Your Say: Do you prefer to travel or fly in pants/jeans or in skirts?

I was having a short discussion with a reader @fathinsn over on Instagram a few days back, about what we wear when we travel, by way of pants or skirts. Like many, I like wearing pants or jeans when I travel, because it offers ease of movement, and for women, a modicum of modesty. You never know who’s turned on by the flash of an ankle these days. I swear we’re reverting to Puritanism.

But it gave me an idea for a blog post because I got to wondering what people wore when they travel!

OOTD: Fit and Flare Sleeveless dress and long Airism cardigan by Uniqlo, Scarf by H&M, Shoes by Skechers

These days however, when I travel or fly, I tend to wear skirts. I know it was a reader (or readers) who sicced me onto this quite a few years ago, and if you were the one who mentioned it to me, please pipe up! I can’t seem to find who it is anymore, sorry! Since I gave it a try, I’ve never looked back! So, here’s my tip for you – much to my surprise, it’s actually more comfortable to wear skirts when you travel, or fly! But I’d love to hear of your experience 🙂

To be honest with you, I didn’t believe this the first time I read it. Let’s be honest. We all want to traipse off a plane looking like a celebrity, and a million bucks. And you might notice how many airport pictures of celebrities have them wearing tight jeans or pants and impossibly high heels. But few of us look as glamorous, because few of us fly First Class (or on a private jet)! 😛 For the most part, us mortals fly cattle class (economy, in airline speak) and that means cramped seats and narrow spaces.

Fly in a skirt for more comfort

For many years, I wore jeans on the plane and when I arrive at my destination. But the problem with jeans or pants, is that it can pull and tug at the most uncomfortable areas. Sit down for any length of time in a pair of fitted pants or jeans and you’ll soon find it pulling at your crotch area, and around the waistband. This is actually more apparent if you’re a little fleshy the way I am 😛 Maybe skinny girls don’t have this problem, I won’t know 😛

When I was told that flying in a skirt made more sense and was more comfortable, I actually wasn’t too sure. But I tried it on the next flight I took and I’ve never looked back. The trick here is to wear a fairly long and flare skirt – a midi or maxi is preferable, to keep your legs covered (for modesty and protection from the cool air) and a flare skirt allows for more movement. An elastic or slightly loose waistband makes for better comfort too, as your body can swell a little in the pressurised air. Believe you me, you too will never look back! 😀 It helps that the bohemian fashion trend seems to have returned, so it’s quite easy to get long, flare skirts these days. At one time, it was really hard to find!

This is true even when travelling by road, whether in a train or on a bus. I wore a skirt on my 22 hour Qinghai-Tibet train ride and I wear skirts when travelling on a bus as well, because that’s infinitely more uncomfortable than going on a train or plane!

Wear loose clothing on board a flight

The exception of course, is if you were to wear a loose or baggy pair of pants that isn’t too fitted, or if you were to go to the other extreme, and wear a pair of fitted but stretchable pants. I forgot to pack an extra skirt this time around, so I wore a pair of stretchable jeggings from Uniqlo on the flight. It was a bit of a gamble, but it turned out to be quite comfortable as well. The jeggings have a lot of give in them, but looks like jeans, so it moves as you move, and doesn’t pull at the unfortunate areas. I did however think it was still more comfortable to wear a skirt.

If you want to look perfectly tailored when you get off the plane, bring a spare outfit and change just before you land, so you can exit the plane looking picture perfect. No one really cares what you look like on board LOL! 😛

OOTD: Knit top, Airism Bratop and Flare Wide Pants by Uniqlo, Belt by Longchamp, Shoes by Salvatore Ferragamo

Wear skirts or dresses when you travel

These days, I find myself packing more skirts and dresses when I travel. Part of the reason is because I find they take up less space than jeans or pants in general (less or thinner material) and they can actually feel more comfortable to travel in.

The other reason is convenience. For women in particular, you’d understand when you head to the toilet. It’s easier to hike up a skirt than it is to lower your pants, and risk getting it wet. I also find it cooler to wear skirts, because you get better air circulation – perfect when the weather is warm but naturally less perfect if it’s cold. In those situations, I pull on a pair of tights, and get away with short skirts haha! 😀

That’s not to say that I eschew pants or jeans altogether. There are situations when wearing pants is a good idea, especially if you’re headed for some strenuous activity, or out of the city. But when I’m primarily in the city, I tend to wear dresses, or skirts. I recently acquired a pair of wide-leg flare pants that look like a skirt, and I found that a good compromise. It allowed me freedom of movement, while the flare design allows for better air flow and comfort. It does however, look a sight better with heels, especially when you’re short like me, but because I’m just not very fashionable, I chose comfort over fashion and wore flats instead. It does also pose a bit of a problem when going to the toilet, as you will suddenly find yourself wrestling with a lot of material, and trying to keep it off the floor LOL!

What do you prefer to wear when you travel? Pants/Jeans or Skirts? Weigh in!

I pick skirts, but that’s me, and what I choose to wear when I travel. I had some of you ask me on Instagram to post what I wore on my most recent trip, but I’m notoriously bad at posing for outfits, so you’ll have to make do with what I have here. I am NOT sponsored by Uniqlo (although I’ll never say no! 😛 ) but I do wear a lot of Uniqlo which I know makes people look askance at my aunty fashion sense. For the most part, here’s how I dress when I travel (even for work) – semi casual, comfortable, simple and not very fashionable LOL! 😀 What is your preference?

Paris B