When you leave the bus, cab or car and walk you not only save money, but have a more intimate experience of the area you traveled so far to visit.
Chose walking shoes, hiking boots or other travel shoes carefully since you'll most likely be spending a lot of time walking and you don't want sore tired feet to spoil you enjoyment. The walking shoes you choose to wear when traveling could be the most important clothes related travel decision you make.
Buy quality—you’ll be glad you did after a few hours on you feet.
Running is an easy form of exercise while traveling so be sure to take a good pair of running shoes. It's recently been brought to my attention that many people suffer injuries from shoes that have degraded but don't yet show the wear. Manufacturers are working on visual indicators (like the color cues on a toothbrush) that let you know when a shoe is no longer safe to use for running, but untill then you might want to consider new running shoes when you travel. You wouldn't want an injury while on a vacation or business trip.
Be aware that if you travel outside the U.S. white tennis shoes will brand you as an American tourist. These days it's probably safer to blend in—at least a little bit.
Traveling with two pair of walking shoes is a good plan if you'll be spending very much time on your feet. Changing shoes every few hours helps prevent foot pain and discomfort. When I was in the Army we were required to alternate boots daily. Just be sure your hiking boots or walking shoes have been “broken in” before you leave home.
There are many popular and stylish brands of walking shoes including those made by Dr. Martins , Mephisto, Timberland and Rockport.
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When choosing walking shoes for children make sure they are developmentally appropriate for their age. Stride Rite has been designing and developing shoes for growing children for over 80 years. They offer style-smart, trend-savvy products that kids love to wear with features parents want.
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Sandals
Some people find that sandals are the perfect walking shoe for traveling. A pair of sport sandals can even double as shower shoes. Well known and trusted brands like Birkenstock , Teva and Ecco have a variety of time tested and field proven walking shoe and sandal designs.
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Teva sandals have straps that go through the sole under your foot and back up the other side avoiding the most common problem with sandals—straps that pull out of the sole. Ecco Receptor™ walking shoes and sandals were developed using technically advanced holistic anatomical biomechanic research.
Good socks are as important as good walking shoes. If you hand wash them be sure to really rinse them to get all the soap out.
If you can spare a little space in your luggage it can feel really nice at the end of the day to take off your walking shoes and put on a pair of Slippers! If you have hard-to-fit feet you can buy wide-width shoes or narrow-width shoes at Zappos.com.
Many people have had success replacing the insole of a comfortable pair of shoes—converting them to better walking shoes—with orthotics. Orthotics add a gel heal pad and improved arch support to any walking shoe they are worn with.
Backrelief.com recommends "…wearing shoes that support your feet, or use specially made shoe inserts called orthotics, the stresses on your lumbar spine will, in turn, be reduced."
Arthur Blessit who has taken the world’s longest walk—according to the Guinness book of Records—emphasizes keeping your feet dry and says he now uses shoes with Gortex lining to give complete waterproofing.
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Hiking Boots
Hiking boots can be categorized as light (refers to both light weight and light duty), midweight and heavyweight.
Lightweight hiking boots—also known as day hikers—resemble rugged tennis shoes, are relatively inexpensive and are designed for short hikes when carrying little or no weight.
Midweight hiking boots are the most popular and versatile. They are designed for short hikes with up to 25 pound packs but can be used in situations where a lightweight hiking boot would suffice, or as a temporary test to see if you enjoy longer hikes with heaver packs.
Heavyweight hiking boots have much more ankle support for use when carrying more weight for longer periods of time over rough terrain. Heavyweight hiking boots are some times referred to as hunting boots.
Extended hikes or treks require a hiking boot that is has excellent support, waterproofness, durability, comfort and fit.
One of the most popular manufactures of hiking boots and boots for all purposes whether hiking, hunting, casual wear or work boots is Rocky Boots . Rocky Boots has an extensive selection of light, medium and heavy duty hiking boots.
A good place to buy boots online is at BootBay-Outdoor and Rugged Footwear. You will find an enormous selection of the best and most popular hiking boots, motorcycle, safety, work and casual boots. In addition they provide free shipping and no sales tax for customers outside the state of Tennessee.
The only negatives are that BootBay doesn't take international orders and the free shipping is to the contiguous 48 states only. Sorry Alaska and Hawaii.
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Men's Hiking Boots
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Running Shoes
How do you decide what type of running shoe to buy? Probably the most important consideration when purchasing Men's or Women's running shoes is the shape of your feet.
If your feet have low arches, also known as flat feet, they are likely overpronated — which simply means that, when running, the foot strikes on the outside of the heel and rolls inward (pronates) to much. This type of foot needs a motion control or high stability shoe with a firm midsole. Highly cushioned, highly curved shoes lacking stability features would NOT be approprite if you have flat feet.
If your feet are highly arched they may be supinated or underpronated. An underpronated foot is not a good shock absorber and requires cushioned shoes with plenty of flexibility. Shoes that limit foot mobility like motion control or stability shoes would NOT be appropriate.
A normal (not flat or highly arched) foot is biomechanically efficient — landing on the outside of the heel and rolling inward slightly to absorb shock — and so doesn't require a motion control shoe. Moderate control features and a stability shoe are ideal for normal feet.
Consider your training needs, find a design to fit your biomechanical needs (especially those excessive over-pronators!), and pick a color to complement your personal style.
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