We are just back from a spur-of-the-moment 2-week girls’ trip to Asia. After a long-planned trip for 4 couples to Jordan and Egypt was postponed due to the war in the Middle East, three of us girls did a major league pivot and quickly threw together a trip to Seoul, Hong Kong, Hanoi, and Tokyo.
We realize it might sound crazy to visit those four cities for approximately three days each, but we’d been to all these cities before (although some visits were many years ago), so we didn’t need to ‘check the boxes’ and see all of the traditional sites. We called it our ‘willy nilly’ trip, with a plan to wander around without a minute-by-minute itinerary. What a concept! A couple of friends joined us for portions of the trip, and we also saw and stayed with friends along the way (two of us used to live in Asia). Stay tuned for our itineraries and trip summaries.
With 5 flights and over 30 hours in the air, we each embraced the ‘uniform’ approach to our travel outfit. We wore the same comfortable outfit for every flight, which made packing simple and guaranteed we were comfortable every step of the very long way. Here are our airplane outfits and the accessories we brought on board to make our time in the air a little more pleasant.
Enjoy!
Chrissie & Joanne
JOANNE’S “PLANE OUTFIT”:
I’ve become a fan of the “jean sweatpants” that Rag & Bone has perfected. Made from cotton terry material, they are printed to look just like jeans. Even the pockets, rivets, and slight tears are printed on the material. Elastic waist, comfy material, relaxed wide-leg fit, and my latest pair has an orange-and-blue stripe down the side. These are my workhorse pants for flying. Be sure to wash before you hem them, as they shrink.
T-shirt: A white crewneck T-shirt is a staple and the perfect layering piece. I like Gap’s Organic Cotton Vintage Soft Tees.
Crewneck Sweater: I bring Quince’s Mongolian Cashmere Crewneck Sweater when it’s going to be cold at my destination, but this time I brought Quince’s Lightweight Cotton Cashmere Crewneck Sweater because it was going to be warmer in Asia.
Scarf: Because my core airplane wardrobe is a little “drab”, I like to wear a scarf with a little color and one that provides some warmth if the plane is cold. I love a featherweight cashmere one, like this bandana scarf.
Herno Puffer: Because planes can be cold, I always bring a puffer. It’s also useful in air-conditioned hotels.
Compression Socks: I put these on on the way to the airport and wear them until I get to my destination. They keep my feet from swelling and my legs from aching! I like the thinner, nylon ones rather than the thick ones.
Sneakers: I wear my largest pair of shoes to save room in my carry-on, which usually means my tennis shoes. My New Balance shoes have been my go-to sneaker of late, and I wore these non-stop on the trip.
Apple Watch: Since we were crossing so many time zones, I loved having my Apple Watch, which automatically adjusted the time for me!
JOANNE’S PLANE TRIP ACCESSORIES:
I remember the days of a huge carry-on full of travel books, magazines, beach reads, etc., but my carry-on is much smaller now, thanks to technological advances!
Bag: This trip, I used my new Quince Quilted Duffle Bag and LOVED it! It is super lightweight, has lots of pockets inside and out, and features long straps and a luggage handle sleeve.
iPad: This is a game-changer for flights. I load it up with all my latest shows, movies, and games – crossword puzzles, solitaire, Yahtzee, Rummikub – and books on the Kindle app. I can do all this on my phone, but I love having a bigger screen, and it has a long battery life.
AirPods: I have Bose headphones and love them, but I’m using my AirPods more and more because they have a noise-canceling feature and are smaller and easier to sleep with.
Water Bottle: So easy to fill up at airports, keeping water on hand for long flights.
Electrolytes: These help with the dehydration that flying and traveling inevitably cause!
CHRISSIE’S “PLANE OUTFIT”:
My goal for a good travel-day outfit is no zippers or buttons and cozy layers that can be slept in comfortably in an economy seat!
Ruti One-The-Loose Work Pants: These were my ‘airplane outfit’ pants as they are so comfy and easy to wear, and don’t wrinkle. They could also be worn during the day, though they are thin and not great for cold climates.
Quince Long-Sleeved Tee: This is a great midweight tee that’s not too baggy, but also doesn’t cling to you. Good alone or under a sweater. I actually just ordered another one in gray since I like it so much.
Uniqlo Long-Sleeved Fleece Tee That’s Also Like a Lightweight Sweatshirt: This ‘shirt’ looks and feels more like a very thin sweatshirt, given its cuffs and broad band along the bottom. It’s good on its own, but I wore it over a tee as a cozy extra layer. Since it’s lightweight, it’s not bulky to pack and is also good worn over the shoulders.
SeeVee Acorn Trainers: I wore these shoes on the plane and every single day of the trip. I walked many miles a day in them, and LOVE them. They are so comfortable, have great support, and look nice with dresses or pants. Highly recommend!
Uniqlo Lightweight Puffer Jacket: My puffer is super lightweight (a bit lighter than the one in the link I think) and is more like a puffer shirt than a jacket. Planes can get cold, and this is great as an extra layer or as a pillow. For the entire trip, except in Hanoi (where it was hot), I always had it on, or in my purse in case it was needed.
CHRISSIE’S PLANE ACCESSORIES:
Cashmere Scarf: I love a scarf that I can use as a blanket on the plane, and as a scarf the rest of the trip. My exact scarf is hard to find online, but this one from Nordstrom gets rave reviews, as does this one from Quince.
Bose Headphones: I know these are a lot bigger (i.e., take up more room) than Airpods (which I also travel with), but I love my over-ear noise-canceling headphones for watching shows and for blocking out plane noise.
Amazon Backpack: I prefer to travel with a backpack instead of a tote in order to have my hands free and spare my shoulder from lugging a tote, and I love this ‘viral’ Amazon backpack. It is inexpensive, it fits a ton of stuff (it’s like a small suitcase), and is well organized with a laptop sleeve, water bottle pocket, ‘secret’ pocket in the back padding area, and more. It can also slip onto your suitcase handle if you don’t want to wear it on your back.
Turtl Neckpillow: As someone who flies economy on long-haul flights, I have relied on my Turtl neckpillow for years to get good sleep on planes. It supports my neck really well in an upright position, allowing me to sleep comfortably.
Quince Silk Sleep Mask: How did I ever sleep on flights before I started using this super-soft, thick mask?! I LOVE this thing!
Serenity Seats Airplane Tray Organizer: I always pop this cover on the tray table in order to have easy and clean access to everything from my phone and laptop to my water bottle and glasses. Developed by FabLister Audrey H.!
Here we are getting ready for our 4th flight of the trip :).
