Getting There in Style: The Perfect Basic Travel Outfit

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Basic travel outfit

You’ve made the reservations, saved up your money and packed your bags. It’s time to jet off to the shore, the city or another country for your summer vacation!

We all love showing up at our destination looking our best, but sometimes we feel the need to sacrifice style in the name of comfort and convenience. Knowing what to wear on the airplane or bus can be especially tricky since they tend to keep you confined to a small, unfamiliar space for hours on end.

In an effort to marry the two worlds of style and comfort, I’ve listed a few must-haves for an easy, chic, no-fuss travel ensemble:

The Outfit Essentials

Here are the items every travel-savvy girl needs in her wardrobe:

Jeggings

These are probably the best invention in the history of travel attire. They have the chic look of our stylish skinny jeans with all the stretch and comfort of our favorite leggings. Jeggings are also perfect for summer travel, because it’s always best to avoid shorts on planes and buses. You can never be sure how clean the seats are or what skin irritants may be present.

The Boyfriend Tee

Cute and chic, these oversized tees are the perfect tops for travel. They’re long enough to camouflage the elastic band of our jeggings, loose enough to fill our comfy requirement, and stylish enough to keep us looking trendy from Point A to Point B. Stick with black, white, grey, tan, navy, or beige, which can be paired with practically anything.

Oversized Cardigan

This wardrobe must-have is a godsend if you are traveling by airplane or by bus where the air conditioning tends to be cranked up to the highest setting. Just toss a cardigan in your bag if it’s warm outside, then take it out when you need it. Plus, with all the awesome styles out there, you can really show off your own unique style.

A Colorful Scarf

Stand out in the crowd with a pop of color by adding a cute scarf to your look. It’s a simple way to brighten up your ensemble and adds a cool, glamorous feel. (Think cherry-red convertible, large sunglasses and a silk scarf tied around your head.)

An added bonus? If you go with large scarf, it can double as a small blanket.

Flats or Boots

Between long lines, security checks and the occasional sprint to the gate, comfy shoes are a must. We recommend wearing a pair of boots if you’re flying: they’re easy to slip on and off at security and won’t take up valuable space in your luggage.

If you’d rather not wear boots, stuff your heels in your luggage and invest in a pair of cute flats. They’re ideal for wearing for hours and slip off easily at security checkpoints. One word of warning, however: If you’re going to wear flats to the airport, bring a pair of thin, low-cut socks to wear underneath. Trust us, the last place you want your bare feet is on a dirty airport floor.

The Basic Travel Outfit

Basic travle outfit: Jeggings, plain white tee, cardigan, scarf, and flats or boots

Jeggings, Boyfriend Tee, Cardigan, Scarf, Flats

Tell us what you think!

What are your travel outfit essentials? Do you have your own “travel uniform”? If so, tell us with a comment below!

14 thoughts on “Getting There in Style: The Perfect Basic Travel Outfit”

  1. Oh goodness I love this soo much! I would TOTALLY wear this, but not with flats. I would wear non-heeled ankle boots, with my jeggings tucked in, and… yup! Perfect. 🙂

    My fave actress Georgie Henley wore the cutest outfit when traveling to Japan to promote her latest film ‘the Dawn Treader’. Here’s the link:

    http://georgie-henley.org/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=85

    😀

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  2. Ahhhhh this is such a great idea! Im flying to south africa from new zealand which is a 12 Hour flight excluding lay overs..oh gosh! But i absolutely love this outfit! THANK YOU 🙂

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  3. security checks and loose clothing DO NOT MIX!!! so for all of the ladies asking about maxi skirts or loose flowing dresses….prepare to be felt up and have your time wasted! voice of experience…i fly internationally at least once a month…this outfit in the article sounds perfect! maxi dress is best left at home and spare yourself the “step aside please” detours and embarrassment sure to ensue should you decide to not wear at least slightly fitted clothing.

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  4. This outfit is close to what I wear. My best travel outfit consists os leggings, knit dress, shawl/scarf, over the knee socks and boots and a soft long cardigan. Of course that’s for cold weather, for warm I like the same but lighter materials, no sweater and flats or sandals. No matter what the weather a pashmina type scarf or a cozy is a must for the plane.

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  5. These are some great must-have’s if you’re traveling, especially when you’re at the airport and have to go through security! Either way, it’s great to see that you can still be comfortable without having to sacrafice fashion 🙂 Awesome!

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  6. Shirts should be long enough to tastefully cover up a girl’s “assets” down there because leggings and jeggings are infamously clingy in all the wrong places or otherwise look strange when loose and baggy.

    Overall, very cute outfit. Unfortunately, leggings are not my style nor are they flattering on me, so I would probably just switch it out with my favorite pair of straight leg jeans. Everything else is very chic, though, especially that cardigan. I must get it.

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  7. cute! agree with this outfit :). but for me i wear tights, a reeeeally oversized long tee, that comes down to about my knees/just above my knees (which isn’t hard, i’m like 5’1″ haha!) and equally long/cuddly cardigan, plus cuddly ugg like boots or flats :). and if it’s really cold i add a thick scarf. not forgetting unmentionably cute bag slung over shoulder ;D x

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  8. i’m going on a plane next week, and i don’t look good in my jeggings, and where I am leaving from and going to will be HOT, any other suggestions??

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  9. that outfit is really cute.. but i would never wear it for a flight! leggings and a sweatshirt with some flats or boots is what i always wear.. its comfy and if you ask me thats what matters on a plane.

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  10. Very cute outfit, I would totally wear that. What about maxi dresses or skirts, though? I hate wearing pants/jeggings on a long flight. When I went to Japan I wore a maxi dress and cardigan. I was very comfortable and cute too, I hope.

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  11. I support looking good when you’re travelling, but come on, JEGGINGS ARE NOT PANTS. So you have to have a shirt long enough to cover your ‘assets’, not just the elastic waistband of the accessory.

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  12. I wholeheartedly agree with this. I just went on a two week trip abroad with 30 other students from my university, and there was one girl who wore sweats and no makeup on travel days, and then overly fancy sundresses and heels everywhere else. One girl didn’t even realize it was her, she looked so different. I don’t feel like jeans are any less comfortable than sweats if they fit you right.

    The only issue I have with this post is the suggestion of jeggings. They do not look good on anyone but slender girls.

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  13. Very nice! I’m catching a plane back to America on Tuesday and I will probably be wearing a very similar outfit (Except I’ll probably wear a maxi skirt instead of jeggings!)

    Reply

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