Travel Guides Outdoor Adventures
Lauren Richards
Vacations, especially vacations to cities or hiking spots, often require walking. Whether you’re touring museums, weaving through bustling streets, or trekking trails for miles on end, you’re on your feet, and they will inevitably tire and possibly smell. That said, there is a way to diminish the stench and help with soreness, and if your feet swell while traveling, it can even help with that. It’s a simple hack that can help make your time more enjoyable as you tackle the miles ahead.
Samantha Brown, star of the television show “Places to Love,” picked up a tip for fresh feet during her time as a waitress in New York City. She’d be on her toes for her shift, tending to tables and scurrying to and from the kitchen. “I know that it does not matter how comfortable your shoes are, when you’ve been on your feet for more than four hours, they’re tired, sweaty,” Brown told Travel and Leisure. “Not only do they need a break, they need a change of scenery.”
She began taking advantage of her breaks by resting her feet. This included a change of shoes and a little bit of powder.
Fresh air and room to stretch
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According to Samantha Brown, flops and powder are the key ingredients for relieving foot soreness and stench. When she worked in a restaurant, she would sit, take off her supportive shoes, and opt for flip-flops during her break. This enabled her feet to rest and get some air. “Flip-flops are great because it allows your feet to stretch out, they’ll get a little breath of fresh air, maybe a little sun,” she told Travel and Leisure. She would then sprinkle a little powder on her socks and feet before slipping her feet back into her work shoes at the end of her break.
As Brown put it, removing your shoes relieves your feet from compression, enabling them to “stretch out.” This, in turn, helps alleviate soreness. While it doesn’t entirely prevent it, it can help. “Without the confinement of shoes, your feet can breathe and have free range of movement,” author and interior designer Jenny Nakao Hones told The Healthy.
Minimizing odor
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Adding powder to your feet and socks is a crucial step for preventing smells. The powder absorbs the sweat, minimizing the odor. As for which powder to use, it’s up to you. Baby powder, essentially talcum powder, is a common foot powder, but others are designed specifically to eliminate foot odor.
Next time you’re traveling, take care of your feet by throwing a pair of flip-flops and some powder in your bag. This travel hack can help your feet feel refreshed and ready to tackle even more miles, whether hitting the trails or trekking through a city. “I have brought this waitressing technique with me all throughout my travels for the last 25 years,” Samantha Brown told Travel and Leisure. “[It’s] perfect if you’re doing the theme parks, cruise ships, even a hike.” Brown later advised that you be aware of your surroundings. Make sure the area isn’t crowded, and you’re a good distance from others before removing your shoes. She said never to try this hack while on an airplane, perhaps, to prevent an assault on their olfactory system.
