Hello folks, and happy Friday! As I mentioned yesterday, I’ve been a frequent flier!! I definitely wasn’t a flying rookie before, but I’ve been able to hone my skills as of late and I shared with you some of my best tips and tricks for making your time in the air easy and comfortable {click on the link here if you missed them!}. Today, I’m translating those tips into everything you should wear when you’re going on any kind of a flying adventure – provided you don’t have to go directly to a meeting on the other end!
Air travel was once about glamour and luxury, and while I do enjoy that aspect of it, nowadays, getting through an airport efficiently and quickly, with your sanity intact, is about keeping it simple and comfortable. Here are a few major tips I have about what to wear:
- Layer it. It might be warm on the ground, but chances are, it’ll be pretty cold at cruising altitude. You’re going to want some layers. Or you might just want to cozy up in your layers the whole time. Here’s a hint: if you wear a sweater without a zipper, you can keep it on. If it has a zipper and looks like an outer layer, TSA is going to tell you that it needs to go through the x-ray.
- Yoga pants are okay. Or any pants where you don’t have to wear a belt. I love breezing by all the folks struggling to remove belts and things from pockets. Seriously, we all love our accessories, but the less you have to remember to remove through security, the faster you’ll be and the less likely you’ll be to receive a pat-down. Not having pockets will mean you won’t forget that loose change in your pocket either.
- Bobs by Sketchers. I’m convinced they’re the perfect airport shoe. They’re comfortable, they’re easy to kick on and off, they breathe to keep your feet cool, and they provide just enough material to keep your feet warm. Your feet will swell in a pressurized cabin, so a stretchy shoe like this is key to not having your feet pinched – because that can cause a whole other host of problems! And the company donates a pair of shoes to a needy child for every pair you buy.
- Pillow. I hate having my head flop around when I’m trying to nap on the plane, and I’m not a fan of those little neck pillow cushion things. I need a good ol’ travel pillow, because I’m definitely going to nap on the plane at least a little bit.
- Tote. A good airport tote will carry your book, your laptop {if you have a MacBook Air or something small-ish}, your tunes, your headphones, your phone, your RFID-scan-protected wallet, your passport, your papers, and everything else you might need. Tuck a travel toothbrush and some travel-sized toiletries and cosmetics in there, and if you’ve got the right tote, even a change of undergarments, in case you get stranded. If you travel with that and a backpack, you’ll have better luck storing things onboard than if you have a bulky roll-on bag.
- Electronics and books. Bring your in-flight entertainment. More and more planes are providing wifi service now, too, so you can stay productive – or distracted – throughout your travel! Oh, just a note, keep that laptop where it’s easy to grab and pull out for security. The iPods, iPads, and other electronics can now stay in your tote, but the rest of your stuff has to come out.
Granted, these tips are for longer trips, or traveling when you’re likely to encounter long security and passport lines and you just want to breeze through without having to stop and drop all of your stuff. If it’s just a weekend trip, when I don’t want to bring a lot of extra stuff or check a bag, I’ll probably dress for whatever occasion I’m going to walk off the plane into, but the more I travel over long distances, the more I value my comfort. It just makes the whole flying experience all the better.
What are your best tips and tricks for staying comfortable during air travel? I’d love to hear!
KCS
