Packing clothing and accessories for a business trip can be tricky and requires a lot of experience. You need to make sure you bring all of the clothes you would need for different working and social events without over packing.
It is also very important that you spare a lot of space in your luggage for your clothes so that they won’t get wrinkle.
In this article, I will help you with the preparation for your business trip including what to bring and how to make the most space out of your allowance.
The first thing you need to do is decide what to bring with you on a business trip.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT BAG
You don’t need to bring a lot of bags for several outfits and occasions. Just a simple bag with simple and classic design will do the job finely.
You have several options of choosing the bag for your business trip. All of these bags will have different pros and cons.
A Hanger Bag:
This is most suitable for packing your clothes. If you intend on bringing very fragile suits and shirts, this bag will make sure that there is no wrinkle on these items when you unpack them from the bag. It is also very lightweight and brings a professional look. However, you can only bring some clothes with this bag since you don’t have to fold these clothes.
Verdict: This bag is suitable for a short trip of less than 1 week.
A Traditional Suitcase:
No bag will look more formal and businesslike like this type of bag. You will need to fold your clothes in order to put them inside the suitcase. In general, it offers a good protection for your clothes against things such as water. However, it might leave wrinkles on your clothes.
Verdict: This is suitable for a business trip that might last for more than 1 week and in case you want to bring a very traditional and classic suitcase.
A Duffel Bag:
This bag has no internal frame and makes it very easy for you to put all kinds of clothes in. However, it will make your clothes become wrinkled.
Verdict: You can bring this bag to not-so-formal business trip, which don’t take a long time.
CHOOSING CLOTHING
In case you are going on a business trip for 1 week, don’t think of preparing 7 different sets of clothes for 7 days. If you want to change your look every day, just simply bring interchangeable items, which you can mix and match easily. Therefore, you should first thing about bringing items that could be easily blend with other items. Something with neutral dark tone and classic design will do the job well.
- You should bring 2 suits with different colors for different outlook s on every second day. You can consider bring neutral tone suits such as gray for more formal events and blue suit for more casual ones.
- In addition, you should bring 2 different color pair of trousers. Again opt for classic and dark colors such as grey and black.
- Consider bringing from 4 to7 dress shirts as you might need to wear 2 of them for 1 day: 1 for formal meeting and 1 for social night out. You should bring at least 4 shirts in plain white and the others in light colors. Don’t go for shirts which are too bright and bold. They will make it harder for you to match with other item.
- In case you want to play sport with your business partner or attend team building, you could bring along from 1 to 2 dark color polo shirts.
CHOSSING ACCESSORIES
- You will need one pair of black shoes. Go for classic style such as Oxford shoes. This pair is perfect for both casual and formal events.
- To pair with back shoes, you will need a suitable belt. You can bring 2 belts on your trip. To learn more about how to match your belt with your outfit, you can click here: https://coolmenstyle.com/incorporate-belt-outfit/.
- You can bring only 2 white pocket squares. However, since they are really small, you can bring up to 7 items with different colors and patterns.
- Also bring 4 to 5 ties. Ties are small so that they can be easily packed into your luggage. Furthermore, with different styles and colors of ties, you will have really different outlooks.
- Bring a pair of sunglasses in case you have to spend some activities outdoor. They are trendy and can protect your eyes from the harmful UV rays.
- Don’t forget socks and underwear. In addition, bring your own pajamas for extra comfort when you sleep. Check if the hotel you are going to stay has laundry facilities. If it has, you can reduce the number of socks and underwear that you need to bring.
Important Note: besides clothing, there are a lot of things that you need to bring on your business trip such as all of the important documents and your electric devices such as phones and laptops. Therefore, you should create a check list of what you need to bring to make sure you don’t forget anything.
After you set aside of all the clothes you will need on your business trip; you realize that you cannot fit all of these items into your carry-on and check-in baggage. Here are some tips on packing:
- Make sure there is no empty space. Empty space will increase the risk of getting wrinkles for your clothes.
- The trousers and jackets need to be placed on the bottom of your suitcase. Just fold them in half and place them flat on the surface.
- You should roll the shirts and place them one by one on top of your trousers and jackets.
- Put your shoes on top; remember to put them into a plastic bag first.
- Other small items such as socks and underwear can be used to fill the small gaps among all of your clothes.
- Wear your hat, sunglasses and the bulkiest items on yourself to save space for small item.
Here are some of the most useful things you need to know when you prepare for your business trip. Making sure you don’t over pack while still having a lot of good clothes that look very smart and formal is very important.
I hope that with this article, you can create a list of what you need to buy for your own needs and preference. Also with some more notes on packing, I hope you would pack a lot of essential things without sacrificing much space and the overall condition of your clothes.
