I admit, I am a packing snob. I take only a carry-on roller bag and a big tote bag purse when I travel. In order to do that, I have a rule of taking two pair of shoes — only. My rationale is: shoes take up a lot of space and if you pack with one color of clothes only, you really don’t need gobs of different colored shoes on a trip. I’ve followed this rule for years and found it to work perfectly.

I thought I was going to be extra cool when packing for my recent trip to London and Moscow. Since the weather in Russia would be super cold, with possible snow and ice, I opted to wear my black suede boots with a rugged rubber sole. Heck, I thought, that’s all I will need and I can avoid lugging along another pair of shoes. Smart, huh?

Big mistake. As it turned out, after several days of wearing the same boots, they rubbed a big old blister on my foot and made walking a bit of a challenge. Had I brought another pair of shoes, I could have switched off for a few days and not had to suffer.

So, take that extra pair — even if you are convinced you won’t need them. Shoes can get wet, muddy or just uncomfortable. Of course, you know never to take a new pair of shoes on a trip. Break them in first, so you can be assured they will be fine.

My favorite travel shoes right now are the two shoes on the left. Go to Pinner’s Shoes for the Isle Jacobsen in bunches of colors. They’re only about $79. The tie-shoes are Cole Haan Zerogrand and they come in various colors, too. Both are super lightweight and very comfortable for walking those 10,000 steps a day. What are your favorite travel shoes?