The coast road south from Muscat runs between the Hajar mountains and the sea, past the sinkhole at Bimmah and the green pools of Wadi Shab, towards the dhow yards of Sur. It is a day's drive with a dozen reasons to stop, and every stop changes the clothes it asks for. That is the particular demand of linen for road trips: one outfit has to sit comfortably for hours, step out into heat, walk into a village and, now and then, make way for a swim.

The seat is the starting point. Clothing for a long drive needs room at the hip and the knee, a waistband that does not dig in, and a shirt that does not ride up under a seatbelt. Loose linen meets all three. It also handles the climate inside a car, which swings between the chill of air-conditioning and the heat of a parked interior: the cloth breathes when the air is warm and still gives a light layer when the vents are cold. On the driver's side the sun falls through the window on one arm for hours, and a long sleeve, buttoned at the cuff, keeps that sun off the skin.

Linen will crease from sitting, at the lap and across the back, and on a road trip that is simply the record of the miles. For a man, the Bliss Linen Shirt in Pink, a long-sleeved shirt with a soft collar, over PP Casual Linen Trousers in Roosewood Pink or Sapphire Blue, covers a full day of driving. The PP natural sets, with shirt and shorts cut to wear together, make an equally easy alternative for hot coastal routes.

Stops decide the rest of the bag. A beach stop needs swim shorts within reach rather than at the bottom of a suitcase in the boot; PP swim shorts in Vanille fold flat into a door pocket. A village church or mosque needs long trousers and covered shoulders, which the driving outfit already provides. A mountain pass needs a layer: the road up to Jebel Akhdar in Oman, which requires a four-wheel drive past the checkpoint, climbs to more than two thousand metres, where the air can be fifteen degrees cooler than the coast.

For women, the same principles apply with different garments. The linen ladies set in Light Blue gives freedom of movement in the seat and at the stops, and its blouse can be worn open over swimwear at a beach. The Amelia linen dress shirt in Blue, worn as a dress, makes a long drive feel like a day out rather than a transfer, and the HER Laos Linen Shirt in Pink, with long trousers, covers places that ask for more. The full range is on the women's linen collection.

Mediterranean roads ask the same questions in a different light. The Amalfi Coast road between Positano and Amalfi is slow, narrow and spectacular, with stops at viewpoints and lunches above the sea; the wardrobe is set out in what to wear on the Amalfi Coast. The Ma-10 through Mallorca's Serra de Tramuntana links stone villages and monasteries along a mountain spine. On the Riviera, the corniche roads between Nice and Monaco change from beach to casino in twenty minutes. In each case, linen moves through every change without asking for a new outfit.

Packing for the car is lighter than packing for a flight, because there is no weight limit, but the habit of a small bag pays off. A soft holdall on the back seat, with one change of shirt, swim shorts and a layer, is easier to reach than a suitcase in the boot. A shirt hung from the hook above the rear door arrives at dinner looking fresh. For those who prefer rails to roads, linen for train journeys takes the same approach to a different kind of travel.

By the time the road reaches Sur and the dhow yards come into view, the day has asked for five or six different kinds of dress. The light is low over the lagoon by then, the half-built hulls throw long shadows across the sand, and the last stop of the day is a table by the water.

Read more: What to Wear in Oman's Wadis  ·  Linen for Long-Haul Flights