10 brands to make your travels easier

Style

10 brands to make your travels easier

If this summer’s airport chaos is making you feel tense here are a few journey-smoothing selections to swear by

Ella Alexander

BY Ella Alexander12 August 2022

With lengthy queues and delays casting an air of gloom over holiday plans, we’ve compiled a list of brands to help make your journey easier. Regardless of how you’re travelling or where you’re heading to, our recommendations are designed to help you feel calm, stylish and entertained despite what the terminal might have in store for you.

FERN FANS

Stay cool

With temperatures rising at an uncomfortable rate, Fern Fans have become a hand luggage essential. The brand was first launched by influential London fashion publicist Daisy Hoppen and Copenhagen-based textile designer Amanda Borberg in 2017, after they decided to bring their love of fans to a wider audience. Their stylish following currently includes Cynthia Nixon, Pernille Teisbaek and Nathalie Emmanuel. Made and hand-painted in Spain, these colourful wooden designs are chic but practical accessories that will keep you cool this summer, whether you find yourself trapped at an AC-deprived airport or queuing for an Aperol spritz in the sunshine. [Shop]

VEN STORES

A soft touch

How much better would your journey be if you were wrapped head-to-toe in the softest of cashmere? As a former fashion editor Charlotte Lewis spent years on planes and in airport terminals but without ever finding anything that felt comfortable or stylish to travel in. She launched Ven Stores as a solution, offering understated ready-to-wear and accessories made in featherweight blends of merino wool, silk and cashmere. Designed to be layered together and as separates, from t-shirts to cardigans, these are elegant, comfortable and wrinkle-resistant pieces to take you from journey to destination. The essential travel sets, complete with a cashmere blanket, eye mask, pillow case and blanket, also makes for an ideal gift. [Shop]

RAILS

VIP lounging

Cali brand Rails has been popular among celebrities including Gisele, Jennifer Lopez and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley for years, but it wasn’t until the pandemic-realised joy of comfort dressing that the masses took note. And comfort is what the brand do best, developing its own fabrics to create almost cashmere-like softness. The Hunter shirt – a relaxed plaid shirt available in various colour ways – is its signature, but the loungewear is also a great option for traveling. There’s plenty of sunshine-coloured sweatshirts and joggers, but we’re also keen on the russet twinset that can be worn together or separately. [Shop]

PARADIGM EYEWEAR

Shift to sustainable

Every trip abroad calls for a pair of shades. But while the sunglasses market is a saturated one, there are fewer sustainable options. Enter Paradigm Eyewear, the eco-conscious US label beloved by Sienna Miller, Florence Pugh and Mila Kunis. Its new collection is created from 40 per cent waste plastic and 60 per cent bio-based renewable sources. Even its sun lenses are environmentally-friendly, created from half recycled plastic and half recycled virgin tritan material. The unisex offering is inspired by the Seventies, with each style named after a style icon from that decade: Jack Nicholson, Jane Fonda, Joni Mitchell, Mick Jagger and the like. [Shop]

YETI

Let’s take this outside

Whether you’re going camping or not, it’s worth browsing cult US brand Yeti before jetting off anywhere. Designed to cater for all your outdoor adventures, be it camping in Cornwall or getting together with friends in the park, its Ikea-meets-Balenciaga aesthetic have made it a popular choice among those in the know. It’s known for its ‘bear-proof’ cool boxes, but we’d also recommend its super durable travel bags, reusable water bottles and travel mugs – good-looking yet robust items that will survive the most rough-and-tumble of journeys. [Shop]

COMMANDO

It’s what’s underneath

If you’ve yet to discover the blissfully soft underwear and loungewear of Commando, you’re in for a treat. Forget about journeys blighted by uncomfortable underwire and scratchy lingerie, and embrace these well-fitting piece. Its Butter and Bamboo collections are characterised by its ultra soft, breathable and stretchy essentials, from bras, briefs and bodysuits to tank tops, leggings and lounge pants. For a more pulled-together airport look, consider the wrinkle and crease-proof neoprene blazer. There’s also a strong menswear offering, also made using the same super comfortable materials. [Shop]

THERAPIE

Spoiling oils

Travelling can be stressful, so make sure you stow a few wellness products to calm your mind when your mode of transport has been delayed or that customs queue seems eternal. World-renowned aromatherapist Michelle Roques-O’Neil’s restorative body range Therapy aims to alleviate day-to-day struggles using blended oils. Try the energy drops which promise to ease anxiety and tension and create a positive mindset, or the restore aura spray (also available in a handy travel size) designed to promote inner balance and stillness. [Shop]

VARSITY HEADWEAR

Peak performance

Norwegian brand Varsity delivered the headwear of the summer in the form of its DHL cap, a limited edition line of 200 made from Seaqual yarn, a material comprising discarded plastic from both land and sea. Although that collab is now sadly sold-out, there are still plenty more options to choose from. Its linen range, available in French olive, azure blue and Tuscan yellow, will help get you in the holiday state of mind even if you’re stuck at the airport. The label is also committed to sustainability, creating responsibly made caps that are designed to last. [Shop]

PANGAIA

Earth-kind basics

Unisex sustainable fashion brand Pangaia has become a favourite among the Hollywood style set with fans including Bella Hadid, Jennifer Lopez and Harry Styles. Not only is it comfortable, utilitarian and affordable, but it also has outstanding eco-friendly credentials. Led by a global collective of scientists, designers, thinkers and creators, Pangaia brings together innovative materials, technology design and earth-positive processes to create colourful loungewear that you’ll have for years. [Shop]

MACK BOOKS

A visual treat

British indie publishers Mack have been serving our literary needs since 2010 in a bid to bring new, established and largely unavailable photography books accessible to everyone. Their summer bundles, compiled by their in-house experts, will make any long journeys or terminal queues almost pleasurable. The books included in the European and American Roadtrip collections are chosen either because they speak specifically about certain cities or regions, or because they offer a broader sense of being inspired by the atmosphere, landscapes and life of the respective destination. Perfect for all bookish wanderers, flaneurs and sun-seekers, these carefully chosen books will give you a richer perspective and insight wherever you’re heading this summer. Maybe leave the weightier tomes on your coffee table til you get back, though. [Shop]

To further ease your stresses, we’ve extended our summer flight-cancellation guarantee until the end of October

Mr & Mrs Smith receives no affiliate benefits; these are simply products and brands chosen because we like them.