10 Winter Outfit Necessities for Travel

Caroline Morse Teel is the Managing Editor for SmarterTravel Media. Follow her on Instagram @TravelWithCaroline.

Caroline joined Boston-based SmarterTravel in 2011 after living in Ireland, London, and Manhattan. She's traveled to all seven continents, jumped out of planes, and bungeed off bridges in the pursuit of a good story. She loves exploring off-the-beaten path destinations, anything outdoorsy, and all things adventure.

Her stories have also appeared online at USA Today, Business Insider, Huffington Post, Yahoo, Boston.com, TripAdvisor, Buzzfeed, Jetsetter, Oyster, Airfarewatchdog, and others.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "Earplugs. A good pair has saved my sleep and sanity many times!"

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: Hiking Mount Kilimanjaro.

Travel Motto: "Don't be boring."

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Aisle (when the first class private suite isn't available)."

E-mail her at cteel@smartertravel.com.

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Do you really have to choose between style and warmth when it comes to winter outfits when you travel? Not with these finds, all of which will keep you insulated enough to explore on even the coldest day, but are still sleek enough to keep you looking more fashionable and less overstuffed snowman.

Winter Outfits to Keep You Warm While Traveling

These performance pieces will keep you warm from head to toe—but still look so good you’ll find yourself wanting to wear them no matter what the temperature.

Ministry of Supply 3D Print-Knit Sweater Dress

If you think itchy and bulky when you think sweater dress, you need to check out Ministry of Supply’s revolutionary winter travel outfits. This sweater dress is made using a unique 3D print-knit process, meaning it’s created using one seamless piece (so no annoying seams rubbing you the wrong way). Instead of scratchy wool, the dress is made from a knit acrylic/PBT blend that has stretch, shaping, moisture-wicking, and plenty of warmth. This dress is super stylish and can be easily dressed up or down depending on your day/night plans.

Smartwool Cozy Flip Mitt

The dilemma—it’s freezing out but you still need to use your phone, pay for something, or just use your hands. If you’ve got Smartwool’s Cozy Flip Mitts on, you don’t have to take off your entire mitten just to use your fingers. This glove/mitten hybrid lets you fold back the mitten top to reveal fingerless gloves so you can use your fingertips when they’re needed, without freezing off your hand.

Columbia Powder Keg Jacket

Although Columbia’s Powder Keg Jacket (available for women and men) is designed for the slopes, it’s stylish enough that it can top off your everyday winter outfits without looking too sporty. The women’s version is available in a travel-friendly synthetic version that uses Omni-Heat insulation and a thermal reflective layer that provides warmth without the bulk of down. Even if you’re not on skis, you’ll appreciate all the built-in features (like plenty of zippered and hidden pockets).

Ridge Merino Pants & Top

On ultra-cold days when your regular jeans just don’t cut it, you need to add in a base layer. I love the Inversion bottoms from Ridge Merino (available for men too) because they are the absolute thinnest leggings I’ve ever tried, thanks to their 100 percent Merino wool construction. If you plan on wearing them solo as well, check out the cool new Atmospheric River Print, which was inspired by a weather pattern that causes heavy snow. I like to pair it with the matching Inversion Midweight Crew which is slightly heavier than the bottoms, but is still slim enough that you could layer it under a sweater.

Solarsphere Gloves

Solar power isn’t just for gadgets—add some natural heat to your winter outfits with Seirus Innovation Solarsphere Ace Gloves, which use solar-absorbing insulation to increase the warmth of your gloves by up to 10 degrees. And, the gloves have a touchscreen-compatible finger-pad, so you don’t have to take them off to text or swipe.

Ruth Tundra Boots

The Ruth Tundra Boots go with any winter outfit, from casual to dressy, thanks to their basic black style. The sleek waterproof exterior hides a cozy faux-fur lined interior that will keep your feet toasty all day long. Unlike many winter boots, these have great arch support and a sturdy sole that’s practically slip-proof (even on ice).

Vince Camuto Classic Peacoat

A winter jacket doesn’t automatically have to mean puffy coat—this classic peacoat from Vince Camuto is made from a water-resistant melton wool blend, so you can wear it around a fashionable city on a drizzly or snowy day and still stay warm and dry.

Fleece Leggings

These basic black leggings have a warm secret—an ultra-soft fleece lining that will keep your legs even warmer than pants do. The leggings feel like sweatpants but still look great with dressier winter outfits, so you don’t have to consign all your dresses to the back of the closet until warmer weather.

Flannel-Lined Jeans

Not into tights? You can still have secret coziness (but with a more rugged look) with these flannel-lined jeans. On the outside, they look like normal, straight-fit denim—but the inside is lined with the same warm flannel as your favorite pajamas.

The Lucy Cardigan

It never hurts to have an extra layer when you travel, and it’s even better if that extra layer can pull double duty as a bag—like the Lucy Cardigan from ScotteVest. This sweater has four pockets (including two that are zippered and hidden), so you can use it to carry your phone, cards, and keys, and leave your purse behind.

More from SmarterTravel:

Caroline Morse Teel hates the cold but still has an entire collection of Winter Outfits for Travel That You’ll Actually Want to Wear. Follow Caroline on Instagram @TravelWithCaroline for style and travel photos.

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