What To Wear on Your Feet at the Airport To Keep From Dying of a Terrible Disease

It’s probably happened to more of us than we would like to admit: You end your fabulous, tropical vacation at the airport only to realize that, in the blur of last-minute packing and that one last piña colada, you forgot to put socks on, got flagged by TSA, and now have to walk through the TSA checkpoint barefoot.

“Well, it couldn’t be that bad,” you tell yourself as you take all of your little piggies on an up-close tour of the airport carpeting.

Actually, it can be worse — and even potentially fatal.

From painful warts to cuts from sharp debris to potentially life-threatening infections, the floor of a typical airport security checkpoint isn’t just a polyester monument to stain-camouflaging technology and ugly design — it’s also a swirling miasma of everything you’re supposed to be protecting your feet from.

We spoke to Dr. Samantha Landau, assistant professor of orthopedics and pediatrics at Touro University New York College of Podiatric Medicine, on why you should never go barefoot through airport security, what to wear instead, and how to avoid taking your shoes off altogether.

Sticks and Stones

First of all, there’s the risk of stepping on debris that could seriously injure you, like broken glass, sharp pieces of metal, jagged plastic that fell off someone’s overpacked rollaboard suitcase frame, or worse.

Although airport staff and TSA agents try to keep the floors of the security lanes clear, thousands of people walk through them daily. It’s simply impossible for them to account for every tiny piece of potentially piercing or slashing material that falls on the ground.

And you? You’re too busy trying to figure out where you put your keys, laptop, and water bottle to scan the floor carefully.

“Even a minor puncture wound can lead to infection or need medical treatment,” Landau said, adding that she once had a patient who “had been in a rush and stepped on something sharp on the floor. He didn’t notice immediately, but later developed an infection at the site. It wasn’t too severe, but it required antibiotics and a few visits to the clinic to clear up.”

Even outside the TSA security checkpoint, she added, it’s a bad idea to go barefoot or wear the wrong footwear in a heavily trafficked public space. These are generally hard surfaces, which can exacerbate existing conditions like plantar fasciitis, bruise soft tissue, and aggravate travelers’ problems with flat feet or high arches.

If they’re in an uncarpeted part of the airport, security checkpoints also tend to have smooth, polished surfaces, where bare feet provide inconsistent traction and socks can be extra slippery.

Don’t underestimate the causes of common accidental trips and tumbles. Remember how you had to figure out where to stash that water bottle before the checkpoint? So did the guy 5 people ahead of you who went the gulp-it-all-down route and left a big puddle of Poland Spring right in front of the body scanner. Now, you’re the prime target for a slip and fall that could result in an ankle sprain or broken bone.

Invisible Invaders

Then there’s the stuff you can’t see. By walking through a TSA checkpoint with bare feet or the wrong kind of socks, you’re exposing yourself to potential infection, which could easily lead to something much, much worse than just the icky feeling of going shoeless through TSA.

Walking barefoot or with the wrong kind of footwear means more friction on your feet, which in turn means microabrasions that let the invisible invaders into your body through your feet.

Fungi, for example, love the kind of environments that those indescribably ugly carpets provide at or near airport checkpoints. Many of the millions of people who pass through an airport — and who are required by law to walk through the same checkpoint you’re walking barefoot through now — shed fungal spores onto and into those carpets, where they wait for the opportunity to hitch a ride onto your feet and give you the forever gift of athlete’s foot or nail fungus.

“Even brief contact can allow fungi to penetrate small cracks or dry skin on the soles,” Landau said.

The human papillomavirus, or HPV, is a virus that’s incredibly easily spread via contaminated surfaces. On the feet, they lead to painful warts that can make it difficult to walk and can take months to get rid of, even with the proper treatment — “the last thing you want to pick up on a vacation,” Landau added.

Finally, bacteria, including the strains of Staphylococcus known as MRSA and those responsible for causing necrotizing fasciitis (“flesh-eating disease”), are likely to persist on airport floors, particularly on top of skin debris or other passengers’ sweat, and in the form of loose microbes. Once they enter your system through cuts or abrasions on your feet, even if you can’t feel or see them, those bacteria can wreak havoc.

“These infections can escalate quickly, especially in individuals with diabetes or weakened immunity like those who have had transplants on immunosuppressant agents, those in chemo or radiation therapy, on long-term steroids, to just name a few,” Landau said. “Some of these bacterial infections can be quite serious. Infections like cellulitis, for example, can cause severe swelling, redness, and pain, and if untreated, they can spread quickly and become life-threatening. There’s also the risk of long-term issues like scarring or damage to tissues.”

If you’ve walked through airport security without shoes on and start to experience increased redness, warmth, swelling, or tenderness in your feet, you shouldn’t wait to see a medical professional, as bacterial infections can spread and become gravely dangerous surprisingly quickly.

Even if not life-threatening, though, any bacterial infection is still likely to be unpleasant, as seen in Landau’s cases, where flyers contracted impetigo, a crusty, oozing bacterial infection, on their feet after walking through airport security while barefoot or wearing the wrong kinds of socks.

What To Wear Through Airport Security

If you have to take your shoes off to go through airport security, do not go barefoot. Because you can never be sure whether or not you’ll be flagged for extra screening, always try to wear or pack socks beforehand — and take note that not all socks are created equal when it comes to protection against infection or injury.

“I prefer wearing socks with good antimicrobial properties,” Landau said. “Security is stressful enough without worrying about picking something up, so I try to take that into account. And I always wear socks because of the, uh, general cleanliness of those floors.”

Leave the pantyhose behind for sturdier hosiery.

“Thicker socks, like wool, are generally better than thinner ones because they offer more cushioning and protection, but they’re also breathable, so they don’t trap moisture,” she said. “You want socks that provide a good balance, nothing too tight, but snug enough to avoid friction or blisters. Wool or moisture-wicking fabrics are ideal. Pantyhose, on the other hand, don’t offer much protection from germs or debris. They’re fine if you’re heading to a meeting, but not so much for security. Avoid anything that’s too thin, really, because it won’t provide any protection if you’re walking barefoot or stepping on something.”

Landau’s favorite socks for the airport are medical-grade compression socks listed as “20-30mmHG,” or compression levels of 20 to 30 millimeters of mercury (measuring pressure, not amounts of the toxic metal).

To be extra safe, Landau recommends you join the many medical professionals who pack an extra pair of socks to go through airport security, switching to the fresh set on the other side before putting their shoes back on.

“Switching socks after walking barefoot through security is a smart move,” she said.

Even though you’re taking them off anyway, make sure you wear shoes that won’t cause you to be that guy slowing down the security line.

“I always suggest shoes that are supportive and easy to take off at security — like slip-on sneakers, loafers, or comfortable flats that have a supportive sole,” she said. “For airport security, the key is to avoid anything with too many straps or buckles; that just slows you down and makes the whole experience more stressful.”

How To Avoid Removing Your Shoes at Airport Security in the First Place

Since July 2025, TSA no longer requires passengers to remove their shoes at TSA airport checkpoints. But you could still be flagged for enhanced security screening, trigger the detectors and be forced to go through again without shoes, or get the dreaded boarding pass that says “SSSS.”

Though you could still end up having to remove your shoes in an expedited security program, you’re less likely to be flagged for screening by enrolling in a prescreening program like CLEAR^® or TSA PreCheck, Landau said. Several premium cards, such as the Platinum Card^® from American Express and Chase Sapphire Reserve^®, offer members credit statements for the enrollment fees those services charge.

Even if you’re keeping your shoes on through airport security, some footwear is better than others when it comes to air travel, she said.

“I recommend shoes with good arch support, especially if you’re doing a lot of walking,” Landau said. “Brands like Brooks, New Balance, or even Clarks have travel-friendly options that also provide great comfort and foot health benefits. In the long run, shoes with proper arch support and cushioning will help prevent foot strain or issues that might develop from long hours on your feet. I definitely make sure to wear comfortable, breathable shoes.”

And although they may seem more comfortable, open-toed shoes pose a greater risk to your feet, so leave them packed in your suitcase instead of wearing them to the airport, if you have the choice.

“Nothing too tight or constricting, and I avoid flip-flops or sandals,” Landau said. “Avoid open-toed footwear when flying, as these increase exposure and injury risk throughout the airport, but sandals are still better than going barefooted.”

Final Thoughts

Cooties are real, at least when it comes to walking through airport security with bare feet. At the very least, wear socks, ideally thick ones, and bring an extra pair to change into for added safety. That way, you get to spend your vacation at the beach or on the slopes instead of at the emergency clinic or a podiatrist’s office, with only a 10-day supply of antibiotics to look forward to instead of a week of spicy margaritas.