Shoe Bags for Travel

At the beginning of 2011 I had the opportunity to interview for a prestigious job in Beijing. If successful I'd be rubbing elbows with influential men and women from around the world and earning a metric crap ton of money into the bargain (don't look at me like that. Crap ton is a valid measurement).

Here's the problem: I heard about the interview on Tuesday, it would take place on Wednesday and I was in Chicago with a roaring hangover.

I booked the next flight out, destroying my savings in the process, and carefully packed a suit and clean shirt to wear the next day. With minutes before the cab arrived to take me to the airport I remembered I hadn't packed shoes, so I grabbed a pair, threw them in the case and rushed to O'Hare.

Smash cut to the following morning. I'd checked into the Beijing Kempinski to shower and change before the interview, and as soon as I opened my case I saw the obvious interview-tanking screwup: my shoes were dirty.

And now my suit was dirty.

See, in the rush to get to the airport I hadn't noticed that the soles of my shoes were cakes in mud, and after a long journey rattling around the cargo hold of the plane most of that mud had transferred to my suit and white shirt.

With an hour to go before the interview I quickly rushed to Beijing's Yashow Market, bought a cheap, knockoff shirt and a suit bad enough to make a grown man cry, rushed to my interview and tanked spectacularly, so frazzled was I by the last minute shopping trip. Naturally, I wasn't offered the job, and I returned to Chicago the following day a sad, disappointed man.

In hindsight it's clear that all of this could have been prevented if only I'd thought to grab a few shoe bags for travel (well, it would also have been prevented if I hadn't had to fly to the other side of the world on a moment's notice, or if I was more diligent with my shoe polishing, but this article is about shoe bags, so shut up).

Anyway... now I'm done with my rambling story we'll move onto the focus of this article: shoe bags for travel. I've taken a little look around and tracked down a few useful, cool and great value shoe bags to help you keep your footwear from scuffing up your nice, clean clothes next time you travel. Behold...

Travel Shoe Bags for Men

I'm not saying that simple, sober, black and gray shoe bags are the exclusive preserve of guys, but let's not bring gender politics into a discussion about shoe storage. These simple options are what you'd probably call 'guy bags'. They're more likely to contain a pair of black loafers than the latest Manolo Blahniks.

Port & Company Shoe Bag

At just $2.99 a bag the Port & Company travel shoe bag is a simple, stylish and inexpensive option for travel shoe bags. These 100% cotton bags with drawcord closure fit one pair of shoes each.

The bags are available in black, cream and navy.

Cutter & Buck Performance Series Shoe Bag

For something a little more hard wearing the Cutter & Buck shoe bag will last a lifetime. Thick, tough fabric protects your shoes from the bumps and scrapes of the cargo hold or overhead locker. The U-shaped zipper allows easy access to the shoes, and the sturdy grab handle allows the bag to be carried with ease.

at $49.98 the Cutter & Buck shoe bag is aimed at frequent flyers who need a shoe bag to last for, if you'll excuse the pun, the long haul.

Travel Shoe Bags for Women

Again, I'm not saying a guy wouldn't want to rock a shocking pink shoe bag, but... well, come on.

PB Travel Shoe Bags

These cool, quirky shoe bags fit one man's shoe or two women's shoes, and when you buy one you get one free.

The bags each have a removable inner lining that can be washed between uses, allowing you to throw a dirty pair of sneakers in the bag without ruining it for the future.

Miamica Embroidered Travel Shoe Bag

These fantastic, high quality shoe bags are available in pink or black, and each come embroidered with the phrase "You can never have too man!."

The shoe bags have an internal divider to prevent scuffs and scratches during travel, and by the look of the reviews these are pretty much the last shoe bags you'll ever need:

"It's kind of pricey but it's definitely worth it. You can tell by the material that it will last a long time. I also love the embroidery on them too!"