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[militante]

I have an upcoming campus interview on the opposite coast, about as far away from where I live as it is possible to be within the lower 48 states.  My flight leaves early in the morning, and I will be traveling for about 12 hours.  When I arrive, it will be dinner time, but my itinerary does not indicate that I will be eating with any of the faculty.  A faculty member will however pick me up from the airport and take me to my hotel.  On the morning that I leave, I will likewise be taken to the airport by a faculty member, but there is no indication on my itinerary that there will be a meal involved.

How would you all dress for the traveling days?  I will wear my suit for the full day on campus/interviews/job talk, but do I still need dress pants etc. for the travel days?  I don't want to travel across the country in heels, clearly.  I appreciate any advice.

Thanks!

[academic_cog]

I'm assuming you are a female academic? What field/discipline?

I would suggest nice dress pants, the kind of quality you could teach or be at a conference in (I had a nice wool pair) and the dressiest slip-off shoes you can find. (I freakin' hate the whole airport travel thing! And you will probably want to slip off your shoes during a long flight. ... or at least, I like to.) I have some nice ballet-flat style shoes, but if you are a guy, you should probably skip those. ;)

I would be more worried about the long days with travel and no meals. Are you allowed to bring food in the carryons these days? I forget. Definitely pack whatever granola bars/power bars/snacks you can find, because you may or may not have any access to food that evening and then it's tough to actually sleep. And I had a breakfast meeting with a couple profs on my campus visit where I really couldn't find the time to eat anything because they kept asking me questions, so I got _really_ hungry by the time they let me have some time to myself and eat another granola bar.

Good luck!

[sugaree]

If you are traveling cross-country for 12 hours, I assume this is not a direct flight? If you don't have great semi-dressy "traveling clothes" (certainly not a suit and heels but more like business casual separates?), can you change into them during the layover before your last leg? This is when you should eat, too, although you should also pack snacks to take along since you never know when you'll be able to grab a bit (yes, AC, you can pack food into carry-ons now, just not cupcake icing totaling more than 3 ozs, as this violates the TSA rules, though I imagine the cupcake itself was just fine to go through security).

[corny]

Agreed with academic_cog and sugaree. I have flown quite comfortably in dressy pants with a bit of stretch in them (from Loft or the Gap) and a nice sweater or knit top. (Better yet - layers - a midweight top + cardigan, or similar.) Similarly, my standard teaching shoes are Danskos, which look nice enough with dress pants but also slip off easily for airport security.

Also agreed about the importance of snacks. Get some powerbars of whatever brand/flavor you prefer (I've found that Luna bars work well for me as a meal replacement). Eat one on the plane just before you begin your descent and/or before you leave your hotel room in the morning - then you won't have a crazy hungry fit in front of the SC.

[militante]

Thanks for these suggestions! 

I definitely always travel with an assortment of granola bars, nuts, and dried fruit.  This came in handy on a campus visit last week when the search committee didn't manage to pick me up in time to take me to breakfast before the job talk.

I think that after I have secure, TT employment I will be able to invest in some better clothes, but hopefully I can cobble together some reasonable separates from what I already have. 

[academic_cog]

Wear the pair of dressy/semi-dressy pants you have that is least likely to get all creased and wrinkly on the flight. Throw on a loud-colored, interesting scarf around your neck when you disembark and who ever is there to meet you will have their eyes drawn up toward your face, hopefully hardly noticing what else you are wearing.

[tortugaphd]

I'm partial to being met at the airport in khakis and a comfortable--but not too casual--top.  My "dress shoes" are the types that can look ok with either a suit or something more casual.

Good luck with the interview!

[sagit]

Try to avoid checking anything through, on your way there.  You don't want to arrive only to find that the airline has misplaced your interview clothes!!

[offthemarket]

Pick up at the airport to go to the hotel? Casual but nice. They realize that you're just flying for the day.