For business travelers who spend one-third to two-thirds of the year on the road, knowing how to pack efficiently and effectively for trips is an essential skill.
The difference between having to check luggage and fitting everything into a carry-on is a week’s worth of time spent waiting in line.
8 ways to make business travel better:
1. Ditch the colors
Black is your friend. It matches everything. Johnny Cash was a visionary. There’s no compelling logic for any sock color other than black. One pair of black jeans, two black t-shirts, and business attire will get you through a long trip.
2. Never check your bag
Ever. Never check your bags, even if you’re going to China for four weeks. Travel with a roll-aboard that fits in the overhead. The reduced hassle of never having to wait for bags, being the first through customs, and never dealing with the nightmare of lost luggage will make you a believer. A suit is a suit: two is enough. Wear one on the plane with a t-shirt or casual shirt, and pack the other. Also find a pair of workout shoes which can be casual walking and touring attire.
3. Don’t bother with Ziploc bags
Store your liquids in tiny containers. Transfer contact solution into an old bottle or sampler. Unless you are a chronic alcoholic or have some kind of medical condition, question the need to take any liquid that can’t make it through the x-ray unannounced. Save space and snag the mini toothpastes they put in your room every night.
4. Splurge on laundry
Look at your travel agenda and make sure you are staying at least two nights in a row in the same hotel at least once in every seven-day window. Even though it’s expensive, hotel laundry will get you through. You can get by on ‘Five of Each’ (five pairs of socks, five undershirts, five pairs of underwear, etc.) almost indefinitely if you buy into the Hotel Laundry doctrine.
5. Use back-saving luggage
A roll-aboard with a hook that holds your briefcase counter balanced so that you can literally cruise a mile through an international airport with only fingertip pressure is a back and shoulder saver. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.
6. Test your batteries – in everything
Know the capacity of your batteries in your rechargeables (shavers, cameras, iPods, etc.). You may be surprised by how long of a trip you can make without bringing the charger if you leave home with a full charge.
7. Always bring backups
Have a high resolution scan of your driver’s license, passport, visas, and credit cards on your smartphone or on your computer. It’s a lifesaver if you ever lose anything.
8. Reduce reduce reduce
Once every three months, take everything out of your briefcase. Challenge everything. When was the last time you touched it or used it on a trip? Throw it away or leave it at home if you will not need it overseas.
