Carli
Carli
It’s important you correctly plan what to wear on long haul flights. What you choose to wear will determine how comfortable you will be for the next 10-24 hours.
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With a long haul flight you will be airborne for a minimum of 6-7 hours up to 14-15 hours. Add in time sitting on the runway, boarding and deplaning, plus airport security and customs. Now you’ve got an extra 3-4 hours to consider before you add in transportation time. All of this is just for the main flight. You may still have another flight before or after your long haul flight to add to the mix. When planning what to wear on long haul flights, just know that you will be wearing your travel outfit during extended travel days.
Be sure to check out these other posts to get through your long haul flights:
- Long Haul Flights Tips: How to Survive the Long Distance Journey
- Must Have Essentials for Long Haul Flights to Feel Like a Travel Expert
Outfits for long haul flights
When considering what to wear for the airport and your long distance flight, comfort is the most important thing to keep in mind. Gone are the days where there was a standard for airport fashion. The main thing now is that your clothes are clean, intact, and you don’t smell. This may seem like a low bar, but I promise you won’t care about how cute you look after 11 hours in the air.
You should be wearing a very comfortable airport outfit, but how you define comfort will vary from person to person. You will never catch me wearing jeans or real pants on a flight longer than 3-4 hours. And while I regularly wear leggings on short haul flights, I don’t find them warm enough to wear on long haul flights.
I recommend you dress to stay warm and wear layers. The only time it’s ever truly hot on a long flight is if you are in a hot country, while at the gate, and the AC hasn’t kicked in yet. My go to for what to wear on long haul flights are sweatpants, a t-shirt and a warm sweatshirt or sweater. It’s up to you on personal preference for wide leg vs joggers, crewneck vs half zip etc.
Also make sure that your clothes, especially your travel pants, are not very tight or constricting. Airplanes can feel claustrophobic enough after 8 hours, you don’t need to feel that way with your clothes as well. Make sure your flight outfit is loose enough that you will be able to sit or sleep in it for hours on end.
Just because you’re wearing clothes for comfort doesn’t mean they can’t also be stylish. Check the links below for comfortable airport outfits.
Use my Cozy Earth link to get 20% off your comfy airport outfits.
What to wear on long haul flights: shoes & socks
Even though you’ll be sitting for most of the day, what you wear on your feet during this flight is important.
Everyone on a long distance flight, regardless or age, should wear compression socks. There are a number of health reasons including reducing swelling, supporting circulation and limiting the risk of Deep Vein Thrombosis. Because these socks help keep the blood flow in your legs and feet moving while stationary, this will also help with jet lag once you land.
There are many brands available these days for compression socks. You can find them in cute styles and colors, and they are now more comfortable than they have been historically. There are also wide leg options, because again you do not want to wear anything that will limit circulation.
Merino wool compression socks are a great option because they are breathable, and help keep your feet warm.
In addition to compression socks, I like to add another layer of warm socks once my shoes come off. I’m a big fan of packing a pair of thick fuzzy socks for both comfort and function.
For most short or domestic flights I recommend wearing whatever shoes you’re packing that are largest (to save on packing space) so long as they are comfortable. You can do this for long haul flights, but you may not want them to take up a ton of your legroom under the seat in front of you. I usually wear sneakers that are easy to take on/off. My current favorite travel shoes are my Vessi Weekend Sneakers.
Accessories and additional clothes to wear on long haul flights
Hats are great to wear for your flight for a few reasons. They help keep your head warm which keeps your body temperature regulated. Baseball hats can also block out additional light while you are trying to sleep, or block out any blowing air in the cabin.
If you are traveling in the winter, or traveling to a location colder than where you live, it’s very likely you will be carrying a jacket with you. The good news is, you’re probably already wearing your jacket, so it won’t be taking up space in your carry on bag. Jackets are great to use as another blanket when sleeping if you are cold on the plane.
Like a jacket, a travel scarf is perfect as an added layer to help keep you warm. Either to wrap around your head, shoulders, or if large enough, as another blanket. Or you can bundle it up to make a small secondary pillow. Since these are generally small and lightweight, a scarf is easy to keep in your personal item.
Packing for a long haul flight
I always plan to bring extra clothes in my carryon or personal bag. Anyone checking a bag should plan an easy change of clothes, even if it’s just a shirt, underwear and lightweight pair or pants or shorts. You never know when your bag will be the one that gets missed from the flight.
The other reason I bring extra clothes is so that I can change upon arrival, or if I have a long layover with the option to use a shower in a lounge. You’ll feel much fresher even with just a clean shirt.
Additional travel tips and resources
- Long Haul Flights Tips: How to Survive the Long Distance Journey
- Must Have Essentials for Long Haul Flights to Feel Like a Travel Expert
- 10 Practical Gifts for Travelers That They Will Actually Use
- How to Use Your Phone while Traveling Internationally
- Where to book your travel
- The Best Travel Credit Card for Beginners
