The Article Of Clothing Samantha Brown Says To Always Bring To Hot-Weather Destinations

When planning for travel, clothes are typically the least of our worries. Much of our energy is often focused on being strategic about booking flights to ensure cheaper travel and finding ways to stretch your dollar. But if you're heading somewhere with unpredictable weather, especially a hot destination, you need to give your wardrobe some thought. While it's tempting to channel your inner Adam Sandler and just rock a shirt, baggy shorts, and sneakers, travel guru Samantha Brown said that there's one item you should never leave behind: a sweater or jacket.

Now, you might be wondering why on earth you'd bother bringing a jacket or sweater if you know you're going to a place where it's almost guaranteed that you'd sweat your socks off, but the "Places to Love" host pointed out that you're not going to be outdoors 24/7. There might be chilly spots in your itinerary, and having some outerwear can be a lifesaver. Plus, it's no secret that flights can also get unexpectedly chilly, and a jacket can be handy if your airline doesn't provide blankets to keep you from freezing 30,000 feet up in the air.

You can pack all the bikinis, swimsuits, and flip-flops you want, but Samantha Brown insists you make room for a jacket in your luggage. On her blog, she admitted that skipping this step is one of the biggest travel clothing mistakes you can make. Just because you're heading somewhere with sunshine 90% of the time doesn't mean you won't feel chilly at some point. Even warm places like Florida and Los Angeles have their cold spots.

"Warm places like Florida can be miserably hot, but anything with four walls and a roof is air conditioned so aggressively that I'm often left wondering as I shiver through a meal at a restaurant: 'Isn't this the weather you wanted to escape?'" she wrote. "Lesson: Going to a warm destination? Always bring a sweater or light jacket."

In a TikTok feature for CNN, Brown also said that bringing a jacket or a scarf is a fool-proof hack for making economy flights more comfortable. "I always wear a jacket. I always dress for spring-like conditions on a plane," she said. "I actually have a scarf that is quite literally the size of a blanket." In short, pack smart, and don't let aggressive air conditioning catch you off guard. Make room for some layers — you'll thank yourself later.

Speaking of scarves, if you're not the chilly type, a scarf might suffice since you can drape it around your body however you want. Samantha Brown herself is a huge fan, dubbing it the "Swiss army knife of travel." Besides keeping you cozy, a scarf is also a fantastic fashion accessory.

Brown noted in an Instagram post just how versatile scarves can be. "[A scarf] keeps you warm, cleans phones, creates a buffer between you and a plane or train seat, provides a place to sit on the beach or in a park, blanket for your kids, easy thing to throw over your shoulders at a religious site, adds a little something to a basic outfit," she wrote.

The travel guru is such a fan of scarves that she always packs three kinds when she travels, and maybe you should, too. "[Scarves are her] favorite accessory — they take up no room and they completely change an outfit," she told The Washington Post, adding that she packs a basic, solid-colored one, a striped option, and one that can be paired with more formal outfits. And if you overwear the scarves you bring, you can always do laundry at your hotel. "They're easy to wash in a hotel sink," she penned in her blog. "Simply hang them to dry over night and voila! You're ready to tackle the day."