Remember Last Week When I Said No Hats?
I need to do a better job of taking my own advice.
Last week I Â evaluated the practicality of celebrities’ travel attire, and one of the points was avoiding hats. They’re awkward, difficult to pack, you can’t stick in the overhead and unless it has a very narrow brim, you can’t comfortablly lean back in your seat without damage.
This weekend I was visiting my parents and found the very broad brimmed sun hat I’d wanted for over a year, stalking it in the store each visit until it disappeared without ever having gone on sale. This time I bought it.
Super excited until Sunday night when I realized sticking it in my suitcase was not a good option for getting it home. Â Even “crushable” hats never look quite the same and I didn’t want to mess it up until I’d had a chance to wear it.
So my Monday morning travel was quite painful. I had to carry it in my hands in the airport vs wearing it because of crowds (and to a lesser extent because it’s not quite sun hat season). I couldn’t wear it on the plane because of the brim in the back. Which meant I spent both flights gingerly balancing it on my knees, and nearly crying when I had to put the tray table down to do work since it was smushing the crown and possibly staining the white material.
I was uncomfortable and slightly anxious the whole time. Lesson learned. No hats (at least broad brimmed non-baseball caps) in economy on planes, and maybe not even in first class.
What clothing/accessory choice have you later regretted in flight?
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As someone who always takes a wide brimmed hat whenever I travel (I am very fair & thus look like a lobster after 5 minutes in the sun) there is a trick to packing it without destroying it.
Put socks/bikinis/etc. in the crown which will help it retain its shape. Place it in the very bottom of the suitcase. (It should go in first) Then start placing items around it so it does not shift too much in transit. Sometimes the brim might get a little out of shape but I’ve found once you take it out of your suitcase & sit it flat on a table that will correct the damage.
Nancy – thanks for posting your packing tip for hats! I just purchased a hat very similar to Keri’s for our upcoming Kaua’i trip and was stressing over how I was going to pack it without ruining it. Now my problem is solved!!
Not an accessory, but I did regret buying a giant painting in Bali that was rolled up, but still 6 feet wide which I then had to carry around for the next 26 hours transiting several hours