In Praise of the Versatile Sarong for Travel

Over the past decade, a large piece of thin, lightweight, colorful fabric has become the single most important thing I travel with. I wish I had figured out how versatile a simple sarong was sooner. I’ve used one as a towel, skirt, dress, scarf, skin protector, cooling device, and sleep solution on airplanes and riverbanks alike. If I’m traveling to a watery locale, I’m packing a sarong. No other item serves so many functions; let me count the many ways I rely on my sarong.

A Lighter, Faster-Drying Beach Towel

When I’m headed to an oceanside destination, I want to be able to head straight to the beach before settling into wherever I’m staying, and I always want to jump in the ocean one last time before heading home. That means I don’t always have access to a towel, unless I pack one. Since towels are bulky and take forever to dry, I use a sarong, which fits inside a small bag—if I’m not already wearing it. Most sarongs are the same size or larger than a beach towel, making them perfectly comfortable for lying on top of in the sand. And they work just fine for drying off after a dip.

A Comfortable, Stylish Beach Wrap

A sarong wraps around my waist or under my armpits and then becomes a good-looking, quick-drying, super-comfortable beach wrap—it’s much more wearable than a bulky towel and can even pass as clothing. It’s a skirt! It’s a dress! (I like to just wrap them around myself and roll over the top like I would a beach towel, but I’ve also tied them fancily with twists and wrapped them around my neck.) Not only does the sarong feel and look good, when it’s time to leave a beach (which I always hate), wearing a sarong over my bikini lets me extend my beach vibes to wherever I’m going next.

A Personal Cooling Device

A sarong has also proven invaluable on river trips, protecting me from the sun and helping me stay cool. On a rafting trip in the Grand Canyon, I’d dip it in the river and drape it over my bare legs. When heading out for hikes, I copied a river guide and dunked my sarong in the river, then draped it around my shoulders. Staying wet did wonders for keeping me comfortable while others seemed to be suffering from heat.

And perhaps the most critical usage of the sarong to date: during my last trip down the Colorado River in late June, temperatures were in the 90s at night, making sleeping comfortably on the sandy shores of the river a challenge. Dunking a sarong in the river before bed, squeezing out the excess moisture, and then sleeping underneath it created my own personal cooling system. I slept great once I figured that out.

A Chic Scarf (and Pillow)

On travel days, I either throw a sarong in my personal item bag or tie it loosely around my neck as a summer scarf. Not only does it elevate what I’m wearing, making my otherwise bummy outfit look more chic, but the greatest benefit is that I can pull it over my eyes or my head entirely to get some shut-eye on the plane. It can even act as a pillow, or at least, a barrier between my head and the tray table.

There are so many reasons why a sarong is so right.

Sarong Shopping 

Hundreds of sarong styles and colors are available all over the internet for under $25. I love prints because they hide stains, but I also like solid colors to wear as easy summer scarves.  Here are three of my current favorites:

Back from Bali Women’s Sarong

Made from 100 percent rayon, this sarong is lightweight, quick-drying, and soft against the skin—wet or dry. It held up great during a week of abuse on a Colorado River rafting trip. I even found a print that proved cool enough for my 17-year-old son, who used the sarong as a beach towel on a recent trip to San Diego.

Eicolorte Sarong

This $14 sarong has become my “fancy” scarf en route to beach towns, then turns into a towel and wrap once I’m there. It’s made from 100 percent polyester and is a little smaller than the Back from Bali sarong, but still plenty big for my needs.

QIANXIZHAN Women’s Beach Sarong

This 100 percent polyester sarong comes in a range of solid colors instead of prints and is a bargain at $10 ($14 with tassels). I like the small tassels for style and have worn this on cool evening walks to see music, but also as my do-everything travel piece.