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Shoes. Aching
feet can turn the fittest traveler into a limping grouch. Comfortable shoes are worth their
weight in gold, literally. The ones I've found weigh a ton and cost a fortune. Only an orthopedist finds them at all attractive
but I won't travel with anything else. Have you
tried negative heels? They take some getting used to, but wearing them has changed my life. No more cobblestone-induced plantar
fasciitis since I stuck my size 10s into a pair. MBT came out with the first ones and I bought a pair a year until the product quality seemed
to decline. When I pay $300 a pair, I expect the shoes to last a long time.
Fortunately, my source for comfy shoes - Foot
Solutions - began stocking the Chung Shi brand with even better arch support.
I've been wearing a pair of Chung Shi sandals for six months and the only quibble I have is I wish the insole was leather
like my old MBT sandals. Leather inside makes going sockless a lot more comfortable. I have found MBT and other foot-friendly shoes on sale at The Walking Company
and on line at Walker's Warehouse. If you've never tried these brands, I highly
recommend going to a store like Foot Solutions or The Walking Company first and getting properly fitted. Take the time to
find out what size is best for you in each desired style before you go bargain hunting.
Another option is Comfortable
Shoes, the website of The Pedestrian Shops, where just about every brand of comfy shoes is available on line and
with free shipping.
www.comfortableshoes.com Edit Link
Foot Solutions
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| Here I am wearing my six-year old MBT sandals while digging for diamonds in Arkansas. |
www.freshhanger.com
 Lightening the Load The less you pack,
the lighter the bag, the easier the trip. We all know that but how is the problem. I just road tested FRESHhanger, a start toward the solution. You know how the third time you go to wear a blouse it looks okay but just doesn't feel fresh? If you'd left
it in the closet overnight atop a FRESHhanger, it will seem as fresh as when you first packed it. These
are covers, infused with activated carbon technology, that take up almost no space at all and slip over any style of clothes
hanger. Put your oft-worn blouse, shirt or jacket over it and in four hours, voila! staleness gone. A
daytime shirt that is usually good for 2, at most 3, wearings, I wore five times on a recent trip to Mexico. An evening top
exposed to cigarette smoke was ready to go again the next night.
FRESHhangers come five to a package for $14.95 and you can find all about buying them at www.freshhanger.com
or by calling 866-530-6580.
Packing:
SQUEEZE IT
Air compression travel bags are a godsend for anyone headed to a cold climate. If you haven't tried them yet, do so. Those bulky fleece hoodies, sweaters and down jackets squash down and pop back up none the worse
for being shrunk to a third of their sizes. Brookstone sells a set of five reusable bags for $20, but now you can find them
almost everywhere. Just make sure you get the kind that "roll" the air out and don't require a vacuum cleaner.
With airlines jacking up the cost of every suitcase you check, these bags
will pay for themselves on your first trip. Hand
Sanitizer and Bandages A Mayo Clinic phlebotomist clued me in that Walgreen's store brand hand sanitizer is the best -and cheapest - you can buy. If the
lady who draws everyone's blood uses it, so will I. She also tipped me
off to Nexcare bandages. They stay on even when you get wet. No payment has been received from any of the endorsements you read here, but if any manufacturers want to do so or
advertise on this site or my blog, let me know!
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