Packing Tips for Your Business Trip

Whether it’s for work or leisure, packing for a trip away can be stressful. Here are some tips for how to pack and what to take with you on your business trip.

Have the Right Bag

Choosing the right bag will save you a lot of trouble. Duffel bags and sports holdalls are popular choices as they are large enough to fit everything in and double up as hand luggage. But picking a bag with wheels will save your back and they come in many different styles and sizes. In general, you want a bag that is big enough to hold a weeks’ worth of clothes and solid enough to avoid your belongings being crushed in the hold. 

Pack Light

If you are only going away for a few days, try to pack as little as possible.  If you can fit everything into your hand luggage, this is ideal. You’ll save money on hold baggage and also save yourself the time it takes to complete baggage drop and the hassle of waiting to collect your bags. If you know you can buy it, or it will be provided in the hotel, don’t take it with you. Things like toothpaste and shower gel are just taking up space.

Go Paperless

Bringing printed documents, books or magazines with you will just take up valuable room in your suitcase. If you can avoid it, just bring a laptop or e-reader with all your documents on it. You could even go one step further and sync everything to your smartphone, depending on the type of work you’ll be doing on the trip.

Don’t Unpack

One of the easiest ways to save yourself time when you’re regularly travelling for work is to keep a bag with all the essentials packed. Obviously you can’t leave things like clothes in your bag but spare chargers, shampoo and shower gel can stay packed permanently. If you get a call at short notice you’ll be ready to go with very little effort.

Clothes

This will depend on the length of your trip, and whether there are laundry facilities available, but try to bring a change of shirt or blouse for each day and two pairs of trousers. This means you have a spare just in case. Bring dark coloured shirts so that you won’t have any unfortunate outfit combinations when you arrive. If you know you’ll have an iron at the hotel you can roll shirts to save extra room in your bag. Wear the shoes you will wear all week to save on weight and space.

Don’t Panic

Check your bag before you leave and before you board. If you later find you have forgotten something, the chances are it is replaceable at your destination. From toiletries to chargers and plug adapters, most hotels will have a small shop to buy goods. If not there will be one close by. The only thing that really matters is your travel documents and your clothes, everything else is easily replaceable!