It’s finally here! The vacation you’ve been planning for what seems like ages. You have your shirts, your dresses, your pants, and wait… you have packed the most comfortable walking shoes. That is just going to work for you or anyone joining you on your vacation.
When you’re going on vacation, you’re getting ready for an adventure in a brand new place. One of the best ways to see a new island, city, or country is by walking.
This cannot be done if you are wearing shoes that don’t support your weight or worse, dig into the back of your heals.
Why Walking Shoes?
Walking shoes are considered to be unattractive, and a waste of money. This is very far from the truth. To invest in a pair of good walking shoes, is equivalent to investing in yourself and all your future trips.
It’s easy to want to pack shoes that go with every outfit but usually that most comfortable walking shoes are something similar to flip flops, sandals, tennis shoes, that can only be worn for a couple of hours, max.
If you do wear them for days, they usually end up blistering your feet. This can even cut the days of your trip short because you get tired, are in pain, and just want to sit instead of exploring.
How To The Most Comfortable Walking Shoes For Your Feet?
Walking shoes are different than your running shoes. The two types of shoes address two different kinds of movements that are done in different ways.
When you walk, you walk heel to toe and it’s a softer motion. Running shoes tend to have a thicker sole because of the hard impact your feet make with the ground.
Running shoes or any other athletic shoe will start to hurt because they tend to fit tighter to the foot, rubbing against the skin making it uncomfortable for vacations.
To avoid a mishap on your vacation, you need the right shoes! Here are some guidelines to remember when shopping for most comfortable walking shoes.
1. Focus Areas
When picking walking shoes, there are four important factors to keep in mind.
- Comfort
- Stability
- Flexibility
- Correct Shoe Size
Before purchasing a pair of shoes, you want to always try them on. Walk around the store a couple of times to make sure that you are most comfortable walking shoes in them.
You want to also test for stability. If a shoe is stable, it means that you should feel balanced on them and they should feel secure to your feet while you move around.
The walking shoe should also be flexible when you move your feet inside the shoe. You should be able to move your toes without restraint but there should be limited movement.
Some Common Mistakes
The base of your heel and in the middle of the foot where the arch is located.
A common mistake in both kids and adults is not wearing the proper shoe size. Some don’t even realize that their feet may be two different sizes. When picking out a shoe, you want to measure both feet while standing.
Sitting puts a different amount of weight and pressure on the foot, giving an incorrect size. You also should aim to measure your feet towards the end of the day. Feet tend to swell up towards the end of the day from all the weight that was out on it throughout the day.
2. Feel the Shoe
When you spot the shoe of your liking, you want to feel the structure of the shoe. Twist the shoe with your hands.
It should bend at the base where your heel would be, it shouldn’t bend at the arch are most comfortable walking shoes . If you push down on the toe area of the shoe, it should rock back and forth just a little bit.
Most important, pay close attention to the heel or the base of the shoe. It should not be extremely thick. An inch or so is acceptable and a flare should not be present.
3. Get to Know Your Foot
Everyone has different feet so trying to make your foot fit the shoe is not recommended. If you have wider feet and try to squeeze into a narrow shoe, it will only bring extreme discomfort and make walking uncomfortable. The same goes for narrow feet trying to fit a wide shoe, which will cause instability.
If you prefer shoes with gel padding or cushion, it’s important to make that a requirement when shopping around. Gel padding and cushions add extra comfort, which will make your walking aspect of vacation much more enjoyable.
Effects of Wearing Bad Shoes
Over time, if you continue to walk on shoes that do not support you, it will affect the lifestyle you want to live. Wearing bad shoes can give you negative short-term and long-term effects such as back pain, improper posture, joint pain, athlete’s foot, and corns.
Athlete’s foot is a bacterial fungus that grows on your foot from excessive sweating. This usually happens if your shoe is too tight. This will not only cause an odor to come from your foot but also stink up those pretty shoes you love!
Bad Effect of Wearing Fitting Shoes
Corns develop when there’s too much pressure being put on the sides of your foot and can be extremely hard to remove. They are essentially dead, hardened skin caused by rubbing of ill-fitting shoes.
Back pain, poor posture, and joint pain are all the negative long term effects of wearing shoes that don’t fit. You’re on your feet every day putting all your weight on them. If your shoes cannot help in the support of that weight, other parts of the body will suffer.
Back and joint pain on a vacation is not fun. Don’t let a silly mistake cause you to focus on your pain instead of the new adventure you set out on!
Walking Shoes Can Be Stylish
A common misconception is that walking shoes aren’t cute. This is not true at all. There are many brands out there that believe that style and most comfortable walking shoes should go together.
We’re also in luck because wearing shoes or sneakers with every outfit is in fashion and most comfortable walking shoes right now.
You can dress it up with a pretty dress or some slacks or dress it down with jeans. For all my eco-friendly shoppers out there, you can even get the perfect walking shoes made from recycled materials!
Your Shoes Can Make or Break Your Next Vacation
The common shoes that you usually think of aren’t meant to be walked in for hours, multiple days in a row.
A vacation is supposed to be relaxing and fun. No one wants to stop exploring because their feet are covered in blisters. With these guidelines, picking most comfortable walking shoes that’s stylish can be easy to do!
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