What to Wear Traveling: Recommendations for Every Trip
When it comes to travel, comfort is king. But that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your own personal style. The right travel outfit should be comfortable, wrinkle free, keep you warm in frigid airplanes and cool in sunny cars, and take you from the jet bridge to a sightseeing tour without requiring an outfit swap.
This guide puts together the perfect outfits that are equal parts stylish and comfortable so you know exactly what to wear traveling. I’ve spent the past three years traversing 15 countries and countless domestic destinations with my kids so I know a thing or two about versatile but chic outfits. And I’ve done it all with two carry on suitcases for four people so I promise I won’t steer you wrong with outfits that you can only wear on travel days.
What to Wear Traveling: The Long Haul Flight
There is nothing new travelers dread more than a long haul or transatlantic flight. What if the food is terrible? It will be. What if I get bored? You will. What if I am uncomfortable? As if! While I can’t guarantee you business class comfort, I do promise that these outfits are as comfortable as they get.
While I tend to be more of a splurge on high quality clothing and keep it forever kind of person, I was pretty crushed when the tote bag from Quince arrived. It is a perfect dupe for the MZ Wallace tote bag at a fraction of the cost. The colors are even spot on!
How I’d Wear This While Traveling?
For me the most common long haul flight destination is Europe, with that in mind here is how I’d make use of all of these pieces while on vacation:
- Non-athletic sneakers are perfect for walking around Europe’s cobblestone streets. These will be your everyday walking shoes!
- White t-shirts can pair with any and all bottoms to create a new outfit. I like to bring two for longer trips and rotate.
- Wear the trousers on their own with a fitted white tank for a more elevated look while sightseeing.
- Throw the sweatshirt over your white t-shirt and jeans for a more polished tourist look.
What to Wear Traveling: The Road Trip
While most travelers dread long haul flights, I dread road trips. There is something about not being able to stand up and stretch that really gets to me. And inevitably I’m either too hot or too cold, or somehow both at once. That’s why I always pack layers so I can take things off and on to control my own temperature. And a baseball cap to protect from those pesky UV rays coming in the windows. Pop in some airpods you can tune your children out and you are all set!
How I’d Wear This While Traveling?
For me the most common road trip destination is the mountains or national park, with that in mind here is how I’d make use of all of these pieces while on vacation:
- Non-athletic sneakers are perfect for casual meals and strolls in charming mountain towns. These are my everyday shoes if I’m not hiking!
- White tank tops can be layered with jeans and good jewelry for a nice dinner out or leggings and sneakers for a trail hike.
- The athleisure track suits are perfect for less strenuous hikes or grabbing breakfast in town.
- Going for a hike? Good thing you brought your water bottle and hat!
What to Wear Traveling: The Business Trip
If you are anything like me you both loathe and love business trips. It’s great to have some alone time in a relatively nice if impersonal hotel room. But packing for a business trip can be an absolute pain. I’m almost always headed straight from the airport to the office or vice versa. Meaning I need to be comfortable, professional, and dressed for the arctic (really why are corporate offices so cold?!). A gray sweater with casual black pants is my go-to for professional comfortable that isn’t awful on an airplane.
How I’d Wear This While Traveling?
This one is pretty simple! I wear this outfit on the airplane and then once I land, I’m ready to head straight into the office. But here are some styling ideas for all of the separate pieces:
- Stretchy knit black pants look great with a casual cardigan or nicer blouse. You can really dress these up or down depending on your office culture and I find them a lot more comfortable on airplanes than jeans.
- White t shirts can be layered under also any sweater as a base.
- These black tote bags will fit a normal size laptop but look chic enough to wear out to dinner with colleagues.
What to Wear Traveling: Headed to the Beach
My favorite type of trip is a beach vacation but truthfully they are some of the hardest to pack for. I absolutely hate arriving and taking off my travel outfit not to see it again until we head back to the airport. That’s just not efficient! Since we are all about carryons now, I’ve mastered the comfortable but beach appropriate airplane outfit.
How I’d Wear This While Traveling?
We love traveling to far flung tropical locations over the holidays, with that in mind here is how I’d make use of all of these pieces while on vacation:
- The linen button down makes the perfect bathing suit coverup and you’ll find me wearing this to the pool or beach every day.
- Pair the navy tank top with the white linen pants and some fun gold jewelry for some beachy dinners out.
- The raffia market place bag doubles as the perfect beach bag but is chic enough to wear to dinner too. And it’s the perfect size for a carryon!
- You can’t go wrong with boat shoes – especially if you plan on spending some time on a boat or strolling around a beach town.
I hope you feel a bit more confident with what to wear traveling. Packing for trips can be daunting! My top tips are to make sure the pieces you wear on the airplane or in the car are all things you can incorporate into your daily outfits once you are on vacation. The lighter you can pack the better!
Looking for a specific packing guide? I’ve got you covered for the Oregon Coast, Disney World and Belize. And am adding destination specific packing guides all the time!
