I Always Fly in the Same $137 Pair of Pants

best-pants-for-travel-263398-1532016361578-image

(Image credit: @annaflorencelaplaca)

I'd consider myself someone who flies pretty frequently. After five years of living across the country from my hometown, I've gotten used to flying back and forth multiple times a year for holidays and visits. What all those in-flight hours have amounted to is me perfecting the outfits I travel in. I regret to admit that during the first year of living away, I committed a few major airport outfit mistakes that I cringe at.

Nonetheless, I've honed in on a few key pieces that I rely on every time I fly anywhere. Topping my list is a pair of pants so life-changing that I'm deeming them the best pants for travel hands down. PSA: They're not leggings. Look, I have nothing against leggings, but I'd prefer not to look as if I just walked out of a yoga class and into a TSA checkpoint. Instead, the answer to my travel outfits is a pair of pants designed to feel just like leggings but look like a sleek pair of trousers. Bonus: They're currently on sale.

Shop the Pants

The geniuses over at Carbon38 designed these pants that, although they could be categorized as "athleisure," are actually so much sleeker than any pair of track pants or joggers. Details like the seaming down the front and the subtle front slits are what give the pants a decidedly elevated feel. Because even if I'm stepping off of a plane after nine hours of travel, I never want to look as if I've been cramped in an economy-class seat for that long.

Luckily, these aren't the only pants on the market that fit the bill for my perfect travel pants. Just look out for details that make a pair of actual leggings more special, like zipper details, an interesting texture, or a cool pattern. Likewise, look out for trousers that are technically trousers but provide enough stretch to have the same feel as leggings. If you go the leggings route, I recommend shopping for a ponte pair because the thicker material looks much better than standard leggings.

Ahead I've shopped out all the "pants" that pass my test for traveling so you can look just as sleek as I do the next time you step off a plane.

Speaking of travel outfits, you should always have these eight on hand.

Editor

Anna is an editor on the fashion team at Who What Wear and has been at the company for over five years, having begun her career in the Los Angeles office before relocating to New York, where she's currently based. Having always been passionate about pursuing a career in fashion, she built up her experience interning at the likes of Michael Kors, A.L.C., and College Fashionista before joining the team as a post-graduate assistant editor. Anna has penned a number of interviews with Who What Wear's cover stars over the years, including A-listers Megan Fox, Issa Rae, and Emma Chamberlain. She's earned a reputation for scouting new and emerging brands from across the globe and championing them to our audience of millions. While fashion is her main wheelhouse, Anna led the launch of WWW Travels last year, a new lifestyle vertical that highlights all things travel through a fashion-person lens. She is passionate about shopping vintage, whether it be at a favorite local outpost or an on-the-road discovery, and has amassed a wardrobe full of unique finds. When she's not writing, you can find her shooting street imagery on her film camera, attempting to learn a fourth or fifth language, or planning her next trip across the globe.