Pretty sure you need insoles for glass slippers.

 

Hello, Internet-land! I’m here and I’m in the mood to blog. Today about something kind of weird, but necessary – foot care at Disney! Unless you have wings, magic feet/shoes, or an ECV, this applies to you (so Tink, Cinderella, and my gramma – y’all can skip this post).

“Foot care at Disney? This sounds lame and gross.” I know, I know. I tend to over-prepare (and over-think?) sometimes, but honestly I’d rather do that and have an awesome trip than be uncomfortable and sad the whole time. I’m sure there are others out there like me. :)

Before I just list what I like, let me just say that this is what has worked for me. I’m not a doctor! I’m a curvy girl, and I do NOT run, but my job as a preschool teacher requires me to stand and walk around pretty much all day. I don’t have kids, so no stroller, and it’s usually just at my own pace (sometimes faster, sometimes not). I hate wearing wet shoes, and I also hate not being able to do whatever I want on vacation, so I almost always wear something water-resilient (something I don’t have to wear socks with) because if I feel like a water ride I don’t want to worry about my shoes. I like to open and close the parks OH YES I DO.

I don’t deal with debilitating pain with my feet/legs; before I go on a trip I try to incorporate some long-distance walking in to my days to prepare.

That having been said, here is what I normally bring for my tootsies on a Disney trip:

Bandaids – try to keep them on you at all times, just in case

Moleskin – also just in case

Lotion – I am blessed with an overabundance of The Body Shop Body Butter, so that’s what I usually bring (when I check a bag). It’s super thick and good for worn-out feet. When I’m traveling carry-on, I just take whatever lotion I can. I know there is stuff out there made just for feet, too, but as I said…I have a lot of Body Butter.

Rubber Ball – the one I have is smaller than my fist…maybe, slightly bigger around than an Oreo? – I got mine from one of the machines in our local Old Navy for 50 cents, haha! This is what I use to massage each foot at the end of the day; just put it on the floor and roll your foot around on it. I guess you could also get a “real” travel foot massager, but I live on the cheap, and this is just so portable!

Peppermint Water – I know, this sounds weird. And I don’t know where I heard of it, but it’s very refreshing and as a bonus makes your hotel room smell like peppermint and not like tired feet. Basically I just get a small spray bottle (they have these at most places you can buy travel-size products) and fill it with water and add maybe a teaspoon of peppermint oil. It makes your feet tingly and cool.

Tylenol/Aspirin/Ibuprofen – whatever you use. I take some as soon as I get ready to settle down and treat my feet. After standing all day, it helps.

Lookit that, I have written almost an entire page about feet! Who knew this could be so, um, interesting? Let’s continue with shoes.

My best friend can get through an entire day at Disneyland with little to no foot pain on a trusty pair of Old Navy flip-flops. She just can. She’s used to wearing them and she practically lives in unsupportive (adorable) flats. She learned the hard way to not break in a pair of new shoes at a Disney park, however. Yikes. If she’s not rocking the ON flip-flops she’s usually wearing Teva sandals.

Tevas

I need something more substantial. My requirements: must be sandal-like and waterproof-ish. Like I said, I will not wear wet socks but I want to ride Splash Mountain whenever I feel like it. I started out with (ugh) Crocs. I tried other, super comfy, nice sandals, but I got a blister and had to go back to Crocs. I tried to be slightly cuter than the “classic” version and bought the Mary Jane style, but Crocs is Crocs, and I just dealt with it. (Disclaimer that I do not wear Crocs ANYwhere else.)

eugh. I actually own these.

 

Since then I tried out a knockoff pair of FitFlops, and those worked out so well that I bought the Disney FitFlops on my next trip, and those have pretty much become my parks shoes. Super supportive, cuter than Crocs, and Disney-fied! I’d recommend them to anyone, or if you can’t afford FitFlops, you can get similar shoes at Payless.

My actual, well-worn Disney FitFlops

Quick lightning-round about shoes:

Mom: wore her $20 sandals from Macy’s to Animal Kingdom/Epcot all day, no problems. Wore flip-flops with a band across the back for Typhoon Lagoon.

no shoes in this, I just think this pic is cute!

 

Maddie: “Crocs. Ugly but comfortable.”

see? ^

 

Caitlin: wore her usual tennis shoes with socks, used gel inserts. When her feet got wet, she went back to the hotel and changed. When she wasn’t wearing sneakers, she used Teva-like sandals and felt okay.

see? ^

 

If you plan to take a break at your hotel during the day, you can always switch shoes. Sometimes it’s nice to have a change.

Hope these (now 2) pages of feet info helps! Have a great trip! Take care of your feet!

One last thing – if somehow after everything, including your older sister’s knowledge and best intentions, you’ve still managed to find yourself in the parks with uncomfortable shoes, a raging blister and no supplies (ahem, Maddie), you can take a trip to the First Aid station located at the end of Main Street (across from the Central Plaza, next to the Baby Center). Her experience: “There were a couple people there but this one lady was really nice and helped me right away. She saw my foot and was very sympathetic about it; she gave me an ankle bandage and an extra one for later, too. They were very helpful. Also I signed like a Medical Log thing, so now my name will be there forever!”