Should you dress to impress when traveliong? We’d say yes, but but only for yourself. If you can open your suitcase when you arrive at the hotel and appreciate the good sense and taste of your past self, you’ve already won.
It’s also true that some garments are going to be better off in a holiday-specific context. Odds are you’re not walking around your house in your swimwear, but the beach is a very different story indeed.
Moreover, you likely hope to lok your best when enjoying travel and all it entails. That’s not a narcissistic tendency, it’s just nice to present ourselves to the world with confidence and care and to feel comforted in doing so.
Travel can also be a fantastic means of “glowing up,” so to speak. In other words, it’s nice to hit the gym for a month before you go on vacation so you feel a little more confident on the beach, or to dress in clothes that are nice and from brands you enjoy, because you know they’ll get the most use and you’re liable to go out most nights.
That’s not an obligation of course, dress how you like and how it makes you happy to do so! But you may feel more worth with the following advice too:
Have Your Clothes Fitted
Clothes can only do so much if they’re not shaped right for your body. You could buy something brand new, even designer, and it still won’t sit right if the sleeves drape too low or the waist bunches up with every step. Now, fitting doesn’t necessarily imply taking a three-piece suit to the tailor, but if you’ve picked up some new shirts or trousers for the trip, it’s nice to have them brought in slightly or hemmed to the right length. It makes such a change when things sit properly, and you’ll probably find you feel more like yourself in clothes that don’t need constant adjusting or tugging at.
Even just tightening a waistband or slimming a baggy T-shirt can help your photos look better, and since those memories are going to last, it’s not such a bad thing to think ahead. Tailoring doesn’t need to cost much either, especially for simple pieces or maybe one standout piece you’d love and you’d like to wear to a special dinner date you have planned.
Consider New Glasses Frames
Good glasses will help to sharpen your whole look, and while sunglasses usually get all the attention in travel photos, your everyday frames matter just as much if you wear them regularly. You may also use varifocals of course, or transition lenses.
As such, you could treat yourself to a fresh pair ahead of time if it compliments the style you’re leaning toward on this trip or feels more current than the pair you’ve had for years. We’d say that change alone is enough to make your outfits feel newer even if you’re wearing the same core garments.
For this reason, glasses from eyewear4u are worth a look, thanks to how clean they are and how they can work with many outfits.
Plan Your Accessories & Sorting Bags
If you like to accessorize then planning those alongside your main pieces of clothing is great, as they’re often what brings an outfit together or keeps your travel life easier day-to-day. You may also go for those you wouldn’t usually wear for function’s sake or to express yourself.
For example, a pouch you can wear, a light scarf you can throw on if you ge a chill, and some packable jewellery that helps you feel beautiful in the evening can be great additions. It also means you might shop for these little items while abroad too. Just make sure you have the correct bags inside your luggage to separate them from the rest of your clothing, so you can use them more easily.
Enjoy A Hair/Salon Treatment Days Before
If you walk into a trip already feeling polished, it sets a good tone and you start in a good headspace. You probably don’t want to go for a huge change unless you’re confident you’ll like it, just a tidy-up or fresh treatment that makes you feel a bit fresher-faced. That may include (depending on your tastes) options like a quick haircut, a blow-dry, a beard trim, or maybe a few subtle highlights. You may just want your hair nourished because you know it’s going to be in the direct hot sunlight for a couple of weeks.
Do this a week or a few days in advance, because prepping ahead of time makes styling on the go a bit less of a battle, and your hair or beauty treatment will have acclimated a little, and you can enjoy it properly while you’re out enjoying yourself.
Find Luggage You Can Pack Comfortably In
If you choose a worthwhile, secure, good-quality set of suitcases, it’ll make packing feel easy and travel less stressful, because everything fits where it’s supposed to and you’re not playing suitcase tetris before every flight. If your bag is too small, too rigid, or just a bit awkward, you end up resenting it the whole trip, and that’s the kind of background frustration that wears thin fast.
It’s worth thinking about how your clothes and items will fit, how you’ll access them on the go, and whether it’ll be easy to carry through stations, airports, or drag around some streets. Something with a few outer pockets, different organisation dividers inside, and maybe even a bit of style if you want to theme it with your outfit is worth a good investment. Though remember that your comfort matters more than brand names here, but when it happens to be both, that’s ideal.
Weather-Theme Your Outfits
It sounds obvious, but planning outfits around the weather is very important, and how you do this can take several different paths. It’s clearly wise to begin thinking ahead to the kind of warmth or coolness each layer brings, and how that feels hour to hour, especially when you’re walking all day or out in newer climates you’re just not adapted to.
Remember that clothes that breathe well, don’t wrinkle too easily, or let you layer up if it gets chilly at night are generally the best. Though if you’re travelling somewhere with unpredictable conditions, think in terms of smart layering, garments that will pack down small but you can keep with you in hand luggage too. That way you don’t have to rely on buying last-minute tourist hoodies or sweating through a jacket you can’t take off, and it also means you can keep up the initial aesthetic you wanted as part of your travel glow-up.
Consider A Standout Piece
Not everything needs to be neutral or blend in. Having one or two standout pieces that you go all out on, such as a bright shirt, a printed dress, or a statement jacket, can give or one or two nights of real expression. It’s also something that tends to get compliments when you’re travelling, especially in places where people are more expressive with fashion.
You don’t need to go overboard or wear it every day of course, but it’s nice to have something that feels like “you,” but with a bit more confidence behind it. That might even be you wouldn’t necessarily wear at home, or haven’t had the occasion to yet, such as a studded red leather coat. Different cultures abroad give you a bit more freedom to play with colour, texture, and even your silhouette, because no one knows your usual style so there’s no comparison being drawn. So if you want to experiment with your style, now is a good place to do it.
Wear For Practicality During Expeditions
If you’ve any kind of outdoor or active plans on your trip like mountain walks or long bike rides, you may need to place a touch more thought into what you’re actually wearing during those days. Not just in terms of comfort, but how you’ll feel in the photos, or how easily you can go from trail to town without a full outfit change.
Light, breathable layers that dry fast, shoes you’ve worn in properly, and bags that will balance weight well will do you more favours than you expect and so prioritizing that is smart. If you find performance wear that also happens to look decent, tat’s a great outcome as well. Practicality can look good if it allows you to move well through the environment, so don’t be afraid to focus on it.
Think About Cultural Dress
It’s true that this matters more in certain destinations than others, but it’s checking a little before you travel about what’s generally expected or appreciated in terms of dress. Some places have specific norms around modesty, especially in religious or formal sites, and it’s a good idea to be respectful of that, such as with wearing headscarfs. It doesn’t mean covering up head to toe or ignoring your personal style, , and it doesn’t mean you’re forced to wear traditional dress in all places, but just thinking ahead to make sure what you pack works in context.
With this advice, we hope you can both travel with joy and feel like you’ve had a wonderful glow-up in this space also. If you come across any tips or measures that work for you, please share them!
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