Travelers Swear By This Clothing Item For Long Days Of Walking Around Cities Abroad

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When you make a once-in-a-lifetime trip abroad, you're going to want to make the most of it. That often means jam-packing your itinerary full of so-called 'tourist traps' without paying much attention to just how much walking you'll have to do to get from point A to point B. But once you arrive for your trip to a historic Italian city, you realize you signed up for a lot more hiking and stair climbing than you're used to. By the end of day one, your legs and toes might just feel numb from all of that activity. But how are you supposed to walk the rest of your trip?

Luckily, there is a simple solution — one that's not just useful for people prone to blood clots. Compression socks can help ease some of the tension caused by high activity levels on vacation. Frequent travelers swear by the unconventional socks. "Get some compression stockings for city trips where you walk a lot," says Redditor u/Safe-Beyond-4731 in the r/TravelHacks thread. "Don't be afraid that those are only for old people and get some that are made for exercising, like running. Your feet will hurt much less and will recover faster." But how is it that these socks are the magical cure to sore feet?

Contrary to popular belief, compression socks are not only useful to people with blood circulation issues. Compression socks are tightly fitted at the ankle and then gradually release pressure as they continue up the calf, ultimately improving the blood flow in your legs. This is an excellent preventative measure if you know you will be doing a lot of movement on your trip. Compression socks are even worn by some athletes – from runners and ball players to dancers – to prevent muscle soreness and improve recovery, so you know you don't have to be prescribed compression socks to pick up a pair at Walgreens or Amazon, like these from Hapiu. Therefore, tossing a pair of these suckers in your bag for those especially active vacation days can help alleviate potential soreness from lots of walking.

Compression socks are also a major tip for surviving ultra-long flights when you aren't able to get up and stretch as often. "Traveled this week on a 6-hour flight with compression socks for the first time and it was game changing," said Redditor u/amstarcasanova. "I usually get restless and achy legs, but had zero issues this time." The socks make sure blood continues to flow through your legs so that even when you can't stand, you are still getting proper circulation in your legs. While developing a severe blood clot while flying is rare, compression socks can still alleviate swelling and tension that comes from sitting on long flights.