The 4 Best Women’s Travel Pants for Summer Travel

When I’m travelling in a plane, train, or automobile, the last thing I want to be wearing is a stiff pair of jeans. And, while I love the warm-weather comfort of joggers and capri pants, I hate having cold ankles on airplanes and cool morning walks, and I don’t like revealing my compression socks (which I sometimes wear on long flights). I’m also too self-conscious to wear skin-hugging tights; I like a little bagginess. What I want are sweatpants that don’t look or perform like traditional sweatpants—“fancy sweats,” if you will.

Fancy sweats are versatile travel pants that keep me comfortable on a redeye, breathe well, and move with me—whether I’m on a mellow hike, touring a museum, or sneaking in a quick yoga session in a hotel room. Travel pants that look chic, don’t wrinkle (even after being rolled up in a carry-on), and dry quickly earn bonus points in my book.

Here are my current favorite fancy sweats for active travel.

Vuori Halo Essential Wideleg

These women’s travel pants use the same insanely soft polyester/elastane fabric as my beloved Vuori Performance Joggers . But unlike the joggers, the Halo Essential Wideleg pants cover my ankles, making them more versatile for four-season wear. They’re as comfortable as a great pair of pajama pants (for real), yet don’t look out of place at a café. Note: These don’t dry as quickly as some of the other women’s travel pants in this roundup, but they’re the coziest for cold airplanes. I also love the Vuori Villa Wideleg pants for their classy vibe and airy feel. They’re fancy-looking with a gathered waistband and wide leg cut, but super comfortable and easy to wear, like sweats.

Budget Pick: Roxy Oceanside Linen Pant

For the past several years, these have been the women’s travel pants I always bring on trips to the ocean because of their casual, beachy style. They’re made from a lightweight, classy-looking linen/viscose blend, but they’re as comfortable as sweatpants. A thick drawcord at the gathered waistband adds style, as do the four pockets, two on the back and two at the sides. While I find these travel pants ideal for walks on the beach, they can handle traveling through airports and fit in when dining out. They’re not stretchy like the others in this roundup, and they will wrinkle—but that’s the benefit of linen: wrinkles are part of the look. The best part? They’re under fifty dollars.

Beyond Yoga Elasticized Wide Leg Pant 31”

These lightweight, flowy pants look like trousers you could wear to work or out to dinner, with simple pleats, a sewn-in (just for looks) fly on the front, and two side pockets. They’re 100 percent polyester, woven into a stretchy, silky-feeling fabric that breathes well on long walks and moves with me when I spontaneously decide to do yardwork or yoga midday. The wide-leg cut and flat, elasticized waistband add comfort and style. These women’s travel pants pass for dressy—Italian villa or French museum dressy—but are also cool and airy enough to stand up to summer conditions. They make me feel like I’m getting away with wearing sweats while looking elevated.

Prana Koen Pant

I’ve had a version of these pants for years, and have worn them hiking, rock climbing, scrambling, and hanging out at home or around town. The stretchy, lightweight, breathable, and sweat-wicking nylon/polyester/elastane blend lets me move freely and regulates temperature well, and the flat waistband has a brushed jersey knit interior that’s soft against the skin, with a ribbed exterior that looks sharp. Trail-ready features include an internal drawstring to keep them from sagging, even when carrying a phone or other items in the deep, zippered pockets. I also love Prana’s Shea Soft Wideleg pants for their classy comfort, but they wrinkle easier and aren’t as adventure-ready. The Koen Pants are also tougher—the most rugged in this roundup—and more ready for a hike or lugging bags from train station to hotel and back.