How to Pack for a business Trip

Learn some tips for business travel, such as how to pack to make the most of your business trip.

Hi, I’m Kathy Ameche. I’m the author of the Woman Road Warrior, a woman’s guide to business travel. I’m discussing how you get the most of your business travel with the least stress. Now, I’m going to talk about how to pack. Determine your preferred method of packing, whether it’s from a list, the night before your trip or why you’re getting dress in the morning. It’s better to do some planning, that way you won’t pack too much or the wrong thing. I always say when preparing to travel, layout all your clothes and all your money, then take half to close and twice the money. You should keep the following in your travel bag even when you’re not using it. Exerts of makeup, gym clothing, tennis or running shoes, prescriptions and night gown, that way you won’t forget them. Here are a few tips if you are prone to over packed and always question which shoes to bring. Stick with one color family, black, blue or brown. If you are prone of bringing too many shoes, then build your outfit from the shoes up. Start with your favorite pair or pairs. If you are going to multiple cities, you don’t need a different outfit for everyday. You won’t see the same person twice and the individual in city B doesn’t know you were that up for two days ago. Be sure to packet top that is reversible. It’s helpful if you should get a stain on yourself. Accessories can completely change an outfit, I love scarves. They not only changed an outfit, they don’t take up much room in your suit case and are very light. You should build a basis of clothing that can transition from day to night. Dress with a jacket for the day, remove the jacket at night. Only pack the necessities and leave the luxuries at home. Leave your grandmother’s ring and other jewelry behind. Diamond maybe a girl’s best friend and you want to keep them safe. Sometimes, you have a special situation such as a long-term stay. It can present a unique problem, but when it is easily overcome by some planning. If you are traveling to the same city, week in and week out, leave items in the work city so you can travel light on the weekend. There’s something very liberating when traveling light. Items can be left in the client’s office or you can check them with the hotel bellman or drop them at the cleaners on your way to the airport. If you need a car in the client’s city, looking to renting on a long-term basis, a monthly rental can be much cheaper in the long run than a weekly. Then leave your weekday items in the trunk of the car over the weekend. If you use this technique, make sure the items are put in to the trunk before you get in to the airport garage. If you do have to check your luggage, don’t check valuables or medicine. Keep a copy of your itinerary and your check luggage. If you were traveling with someone else, swap an outfit with them. If one bag doesn’t show up, at least you’ve got a back up outfit in the other person’s bag. Be sure to have identification inside and outside of your check luggage. Avoid using your home address on your identification tags. You never know who is watching and you want to keep your home secure. Take a picture of your luggage and keep it on your cell phone or the hard copy with you. It makes it a lot easier for airline personnel to identify your luggage. It’s also smart to have a backup or draw a plan. When I travel, I always wear a business casual. I wear that because I’m treated better by the airline or hotel personnel, plus if for some reason I get separated from my luggage and the luggage doesn’t arrive, I can wear the outfit I have on to the client’s the next day and not be embarrassed or if you ruin the outfit you’re wearing, try asking the front desk clerk if you can borrow one of their outfits. The standard uniform for most women in the hotel industry is a pant suit and you could just be your size. So that’s how to pack for business travel. Up next, I’m going to talk about how to get through the airport.