Accumulated damage from years of dance, martial arts, high heels, various athletics and now a couple of decades and lots of miles of hiking means my feet hurt more often than they don’t.
Add metabolic aging of my feet now that I’m in my 50’s, and it’s a recipe for some VERY painful feet.
But I’ve found ways to alleviate my foot pain and prevent more injury so I can keep doing the active things I love!
But there are other things you can do to keep your feet happy beyond simply wearing good boots!
I love to be active outdoors and plan to keep on going for the long haul. That means investing effort in taking care of my feet and legs as much as I can.
These are some of my favorite tips to avoid or eliminate foot pain and keep your feet happy, healthy and ready for any adventure!
NOTE: Instead of illustrating this post with images of injured feet, I decided to share pictures of some beautiful things I’ve seen – while walking around 🙂
Over the years, I’ve found a few favorite tools for planning and booking travel in the US and around the world.
Most of my travel adventures have been in or close to National Parks or other incredible outdoor destinations.
View at Hanging Rock State Park
I focus on time spent in Nature, but there are also plenty of cultural and historical sights to see!
For your convenience, I’ve included links to my favorite travel companies, and some blog posts about trips I’ve taken with them.
Some of my posts contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through an affiliate link, I will receive a small payment at no additional cost to you. I do not get paid for recommendations, all opinions on this site are my own. See full Disclosure page here.
Travel Destinations USA
The average American spends 87% of their time indoors, 6% of it in a car, and just 7% of their life outdoors.
Taking the ferry away from Torres del Paine, Patagonia, Chile
Adventure Travel
There are a couple of companies that I rely on when I want to go on hiking/adventure trips outside of the US.
Though I’ve arranged all of the details for many trips on my own, it’s much more convenient – and usually less expensive – to have the help of an experienced team in my destination country.
They take care of getting transfers, hiking permits, lodging, renting any necessary equipment and engaging trail guides – which can be tricky, especially when traveling in a remote area.
Hiking Old Rag in Shenandoah National Park
Adventure Travel Companies
If you have multiple flights and other transfers to reach your destination, it can be really confusing – especially if you don’t know the language!
It’s good to have someone on the ground to help you navigate the potential pitfalls that come with the mechanics of getting where you want to go.
There are two companies I’ve traveled the most with for guided trips. They’re both great companies, which is why I keep going back to them!
View of the crater on the Tongariro Alpine Crossing in New Zealand
G Adventures
I’ve got special regard for G Adventures because I’ve taken so many wonderful trips with them. They’re very eco-friendly and always have great discounts available.
Me at Machu Picchu – can’t believe this was 15 years ago!
My first trip with G Adventures was back in 2004, to hike and see ancient sites on the Amalfi Coast in Italy, and my most recent was in 2020 (right before the pandemic) to hike the Tongariro Alpine Crossing in New Zealand.
G Adventures offers vacations for solo travelers, couples, and the whole family, too.
NOTE: After March 31, 2023, GAP no longer requires all travelers to show proof of COVID vaccines & boosters or provide a Medical exemption to travel with them on any tour, but you can find an “all vaccinated” tour if you want one.
Intrepid Travel provides expert group leaders and take care of all of the necessary permits and transfers for all of their trips, including entrance to any National parks abroad.
I’ve hiked the Isle of Skye in Scotland and cycled in Tuscany with this company, and much more. They were great!
They also offer some really good discounts on Last Minute travel.
NOTE: After March 31, 2023, Intrepid no longer requires all travelers to show proof of COVID vaccines & boosters or provide a Medical exemption to travel with them on any tour.
Hiking in Northern Spain.
Travel Resources
For me, the most stressful part of a trip is getting to my destination and getting back home.
With flight cancellations, close connections, and carry-on rules changing for each flight, just navigating the airlines is enough to make you stay at home!
Returning to Puerto Natales from Torres del Paine.
Getting in the TSA Pre-Checkline for flights in the US can help smooth the process.
Just go to their site, fill out the form, pay the fee and bring your ID to a quick in-person meeting and you’ll get your TSA Pre-check account number.
With TSA Pre-Checkyou won’t have to remove your shoes or unpack your laptop while going through airport Security – this is very important if time is tight and you’re wearing hiking boots!
A Guide To Enjoying National Parks
I write a lot about the individual hikes I’ve taken in the wonderful National Parks across America, but pretty much leave the descriptions of the parks themselves to the Park websites.
Wayside previews of the park on the way into Bryce Canyon National Park
A friend from the National Parks shared this Guide with me recently, and I thought I would pass it on to you!
The US is home to 62 national parks, and I’ve visited a bunch of them. But if you want to read about them ALL go here:
Yellowstone became the world’s first national park in 1872, and the rest followed, up to New River Gorge National Park, which was dedicated less than a decade ago.
Dark Hollow Falls in Shenandoah National Park
Other Helpful Travel Sites
The Ledge trail at Pilot Mountain
The resources below help me keep everything organized with detailed itineraries, and usually provide some good discounts, too:
Travelocity– I use them mainly for researching and booking flights. This is great because you can see flight options from many different airlines and from different airports. If you book rental car and lodging along with your flights, you can get some really good deals.
Crystal Travel – Some great discount flights and other travel deals.
Booking.com– Great for booking hotel rooms and comparison shopping. The more you book with them, the better deals you get. Also, most bookings are cancellable and don’t require a deposit.
Cozycozy.com– Look for a room with Cozycozy for your next hiking trip – they’re sure to have a place near the trail that suits you!
City Pass – Discount Activity Passes for specific destination cities, you get great discounts on multiple local attractions!
Sightseeing Pass – Sightseeing Passes give you access to activities and services for a discount. Passes are available for: New York City, New Orleans, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Nashville, Orlando, Miami, Key West, and more!
Trail marker on the Pacific Crest Trail near Big Bear CA
If you’re ever going to take that big trip you’ve been dreaming about, you’ll need to stash more money – or at least some money! – in your vacation or holiday savings account.
Whether you’re looking at a 1-2 week getaway for the holidays or several months on the trail, these saving strategies add up.
SAVE MONEY FOR TRAVEL
The first thing to do is to figure out how much money you’re going to need – so you know when you’re done saving :-).
Check out my post on planning your multi-day hiking trip for some good ideas on how to plan your trip so you can figure the cost. I’ve also got some info on different lodging options that might help with your estimate.
The closer you are to your vacation date and the less money you have saved already, the more intense your saving activities will need to be.
DO THE MATH
It’s easy to figure total cost if you go on trip with a travel company . They usually have a planned itinerary that includes food, lodging, activities and a guide all in one price.
That can save you time – and sometimes money, too, so it’s worth looking into.
Hiking near Mont Blanc
You could also use a trip cost calculator, like the one I’ve linked to here, to help figure your savings goal.
Once you have a ballpark idea how much money you’ll need and when you want to go, you’ll know how much time you have to pull your travel stash together – that is, the time between right now and your vacation date.
For more of my favorite travel deals and resources, see my Travel Tips & Deals page, and take a look at the G Adventures page, too for some great discounts.
FYI, the photos I’ve included in this post are from some fantastic trips I’ve taken – using money from my own vacation saving fund!
It’s been more than a year since I returned from hiking in Patagonia, spending a week on the W trek in Torres del Paine National Park.
I wrote a very short “I’m baack!” kind of post right after the trip, but now I’m finally getting around to sharing more details.
Hiking the W Trek in Patagonia
Frankly, this is partly just an excuse to post more amazing Patagonia photos!
Be warned, this is an extremely long post, but it’s jam-packed full of useful information:
Different options for getting to Patagonia,
Torres del Paine hiking info,
What you’ll need to bring for the W Trek, and
A day by day description of my trip.
This is all really good info for you if you’re thinking about a similar trip. Anyway….about the place:
Patagonia, Chile is at the southernmost tip of South America, very close to Antarctica. Torres del Paine National Park is located on the eastern edge of the continent.
If you’ve read any of my other posts, you know that given the choice I most always prefer to be outdoors – hiking, walking, gardening, dining, listening to music and whatever else I can do outside.
Whether you’re exploring in the wilderness or taking a fitness jog in a county park, it’s not unusual to find evidence of other people who’ve visited before you.
Trail sign in Palo Duro Canyon NP in Texas
Most often it’s in the form of trail signs giving practical information.
Sometimes personal tokens are left in an attempt to send a wish or a prayer to a loved one, or even to make contact with some greater universal entity.
You might also see official tributes to people who have contributed in some way to that green space.
Sculpture in the Jean Miro park in Barcelona, Spain
Or more simply, art.
Whatever it is and whoever it’s for, signs and tokens left along the trail are an attempt to communicate with others.
When I was planning my Utah hiking trip, I asked for advice from hiker friends who had visited the area before:
Which National Parks should I visit? How much time should I allow for each park? Which trails are a must-do?
Towers in the Fiery Furnace
I was grateful for their insights, and found the advice to be mostly accurate – except for when it came to hiking Arches National Park.
Some feedback I got was that I didn’t need to plan for more than an afternoon at Arches National Park hikes, but we spent a day and a half there and still didn’t get to everything.
Entry to Fiery Furnace are at Arches National Park
While it could be said that Arches isn’t very challenging for expert hikers, there’s no doubt that it is breathtakingly beautiful for everyone!
Recently I did some hiking in Utah, specifically visiting several of the famous Utah National Parks. The trip to southern Utah was primarily to hike, but also to take in the beauty of the desert in the Spring.
Hikers on the Queens Garden Trail in Bryce Canyon
Photos can’t convey the scale of the mountains and desert, or the multitude of colors and rock formations we drove through while crossing southern Utah – but I tried anyway.
A few of my pics are in the text below, and you can see more in my detailed posts about Arches National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park.
Great! Like any other event outside of your normal daily routine – hosting a party, having a night out, or even creating a special meal – it starts with planning and research.
Don’t know where to start? I’ll help.
Let’s begin by figuring out what your perfect trip would look like….
Patagonia, Chile is at the southernmost tip of South America, very close to Antarctica. 
