I’ll Never Fly Without These Sneakers Again

last updated 13 August 2019

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I've done it. After lots of searching, plenty of air miles, and a few TSA headaches, I've found the perfect airport sneakers (and I'm never going back). While we've spent a lot of time mulling over what makes the ideal travel look—comfortable yet trendy, layered but not stuffy—discovering the ideal shoes was an accident. It turns out, my slip-on checkerboard vans, the shoes I'd recently adopted after a brief hiatus, were the perfect shoes for my jet-setting needs.

Earlier this month, I found myself pulling up to the airport in San Francisco, ready to head home to NYC after a quick wedding weekend. Having been forced to unforgivingly sit on my carry-on to make it close, I dragged it behind me, dreading the idea that I might be randomly selected by TSA for a full deep-dive into my vacation wardrobe.

As I went through the steps, winding my way through countless stanchions, I arrived at the metal detector and, in an exciting twist of events, I found myself easily sliding off my sneakers, tossing them into a bin, and quietly treading my way through the checkpoint. Slipping my shoes on once the whole ordeal had ended took all of 15 seconds, and I was on my way once again. Where my usual sneakers require sitting to tie them or simply gunning for the back-of-the-heel smoosh, slip-on sneakers proved to be the ideal choice for those of us in a hurry (and isn't that everyone at the airport?).

While my enlightenment may have taken years, it seems that many celebrities are on board with these easy shoes too. Below find a handful of our favorites who have adopted this simple travel sneaker. Then, shop our favorite lace-free sneakers so you too can achieve airport enlightenment.