Whether it’s a simple ride in the car or international exploring, we often leave the comfort of our home – and our scarf collection – to experience the world around us. This article is here to discuss some of the most common issues that come up regarding wrapping while traveling. Hopefully it will help you next time you venture away, or help you prepare yourself and your suitcase for the task.

PACKING

Everyone loves variety, but it’s virtually impossible to pack all of your scarves and accessories for a trip. Space is limited, and so is the time involved to ‘leaf through’ each scarf that you bring with you each morning, trying to find the best match. I recently traveled to visit my family, and actually had a very pleasant experience packing for the trip. I chose two colors in my wardrobe and had them be the ‘center’ of all things scarf-related. I went with the colors coral and light grey. I happened to have a top that combined both of those colors and paired it with a black skirt as one outfit. Then I packed another grey top to go with the black skirt for another day of the trip.

For the other days, I packed a denim skirt and chose a solid coral top, as well as a black top, to go with it. From there, choosing my scarves was easy. I simply stayed in the same coral and light grey color groups and everything came together in a flash. I packed two solid scarves and one print scarf and I was all set! My preparation while packing lead to having more time to enjoy my family, rather than having to go ‘scarf hunting’ each morning.

When I surveyed other Wrapunzelistas in the Community Group, I found their packing habits to be very similar. The fewer scarves the better. Those scarves should, preferably, coordinate with each other to allow for more options. Leslie from our Community Group commented that she packed very few scarves because she knew she’d be tempted to purchase other scarves along her way. How’s that for happy optimism?

PASSPORTS

What to wear on your head for your passport photo? This can be a challenge. While head coverings have become more of a normal thing these days, sometimes wrappers do wonder whether or not they’re what the passport agencies want to see. We must remember that the most important feature of passport photos is someone’s face. Wraps, wigs and hats all show someone’s face clearly. Hats aren’t generally seen in passport photos, most likely because their brims cast shadow on the face. Many choose to wear wigs to appear as ‘unassuming’ as possible. And many also wrap and have no problems at all with passport agencies. Other than hats, wig or wrap, your choice!

TRAINS

I haven’t traveled by train for longer distances since college, way before I started covering. However, I would imagine that when one wraps for the day, they would need to allow for the slight ‘forward head push’ that train seats can give. It’s rather easy to forget this phenomenon, and if you wear an ample shaper, it can be very uncomfortable to sit in those seats without your ‘pouf’ getting in the way! A good way to avoid this problem is to stick with either no shaper (just a No-Slip Headband) or one with a smaller pouf (Signature Shaper) for your train travel. This way you’ll be able to comfortably hold your head up high and enjoy the views!

PLANES

There is one part of plane travel that seems to make wrappers jittery – will I get pulled aside at Security because I wrap? This question has been asked innumerable times and it seems as if the answers we’re aware of have mostly involved positive experiences. Truly, getting pulled aside at Security is a random occurrence, even though we wrappers do ‘stand out’ a little. If you are pulled aside, it is best to stay calm and collected and to allow the process to go smoothly. Do not feel intimidated. Be strong. If you are asked to take off your wrap, you may feel free to ask to be taken to a private room and seen by a same-gender TSA guard – you do not have to comply with an opposite-gender guard’s request.

When we surveyed the ladies of the Community Group, all commented that their encounters with TSA (Transportation Safety Authority) employees went smoothly. At the most, the TSA workers ‘squeezed’ the wrap, and then ran a wand around it to check the area. The ladies may have felt the need to re-wrap afterwards, but felt only slightly inconvenienced by the interaction. Kara from the Wrapunzel Community mentioned that using accessories or hijab magnets in wraps while going through Security is really not a wise idea – they will cause the machinery to beep – and we don’t want to experience those consequences!

Once you’re on the plane, the wrap obstacles are about the same as when you ride a train. The headrests do come forward a bit, so wearing a large shaper is not necessarily a good choice – unless you like the feeling of your chin on your chest! Also, your fellow passengers may include small children, who may simply reach out and grab your pouf, thinking it’s a toy. This would not be good. It’s probably best to, again, stick with just a No-Slip Headband and scarf, or a Signature Shaper and scarf. These both will skim the closest to your head and make for fewer ‘forward push’ issues.

AUTOMOBILES

Ok, we’ve said it a few times in this article alone – a seat’s headrest is NOT a wrapper’s friend! This is especially true when you’re in the driver’s seat. Not only is it uncomfortable to have to bend your neck down to allow for the ‘push forward’ design of headrests, it’s simply dangerous! When you drive, you need to have your eyes forward and looking at the road ahead of you – not looking at the blouse that you decided to wear that morning. You are in traffic – and the safety of your passengers (and other drivers and their passengers) is literally in your hands.

A Community Group Wrapunzelista, Caitlin, mentioned that she loves her Mini Bobo Shaper for driving. Terrific idea, Caitlin! The open back design of the Mini Bobo will prevent the forward push of the headrest and wrappers will be able to keep their heads up straight with no problem at all.

And yes, it’s also possible to travel by horse! 🙂 Thanks for this pic, Devia!