Avoiding Sore Feet When Traveling for Work or Play
There’s a helpful post on how to break in new shoes (targeted at males, but useful for all) on Pathfinder’s Best Business Luggage blog.
They offer 5 tips for breaking in those new leather loafers and another suggestion which is my top tip for everyone: Don’t wear the same shoes two days in a row!
- If a blister or sore spot is developing, switching up the pressure points (each shoe is unique) by switching your shoes will help stop or limit its progress.
- If the damage is already done, at least you won’t be inflicting the same wear and tear.
- Giving your shoes a day off allows them to dry out which limits the likelihood of smell and helps them last longer
Other tips to ensure you’ll be tripping merrily on your way?
Use Yoga Toes at Night — Generically known as toe spreaders (I hate that term!) they separate your digits and supposedly stretch your tendons. All I know is that when I go to sleep with them on after a long day or walking or standing, I wake up feeling almost as good as new! I’ve tried both the Yoga Toe brand ($30+) and the generics ($10) and do see more of a difference somehow from the Yoga Toes.
Wear Your Trip Shoes Around the House First — before I take new shoes on a trip, I typically try to at least wear them around the house for a few hours or days to get my feet gradually used to the straps and insoles before I test them out with miles of walking or hours of standing.
Keep a Spare Blister Bandaid in Your CarryOn — they’re compact and make a big difference. Don’t wait for an angry blister to appear. If you feel something rubbing or getting sore, slap one of these on to limit the damage. BandAid makes a healing blister cushion which is great, but I’ve also been perfectly happy with the Walgreens brand of blister bandages.
