You’re about to embark on a journey unlike any other. You’re going to the Caribbean, and you’re going to do it in style. Now, we will find out What to Wear on Plane to Caribbean, what to wear when travelling by plane and what to wear on a plane when travelling to a hot country. You’ve got your passport and your suitcase packed, but what about what you’re wearing? This can be a tricky question, because there’s nothing worse than feeling uncomfortable or out-of-place while you travel. Luckily, we’ve put together this handy guide that will help you nail down the perfect outfit for your flight/car ride/cruise/etc. When you’re going on a trip, it can be hard to know exactly what to pack. But one thing that’s always a must? Packing what you need for the flight. If you’ve ever been stuck with a terrible seatmate or had to deal with the whole “no shoes in the house” thing, then you know how important it is to get comfortable on flights.

What to Wear on Plane to Caribbean

Whether you’re headed to the Caribbean or just dreaming about it, it’s time to get your travel wardrobe ready. Your carry-on bag should be packed with everything you need for a week of fun in the sun—or at least everything you’ll need for the first day or two of your trip.

Here’s what to pack:

Layer with breathable, long-sleeved shirts and a summer sweater. Finally, zip up with a lightweight, insulated and rain-resistant hooded windbreaker. Cargo pants are ideal bottoms thanks to their useful pockets. Avoid jeans, because denim doesn’t breathe easily and once you’re in the Caribbean, they won’t be practical.

Layers
Layering clothing helps if you must transition from colder climates to the steamy heat of the Caribbean, and does away with the need to bring bulky winter coats that won’t be used during your trip. However, remember that nights can be cold in the Caribbean and rain is a fact of life, even if it’s not the rainy season. Wearing warmer clothing on the plane can save space in your luggage. Start with tank tops or short-sleeved shirts. Layer with breathable, long-sleeved shirts and a summer sweater. Finally, zip up with a lightweight, insulated and rain-resistant hooded windbreaker. Cargo pants are ideal bottoms thanks to their useful pockets. Avoid jeans, because denim doesn’t breathe easily and once you’re in the Caribbean, they won’t be practical.

Footwear
Keep your footwear simple. Boots or shoes with lots of laces or buckles will slow you down at the security line and won’t be the most useful kind of footwear once you’re in the Caribbean. Go for simple sneakers or sandals that can be worn with heavy socks.

Accessories
Because airplane cabins have low humidity, the dry air can dry out contact lenses. Lens wearers should bring glasses and a lens case. Wear your sunhat on board — or better yet, purchase it in the Caribbean — rather than packing it, which can leave it wrinkled. Limit your jewelry, which can complicate the security process and easily get lost or stolen while traveling.

Carry-On Items
Pack extra clothing items in a carry-on in case your luggage is lost, or to change into once you arrive in the Caribbean. For example, a pair of slim flip-flops take up little space and are the essential, if not only, shoe for an island vacation. An extra lightweight T-shirt, a pair of underwear and socks can come in handy on the plane, or if there’s a delay in getting your luggage once you’ve landed.

What to Wear on a Plane When Travelling to a Hot Country

Most of the time, I can pack in 30 minutes or less and I usually nail it. I almost always wear just about everything in my bag, except maybe an extra pair of undies or shoes that I brought ‘just in case’. I’ve traveled all over the world, and for extended periods of time, with just a carry-on.

I didn’t spend much time thinking about what to pack for the Caribbean this time around, because I visited last year. Honestly, I was sure I knew just what I needed. And I did, but this time, I brought wayyy too much of it. Not so much for me, but for my kids. So how much is too much? And what should you pack?

{striped dress look: dress; shoes (similar); sunglasses (similar); headband (similar)}

WHAT TO WEAR ON A CARIBBEAN VACATION

I just got back from the Caribbean yesterday. Even in late October, it is HOT. Most of the year, it is hot and humid, so be prepared. Since we stayed at an all-inclusive resort, there are very little rules or dress code. But some of the restaurants did require men to wear pants for the dinner service.

The other rule that the resort had was that women had to be covered up in certain restaurants. I tried to eat at an outdoor restaurant in a pair of shorts and a bikini top (it was a full coverage sports-bra-style top), and they made me wear a towel wrapped around my shoulders.

The majority of the time, I did wear swimsuits and coverups. The rest of the time, I wore easy and light-weight dresses because it is so hot to wear anything bulky.

As for shoes, you do not need any elaborate shoes. I’d actually suggest flat sandals for the majority of the time. You might throw in a pair of easy-to-wear wedges or heels. The one time I did wear heels I actually felt out of place. Everyone was so casually dressed, that I actually felt like it was over-kill to wear heels. I’d definitely suggest nice flat sandals over heels, for sure.

{black and white dress look: dress (similar); sandals (similar); bag; sunglasses}

HOW TO PACK LIGHT FOR THE CARIBBEAN

The biggest mistake I made in packing was that I still brought too much. There were a couple of dresses I never wore and three pairs of heels I definitely didn’t need to have with me. As I said, in my experience, the Caribbean is pretty relaxed, so being too dressed up or stuffy, it’s just unnecessary. Although it is hot, you may also find that you re-wear certain items. I happened to wear two dresses more than once because they were the perfect light-weight and breathable material for the hot and humid weather. I opted to wear the same thing more than once rather than wear something that wasn’t as comfortable for the climate.

I would over-pack for swimwear and coverups and under pack for anything else. Especially if you are going to the Caribbean for a beach vacation, you won’t be wearing much else. I actually did bring too many suits (I think I brought 7 for 7 days), but I wore most of them. There were a few days I re-wore the same suit, just because it was my favorite.

You really don’t need much bulky clothing, so I do think it’s entirely possible to do just one carry-on bag when you’re considering what to pack for the Caribbean.

{ivory ruffle dress look: dress (similar); heels (similar); sunglasses (similar)}

As for the plane ride, I opted for stylish jogging pants, a cute and comfy t-shirt and a denim jacket. Planes are notoriously cold, so you will want at least one layer. The denim jacket and the pants stayed in my hotel closet the entire trip, but I did wear the same outfit to Turks and Caicos and on my way back to LA. Its the perfect stylish, yet comfortable, travel outfit.

{blue floral dress look: dress; sunglasses (similar); heels}

KIDS’ PACKING LIST FOR THE CARIBBEAN

If you’re bringing your kids with you, I would highly suggest that you pack a bottle of sunscreen for every 1-2 days. I  brought three bottles with me, thinking that would be enough for the week. It wasn’t. I went through an entire bottle in one day. Lucky for me, the Coola sunscreen company was one of the event sponsors, so they provided me with additional bottles of sunscreen.

The other thing I would pack is at least two pairs of flip-flops or slides. The first day my son lost one of his slides at the pool. Luckily, we did find it later in the day. But while it was lost, I was frantic to figure out how to get him another pair. It’s not appropriate to wear sneakers at the pools – just for the difficulty of getting them on and off and also because I didn’t want them to get wet.

I’d also suggest packing at least 3 swimsuits for each child. Our kids swam every day, at least two-three times a day, so it was so convenient to have several swimsuits. Our resort provided towels, so we didn’t have to pack those. If the place you’re staying doesn’t provide towels, I’d also suggest packing at least two towels per person. It might actually be smart to just buy them when you arrive as not to take up so much room in your suitcase.

I found it most convenient to pack several pair of easy on-and-off shorts for both kids so they could wear them over their shorts. I also packed a few rompers for my daughter, as they are easy to put over a swimsuit and easy to get off if she needed to use the bathroom.

MEN’S PACKING LIST FOR THE CARIBBEAN

As I mentioned above, some of the restaurants at the Beaches Turks and Caicos resort did require men to wear pants for the dinner service. Thus, it would be important for men to pack at least one pair of pants. My sense is that the pants don’t need to be that dressy, casual pants should be fine. They just didn’t want shorts.

All of the same rules for a man’s packing list would be the same tips as I’ve mentioned above. You want to prioritize swimwear and don’t worry about having anything too dressy or stuffy. Light-weight, breathable clothing is best. I also noticed many of the men did wear swim shirts and I think that’s a smart idea. The sun is so hot and I did see so many people with sunburns. Swim shirts are a great way to avoid bad sunburns.

Overall, I think I did an OK job of packing for this trip. I definitely did overpack, especially for my kids. In the future, for myself, I’d drop the heels and find one or two more light-weight, flowy dresses to bring with me. Otherwise, I’m really happy with how the trip went and I think I’ve finally learned what to pack for the Carribean.

Outfits for caribbean vacation

Clothes for Caribbean Vacation

Casual clothes in lightweight natural fabrics (cotton, silk and linen) will work best – it is warm and sunny but not unbearably hot all year round.

What to Wear in The Caribbean

• Antigua & Barbuda – Quayside, St John’s Harbour, Antigua

For advice on what to pack for your holiday in The Caribbean, choose your destination country from the list below:

Antigua & Barbuda

Smart casual clothes in lightweight natural fabrics will work best – it is warm and sunny but not unbearably hot all year round.

• What to Wear in Antigua & Barbuda

Aruba

Aruba is very laid back so smart casual is the usual theme.

• What to Wear in Aruba

Bahamas

Smart casual clothes in lightweight natural fabrics will work best – It is warm and sunny but not unbearably hot all year round.

• What to Wear in Bahamas

Barbados

Smart casual clothes in lightweight natural fabrics will work best – It is warm and sunny but not unbearably hot all year round.

• What to Wear in Barbados

Canouan

Stylish casual dress in lightweight natural fabrics will work best in the year-round tropical temperatures of the Grenadines.

• What to Wear in Canouan

Cayman Islands

Smart casual clothes in lightweight natural fabrics will work best – it is warm and sunny but not unbearably hot all year round.

• What to Wear in Cayman Islands

Cuba

When in Cuba our advice would be to dress in a casual, low key fashion and leave your expensive jewellery at home.

• What to Wear in Cuba

Dominica

Smart casual clothes in lightweight natural fabrics will work best – it is warm and sunny but not unbearably hot all year round.

• What to Wear in Dominica

Dominican Republic

Casual clothes in lightweight natural fabrics (cotton, silk and linen) will work best – it is warm and sunny but not unbearably hot all year round.

• What to Wear in Dominican Republic

Grenada

Smart casual clothes in lightweight natural fabrics will work best – it is warm and sunny but not unbearably hot all year round.

• What to Wear in Grenada

Haiti

Haiti is the poorest of all the Caribbean islands, and our advice would be to leave all valuables at home if you don’t want to stand out.

• What to Wear in Haiti

Jamaica

Go for comfort over style.

• What to Wear in Jamaica

Montserrat

Smart casual clothes in lightweight natural fabrics will work best – it is warm and sunny but not unbearably hot all year round (76 – 88F).

• What to Wear in Montserrat

Mustique

Mustique is one of those casually elegant places which attract people of the same type.

• What to Wear in Mustique

Puerto Rico

Casual clothes in lightweight natural fabrics (cotton, silk and linen) will work best – it is warm and sunny but not unbearably hot all year round.

• What to Wear in Puerto Rico

St Barts

St Barts is arguably the poshest of all the Caribbean islands and attracts people that love its chic French style.

• What to Wear in St Barts

St Lucia

In general St Lucia is the least commercial of the Caribbean islands and it is very laid back, so smart casual is the usual theme.

• What to Wear in St Lucia

St Maarten

The influence of the French to the north (Saint Martin) and Dutch in the south (Sint Maarten) gives this island a more European feel.

• What to Wear in St Maarten

St Vincent & The Grenadines

The influence of the French and Dutch gives this island a more European feel.What to Wear in St Vincent & The Grenadines

Trinidad and Tobago

Smart casual clothes in lightweight natural fabrics will work best – it is warm and sunny but not unbearably hot all year round.

• What to Wear in Trinidad and Tobago

Turks and Caicos

Smart casual clothes in lightweight natural fabrics will work best – it is warm and sunny but not unbearably hot all year round.

• What to Wear in Turks and Caicos

Virgin Islands

Smart casual clothes in lightweight natural fabrics will work best – it is warm and sunny but not unbearably hot all year round.

• What to Wear in Virgin Islands