Travel Planning: Foot Notes

Tuesday October 17, 2006

Backpacking Europe means more city street beating on foot than you may be imagining, and feeling footsore a few days into a trip can seriously dampen your walking enthusiasm. It's easily avoided: key to happy travel feet and blister avoidance are the right shoes and socks. Follow the Dr. Feelgood prescription for tour-tired tootsies and you can sprint your happy feet across Europe if you feel like it.

Think outside the rigid toe box

Stiff hiking boots provide ankle support to long walkers, like you'll be, but can horribly overheat feet on a European street in high summer. They take a looong time to break in, too -- think hot spots turning to blisters halfway through your trip. And toe-pinching fashion is not a good thing when it comes to wandering soles. Pick a pair of style-unconscious shoes that do the ahhh thing to aching arches, like Birkenstocks, or provide breathing room in wide toeboxes, like Tevas. Of-the-moment boots and almost anything with a real heel -- yeah, not so much.

I did some substantial European city walking on an EF Tours trip wearing waiter's favorites, Danskos, and my ankles were semi-sorry, and I've walked all around and outside of some world cities in soft hiking boots; I've climbed up and down pyramids and walked what felt like halfway across Mexico in the right flip flops, and I've deeply regretted hobbling around airports in brand new trainers. My best travel shoes advice? Check some choices, get what feels good well in advance and break 'em in pre-trip or suffer the blistery consequences: blisters can ruin a trip faster than you can ask for the Bandaids™.

Extra shoes mean extra weight

Bring more than one pair of shoes to Europe and your back may wish you hadn't, unless the second pair are flip flops (crucial for hostel showers and put-your-feet-up airings at night). I've (expensively) shipped a second pair of shoes home rather than continue to haul 'em -- learn from that mistake: "traveling shoes" does not mean they should be abroad alone in the mail because I'm sick of stuffing them in my pack.

Choose travel shoes wisely

I've got a pair of supremely comfy Teva shoes that do dual duty as fungus-avoiding hostel shower wear by means of flip flops hidden in the inner sole, and I dig 'em, but my always, all time fave footwear will probably remain Birkies forever. Don't like the Birkenstock sandals-wool socks-old hippie connotation? The company periodically puts out some closed toe shoes that look reasonably normal. If you're a diehard flip flopper, check out Sanuk sandals -- the name means "happy" in Thai, and that's what feets are in these gems. Sanuk frequently hears from travelers who've toured Europe in comfy flip flops -- it can be done with perfectly fine-feeling feet but you can't be squeamish if flip flops are your only travel footwear (think curbside water streams of unknown origin in developing countries).

Wool -- it's what for feet

You wouldn't don hiking boots without socks, natch, but consider that socks, which soak up sweat, also stop Birkenstock and Teva sandals from getting the slimy sole thing going. Trust me on this: ankle socks and sandals look less silly than crippling-by-blister.

Keeping travel socks clean is crucial; dirty socks hiding tiny pebbles have given me some hateful walks. Bring at least two pairs and handwash one every night; hang drying socks off your pack during the day if you must.

Bringing the good, padded stuff sockwise can keep blister straits from growing dire: I can't travel without Smartwools, myself.

The company started mixing up the no stink, no shrink sock medicine in a basement in my hometown of Steamboat Springs, Colorado several years ago in a quest for the perfect ski sock, and they're now covering continents with no-itch wool gear that rocks my world.

Warm, soft, padded, cushy... choose your description and Smartwool socks will fill the bill. Mine dry in a couple of hours and have decorated some of the finest hostel radiators on the planet. Throw away those stink-prone synthetic socks and load up on Smarties.

Read more about Smartwool socks and compare prices

Blister care

Even the best laid plans for holding blisters at bay fail; if it happens, treat 'em with Brave Soldier antiseptic ointment and pad with a little moleskin (duct tape in a pinch). The Brave stuff is too good -- a mix of 4% lidocaine soothes any travel sore and comfrey promotes healing. I've used Brave Soldier goop on road rash, burns, and cuts -- made ouchies feel better fast and helped prevent scarring. I've also walked in comfort despite some serious blisters after slavering 'em with Brave Soldier. I never travel without it and I've never had an infected wound with it.