what to wear for traveling?

[shouldaeloped]

I'm going on my first international trip and my first flight longer than about 3 hours. what do you wear for a long trip when you are going to be sitting or sleeping the entire time but still want to look decent?

[Anna Low]

I usually board in my regular clothes and then change into yoga pants or sweats as soon as I get my stuff stowed. After breakfast, I then change back into my regular clothes.

[looch]

I am always cold on planes, so I make sure to take a pair of cotton socks in my carry on bag, so I can put them on either my bare feet or over my trouser socks. I also always bring a pashmina or wear a cardigan sweater. As for pants/bottoms, I like to wear a pair of soft pants, like fleece lined sweatpants from jcrew in a dark color.

[tenofcups]

Depends on what time of the year you're traveling.

If I'm going from a warm place to a warm place, for example, I typically wear a pair of light-weight pants with a loose waist in a fabric that won't wrinkle. I used to travel a lot and had these amazing black pants that looked like nice slacks (and kinda sexy too) but had a tie at the waist and couldn't be wrinkled if I tried. I loved those pants! I tend to bloat and my stomach tends to grow when I'm on a plane so the loose waist is critical for me. Black or some other dark color so you don't have to worry about dirt.

I never used to wear jeans on a plane because the waist used to get too tight, but now I have a few pairs with more room so that's another option.

Then I wear a sleeveless top, again usually black, with a sweater on top of it. The sweater is great for the plane and can be removed as soon as I land. I'll often wear open-toe shoes that will work when I land, but bring along a pair of heavy socks.

The other option that can be super-comfortable is a long dress if you have a comfy one. I don't like to wear shorter skirts on planes because my legs get cold, but the kind that comes down to your ankle can keep you warm and look nice.

[laura]

We take a cross-country red-eye (about 6 hours) fairly regularly and I always wear jeans and Tshirt w/ a zip up sweater over it and I bring fuzzy socks. But every.single.time we go and get to the airport and I see everyone in sweatsuits/comfy clothes, I wish I would have done that. I don't because as a rule I don't wear sweats (or that style clothing) outside the house, but I think I need to relax this rule for airplanes, even though there are varying opinions on the subject.

[Mrs. M.]

I usually wear khakis or pants and a nice tshirt layered with a sweater. I bring thick socks or hotel slippers.

If you ever want an upgrade, be dressed for it. When there is a chance for upgrading, they will look for people who are dressed decently for business class.

I stay away from synthetics. Synthetics will melt in a fire/when sliding down the chute. May sound crazy to some people, but I train this stuff every year.

[merjmo]

I stay away from synthetics. Synthetics will melt in a fire/when sliding down the chute. May sound crazy to some people, but I train this stuff every year.

Not crazy at all! I learned this in grad school and ever since have done everything possible to avoid wearing stockings on an airplane. Not *always* possible, but usually.

[kendriln]

It depends on the weather where I'm going - but I like to wear trouser jeans and a light sweater or a cotton top with a wrap. I'm always cold on planes.

And if I'm wearing sandals or a low heel, I bring a pair of socks to go through security and for extra warmth on the plane.

And I keep a small makeup bag with me.

[boilermaker]

I have a pair of black cargo style pants with a drawstring waist that are great for travel. I pair them with layers on top depending on the weather. They do get wrinkly since they are cotton but they don't look horrible slightly wrinkled due to the style of the pants. But I can also make them look nice by wearing a nicer shirt/sweater.

Also, your travel clothes should work for other things. I prefer to minimize my packing, so the pants I wear while traveling also need to be able to be used for other days. Black pants work so well for that.

And I'm another one who always has a sweater and socks for use on the plane! And slip on style shoes. Either flats in the summer or clog style in the winter. Easy for security, easy to slip on and off, and again, useful throughout your whole trip.

[thedoorchick]

I mostly travel for work, so I'm dressed in business casual (or higher, if I'm headed to a client meeting). I wear those clothes every day though so to me they are comfortable enough. Otherwise I wear jeans, a nice T-shirt or the like and some form of slip-on shoes, the better to easily get through security.

I would make sure you're wearing something that's not too tight or binding, and have socks for if your feet get cold. I agree with the comment about wearing something that is used elsewhere on the trip. I pack as lightly as possible so whatever I wear on the plane, I will be wearing a couple of other times too.

[Ohana]

In addition to the no synthetics, I've always been told to wear comfortable, low heeled, closed toe shoes. In an emergency evacuation, you definitely do not want to be wearing flip flops!

That said, I usually wear business casual black pants, a shirt appropriate for the climate in which I'm landing, a black cardigan, and the aforementioned closed toe shoes. My carryon usually has a pashmina in it in case I get cold.

[wendalah]

Black leggings with a t-shirt/tunic dress over them, ballet flats, and a cardigan/socks in your purse in case you get cold.

[Sposa06]

I always wear a tank top or shell, a cardigan (sleeve length and weight depends on the climate I'm flying to/time of year), a knee-length skirt with a comfy waistband, and ballet flats. I also always wear my hair in a sleek low ponytail, rather than the rat's-nest ponytails so many women wear. Air travel is different now than it was when my mom was young, but she raised us to dress nicely, because not everyone can afford to fly. You can be comfortable without wearing a Juicy track suit and Uggs.

[Sarah]

Air travel is different now than it was when my mom was young, but she raised us to dress nicely, because not everyone can afford to fly.What does that mean? :)

[Sposa06]

It means that you should dress nicely--respectfully--because flying is a privilege.

[laura]

I do not wear sweats for travel b/c I don't wear sweats in my normal life, but honestly I have no idea what is with the concept of "dressing up" to travel. It's not comfortable [to me]. I don't need to impress anyone (traveling for leisure). I don't think all comfortable clothes are too gross for other people to see me wearing. It's a weird concept to me generally speaking - not saying anyone here is weird.

As for upgrading, I wear jeans and ballet flats and I get upgraded about 75% of the time when I travel/request it. My upgrades come through sight-unseen by the airline workers about 90% of the time so I think that's moot for the most part.

[Sposa06]

It's not dressing up, exactly--it's avoiding dressing down. Everything I wear to travel is comfortable (see my post above)--I just happen to not look like a schlub who's on a beer run to a 7-11 or something.

My mom still actually dresses up to travel, but she's a little old school. My sister and I don't dress up to travel, but we do avoid dressing down. Does that make more sense?

[karlatta]

I tend to dress nicer for flying than I do in my real life. Part of that is because every flight I took growing up was non-rev standby through my grandmother, who worked for the airlines. At that time, non-revs were REQUIRED to dress up. I wore a dress and pantyhose on every single flight I took until I was 18. So to me, it just feels more natural to fly kind of dressed up.

I don't fly in jeans, because I find them horribly uncomfortable. But some sort of knit pant, usually in black, with a fitted tee and cardigan works well.

[laura]

Yeah, I know what you're saying. And I didn't mean you specifically, although it probably seemed that way when I posted right after you. I was thinking about this thread last night and thinking about previous similar threads and I was thinking I just don't get it. It's just a weird concept to me to dress up more than I do normally to get on a plane (esp red-eye or long haul) and sit for hours with a bunch of strangers. I try to look nice anyway, I just don't really get why - even for myself. I just feel compelled.

[boilermaker]

For the most part, dressing up seems like an old fashioned idea back when flying was a privilige. I don't think that is the case for domestic travel anymore. Heck SWA flight attendants wear polos and shorts.

But I do dress nicer when flying first, business or international.

laura, if you are getting upgrades sight unseen, it is likely due to status I am guessing? I think MrsM is referring to getting an upgrade just because they have an open seat and thought it would be nice to fill it. Usually happens at the gate once they see who has checked in.

[tenofcups]

I'm old enough that I DO remember as a kid in the '70s getting dressed up to fly -- to fly to visit my grandparents in Florida, my sister and I would both wear skirts and cute little kids outfits. And I've heard my parents speak of how when they first started flying for vacations in the early '60s, people always dressed nicely for flying (e.g., suit and tie), but people dressed that way on a pretty regular basis anyway.

At any rate, it still makes ME feel good to dress decently when I fly. I don't "dress up," but I like to look pulled together and for me at least, comfort and being dressed in real clothes aren't mutually exclusive.

I aspire to be one of those women who you see in the airport and think, "wow, she looks really put together." And sometimes I actually am that woman ;).

I don't wear sweats to fly, but I don't wear sweats out of the house anywhere and it still kind of amazes me that anyone does.

[kalogrias]

I used to fly 14 hour flights from Asia quite a bit, and I def. agree with looking nicer (doesn't have to be fancy) helping with upgrades. I usually wear a pair of wide-legged, darker jeans or lighter tie-waisted pants (ie. JCrew cargos), depending on where I am going. Tops vary quite a bit, but are generally in layers -- again, depending on the climate at hand, it's anywhere from a tank top under a long-sleeve tissue-T to a t-shirt under a wool cardigan. If it's an actual sweater that I'm wearing, I'll always wear a cardigan because pulling that sort of thing over hair generates way to much static for my haircare abilities to deal with. Shoes...generally (and again, totally climate dependent), I fly in my low-heeled black boots. Easy on an off for the airport, comfy, and I can wear thick socks with them to keep my feet warm. If I'm going to a warm climate, I'll wear something like lightweight Pumas with sportsocks.

[kendriln]

My concern about looking decent mostly comes from my vanity and the fact that I love to take pictures. So when I land I hit the ground running. LOL!

[thedoorchick]

For many people, flying is not a privilege, but rather a burden. I don't see it that way because I enjoy traveling, but plenty of people travel for work when they'd rather not. I don't get the concept of dressing up just because you're on a plane, either. You don't dress up when you take a road trip in a car. (I certainly don't, anyway).

My airline of choice never gives upgrades just on space available. You have to pay. And if you pay, you get the upgrade, regardless of what you're wearing. The only exception would be an op-up if they were oversold. I have never found myself in this situation and would definitely not dress up just on the very remote chance I might have the possibility of my first ever op-up.

Usually I'm traveling for work and the point is moot, but otherwise, I am not wearing dressy clothes on a plane just because I'm on a plane. I pretty much wear what I would wear if I was running around town on an ordinary weekend day.

[Mrs. M.]

I was talking about op-up upgrades. With everybody trying to save $$, big firms booking economy for employees, it's more and more likely to have an oversold economy and space available in C or F. I just had a flight where about half of C was op-ups. How nice to get that on an intercontinental flight! Wearing sweats won't get you there.

[thedoorchick]

Well, I don't wear sweats on planes because I don't normally wear them for running around town. I do, however, wear jeans. My normal Saturday type outfit is pretty much what I will pick to go to the airport if I'm not working.

I know op-ups happen, but given that it's never happened to me - and I travel a lot - I'm not willing to put on my Sunday best in the unlikely event it could actually transpire. (To be fair, most of my flights are never longer than 3-4 hours. If I regularly did transatlantics or transcons, I might reconsider). It varies so widely by airline and route, and status, and there are a lot of people on my usual routes with higher status than me, since I live near a major hub.

Also I know I'm in a somewhat unique position in that my airline never gives upgrades just because the space is there. I have plenty of co-workers who regularly get upgraded on other carriers simply because first isn't full. Ah well.

[boilermaker]

doorchick, I'm assuming you fly AA? Even as a platinum FF, I could only get an upgrade if I applied for it with my upgrade credits. I didn't use them as often as I should have and now I've got like 80 of them in an account with no miles left and no status so they are basically void. I much preferred Continental's program where I just got upgraded every single flight for being gold.

I will admit to wearing yoga style pants on more than one 6 am flight home from a business trip. First class or not, I was tired and just wanted to go home and sleep.

[laura]

Yeah, I meant status w/ upgrades. I'm AA too and they suck in that regard. Well and other regards :p but I'm so entrenched now it's hard to break up w/ them.

I know what people are saying about dressing up in the past, but I guess to me it just seems like a dated mentality. No offense to anyone here, just my own opinion. But I DO strive to be one of those woman I see at the airport who looks put together and also comfortable. I totally get that idea, although I think I probably fail more often than not.

[looch]

WRT to upgrades, when I used to fly for work in the continental US, I used Continental as much as possible and had gold status. I was usually able to upgrade to business class, regardless of what I was wearing. If I was flying the early flight from Newark to Houston, I'd usually show up in flip flops and some sort of yoga pants with a hoodie. I would do a quick change into my suit in the airport bathroom after landing, because by that time I had too many unfortunate incidents with exploding pens and spilled cereal to risk ruining the suit I needed for the next 3 days.

For personal travel, I aim for comfort. I fly 8 hours or more quite regularly, and you never know who you're going to be seated next to or what might happen so I have no intention on wearing my best clothes. I would like to find some bottoms that look more polished, but haven't any luck.

[AmyE]

My current international travel/long-haul uniform is a pair of Old Navy khaki trousers, wide belt, button-down cotton shirt, and leather slip-ops. Pants and shirt have been washed lots, so they are super soft, but still look business casual. My flights recently have included my 3 kids (all under age 5), so it's important that I'm comfortable. However, I never know who I'm going to run into (work-related) in an airport - just that inevitably it will be someone that knows me from work - and my clothes have to contrast with my inevitably harried-look face. As long as it's just my expression that looks like I'm a disaster, I figure that from a distance I'll still be ok. Even if I'm chasing one of my toddlers under the security lines. Sigh.