What to Wear to the Airport

Gone are the days of dressing up in your nicest clothes for a flight. Now you'd be doing good to see flight passengers in real clothing when many just roll out of bed and arrive in their flannel pajamas. As comfortable as this may be, I certainly don't recommend it. There are more respectable clothes available to wear to the airport that are still comfortable and won't trigger TSA's security devices. Here's some ideas of what to wear to the airport on your next flight.

Shirts

I never know what the atmosphere of the plan will feel like. Will I freeze or will I suffocate in the heat? Will I be near a window seat with the sun streaming in or will I be in an aisle seat? It's for this uncertainty that I have two specific shirts in my closet that are perfect for traveling. One is for late spring, summer and early fall while the other is for late fall, winter and early spring.

The Warmer Shirt: I wear a light long-sleeve, hooded V-neck sweater with a white tank top underneath. This makes wearing a jacket while on the plane or passing through customs almost unnecessary.

The Cooler Shirt: I wear a short-sleeve, knit top with a scoop neck for warmer seasons. It's thick enough to keep me warm on a cooler day yet not so warm that I sweat profusely during the summer.

Pants

I am a firm believer in blue jeans. I have one certain pair that I wear on an airplane and no others. I highly recommend wearing a pair of five-pocket jeans that can hold small loose items if need be. Also, if you can get by without wearing a belt on those jeans, all the better for you as you're going through customs.

If you can't get by without a belt, choose one with no metal grommets, spikes or studs, as well as one that closes with a small buckle instead of a big cowboy one.

And please, please, please - skip the flannel pajama pants.

Shoes

Everyone who's travelled on a commercial flight since 9/11 knows that you must take your shoes off when passing through customs. Most people wear their flip flops, but really, how practical is that when you're traveling in the winter? You'll freeze! Plus, you're walking around barefoot on a dingy airport carpet until you get your shoes back. Yuck!

I have a pair of slip-on Skechers sneakers that I can take off and put back on within seconds while going through the TSA line. There's nothing special about them; they're just very simple on and off shoes.

If you don't have shoes with no ties, consider feeding those tie-less twisty ties through your shoes so you won't have to worry about tying them at the airport. And always, always, always wear socks!

Purse or Small Bag

I know that we get to carry our carry-on luggage, backpack and a purse while on commercial flights. But do you know how inconvenient it is to haul all that stuff around?

So instead of lugging it around in three places on my body, I choose a purse that's small enough to fit in the top of my backpack when I'm not using it. This seems to please some of the flight attendants as well, as it's one less thing to stuff in some small cranny in the overhead compartments.

So the next time you're looking for what to wear to the airport, think about practical clothing that's comfortable as well as functional.