Why feet grow on a plane

"Long airplane flights or car rides ... often lead to some swelling in the feet and ankles" (MedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine). The NHS advice for swollen feet: wide, comfortable shoes with a low heel and soft sole, and nothing too tight.

It isn't the plane being cruel. Hours of sitting with feet down and barely moving let fluid build up low, in the feet and ankles. Add a dry cabin, a salty lunch and a long drive from the airport, and by the time you land, your feet are not the feet you left home with.

Which means a shoe that fits at the gate is a size too small by baggage claim. Laces make it worse: tie them for the morning and they cut in by noon, loosen them and the shoe slops around all afternoon. And it doesn't end at the airport. Day one of a trip is the plane. Day two is the walking.

What I pack now: one pair, already on my feet

It's a sneaker with one wide strap instead of laces. Lift the strap and the whole top folds back, opening about 2x wider than a laced shoe. The foot goes straight in, flat, no forcing the heel.

Then you close it only as far as fits right now. Snug at the gate. Eased a notch over the Midwest. Snug again for the walk to the car. One shoe that adjusts all day, without untying a thing.

1. 1Gate, 6:40am. Strap snug, out the door. At security they come off and go back on without untying anything, while the man next to me is still on his second knot.
2. 2Cruising. Shoes stay on. When the tops of my feet start to feel tight, I reach down once, open the strap a notch, and sit back. No wrestling in the aisle.
3. 3Landing, 11:15am. Seatbelt sign off. I open the strap, close it again where it fits now, and walk off the plane in my own shoes.
4. 4Baggage claim, 11:40am. Heels where they belong. Bag off the carousel. Grandkids at the door by one, and I'm the one down on the floor playing.

Day 2, 3pm, somewhere with a lot of steps

Sightseeing day. A cathedral, a market, a harbor walk, and a lunch place my son-in-law swears is worth the hill. By mid-afternoon my feet have caught up with the itinerary.

The old me would have found a bench and waited it out, or headed back to the hotel early. Now I sit for a moment, ease the strap, and keep going.

Nobody waits while I sit out the last museum. Nobody carries my shoes. And at dinner I'm still in the same pair, not limping in sandals.

Why it earns the space in my bag

I travel light now, and this is the one pair that made the cut. $79.95, with free US shipping.

It looks like an ordinary sneaker, so it goes with everything I pack. Nobody at the table knows it's the reason I'm still on my feet at 8pm.

• About 450g for the pair. Light on my feet, light in the bag
• Thick foam sole for the long walk from the gate
• Reflective panel on the strap for the walk back from dinner
• Black or maroon, and it looks like a sneaker with jeans
• One pair for the whole trip: plane, sightseeing, dinner
• Widths D to 6E, US women's sizes 5 to 14

Thanksgiving is Thursday, 26 November

Shipping takes 3 to 5 business days, free in the US. Order by Sunday, 15 November to have them before Thanksgiving travel, and wear them around the house for a week first, so they feel like yours before the airport.

Last Thanksgiving, AAA expected 81.8 million Americans to travel. The airports will be full and the walks to the gate will be long. Flying for Christmas instead? Order by 11 December.

P.S. Next time you land, you'll find out whether your shoes still fit. I'd rather find out at home, with 50 days to decide.