When people talk about being comfortable during a flight, I’m sure that they’re talking about long haul flights. Or at least any flight over 5 hours. Me, I find flying such a generally uncomfortable experience – especially on the budget airlines that cheapskates like myself tend to patronise – that I’m currently trying to figure out what to wear for optimum comfort on a flight that lasts all of 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Having been on far fewer plane journeys than perhaps an average 21 year old has, I still find the idea of air travel quite thrilling and novel, but even the idea that I’ll actually be flying, like through the air (this is my general thought process aboard a plane) doesn’t stop me from feeling highly uncomfortable. I’m 5’11”, for crying out loud, and it’s unlikely that Ryanair will ever provide me with enough leg room. (And yes, I have in fact realised what a con Ryanair is and half-heartedly vowed to avoid using them, but they were the only flights I could get direct to Bratislava.) Everything I’ve worn to travel in so far has proved to be annoying and uncomfortable in one way or another: jeans that are too tight, leggings that have shoddy elastic in the waistband, a dress which rode up revealing my backside to the entire cabin when I stood up to get something from my bag.
Basically I need to look smart – if I could travel in my pyjamas, I most certainly would – but also want to be able to sit happily and comfortably on trains and planes, breathe, possibly eat, and attempt to relax.
This isn’t the exact same outfit I’ll be wearing but that’s the general concept. (What do you mean, a Kindle isn’t part of an outfit? Be quiet.) I think the best way round the ‘jeans are uncomfortable, leggings are uncomfortable, short dresses flash my arse’ conundrum would be to wear a maxi dress. Flat shoes are a definite, as I’m likely to stand in queues at the airport, and if I wear my winter boots then I won’t have to worry about fitting them in my suitcase. I wear big pashmina scarves quite often anyway, but I think they’re essential on planes as they will double as a blanket in case I want to have a little sleep – and I must admit I’ve simply wrapped it round my face before when the sight of screaming children running wild has got a bit too much for me. Last but not least, I will be sure to wear glasses and not contact lenses, as my eyes get very dry and itchy. I got new glasses and they’re a bit like the ones in the picture – geeky plastic frames and everything.
What’s your go-to plane outfit?
