Wrinkle free travel clothes: Look great when you arrive

After seeing wrinkle free travel clothes in a catalog, experienced road trippers might ask, "Why bother? Who cares what I look like on a road trip?"

If you won't be seeing anyone you know on your trip, and you plan on eating all your meals at Hometown Buffet and below, then this is a valid point. You can just pull on wrinkled clothes every day and it won't matter (nor will we judge you).

But some people like to treat themselves to a decent restaurant meal or two during a long road trip. Or, they may be driving to see relatives or good friends, and they don't want to look like they slept in their clothes when they reach their destination.

For these folks, we heartily recommend wrinkle free travel clothes.

See, not every hotel room is equipped with an ironing board (in fact, most of the cheap motel rooms we've slept in don't provide this convenience).

Plus, if you actually care about your clothes getting wrinkled, you'll have to pack more carefully, which requires, y'know, effort and time.

So, how to find travel clothes that are comfortable yet won't look like a wreck when you arrive? Here's what to look for:

• Any label that says "wrinkle free." Sounds obvious, but don't forget to look for that phrase. If it doesn't say it's wrinkle free, then it will probably get wrinkled. And even if it does say it, you won't want to screw the garment up in a ball and fire it into your suitcase. You'll still need to take a little care.
  
  
• Any website that says "wrinkle resistant." OK, so clothing labels don't always tell you how well the clothing will resist wrinkles. But if you're shopping online and there are product descriptions for the clothes, read carefully. Sometimes they'll tell you what's wrinkle free and what's not.
  
  
• Cotton. Once you've narrowed down your shopping selections to wrinkle free travel clothes, gravitate towards cotton garments. Cotton is a very comfortable and breathable fabric, which is perfect for long, hot afternoons in the car.

If all else fails (and it's bound to at some point), you can always ask for an iron in the hotel office or use a spray-on fabric relaxant. But you might want to invest in wrinkle free travel clothes.