Neat and Comfortable Airport Style: Travel Tips for Long-Haul Flights
Many of you have asked about what I wear on the plane. Here’s what I’m wearing for my long-haul flight to London.
Airport style: neat & comfortable
For travel days, I’m all about comfort, but I also want to look neat and put-together. That means clothing that breathes and has ease or stretch, layers for fluctuating temperatures, and supportive, slip-on shoes. (Not shown in photo: my leather jacket which I’ll carry with me to have handy upon arrival.)
Edited to add: while not all of my jeans would be comfortable enough to wear on a long flight, these are. They have a good bit of stretch and aren’t stiff or tight in the waist.
👉Travel tip: even though I have TSA pre-check, I have occasionally been asked to remove shoes going through airport security. So I ALWAYS wear socks!
The cashmere hoodie is one of my Wild Cards. It looks like my first few days may be quite chilly, so I love being able to put the hood up to keep my head warm if needed. The other Wild Card is a lightweight water-resistant quilted jacket.
Luggage
The suitcase is a medium-sized spinner (now several years old) which I’ll check. Even with some gifts I’m bringing over, it’s still only about 2/3 full, and light enough for me to lift and carry if absolutely necessary.
👉 Travel tip: if you do check a bag, I highly recommend getting Apple air tags. Even just for the peace of mind of knowing that your bag made it onto the flight with you. I also recommend purchasing holders like these, and attach it inside your luggage.
In the backpack (which I’m trying out for the first time) is a change of clothes, medications, laptop & tech gear, liquids/skincare, my handbag, a cozy cashmere wrap (c/o), and other in-flight comfort items. (The backpack is supposed to be able to qualify as an under-seat personal item. I’ll let you know, but since I’m not bringing any other items on board, can always stow it in the overhead bin.)
In case you missed it, here’s my entire travel capsule wardrobe for 2 weeks. I’ll be sharing updates from London & Paris, so be sure to follow me on Instagram and subscribe to my newsletter to be notified of new posts.
More travel tips for long flights:
- Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Drink more water than you think you need. That includes your skin too. I travel without makeup on and apply a hydrating cream mask early in the flight, which I’ll leave on until about an hour before landiing. (This one is also good.)
- Compression socks can help prevent swelling of feet and legs. Especially if you’re sitting in coach or a seat without a footrest, try to get up and move around as much as you can to help circulation.
- A silk sleep mask to block ambient light can help you to get some shut-eye.
- Airline food is NOTORIOUSLY high in sodium. If you’re on a low-sodium diet or just want to avoid water retention, see if your airline offers a low-sodium meal option (you’ll usually need to select this at least 24 hours in advance…check with your airline).
- Go easy on the alcohol. It’s dehydrating and can exacerbate jet lag.
- Set your watch for your destination’s time zone as soon as you board the plane. It’s a little mind trick I use to help me adjust more quickly. Also, once you arrive at your destination, get as much daylight and movement in as you can before you succumb to a comfy bed…it really will help the jet lag!
What are some of your best tips for those long travel days?
Bon weekend!
Stay in touch
Sign up to be notified of new posts and updates from une femme d’un certain âge.
Great suggestions and ideas for any trip. My one suggestion is to bring a Covid testing kit. On my last trip we all came down with a cold. Some of us had a kit, but they were not easy to find in pharmacies and were quite pricey. Hopefully, you won’t need it but to be on the safe side pack one! Have a wonderful trip, looking forward to reading about your adventures!
A big yes to Covid kits (and a couple of masks.)
My husband flew to Japan a couple of months ago without any and came down with his first case of the virus (I blame the congested airport terminals). You don’t want to be searching for basic medical supplies, especially if you are feeling bad, don’t speak the language and are shedding virus!
Have a great time! When we make the flight I practice those tips, plus I eat my dinner at the airport before boarding (it is a shorter flight for me being on the East Coast), that way I just go to sleep on the plane. I f i wake I will also try to get up and stretch a bit and then right back to sleep. Even if I cant sleep, just resting my eyes and relaxing helps me be refreshed and ready to go when we land.
I am traveling two weeks with a carry-on on our next trip and have found testing out my capsule wardrobe and practice packing in the weeks before to help me make good decisions as I am more relaxed and have time to tweak things if need be.
Bon Séjours!
We have Global Entry and I, too, wear socks just in case. For arrival, we always go to our hotel, sleep for two hours, get up and carry on with a normal day’s activities. Then we are on the new schedule for the remainder of the trip.
I try to get business class for international flights (using points/miles), and find that a bag similar to the size of your backpack is larger than I’m comfortable with in my seating area (typically United Polaris). It’s in the way. I’ve starting tucking a smaller, “flimsy” bag within the larger bag, to hold only the items I need for the flight, and the rest goes into the overhead bin. The flimsy bag is easily tucked away later for the rest of the trip. For my last trip, I just used a small cloth drawstring bag that I happened to have (from Athleta, maybe?), but I’m looking for something nicer.
Thanks for all the excellent tips. My late mother-in-law was in an RV fire and sustained burns on her legs. She was wearing expensive pants, but they were a blend of fabrics. The doctors and nurses at the burn center advised always wearing natural fabrics when traveling because any plastic/polyester blends or fabrics will actually melt and stick to your skin if exposed to extreme heat/fire. So your choices are not only comfortable, but also prudent.
Marie – your late MIL’s doctors are so right. I am a retired aircraft accident investigator, and I’ve seen melted fabric hundreds of times. I always wear natural fiber clothing on a flight and always have closed-toe shoes. Hopefully, nobody will ever have to go down an emergency slide, but if you do, you don’t want ANY skin touching the slide – it’s extremely painful. One more pro-tip: count the number of rows to your nearest exit. You may have to jump over seats and don’t want to rely on floor lights (in case they aren’t on the floor anymore). Ok, I am stepping off my soap-box
Katie,
Thanks so much for sharing this important information.
Please tell us what you wear for travel.
I wear cotton pants—linen, denim, or something with few synthetic additives. It’s hard to find 100% natural, but I do my best. My go-to is AYR High Hope pants. I always wear socks, mostly merino wool (I’ll switch to compression socks for a long flight), and tennis shoes. I wear layers on top of merino/cotton. Statistically, we have a higher chance of getting kicked in the head by a donkey ☺️ but I’ve seen the worst, so I go prepared.
Thank you!
Great suggestions. You and Susan are great guides on this topic.
So true about the closed in shoes. I was in the RAAF for many years and when travelling on RAAF planes, we were only permitted to wear lace up shoes, not the dress shoes. Whilst I stick to wearing closed in shoes these days, I wear a maxi dress on long haul flights as I find trousers too restricting and uncomfortable.
I’m on board with everything but the jeans. I’m a healthy 70 year old that flys frequently. My doctor said never fly in jeans. She said the stiff fabric, buttons and tight waistband will restrict blood flow. I favor the wonderful Athleta pants for comfort, safety and style!
Thanks for the great tips! I like your travel style, you look beautiful!
Can you provide a link to a warmer weather capsule? I am going to Greece later in September and thinking about my packing. A little experienced guidance would help. I think the temps will range from 80s to possibly cooler +three days on a cruise ship. It is a pilgrimage in the steps of St. Paul. Smart casual is good enough, at most. I am sure some days will be sight seeing on rougher terrain in the heat. I am planning on a skort and shorts for that. Thank you!
Sorry for my last travel capsule request! I found your resource link. Your shoes link to Nordstrom, but not the shoe itself. I find that true with some of your other Nordstrom links. Help please? Ty
Love everything but the jeans. For me, jeans are the most uncomfortable pants to wear on short OR long flights. The button digging into my stomach, the metal zipper, and the stiff fabric constraining me all over make me feel sick and uncomfortable. Soft clothing, only!
I have the same problem: jeans are almost never comfortable for me unless I am only standing or walking, not sitting for any length of time. I think some people just carry water weight or “something” that causes jeans to really not be comfortable when sitting. I love jeans for style, but rarely wear them, sadly.
Your recent posts have been helpful as I’m packing my own 21” soft sided bag for six weeks abroad starting on Monday! Going from Paris and France into Switzerland, followed by Sardinia and then Italy I’m having to plan for a variety of weather. City mouse! Country mouse! Hard to do with just a carry on bag.
I’ve taken to wearing a small Lululemon sling bag/cross body bag on the plane and as my everyday bag when traveling. I stash it in a larger carryon (actually like a Russian Matreshka doll, I put it in a Longchamps expandable Pliage tote which then goes into a duffle brought for my purchases along the way…) then pull out on board. Handy for what I need to access when flying (earplugs, mask, sleeping pill, earbuds). Leather bags have just become too heavy for me now that I’m 71.
Count me as another follower surprised to see you wearing jeans on board! While one pair of jeans will be in my bag, their confining waistband alone makes them a nonstarter to wear on an international flight (for us from Seattle). Athleta Brooklyn pants for me!
Have a wonderful trip and thanks for all the inspiration you give us on a regular basis.
Susan, are you finding that Lands End clothing is fitting true to size? For several years, I had to send items back. I was hoping that they would turn things around.
Thanks
I’m going to order that Quince hoodie you are wearing, I’ve been really happy with the items I ordered from them. The other things I always pack for air travel are noise-cancelling headphones and those little packs of electrolytes to add to my water. Have a wonderful trip – what a great time of year to travel.
My travel day advice is to limit trip segments. My last trip was like the movie “Trains, Planes and Automobiles” (plus a bus). Something may go wrong. Sometimes everything will go wrong. Use the closest airport. Buy the nonstop flight. It may cost more but your sanity is worth it.
Always wonderful information about the latest and greatest. Thanks Susan, I hope you have a wonderful trip!
On a recent trip to Scotland I used an app called Timeshifter to help me adjust to the change in time zone. The app user enters her specific flights, and then the app gives a schedule starting a few days before departure for sleeping, having caffeine, exposure to daylight and avoidance of light. The first round trip using the app is free. I found it to be easy to use and really helpful.
My latest best travel find is TuckTop, a t-shirt with a myriad of pockets (I might even have first heard about it from comments on another post) I’ve found on the plane, it is extremely handy to hold your lip balm, reading glasses, keys, credit card, etc. I’ve found it very comfortable, and it’s great if you have pants or leggings without pockets. https://tucktop.com/ They are a small women-owned business out of Canada, but also ship from Florida.
Cashmere hoodie is such a great idea! I got a great Patagonia one through eBay. I’m Casual, and trying to be Smarter. Susan is a great inspiration and she has the best commenters.
I’m also interested in a hydrating mask, and will try one on my next flight.
@Cynthia, re: LandsEnd: I ordered several tops from Lands End in the spring, and found that the XS was way oversized. Which was sad, because they had some interesting cuts and colors. I did get a tankini top, which was true to size, so not sure what is going on. There’s a fleece coat in the newest collection that I kind of like, so I may try again.
A tip I now use is to put the AirTag under the liner of your luggage. There is a zipper that allows access. It is less likely to be lost or stolen from your luggage as it is out of site! Have a great trip! I fell in love with Paris a year ago!
Great suggestions, thanks! It’s hard to get out of the hotel right after check-in but it does make a difference in getting on the correct time zone. I always travel in denim pants — so comfortable. One other suggestion: if you have to take pills at specific times, plan ahead so you know when to switch over to new time zone (often sometime on the plane).
Be sure to wear a comfortable bra. I once got on a long haul flight wearing a back hook bra where one of the hooks had gotten wonky (despite only hand washing) and that thing dug into my back until I finally went to the bathroom and took it off. Now I wear only front closure bras or those stretchy no closure leisure type bras. I usually have on several layers so don’t really care what my shape looks like anyway.
Travel tips from a frequent long haul traveller: Timeshifter app. Start hydrating 24 hours in advance. Say “thank you” often to the FAs. Noise cancelling earbuds. I skip the first meal on plane and only sometimes have the snack at the end.
Hello Susan
I am wondering how you made out with the Beis backpack. I am seriously considering one for my next trip but was waiting for your review.
Thank you
Dianne
Hi Dianne, I was quite happy with the Beis backpack and it will be going with me on future trips. It holds quite a lot, is lightweight, and sits securely on my rolling suitcase.
Hi Susan,
I really enjoy your blog, particularly your travel advice.
Need your help with an unusual destination…I am taking my twin grandsons to a dude ranch in Tuscan, Arizona for Spring break.
Do I wear my cowboy boots on the plane with jeans? Or pack them in my luggage? Usually, I wear my bulkiest shoe (sneakers), but I have never traveled with boots.
Guess I will just carry my cowboy hat!?!
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Warm regards, Lisa
Hi Lisa, thanks so much! If lightening your luggage is your top priority, then I’d wear the boots on the plane and pack sneakers and other lighter shoes. You may have to walk long distances through the airport, be sure the boots are well broken in and comfortable. As far as the hat, yes, you’ll probably want to wear/carry it to avoid it getting smushed.