Taking care of your sole and your Soul

What are the best shoes to take on pilgrimage?  When we are at home we can wear whatever shoes we want and change them whenever we want.  However when we are on the other side of the world it is even more important to get your footwear right.  Here are a few simple tips on selecting the footwear to look after your soles:

1. No new shoes - never take a brand new pair of shoes with you on an overseas trip.  A person I know took a brand new pair of walking boots to WYD in Rome and ended up with ingrown toe nails.  The boots seemed fine in the shop but without being worn in the shoes, they started to hurt her feet.  I made the mistake of taking a new pair of shoes overseas and the shoes made my feet sweat.  I went through double the amount of socks that I normally would. TIP 1 - buy your shoes two months before heading overseas.
2. Walk a few miles in your shoes - at home you may wear a pair of shoes all day yet hardly walk anywhere in them.  On any given day of the pilgrimage you will cover a few kilometres at least.  Is the footwear you are taking comfortable enough to walk all day in?  Whilst at home flipflops may be comfortable, they are not suitable for hours of walking.  TIP 2 - buy shoes for comfort not for fashion
3. Protect your toes - whilst it will be hot in Spain, you will also spend a lot of time in crowds.  Sandals may look nice and keep your feet cool, but do they protect your toes in a crowded metro?  People will be in front of you, next to you and pushing from behind, your feet will get stood on.  TIP 3 - cover your toes in a crowd.
4. Casual shoes for nights and showers - one pair of thongs or flipflops will cover the trips to the shower and walking around just before bed.  There are times when a trusted pair of thongs will be just the thing  to relax in. TIP 4 - never walk around bare feet.
5. Don't forget the socks - don't spend hundreds of dollars on shoes and wear a pair of 50cent socks.

Whilst the main aim of the pilgrimage is the care of your Soul, if you don't look after your feet you will find it hard to survive the WYD pilgrimage.