Traveling. It’s something that we all wish we had more time to do. We love it so much. Even so, we can all agree that traveling would be a lot more fun if the getting there and getting home parts were just as fun and relaxing as the rest of the trip. Between fighting or armrest space, running to make connecting flights and having to sit on grimy floors because we could only find that one free outlet to charge our phones…ugh. No wonder so many of us prefer to dress down and try our best to be invisible!
But what if we didn’t have to? Here are some tips and tricks that you can use to ensure that you look and feel both fashionable and relaxed during the transit portions of your travels.
Comfort and Style Combined: What to Wear on Your Body
The goal is to look like you are totally dressed up but that you should feel like you are schlepping in your pajamas. Here is how you do that:
Choose your fabrics wisely. Stay away from wool and other fabrics that itch. Cotton blends, cashmere, etc. These fabrics feel soft on our skin and can keep us warm in cold airports and planes.
Tights instead of panty-hose if you are going to wear a skirt or dress. This season we are in love with fleece lined tights. They feel like soft cashmere sweaters against our legs, keep us warm and look stylish all at the same time.
Dresses instead of skirts. A dresses take a lot of the thinking out of putting your outfit together. You simply need to choose tights, a sweater, and shoes to go with it.
Boots look great no matter what you’re wearing and are easy to slip on and off at security. More importantly, boots look just as good as a flat shoe as they do as a heeled shoe so you don’t have to worry about racing around on heels trying to make a quick connection…that’s all the way across the airport.
Comfort and Style: Your Luggage
Let’s just be honest here: unless you’re only going for a night, you should pay the fee to check a suitcase. Invest in a really great suitcase or two. Trust us: the expense is worth it.
It’s also important to have a really good carry on bag. You’re allowed a carry on bag and a personal bag. Your carry on should be durable and easy to store and should be able to take a beating. The Rimowa carry on, for example, has a polycarbonate case. Cases made from polycarbonate are great because polycarbonate can stand up against kicks, scrapes and even pressure (feel free to sit on it so you don’t have to sit on the floor).
Comfort and Style: Your Stuff
Part of the stress of travel is trying to figure out what to carry with you and what to stow in your checked luggage. You don’t, for example, want to get stuck without your phone charger for hours during an unexpectedly long layover! At the same time, do you really need your phone, your tablet, your laptop, your eReader and your Nintendo DS with you at all times? Probably not.
Here is what you should carry with you:
- Your wallet and ID (duh)
- Your phone and charger
- Your tablet and charger
- One thin paperback book (in case your tablet dies and there aren’t any free outlets)
- One thin paper notebook (ditto)
- A good pen
That’s it. Seriously. Here’s the trick: you want your phone with you in case you need to make a call. If you’re not talking on it, leave it in your bag. Your tablet can provide everything else: games, access to work documents if you want to get extra work done, your eBook library (the Amazon Kindle app is free), etc. Leave your laptop and other stuff at home. Now your carry on will be lightweight and easy to manage and you won’t need to keep getting up to get other stuff out of it. You can simply plop down in your seat and relax!
What tips have you found most useful for looking and feeling relaxed while traveling?