Review: OKA b. Shoes for Men and Women

Want to win a fun travel bag? Go enter the Travelon-sponsored giveaway.

As a traveler who spends a good majority of time out walking and exploring cities, one of the things I will buy every time I go on vacation is a new pair of shoes – possibly two. My needs in a pair of shoes on my trips can vary. Maybe I’ll be spending all day at an amusement park. Perhaps I’ll be hitting up museums to learn about local art and history. I might be strolling along the beach or visiting a zoo. No matter what it is, keeping my feet comfortable is my number one priority. Second is keeping my feet looking cute. That’s why OKA b. shoes stood out to me. With their trendy styles and fun colors, they looked like shoes that would pack well, look good and keep my tootsies happy.

My husband and I had the chance to test out two pairs of OKA b. shoes: The Grant flip flops for men and the April ballet flats for women. One of the first things you’ll notice about this footwear is that it is shiny and the next is that the prices are crazy affordable. OKA b. sells their shoes for $50 or less, which means for the same price as a pair of running shoes, you can get two – or even three – pairs. Though they are inexpensive, they aren’t made to look or feel that way. In fact, all styles have arch support and conform nicely to your feet. You’ll see how they have bumps on the footbed, and that is designed to massage your feet. The reflexology aspect of the shoes makes them awesome for travel, because you know how much your feet can hurt walking around all day and your podiatrist would approve of your choice of footwear.

I chose the April flat, because ballet flats go with a ton of stuff. They look great with everything from shorts to dresses. Also, the cute bow detail in a nautical color and stripe are very on-trend, especially for summer. As you can see, they go great with skinnies, but you can also wear them with a variety of other outfits, so whether you find yourself in Hawaii, New York or Europe, you will always have the perfect shoes. And if you get caught in a rainstorm, you don’t have to worry about ruining your new foot candy, because they are waterproof. Obviously, this is a fantastic feature for shoes in the Northwest, since at any moment you may be surprised by a downpour.

The Microplast material that OKA b. uses for their shoes is amazing. It has a bit of stretch, so after a long day of pounding the pavement or 14 hours on the plane, even if your feet are a bit swollen, they are still going to fit comfortably in your shoes. The other awesomeness of this material is that it’s made from salt and fossil fuels – totally eco-friendly! Plus it’s non-absorbent, antimicrobial and colorfast. Wear them all day without smelling like you did, and if they do get dirty, toss them into the dishwasher to clean them without the colors running. Once your shoes are worn out, you can either place them in your recycling bin or send them back to OKA b. to be turned into new fancy shoes.

I enjoyed the flats, as they were bright, lightweight and felt like I was walking barefoot, but a step up, because they weren’t hard on the bottoms of my feet. They have a bit of lift in the heel, so you aren’t just flat-footing it walking around, they have nice massaging arch support and don't pinch in the toes like many shoes do.

Another fun thing about the flats is the box they come in. It’s like a gift on its own and looks like you could spend the same amount on it as you would for the shoes inside. The origami construction is lovely, which would make giving OKA b. shoes as gifts pretty impressive before the recipient ever put them on their feet. The flip flops will come on a hanger and not come in a fancy box, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t buy them.

Eric chose the men’s Grant flip flops to try out. He has a lot of flip flops, so he does have high expectations for them. He was drawn to the guava color, as it was bright and different than other colors that he currently owns. Unlike regular flip flops, he found them to be comfortable after walking around all day, with some nice arch support. They conformed to his feet and looked nice as well. He walked round in them all weekend and even tried to wear them while on the elliptical machine. While that didn’t work out, it wasn’t because of a support issue, but because they are flip flops. LOL!

I think these flip flops will be his go-to ones. It’s hard to find a pair that is comfortable enough to wear all day and not get ruined if you take them to the beach or pool and get them wet. Obviously, you can get them in more subdued colors, but we love happy hues for our feet. OKA b. shoes will also pack nicely – if you don’t wear them on the plane – because they don’t have rigid construction like other shoes.



Look at some more of their fun colors



More information

Where you can buy it: Oka-b online

Other colors they comes in: 

            April: black | red (shown)

            Grant: hot chocolate | licorice | cobalt | guava (shown) | slate

How much they cost: 

            April: $45

            Grant: $25

Other specs: reflexology-inspired design, anti-bacterial and odor-resistant, non-slip, non-marking, dishwasher safe, color fast, on-piece construction, made when ordered, made in the USA, environmentally conscious.

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Disclosure: We were provided with two pair of OKA b. shoes for the purposes of this review, but all opinions are 100% our own.

Infographic: Free Hotel Wi-Fi Expanding

Want to win a fun travel bag? Go enter the Travelon-sponsored giveaway.

As a blogger, and an internet junkie, it is imperative that wherever I stay has Wi-Fi. It's great to be able to check my email to keep in touch with friends and family, as well as to research when attractions are open or find reviews of a restaurant (and make reservations). I get really upset when I pay good money to stay somewhere and they also want me to pay extra for an internet connection. It's not like if I didn't stay there and pay that money they wouldn't have internet. And how much can I really use anyway? Building it into the room rate should be something all accommodations do. I'm not going to pay $10+ per day to check my Facebook page. I could easily go to a Starbucks and get online for free. Also, if places like Ramada, Motel 6 and Travelodge can offer free Wi-Fi, then other chains (and boutique hotels) have no excuse. Hotel Chatter made this sweet infographic for hotel WiFi. Do you compare other similar hotels when Wi-Fi isn't included in your first choice?

Review & Giveaway: Travelon (New) Boarding Bag

Check out this lovely blue color

By now you know how super-excited I am by Travelon's products, so when they asked me what items I liked from their new collection, I jumped on the boarding bag. I bought their original one at least 6 years ago and have taken it with me on a bunch of trips and events around town. It's great, because it is cross-body and helps free up my hands for taking pictures and other stuff. Obviously, an upgrade was in order, and boy did they upgrade this bag! 

Old boarding bag

Last weekend we headed out to Portland's Eat Mobile where I was going to be spending a few hours juggling food cart samples, a bottle of water and stashing postcards in my bag. The perfect situation for testing out the Boarding Bag! I made sure to get a pic of me while waiting in line before I had my hands full and surrounded by hoards of people. (For comparison, I also added photos of the old boarding bag.) It's a great size and very comfortable to wear with the wide, adjustable strap. Let me show you what I was carrying around in there. I think you'll be pretty surprised by how much fit inside it.

• Makeup bag where I keep hand lotion, a brush, band-aids and other girly necessities all in one place.
• Actual makeup: powder, concealer (you never know) and lip balm
• Keys: so I could get back in my car and into my house when I got there
• 2 cameras: you only see one, because I needed the second one to take this picture
• Smarty phone: so I could check-in and make everyone on Facebook jealous
• Pen: again, you never know when you'll need one
• Business cards: in my Moo keychain holder
• Card case filled with credit cards, cash and driver license
• Pullover - for when evening turned chilly
• Two sets of bamboo utensils: we didn't realize they were providing Bambu sporks this year

Main compartment: Both cameras were in this mesh pocket before we got there, too

Amazingly, all that stuff fit in the bag and there was still room for postcards, pamphlets, an extra beverage bottle, my sunglasses and I could have put several more items in there. While the old bag was roomy, this clearly has twice as much space and the items are easier to get to, because the wide mouth of the compartments has more versatility and convenience instead of only being able to access items from the top. Even though the zippers go 3/4 of the way around the compartment, nothing falls out, because they have extra fabric to keep the flap from falling all the way open and from your items dropping out and getting lost.

Smaller compartment: easy to grab items

While it can be nice to have your smart phone on the outside of your bag, that also encourages theft. With the larger phone sizes now, it would also make this bag wider, so there's a handy dandy slip pocket in the smaller compartment where your phone doesn't get wedged in and you don't have to fight to get it out when you hear it ringing. It's cool that the pocket is near the top, too. No fishing around in the bottom of the compartment to get to it, no matter what else you have in there.

And here I am making use of the mesh beverage pocket

I don't know about you, but when we go anywhere, I always have a bottle of water with me. If it's not me that's thirsty, Eric thinks he's dying of thirst. This zip-open mesh pocket for bottles is genius, and most other day bags aren't that innovative. It stretches to fit different sized bottles (or your sunglasses) and allows the bottle to breathe if it's cold and sweating, so you don't have a pocket full of condensation. It's the only thing from the old bag - besides the great adjustable strap - that they kept, because they obviously know a good feature when they come up with one! When gorging myself on endless samples, some better than others, it was imperative to keep something on-hand to wash down food. 

After such a successful venture out with the Travelon Boarding Bag, I came home and repacked it how I would if I were getting on the plane. (Imagine that soda bottle is a bottle of water or a travel mug.) Besides my phone, there is room in there for some snacks. Probably, quite a few more than my one little granola bar. And if I pack a bunch, there is a snazzy little keychain light in this compartment to help me find stuff in the dark. It stays in place with a snap, but can be unattached to use elsewhere. Love it!

My makeup bag fits neatly in the bottom of the main compartment, then my sweater (because it's always either sweltering or freezing on the airplane), my iPad mini and power cords. As you can see, there's still some room at the top for anything else I might need to carry with me (or stash tiny bags of pretzels I procured on the plane).

I also love that the smaller of the compartments meant for credit cards is easier to maneuver and you don't have to unzip the whole thing to get to your money. another plus is the addition of RFID blocking material, so thieves can't steal your info. this part of the bag, where all your important stuff is, is on the backside of the bag and is against your body, foiling those sneaky pickpocketers. 

And yes, while you could use that mesh pocket for more electronics, I think it's also awesome for cash and spare change you will inevitably need at the airport or once you get to your destination. It's easy to get to that way and the mesh makes simple to see what you're grabbing, so you don't end up fishing out a handful of change and sifting through it and wasting time. This compartment would probably also be home to my sunglasses and possibly my DS, because not all games I play are compatible with the iPad.

Need convincing that this bag is not just for the ladies? Eric said he would use this on trips and found it comfy as a cross-body, too. It fit nicely on him and this is without the strap being fully extended. If you are a lady, you can even wear the boarding bag as a shoulder bag.

It's a great size for anyone and carries all your essentials, and then some. It frees up your hands to take photos while sightseeing, wrangling your kids, dragging your carry-on or handling your passport and other travel docs. There's also a nice handle on the top of the bag for pulling out from under the airplane seat, too. 

Do you love it? Learn more about the Boarding Bag below and then enter to win your own!

More information

Where you can buy it: Travelon online

How much it costs: $55.00

Colors it comes in: black | sand | steel blue (shown)

Other specs: 420 D. Polyester fabric that is easily wiped down if you spill on it,  7 x 9.5 x 3.5

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Disclaimer: I was provided with the Travelon Boarding Bag for the purposes of this review, but all opinions are 100% my own