Heading overseas this year? We have all the hints and tips to help you travel comfortably, lightly and in style. Read on for more….
These days, activewear is no longer exclusive to working out. Activewear/Leisure wear, or Athleisure, is now more refined and multifunctional, blending aesthetics from streetwear, loungewear, and high-performance sports attire. Making it perfect for long-haul travel and overseas holidays.
We love the fact that activewear/leisure wear is:
- easy to pack - packs down into nothing
- lightweight and multi-purpose – making it perfect if you’re trying to limit your luggage
- easy to launder and doesn’t need ironing
Our travel packing tips:
1: Deciding on a travel colour palette
When customers come into the store, and need help with pulling together a travel wardrobe the first thing we do is discuss their travel colour palette. We suggest that you choose pieces in three matching colours so you can mix and match each piece to create multiple outfits for different days, or even different occasions. Pick the colours based on where you’re going.
If you’re headed to London, Paris or another city destination, for example, any combination of black, white, or this season’s chocolate browns is a good bet. For a beach vacation or outdoors/hiking - khaki, off-white (or white) and lighter colours work well.
2: Choosing and Airport outfit.
If you’re planning a trip soon and want the perfect outfit to wear to the airport, look no further than some of the matching sets in store, or a lightweight, trans-seasonal sweater.
Matching sets - a monochromatic colour palette makes you look sophisticated with minimal effort. We love Varley’s Double-soft sets for the ultimate in elegant, comfortable travel sets. They’re very chic, super lightweight, breathable, and SO comfortable.
3: Leggings – the staple of your travel wardrobe
Activewear leggings should be made non-negotiable for all things and situations, which includes travel. You shouldn’t travel without packing a pair or two of your favourite leggings because these are handy and flexible pieces that you can easily dress up and down.
One of our favourite options is the Florence Flares by The Upside in black. They look elevated, sophisticated, and not like traditional activewear. They can be dressed up or down, combined with a blazer, or leather jacket for night time. They are super comfortable on the waist, elongate the leg and are just so very flattering. And, they are just a little more stylish and elevated then a traditional legging. They wash and dry quickly, and are lighter than a pair of jeans. Other options include Nimble’s In Motion Flares.
4: Adding in a trans-seasonal sweater
We always recommend adding a sweater or cardigan to your bag, even if you are going somewhere warm. We love Nimble Activewear’s AM to PM Sweater in Taupe. The neutral hues look oh so elegant on, and the fabric falls beautifully. This sweater looks great with leggings, jeans or a great pair of black travel pants.
5: Consider adding a rain jacket to your wardrobe
Rain jackets are a fantastic addition to your travel wardrobe. They are lightweight in your bag, and can double as a warm layer if you get colder than expected weather. We suggest choosing one with good pockets, and a good head cover – meaning that you don’t need an umbrella and can move around with your hands free if you run into rainy weather. Nimble Activewear make great rain jackets in neutral
6: Layering is your friend
If you’re travelling somewhere cool, then we highly recommend taking some layering pieces. If you’re moving between outside, and heated indoors you can then easily peel pieces off. We love basic long sleeve white/cream and black shirts. These can double for night-time wear/paired with jeans/under a blazer if needed. Varley, Nimble and The Upside all make great basic, classic long sleeves shirts.
7: Adding accessories to elevate your look
If you’re worried that your athleisure pieces aren’t dressy enough, we suggest adding a few key accessories – which can change the look of an entire outfit. We suggest packing some necklaces for layering, and a few pairs of your favourite earrings. Many customers are choosing to not take a handbag when travelling overseas – and are instead packing a stylish and functional backpack or tote bag to carry your essentials during day trips or excursions. We love crosss-body bags for your passport and tickets – perfect for going through airport security.
8: Tips for packing your items in your bag and laundering when you are travelling
- Rolling your athleisure pieces instead of folding them can save space and minimize wrinkles. Plus, it makes it easier to spot specific items when you need them
- Pack some laundry detergent sheets (available at your local supermarket), or for some pieces you can use handwash in the handbasin in your hotel room.
- Take some foldable coat-hangers to use for drying clothes in your hotel bathroom
- We love inserting a few clothes dryer sheets in our bag to keep our clothes smelling fresh
Athleisure is becoming increasingly fashionable – borrowing colours and styles from this season’s runway, and for flights, especially long-haul journeys, it’s incredibly comfortable to wear. If you need some helping with choosing pieces for your overseas holiday, why not pop in store. If you can’t make it in store, contact us and we can organise a Face-time call. We’d love to help you look and feel you best!