What to Pack for Travel: The Essentials of Business Travel Packing

Knowing what to pack for travel can make for a smooth transition from one work location to the next.  The essentials of business travel packing take into consideration all of the possible events that you may need to attend while also realizing that ‘free’ nights may not always mean that you can sit in your hotel room in your pajamas.

The influence of professional appearance is something that can not be denied in the work setting.  You will be taken more seriously if you take the time to consider what to pack for travel for your business.  You may want to ask your boss what the appropriate attire is.  This will only show that you are interested in making the right impression.

For women, business travel packing can present a bit more of a dilemma.  In the case of a more formal dinner meeting, a woman will need to have a dress available, along with shoes and accessories.  A man will normally have already brought a suit, so an additional shirt and tie are all that is needed.  Even if the evening seems to be more casual, it never hurts to consider the influence of professional appearance and overdress for the occasion.

So, let’s start off with the basics of what to pack for travel.  Depending on the days that you will be gone at this meeting or conference, you will need to have appropriate outfits for each event.  For meetings, you will want to bring something that is comfortable to sit in, but also appropriate for business.  A trick to lighten your suitcase is to bring only a few pairs of slacks or skirts, but multiple shirts that will match.  This trick in business travel packing will allow you to have many different combinations that will appear to be different outfits all together.

Keeping your clothes looking as though they didn’t come out of a suitcase is also an essential part in the lesson of what to pack for travel. Clothes can be come wrinkled, so you may want to bring a clothes steamer, or in an emergency a bottle of something that will lessen the wrinkles (Wrinkle Away).  These sprays are great for cotton shirts that never seem to stay flat.  You just spray this on the night before and smooth away the wrinkles as it hangs on a hanger.  By the time that its dry the next day, you will have a freshly ‘pressed’ shirt.

In terms of shoes, you will find that they are the heaviest addition to your suitcase, but also an important part of the influence of professional appearance.  To compromise for what to pack for travel, you should bring a pair of work shoes, a pair of dressier shoes, as well as a pair of tennis shoes.  By doing this, you will be wearing one of the pairs on the trip to the conference or meeting, so your suitcase will only need to house two pairs.

A question that many business men and women ask when trying to decide what to pack for travel is whether or not they need to bring their laptops computers.  Either they want to be able to check in at the office, or they want to use the computer for taking notes at the seminars.  Not only is it risky to bring your computer along with you because of theft, but it really won’t be necessary unless you’ve been instructed to do so.  Most of your time will be taken up with meetings and dinners, so any free time that you do have might be better spent on sleep.  Take this trip to ‘unplug’ and you’ll arrive back at your office educated and relaxed.

Grooming and toiletry items are standard on a list of what to pack for travel, but if you should forget any of the essentials, most hotels can provide you with whatever you may be missing.  A few minor things to consider:  If you are traveling in the winter, you may find that static cling is rampant.  For women, you will notice this with dresses and skirts.  To combat this, you can bring a fabric softener sheet and rub it on the affected area or a can of static spray (Static Stop).  And if you’re a fan of black pants and skirts, a lint brush (Carry Along Lint Brush) or some tape can help put the final touches—or rather, take them away—on your outfit for the day or evening.