There is always one difficult question when you're packing for a trip.

What shoes are you actually going to wear?

You want something comfortable enough for hours of walking, stylish enough for dinner, light enough to fit in your suitcase and versatile enough that you don't have to bring three different pairs. It's one of those small travel decisions that can have a surprisingly big effect on your trip.

Atoms was created with that problem in mind.

Founded in Brooklyn in 2018 by Waqas Ali and Sidra Qasim, the footwear brand set out to create an everyday sneaker that combined a minimalist aesthetic with thoughtful details. The founders had previously launched a men's dress-shoe company called Markhor, and their experience with craftsmanship helped shape what would become Atoms.

One of the most interesting things about Atoms is something you might not expect from a sneaker brand: quarter sizing.

Instead of limiting customers to traditional whole and half sizes, Atoms introduced quarter sizes to help people find a more precise fit. The company has even offered the ability to order different sizes for each foot, recognising that not everyone's feet are perfectly symmetrical.

It sounds like a small detail, but when you're travelling and walking for hours every day, the fit of your shoes suddenly becomes very important.

The idea caught the attention of Vogue, which covered Atoms when the brand launched, highlighting its quarter-sizing concept and its attempt to rethink the everyday sneaker. Vogue's coverage also drew attention to the design details behind the Model 000, including its custom tongue, copper-infused elements and cushioned midsole.

The travel world has taken notice too.

SmarterTravel reviewed Atoms specifically as a travel sneaker and gave the shoes top marks across usefulness, portability, durability and style. The publication particularly highlighted their lightweight construction, clean design, stretch laces and quarter-size fitting system, ultimately recommending them for travellers looking for a versatile pair.

That's a pretty compelling combination.

A travel shoe needs to do more than simply feel comfortable in a hotel room. It has to survive airports, long walks, unfamiliar streets, spontaneous detours and the inevitable moment when you realise the restaurant you booked is another twenty minutes away.

Atoms' minimalist design is another reason the shoes work particularly well for travel. They don't have the aggressively technical appearance of some running or hiking shoes, which means they can work with jeans, shorts, trousers and more polished holiday outfits. One pair can potentially take you from the airport to sightseeing and then straight to dinner.

The brand has also paid attention to details that make everyday wear easier. Its stretch laces are designed to stay tied while allowing the shoes to slip on and off more easily, while selected models use breathable uppers and antimicrobial copper threads intended to help manage odour.

For travellers, those little details can matter more than flashy technology.

Imagine spending the morning wandering through Dalt Vila, stopping for lunch in Ibiza Town, walking along the marina and then continuing towards dinner without heading back to your hotel. That's the kind of day when you don't want to be thinking about your shoes.

Atoms itself has embraced this travel use case, publishing guidance around city walking and travel. The brand has shared a customer experience involving 36,000 steps a day for 14 consecutive days while travelling, including walking in different weather conditions while carrying a heavy backpack.

That is an impressive amount of walking, although it is worth remembering that this is a brand-published customer experience rather than an independent test.

There is independent testing to balance it out. A recent review from The Atlas Heart, after approximately a year and a half of use, found Atoms comfortable and stylish but noted that the shoes had worn down faster than expected and weren't quite as exceptionally comfortable as the marketing suggested. Another review from We Tried It similarly praised the lightweight construction and features while noting that the shoes could feel warm during use.

That makes the most honest takeaway fairly simple: Atoms is interesting because it combines travel practicality, minimalist fashion and unusually precise sizing, rather than because it is guaranteed to be the perfect shoe for everyone.

For Ibiza, that combination makes plenty of sense.

You might wear them through the airport, around the old town, on a long lunch, during a spontaneous shopping trip or while exploring parts of the island far beyond the beach. They're designed to blend into the outfit rather than dominate it, which makes them particularly useful when you're trying to pack light.

And perhaps that's the real luxury when travelling.

Not having more things.

Having fewer things that work harder.

One pair for the flight. One pair for exploring. One pair that still looks good when the day turns into dinner.

Sometimes the smartest thing you can pack is simply the pair of shoes that lets you keep going.