The Seatmates 2025 gift guide
What the world’s most stylish travelers actually pack, wear, and swear by when they fly
This post is long and might get cut off in your inbox. For the best experience, read it on mobile by clicking here.
Every year, I ask Seatmates—designers, editors, founders, and creative travelers with exceptionally great taste—to share the products that earn permanent spots in their carry-ons. The result is always one part trend report, one part packing masterclass, and one part voyeuristic peek into how very chic people move through the world.
This guide is based on every 2025 Seatmates interview: tons of objects, rituals, and recommendations distilled into the essentials. Here’s what real travelers with impeccable taste actually love, featuring
(Crown Affair), (Happy Hoteling), (Loeffler Randall), , (Yolo Journal), , Megan Graham (Ries), , (Summer Fridays), Erina Pindar (), and (Ash Hotels).Read on for:
The Top Ten items that surfaced again and again across every interview (the non-negotiables of chic travel)
The exact pieces that make up the Seatmates Airport Uniform™
The luggage configurations and brands they swear by
The organization systems that keep their carry-ons tidy & stress-free
The wellness rituals and in-flight routines that help them land better than they left
Across all the interviews this year, the following items consistently surfaced as the non-negotiables of chic yet comfortable travel. If nothing else, these are the essentials every frequent flyer should have on their radar:
Travel pillow: This is the only travel pillow I’ll ever recommend. It saved me on a red-eye international flight in economy, which is the highest praise I can give anything.
Wide-leg travel pants: Pretty much the only pants I wear on a plane, and so many Seatmates agree. They’re structured enough to look pulled-together, soft enough for long flights, and endlessly flattering.
Parcel system: The modular, magnetized, transparent set I now can’t pack without.
$50 Cashmere sweater: This cashmere is soft, washable, durable, and the layer I reach for multiple times a week.
Travel tote: Structured without being stiff, fits under the seat, holds everything, and still looks chic perched on a carry-on.
Manicure set: A new addition to my routine that changed everything. It’s compact, dries impossibly fast, and is so easy to travel with that I can touch up my manicure anywhere.
Travel containers: Refillable, TSA-friendly, leakproof, with pumps. You can finally bring your real products without decanting into flimsy plastic bottles.
Cashmere wrap: The perfect third layer for chilly planes. Lightweight, packable, and luxe without trying too hard.
Cashmere sweater: Another perfect sweater, but this time a classic pullover that looks good on literally anyone. 100% cashmere, beautiful drape, and the kind of piece you’ll wear on repeat long after the trip ends.
Hair towel: One of the most underrated travel essentials. Cuts drying time, protects your hair, and makes any hotel bathroom feel upgraded.
If there was one place Seatmates aligned most this year, it was the airport uniform. The outputs vary slightly, but the formula is identical: a drapey pant, a white tee or tank as a base layer, a sweater or trench layered on top, with sneakers or loafers for shoes. It’s a silhouette that looks polished without trying and transitions seamlessly from boarding your flight to checking in at your hotel. Wide-leg pants were the crossover hit of 2025, mentioned by nearly every Seatmate, proving once again that comfort and style aren’t mutually exclusive.
To build your own variation of the Seatmates Airport Uniform™, try out any combination of the below:
