By Kim visited Walt Disney World for the first time in her life as an adult in her early 40s.
Before the visit, she had no idea how much walking is involved in a day at the theme parks.
Depending on the park and your ambitions, you can get in anywhere between 20,000 and 30,000 steps in a single day.
Friends, for a short person like Kim, that number of steps is the equivalent of between eight and 12 miles.
Those miles put a lot of wear and tear on your legs and feet, and in the end, people experience extremely sore feet and legs, along with some other potential conditions.
So, here’s a quick note on how to prepare for a LOT of walking when you visit Disney World. If you haven’t experienced the parks since childhood, your body may not be ready.
Body Stressors
Look, we won’t sugarcoat it. Walking this much on concrete and asphalt, even when it’s designed to be gentle on guests’ bodies, puts a lot of strain on both your feet and legs.
Your feet will hurt, your legs will hurt, and you may develop a condition known as golfer’s vasculitis, often referred to as the Disney rash.
When you experience this ailment, your lower legs will show symptoms such as a purplish-red rash, along with swelling, itching, or pain.
For this reason, we strongly recommend that you pack some anti-itch cream as well as an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen. Excessive walking in the Florida heat can exacerbate and accelerate the Disney rash.
That ibuprofen will help with the aches and pains you develop outside of the Disney rash as well. You can visit the First Aid areas in the parks for treatment, but if you go ahead and pack the medications in your park bag, you’ll be prepared for anything.
It’s Gotta Be the Shoes
The temptation to wear super cute shoes to enhance and match your awesome Disney outfit can be strong.
If you’ve ever seen the episode of Modern Family where Jay buys Gloria some adorable plush Minnie Mouse slippers at Disney because she destroyed her feet by wearing stiletto heels, you get the picture.
Even so, the shoes don’t have to be super high heels or super tight on your feet to cause problems.
New shoes that aren’t broken in can be painful, too. Likewise, Vans, Chuck Taylors, Doc Martens and flip flops might seem like the perfect accessory for your DisneyBound creation, but we would urge some caution.
If you really want to be kind to your feet, you’ll pack a pair of tried-and-true sneakers. Ideally, you’ll choose ones you’ve used for walking many times and know are comfortable.
Usually, these will be shoes designed specifically for walking or running. Kim’s favorites for park visits include Nike Air Pegasus and the Hoka Clifton line. Everyone’s feet are different, of course, so you’ll want to pack the ones that make your own feet happiest.
On another note, you may want to bring two pairs of comfortable shoes, as you may find your first pair getting soaked due to rain and/or wet rides. Walking around in wet shoes is NO FUN and can cause blisters.
Conditioning
It might sound ridiculous, but along with the right shoes, we also strongly recommend starting a walking regimen ahead of your visit.
After Kim’s first experience at Disney World, she started preparing for her next trip to Orlando by walking at least 10,000 steps a day, starting about four months before the arrival date.
You don’t have to go that extreme. Even walking a mile or so daily is enough to get you prepared for all the moving around and acclimating your feet to the shoes you plan to use.
Even if you just spend some time walking in place indoors to your favorite music, you’ll feel the benefits once you start your vacation. Your shoes will be broken in, your feet and legs won’t be in shock from the movement, and you won’t find yourself out of breath if you have to hustle to a meal reservation or Lightning Lane.
Plus, you’ll have the side benefit of good health!
Feature Image: Amazon