The Case For An Edit

Frequent flyer and Queer Eye fashion expert Tan France breaks down the breezier, easier way to travel in style on a plane

The last year of my life has been insane. I’m usually on a plane twice a week. I travel internationally maybe once a month. (I’m writing this from Tokyo, which is fabulous.)

Travelling so much is equal parts a blessing and a jet-lagged curse. It also teaches you a few lessons along the way. Some of those lessons are hard-learned. The number of times I’ve had to be that guy who gets to the front of the security line and bends over in his skinny jeans to untie his lace-up boots... Well, it took a while to sink in. Please, don’t be that person. Don’t wait until you get to the front of the line. Better yet, ditch the boots altogether.

If I had to summarise all of my travel learnings into a single, unassailable phrase, it’d be this: carry-on. If you’re only travelling for two to four days, there’s absolutely no need to take a check-in bag. This has a bunch of great knock-on effects.

First things first, you’re forced to edit. Good things happen when you edit.

One of my favourite things about taking only a carry-on is that it minimises my time in the airport. I only arrive at the airport 30 or 40 minutes before a flight. I go straight from security to boarding at the gate. After landing, I want to be able to get through the gate and out of the airport as quickly as possible... And not stand around a baggage carousel. Travel is already exhausting. The last thing you want to do is add airport time, just because you want a few extra looks.