracelet and hat are items I will wear again and, in doing so, avoided the sense of regret in wasting money on tacky tourist items rather than excursions off the resort.

Enjoy your vacation time and Viva Mexico!

Silver Cuff Bracelet from Mexico

If you travel a lot for work, you have probably developed some packing tricks.  Personally, my biggest trick is to bring some of the comforts of home with me.  Check out my packing tips:

Travel Drawer

Keep your passport, toiletry case, plug adapters, money belt, etc. all in one place. This is key if you travel often so you don’t waste valuable packing time searching for your passport.

Travel Toiletry Case

Not every hotel carries L’Occitane or Aveda products.  For this reason, I travel with mini duplicates of everything and keep this stowed in my travel drawer.  The only dupliates I don’t have are my make-up (which is already stored in a cosmetic bag in my bathroom) and pricey hair products. Yes, the mini sizes aren’t cost effective, but you can refill them with the products you already have. Ensure your toiletry bag is also waterproof to save spills from your clothes.

Ziplock Bags

The pressure in the luggage area of airplanes may cause your products to leak or explode.  Any product that doesn’t fit in your waterproof toiletry bag should be placed in a ziplock bag.  You don’t want that new white shirt for your meeting tomorrow morning to be smeared with hair straightening lotion.

Thin Robe

I recently purchased a damask patterned, polyester robe from Winners for $24 that I store in my suitcase. This way, when the hotel doesn’t provide a robe, I always have one that is wrinkle-free!

Thick, Cozy Socks

On the airplane when your feet get cold or when you want to walk around the hotel room and didn’t bring slippers, cozy socks are just what the doctor ordered!

Travel Hairdryer

Hotel hair dryers just aren’t powerful enough for me, therefore, I purchased a small, yet mighty, hairdryer.

Scented Candles

When it’s -26 in Ottawa, Canada and you can’t open the window to let fresh air in or you are on a romantic trip in Mexico with your partner, it’s nice to light a scented candle. I prefer traveling with soy or beeswax candles as they burn the longest.

Room Spray

For those well-meaning boyfriends who inadvertently smell up the open concept washroom in a small space.  Enough said.

Corkscrew

Sadly not all hotels are created equal and some won’t provide an in-room corkscrew for that bottle of wine you just picked up at Duty Free.  Now all you have to worry about are the wine glasses, but hotel mugs work in a pinch when you just can’t wait for In-Room Dining to deliver that glass.  Desperate times call for desperate measures.