You’ve added alerts, searched for deals and bam! You have finally book your vacation. Now, what in the world are you going to wear? Much more thought should go into your travel necessities and what to wear when traveling abroad other than looking and feeling great, although that’s important. Here is a short list to consider when dressing for that next trip abroad:
1. Culture
When visiting other countries, you always want to be respectful of the culture. It may call for you to dress a little more conservatively than you normally would, or at least change your approach about how you decide. Is the country more modest in dress i.e. longer length of dress/skirts/shorts, covered shoulders, loose clothing. If you are visiting religious monuments or places of worship, it may require you to cover your head, arms, or legs. I was so surprised when I visited a mosque in Abu Dhabi that women on our tour bus did not come prepared. They could not enter due to sheer dresses, legs exposed, and shoulders uncovered. I think the guide took them to the gift shop where they had to purchase something to cover themselves.
2. Weather
What is the expected weather during the duration of your stay? You can easily do a Google search to find out the average temperature during the month of your visit in the past. If it’s all one temperature for the most part, then that makes it pretty simple to dress. If you expect temperatures to change drastically during a given day (cool morning, warm/hot day, cool/night), it’s important to wear layered looks. Start out with a light jacket or sweater that you can take off as the day warms. You can throw it around your waist or in your travel bag as you move about the day. Then as the temperature cools down, you can put it back on.
3. Activities
Once you get to your destination, you want to be comfortable as you explore. Don’t wear your cute sandals that don’t have padding or arch support on that day where there will be hours of walking. You’ll be in pain by the end of the day. For sight seeing, you’ll probably want a light jacket if not wearing long sleeves, as you may be going in and out of cold buildings or getting in cold taxis or buses. If you plan to ride a quad bike in the desert, you probably want an old t-shirt, long pants and shoes that you don’t mind getting really dirty. Usually, when you book tours, the operator site will suggest what you should wear. A lot of it is common sense, but you should still check for what is not allowed.
4. Dining
The type of dining atmosphere will dictate your style of dress. For a casual restaurant, the code is certainly more relaxed. For an upscale restaurant, it may exclude t-shirts, shorts, and flip flops and require men to wear a sports jacket.
Use common sense when deciding what to wear during your travels abroad. A little research will certainly go far. Ask a friend who has visited to get their take on it. A quick search on Youtube will probably return endless ‘what to wear in x’ videos. In the end, the choice is always yours as to what to wear. You want to be you, but not disrespectful or stand out like a sore thumb, receiving unwanted attention.
So how do you decide what to wear when traveling abroad?