Packing for a Business Trip for a Week, Tips and Hacks!

Packing for a business trip for a week can be a good amount of struggle. Imagine a situation where you thought you packed everything you need and then suddenly when you get down at the airport you realise you forgot your pair of socks or your business cards. Arghh! Irritating, right? We understand. At the same time, you don’t want to overpack and then a lug a heavy suitcase around. Do not worry mate, we’ve got your back!

Firstly, start with organising things. Grab a pen and paper and write your weekly schedule according to days. For example, Monday: meeting, Tuesday: presentation etc. According to that, you can select your outfits like shirts, swimwear, casuals or gym wear. This will give you an idea as to how much you have to pack and where to start from.

Here is a list of things you need to pack for a week of your business travel. Depending upon men and women, or your needs, you can select and reject things from the list. Those can be dresses for men to reject or shaving cream for women to reject. Apart from these gender-based things, everything else is a must for you to carry. The good part is, you need to have just one bag for all these things and you will be provided with hacks to pack too. you can thank me later!

Packing for a business trip for a week: Things to take

1. Basic bottoms

Packing for a business trip for a week can be a hard work. So make it easy for yourself and pack smart. Choose one basic bottom that can go with other outfits too. You can accordingly select tops or sweaters that go with your bottoms. Maybe a trouser or a pair of dark coloured jeans (preferably black because it goes with everything) can help you pack smartly. If you are taking formal trousers, you might need a packing hack for it. (Scroll to the bottom for packing hacks and tips).

2. Top/ Shirt/ Blouse/ Sweater

According to your bottoms, you can select a contrasting coloured top or a shirt or a blouse or maybe even a sweater. Basically, anything that you think will enhance your personality and comfort. You can also keep a formal dress with you and wear it with heels and a good jacket. You can keep an extra pair or two with you if you feel like mixing and matching. Ensure you have just enough tops/shirts to wear with you, not less not more. Allen Solly has some great formal shirts and the fabric is just perfect and soft.

3. Jackets/ Blazers

Packing for a business trip for a week means enough to pack but also packing light. So make sure you select your jackets or blazers according to the bottoms that you have selected and thus make your luggage lighter. This can help you in switching tops so that your outfit looks entirely different. Two jackets/ blazers will me more than enough for packing for a business trip for a week.

4. Casual or dinner outfit

You are packing for a business trip for a week, not every day will there be a business meet or a day for presentations. Also, you might get time to meet people, probably few friends who stay in the same city or you get time for sightseeing. You might even be meeting business prospects for lunch or dinner and not necessarily in an office environment.

You are obviously not going to want to wear your formal clothes for dinner or to meet friends. Make space for some casual clothes in your luggage. That casual attire can be a pretty dress with beautiful and comfortable heels (which is a myth by the way, but whatever), or a button down shirt for men with shorts or chinos. Moral of the story – get dressy and take a break.

5. Nightwear

Obviously, night time is not meant to work. When the night arrives, change into your most comfortable attire possible on this earth; NIGHTWEAR. Your nightwear can be shorts and a t-shirt, pyjamas or a night suit. Keep two of them with you and relax in your room while watching TV or while reading a good book and listening to good music or while EATING!

6. Travel Outfits

You might have a long day of travel to reach your destination or to go back home. Be as comfortable as possible while travelling. Let go of those celebrity airport looks. Be as comfortable as you can be. They will not shift you to a business class by looking at your clothes. So, relax! Wear what comforts you.

7. Shoes and Socks

Your list for packing for a business trip for a week has to have enough space for shoes. There are going to be at least two pairs of shoes or even three if you are a girl. For men, derby shoes are good to be worn with formals and loafers are great to be worn with casuals.

Taking loafers along with you has an advantage. They look good with formals too. So you can save some space. Make sure you carry at least two-three pairs of socks that you can stuff into your shoes. For girls a pair of black heels or nude coloured heels will go with every formal outfit, that can be a formal dress or a shirt or blouse, anything. Plus keep a pair of flats with you, just in case you feel like throwing away your heels in the pool the next day or to walk around your hotel or the city when you are done for the day.

8. Carry your hobby with you

You are packing for a business trip for a week. That itself is enough torture. You might want to carry something with you that helps you relax your mind. This depends on your hobbies. Maybe listening to music relaxes you, carry a playlist or an iPod with you. If you are a reader, carry a good book with you or a Kindle. If you like swimming carry your sunscreen and swimwear with you. You will get time after hectic meetings to normalise your mind. Utilise that time by spending it on your hobbies.

9. Toiletries

You will be staying in office accommodation or a good hotel. You might or might not get toiletries there. Do not risk not taking them with you. These items will not take much space in your luggage. You can also pack them in small bottles and take them along with you. You are obviously not going to shampoo every day, if you do a regular shampoo, stop doing it. Take small bottles with you and pour amounts that are sufficient for a week. A small-sized toothpaste may be. Moisturiser in a small bottle. Make sure everything fits in a medium-sized pouch. Also, carry few zip lock pouches in case your fear spillage.

10. Skin care products

If you have any specification about the skin care products, like aloe vera gel, lip balms, face mist or any other skin care product take them with you for travel.

Check out our skincare recommendations for winters or summers.

Put them in small bags too so that too much space is not taken up and you can utilise that space for packing a few other things.

11. Medical prescription/ medicine/ First-aid

If you have a medical history or travel sickness, DO NOT travel without your medicines. Make sure that you carry a small first aid box that should include bandages, basic medicines for allergies, diarrhoea, vomiting, a pair of scissors and doctors tape. You do not want your business trips to fail miserably.

12. Travel Documents

Keep your travel documents like hotel reservation, cab booking receipt, travel tickets in a separate file for your quick access. If you have all such documents in your phone, try flagging them on your email for quick reference.

13. Laptop bag

Your laptop bag is your check-in baggage. You can also use it for packing a few things like travel documents or stationeries. Select a bag that is not tough to carry. You do not want to tire your shoulder. Prefer taking a backpack that will stay on your back and keeps you hands-free.

If you want to look stylish, carry a laptop bag with a broad strap that you wear crossways over one shoulder. This makes it more secure and easy to carry. Do change its position from time to time so you aren’t burdening just one shoulder.

14. Phone chargers and Power banks

This is one thing you do not want to miss. Double check, triple check, if possible keep one in your luggage and one in your check-in baggage to be on the safer side. If you forget one while leaving you will have one in one of the bags with you. Also charge your phone completely before leaving for the trip. It has all the important documents that you need on the trip.

Carry a power bank if you have one. If you don’t, it’s not a bad thing to invest in – if you don’t find good charging portals you can always have the comfort of sitting wherever you want to charge your phone. Most power banks have enough juice (when fully charged) to charge your phone up to 4 or 5 times to full capacity. Keep the power bank fully charged before leaving as well.

Power banks should always be kept in your cabin baggage.

DO NOT keep them in the check-in baggage or your bag might never reach your destination (and neither will you if they detain you).

15. Stationery

While packing for a business trip for a week, keep all the necessary stationery with you. A diary, a pen (carry an extra one), a planner may be, sticky notes, pencils and paper clips. This will be more than sufficient. If you want to carry anything apart from this, use your democratic right to do so.

If you use your phone, iPad or laptop to keep track of everything then you can do away with these. Still, carry that one pen though.

16. Wifi hotspot

While on the trip, you might not get wifi everywhere. Hotels and offices will, but while you are heading towards these destinations, and you wish to add a conclusion slide to your presentation, you would need a hotspot for that. If you are using a mobile connection that helps you do so, go ahead and use it. Or else carry a wifi hotspot with you. Your mobile network can ditch you anywhere. Do not take risks.

17. Purse

Cash, credit and debit cards, identity proofs are always inside your wallet or purse. Forgetting this at home may lead to situations like cancelling the trip and you don’t want that. So never forget to take that along with you. Or to put it in better words, DO NOT LEAVE THE HOUSE WITHOUT IT.

And of course, we’ve already mentioned the things that need to be IN the wallet.

18. Business cards

Business trips are a great chance to increase your contacts and interaction. Always keep your business cards with you and that too in your wallet/purse or pocket from where you can easily access it.

19. Umbrella

Check the weather before leaving for the trip and if it shows rains, keep a small umbrella with you. You should be ready for any sort of emergency. And by emergency I do not mean a broken ceiling, I mean dripping sky. Keep an umbrella with you even if it does not show rains in the forecast.

20. Wet Wipes

Sunny days can be sweaty, keep a pack of wet wipes with you so that you can feel fresh anywhere and clean off the dirt caused by the city pollution. They come in different fragrances and small packaging. It won’t take much space. You can carry it in your check-in luggage or in your purse.

Packing for a business trip for a week: Tips and Hacks

Packing for a business trip for a week means you have to carry many things with you but you do not want more than one luggage. Here are a few packing and emergency hacks for easy travelling.

1.

Store your travel documents on your phone. Store scans of license, identity proofs, air tickets, hotel check-in reservations in your phone. This makes it easier to access them and saves some space in your luggage. If the physical copy of any document is not required, then you’re also doing the planet a favour by not wasting paper on unnecessary printouts.

2.

Check the weather forecast before leaving for your trip. Because of this, you will be able to pack your clothes according to the weather. Plus you will be relieved of not packing extra.

3.

Roll the clothes that are less likely to get wrinkled. Denim and soft fabric will not get wrinkled easily and rolling them will give you extra space.

4.

Keep a dust bag for your shoes. If carrying a dust bag is not possible in case of emergency, put your shoes in a shower cap.

5.

Use hotel laundry services. This will help you carry lesser clothes, and you can wash them and use them again with a totally different outfit by mixing and matching.

6.

Before going into the shower, place your wrinkled clothes on a hanger inside the washroom. After your hot shower, leave the clothes inside and let them absorb the hot steam. After some time, use your hands to remove the wrinkles or a hair straighter will give the clothes a crisp look. If you are staying in a good hotel, they will let you borrow an iron box. Ensure you ask for one the night before your meeting and keep your clothes pressed and ready.

7.

In case you stain your clothes, here are few hacks that you can use on the stains and wash after some time. Shaving cream will remove foundation stains, Salt can remove red wine stains, club soda can remove food stains.

8. 

As you might require a blazer/jacket or two, wear one on the flight so it won’t be a hassle to pack – jackets are bulky and take up a lot of space. Preferably, just wear one that will work for the entire duration of the business trip. If not, choose the bulkier one to wear and the lighter one to pack.

9.

Carry a small sewing kit with you. It should contain one needle and small pools of thread in the basic colours – white, black grey – and maybe a colour or two specific to the clothes you carry. Nobody is immune to the occasionally popped button and you don’t want to leave for a meeting like that. And speaking of, whether you are a man or a woman, it doesn’t hurt to know how to sew on a button!

10.

Attention all businessmen! For those extra formal business events and meetings carry a nice tie and some good cufflinks. Attention all business women! Carry some formal accessories (a nice pair of earrings, a statement piece like a brooch etc) for those extra formal business meetings and events.

Packing for a business trip for a week does not need to be a nightmare, just pack smart and take along what you actually need and no extras.

Do like and share the post. Also, let us know in the comments section what have been your business packing experiences and if there is anything we should add to the list above.

Bon voyage!