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Wondering how to soothe sore feet? Whether you’ve been sightseeing all day, attending trade shows, or have spent a long day at an amusement park, these tips will help you feel better!
How to Soothe Sore Feet
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One of the fastest ways to ruin the trip of a lifetime is by wearing amazingly cute shoes that are oh-so uncomfortable. It may sound like anti-travel fashion, but the reality is that practical footwear trumps trends when it comes to travel. If you find yourself in discomfort at the end of a long sightseeing day, follow these achy feet remedies and tips on how to relieve sore feet on the go!
Check out our readers’ recommendations for the best shoes for travel. Say hello to comfortable and stylish shoes!
Tips on How to Soothe Sore Feet While Traveling
Bombas Everyday Compression Socks
How to Help Sore Feet with Compression Socks
In case you haven’t tried compression socks for yourself yet, here are four reasons for sporting these knee-highs during all your daily activities, not just when flying:
- Swelling – Whether you are traveling, sitting at a desk, or moving all day, these highly advanced compression socks prevent and reduce leg swelling.
- Energy – After a long day at the office or at home, your legs feel lighter and more invigorated as a result of the knitting technology.
- Muscle Recovery – These compression socks work to increase oxygen delivery, decrease lactic acid, prevent cramps, and minimize muscle fatigue.
- Veins – The increased circulation from the advanced gradient compression works to diminish and inhibit spider or varicose veins.
Oldies but goodies, Bombas Everyday Socks make my flight experience so much warmer, comfortable, and safer too. On a recent flight I literally had to change into these socks mid-flight because my regular calf high socks felt SO uncomfortable. I was shocked and relieved to experience the difference.
As a bonus, they also double up as winter socks to keep my feet warm when I am traveling to cold destinations like on a recent trip to Tokyo.
Our readers share their top picks for best compression socks!
How to Heal Sore Feet Using Hot and Cold Water
When you’re on the go, you can also use therapy socks like those shown above, which provide a compact gel ice treatment in one tidy product.
Another practical treatment may be your simplest solution for how to soothe sore feet. Get two bowls; one with cold water and one with hot water (make sure the heat is something you can tolerate). Dip your feet into each bowl for a two-minute period, then switch.
This footbath opens and closes your veins, allowing proper blood circulation and thus, relieving you of your sore feet. One reader says, “Go find a cold river or run an ice-cold bath and soak your feet. It helps with the swelling! I will warn you as someone who just started this practice last week, it’s gonna hurt (felt like a never-ending foot cramp but my foot wasn’t cramping) but it really does help!”
Stretch Your Toes to Soothe Sore Feet
You’ve been walking all day through the streets in Buenos Aires, London, or Bangkok, it’s no wonder your feet are silently complaining! Heels, especially, can cause pain in the ligaments and tendons of your ankles, and you may need to soothe your sore feet from walking all day.
Take a seat and perform a gentle, two-minute stretch starting from the tip of your toes. Once you’re done, push your feet high up against a wall to get a full, long stretch. This practical trick works wonders if your feet hurt from walking.
One reader says, “I love using these toe stretchers for a deeper stretch!” While another suggests, “Elevating your feet above your head at about a 30% angle at night. You can use your suitcase or something similar to prop your feet up on while you read or sleep. It allows the feet to heal better and reduces swelling.”
You can also use a tennis ball or small hard object to roll under your foot, if your feet hurt after walking. Make sure to get the sides and tops of your feet along the ankles. There are tiny muscles and fascia that tighten up and can be broken up and released with rolling pressure for foot pain relief.
Make sure to always pack a pair of comfortable shoes to avoid discomfort to begin with!
Dr Teal’s Pure Epsom Salt Soaking Solution
Epsom Salt Baths are One of the Best Remedies for Sore Feet
After the end of a long sightseeing day, many of us are left desperate for a cure for sore feet. The solution? Soak them in warm water!
Epsom salts are a relaxing scrub and portable for travel, too. Pack a some in a Ziploc bag and use it after a long day on your feet!
One reader says, “The reason Epsom salt works is the magnesium. If you are swelling at the end of the day, your electrolytes are out of whack. If you are walking more than your average and in a different climate (especially those people pounding their water) you are losing those natural salts. The water cannot do its job if you do not have the electrolytes. sodium (salt), magnesium, and potassium (eat your veggies) are important. This also helps with cramping and restless legs.”
Four More Soaking Ideas for How to Soothe Sore Feet
In addition to Epsom salts, try adding essential oils or other moisturizing solutions to a warm bath to soothe soreness:
- Tea Tree Oil: Mix tea tree oil, lavender oil, and sandalwood oil in a bowl of water. The antiseptic property heals any blisters on the feet that may arise, and the antifungal content of tea tree oil will cure athlete’s foot.
- Lavender: This homemade foot bath contains a few drops of lavender oil in a bowl of water. The aroma gives you a refreshing feeling.
- Peppermint: Who doesn’t love the cool, minty feeling of this foot treatment? You’ll need essential oils such as peppermint, eucalyptus, and chamomile for this bath. This mix heals your burning feet, giving you a refreshing effect due to the peppermint’s properties.
- Milk: You may be surprised that you can use milk as a sore foot from walking remedy, but this rich, creamy soak will give you a relaxing experience. Not only that, milk has moisturizing properties that will rejuvenate the skin and make your toes look younger!
How to Soothe Aching Feet with Moisturizer
One of our simple tips on how to soothe sore feet is to travel with lotion or moisturizer containing cocoa butter, beeswax or aargan oil to help hydrate tired, worn-out feet after a long day.
After a day spent walking in New Orleans, One TFG reader recommends Biofreeze Pain Relieving Gel – slather it on your feet, wrap them in towels, and then elevate. Her feet felt great the next day!
Patchology Rose Toes Foot Mask
How to Cure Sore Feet with a Good Foot Massage
Oriental medicine studies have developed natural ways of how to treat sore feet with reflexology, which makes use of pressure points that correspond to different parts of the body. Indulge mid-trip in a local treatment to treat your feet – the perfect pampering experience while traveling!
You can also give yourself a foot massage using massage oil!
What are your tips on soothing sore feet? Share in the comments below!
For more travel tips please read:
- Choosing the Best Travel Shoes for Women
- The Ultimate Guide to Travel Toiletries (with Printable Checklist)
- Best Shoe Inserts for Walking, Sightseeing, and Travel Sport Activities
- Best Orthopedic Shoes for Women – That Look Good Too!
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Seems a little crazy, but in Florence, Italy, after walking 25k miles, my feet were killing me. My husband filled the bidet with ice and I held my feet in the ice for as long as I could stand it. The next day they were ready to go again! Please don’t be offended that I used the bidet for an unintended purpose! 🙂
After a long day of sight-seeing, a real pick-me-up is stripping off socks and shoes and washing my feet with soap and water in the tub, then running cold water and soaking my feet for a while. Then lie on the floor (on a towel, obvs) or on the bed with my legs up the wall for 5 minutes. Never wear the same shoes twice in a row, and gel blister pads are a lifesaver!
This is amazing advice, thanks for sharing Mary!
Hi all, I’ve been trying to find an insole that, when I wear my high heeled boots, will stop that awful pain in the ball of my foot and ankle. I have tried gel insoles but they don’t work. I really like my boots and I want to wear them for longer than an hour without having this pain in my feet. Any advice greatly appreciated.
Hi Caithlyn, I know that several of our readers like Dr. Scholl’s Massaging Gel Insoles or Superfeet premium insoles featured here: https://www.travelfashiongirl.com/best-shoes-for-plantar-fasciitis/ to get you the best recommendations, I would highly recommend that you join our free community and ask your question there: https://www.facebook.com/groups/travelfashiongirls/ Our readers have the best advice to share and are always so helpful! Hope this helps. Happy travels!
Roll a frozen water bottle under your arches. Soothes the feet if your shoes lack adequate arch support.
Hi Karen, this is a fantastic tip, thank you for sharing it with us!! 🙂
If feet or ankles swell from all the walking, elevate them. My fave is to lie on the bed backwards, and prop my (clean) feet on the wall behind the bed. Very relaxing, and helps reduce swelling almost immediately.
If you’ve ever had a broken ankle or serious knee injury, you know how these areas can swell from extensive walking (and also after too much sitting, such as long flights). This trick really helps!
Good tip!