After a long day at a theme park like Disneyland, your feet and legs will probably feel like you’ve walked between a 10K or a half marathon (or more)! These distances are not an exaggeration! On average, when I visit Disneyland my Fitbit tracks an average of 7 miles walked. The highest number of miles I logged during a day at Disneyland in 2015 – not counting the days I was participating in a runDisney race – was 11 miles. However, it’s quite possible to walk even more steps/miles if you are at a theme park such as Disneyland from opening until closing.

So what can you do BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER a day at a theme park to take care of your tootsies? Here are some tips to help keep your feet feeling Happy and less Grumpy.

BEFORE your visit to a theme park:

• Plan on wearing comfortable walking shoes.
• Make sure your shoes have been broken in – the last thing you want is blisters.
• Pack an extra pair of socks – especially if you plan on going on water rides.
• If you tend to be sedentary, prepare for your theme park visit by increasing your amount of walking little by little in the days/weeks advance of your visit.
• Be sure to prepare all members of your group, especially younger children, for how much walking you will be doing.

DURING your visit:

• Take breaks often throughout the day where you can sit for a spell.
• Standing in line for hours and hours adds to the strain on your legs and feet. Consider seeing some of the shows (where you can sit) in between standing in lines for attractions.
• Stay hydrated. Many theme parks, including the Disneyland Resort, will provide free cups of water at any table service restaurant…just ask!
• If necessary, visit First Aid at the theme park for band aids or other needed assistance.

AFTER your visit:

• Put your feet up and air out those tootsies.
• Do some simple stretches – check out some suggestions here.
• Spray your feet with some refreshing foot spray. I like to use the Peppermint Cooling Foot Spray by The Body Shop.
• Rub your feet on a massage ball. I like use the Foot Massage Ball by Foot Rubz, it’s portable and easy to pack.
• Lather on some foot lotion. My go to relief is the Softening Mint Foot Rub by H2O+.
• Finally, treat your feet to a cooling foot scrub in the tub or shower. I’ve recently started using the Refreshing Tea Tree Cooling Foot Scrub by Earth Therapeutics.

Taking care of your tootsies before, during, and after a day at a theme park is an important, but often overlooked, part of planning a trip. Hopefully these tips will help you keep your feet and legs feeling happy!

What are some of your tips for taking care of your feet while on vacation or visiting a theme park?

Do you use a Fitbit or other step counting tracker? If you’d like to connect on Fitbit for friendly step-counting challenges, send me a message.

Even on race weekends, I average 6 or 7 miles walked at the Disneyland Resort on top of the race mileage. Saturday was the 10K race + 7 miles at the resort = 13 miles total. Sunday was the Half Marathon race + 7 miles at the resort = 20 miles total. The “Pixie Dust Challenge” was doing both races. Photo credits: Lloyd & DLR PhotoPass/RunDisney photographers.

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