Packing Tips For Your Next Business Trip

Business travel requires a different method of packing, as travelers usually have to bring items that they wouldn’t need on leisurely vacations. Fitting everything from your laptop to your suit can be challenging, but it doesn’t mean that you have to take extra luggage or sacrifice comfort during your journey. If your company is sending you on a trip anytime soon, take note of these steps to packing like an experienced business traveler.

Stick to black

Have multiple meetings lined up upon your arrival? You will be needing a series of shirts, shoes, and pants or skirts. Business Insider highly advised sticking to black when it comes to choosing the articles of clothing to take with you. Black goes with everything and will reduce the number of items you will have to fit into your suitcase. Bringing a bunch of colorful shirts will require you to find pants and ties to match them, increasing the chances you will have to check in a bag.

Avoid wrinkles

CNN suggested packing only shirts, dresses and other clothing items that are made of wrinkle-free fabrics. Light-weight wool or wrinkle-free cotton items will prevent your apparel from becoming almost unwearable by the time you open your bag at your destination. If you can’t seem to avoid the wrinkles, try a portable, handheld steamer, which is a great option for travelers who need to quickly smooth out their suits before a meeting. Most hotels also come with an iron and ironing board.There are folding strategies, however, that can be used to decrease the hard folds that cause wrinkles on suits. Place the top of the jacket in the suitcase, letting the bottom hang out, and crisscross the sleeves. Then place other articles, like your pants, on top with the same strategy and fold everything over together so each item is only folded once. 

Leave the toiletries behind

Any essentials that you want for a comfortable trip should be stored in say plastic bags – zip lock is a brand bags or  placed in a small container before you go through customs. All other toiletries, such as shampoo, soap and toothpaste, can be left at home. These generally take up a lot of space in a bag and can easily be found at your location. You can also take advantage of the small soaps and shampoos that hotels give guests. 

Choose efficient luggage

As most business trips are only a few days, it’s very possible to avoid checking in a bag. There are suitcases that work better than others when it comes to fitting all of your belongings into a carry-on. Many frequent travelers suggest a bag with wheels, as these are convenient to pull around the airport and come in sizes that fit in the overhead bin with ease, according to Forbes.Since you will have a variety of items in your carry-on, it’s also important to find luggage that has a few easily accessible pockets where you can stash documents or identification that you might need. This will save you the hassle of digging through all of your carefully folded clothing to locate something you may need at security or customs. 

Consider shipping extra items

Shipping any necessary belongings that won’t fit in your bag, such as presentation tools, can be pricey, but checking in an extra suitcase is often even more expensive. On Call International recommended planning ahead and FedExing these materials to your destination a couple days before you leave so they’re there by the time you arrive.Another advantage of shipping items is you won’t have to worry about anything getting ruined or breaking on your flight. Similarly, you don’t have to fear that your bag may not arrive on time or that it could get lost.