If you have a road trip or out-of-state vacation coming up, the right outfit can help you enjoy it. Here are tips for picking the right clothes for traveling.
Tens of millions of people travel every year. While those tourists head off to different places and enjoy vastly different experiences, one thing they all have in common is the fact that they have to pack clothing.
For anyone that has traveled before, you know first-hand that picking the right clothes to bring along for the ride can be almost as stressful as planning your trip. Therein lies the purpose of this post!
Our team has pooled together all of our collective knowledge and has come up with 7 simple tenants that will help make selecting clothes for traveling significantly easier for you ahead of your next trip.
Keep reading to get some guidance on what to and not to shove into your suitcase before hitting the road!
1. Examine the Weather
Nothing has a greater impact on what should go in your suitcase than the weather you’re going to run into. For example, if you’re planning on going ice trekking in Antarctica, your clothes for traveling are going to look a lot different than if you’re headed to a beach in Rio.
Know that weather can change dramatically depending on the season you’re visiting. It can even vary substantially from week to week. For that reason, never make assumptions on what weather you’ll run into and try to pick the brains of people that have traveled to where you’re going to see if there are any special considerations you should stay mindful of.
2. Versatile Clothing Is Your Friend
We all want to look our best on vacation and consequently, may occasionally fall into clothing traps like building our travel wardrobes around today’s hottest western style trends. Unless you’re traveling with big bags or you’re exploring the great state of Texas, which begs for big boots and flashy hats, be careful here.
The key to being able to pack pragmatically is to prioritize versatile clothing. By that, we mean every piece in your bag should mix and match with most others. You should be able to layer a couple of pieces for a cold day or throw a light sweater over something to make an ensemble feel more formal.
Packing versatile clothing as opposed to having a different outfit for every possible situation can easily trim your bag’s weight in half.
2. Plan for Laundry Droughts
We all have those pieces of clothing that look great but are a hassle to manage. You know, those clothes that wrinkle easily and retain bad smells after a single use?
Our recommendation is to leave those articles of clothing at home and instead, lean on items that can withstand laundry droughts.
Depending on where you’re going, it may be hard to wash your clothes or obtain access to an ironing board. The more easily you can whip your clothes out of your bag and throw them on, the better.
4. Keep Your Shoes Simple
One of the biggest space offenders when it comes to clothing are shoes. You can’t roll, fold, or shove shoes into the corners of your suitcase to make them fit. Consequently, you’re going to want to think hard on which pairs make the cut.
When picking shoes, two key considerations you’ll want to mull over are comfort and function.
Comfort is easy to assess. If you can walk long distances in a pair of shoes, they’re worth having. Regarding function, think about what activities you’re going to partake in. Slippery or wet conditions call for different shoes than dry or sandy ones.
5. Plan for Shopping on the Road
There’s nothing worse than packing your bag to the brim and then bumping into a souvenir shirt you’d love to buy. Plan for that possibility ahead of time by having enough space in your bag to add one or two items to it during your travels.
One of the most common items we see travelers buying on the road are sunhats since many underestimate the power of the summer sun in certain parts of the world. Rather than trying to stuff hats into your bag, consider buying hats that have strings or cords build into them so you can tie them to the outside of your luggage.
6. Comfort Is Everything
We mentioned this when we talked about shoes but need to hit home the point that, even when selecting clothing, comfort should be a prime consideration. Believe us when we say that after touring five temples or museums in a day, you’re going to be more concerned about how comfortable you are than how good you look.
When assessing a piece for comfort, don’t forget to consider how breathable your fabric is if you anticipate doing a lot of psychical activity.
7. Less is More
Every traveler we’ve spoken to has had regrets during past trips of packing too much. Nobody we’ve met has ever complained about packing too little.
That’s because whatever clothing you may leave behind can always be bought while you’re on the road. With that in mind, you’re much better off keeping your bags light and adding weight during your trip as needed.
Don’t Let Managing Clothes for Traveling Steal Your Trip’s Spotlight
The clothes for traveling you select are just accessories on your much more important trip. Despite that, so many people stress over clothes and overburden their bags with outfits.
If there’s one thing you take from this post, let it be that the world around you is so much bigger than how you look. Pack clothing intelligently, dress humble and focus on what matters when exploring the planet.
For more tips on fashion and other lifestyle topics, check out more of the content on our blog.
Read More:
5 ways to travel the world like an A-lister
A list of dresses that are: one-dress and two occasions
Three unique shopping experiences to take in on your travels
How women can look stylish while traveling
