How to pack for a business trip? This is a very topical topic for me, because despite the holidays, I have a lot of work, including working away from home.

What to pack for a business trip?

When it comes to packing for a business trip, I don’t go for minimalism at all, because the purpose of such a trip is completely different than relaxation and the requirements are very specific. During a recreational trip, we want to have as little as possible with us, so as not to carry much 00ľand then complain that we did not use half of the things at all. During a business trip, it is more important not to put yourself in an uncomfortable situation due to the lack of foresight skills. You know, we’ve forgotten something, something’s not right, or there’s an additional circumstance that we’re not prepared for. On such a trip, you rarely freely decide what you do at the moment and how you spend your time after work. You can’t say: I don’t have X stuff, I’ll do something else or stay at the hotel. Often you don’t have time for hectic shopping on the spot, or you have landed in an area where it is difficult to shop at all.
So, the goal for a business trip: get your tasks done, look good at work, feel good, build the desired image, and in when something comes up, have a plan B that will work.

Packing your suitcase: imaginations versus reality

How we imagine packing for a two-day business trip? Following the minimalist’s footsteps: one skirt or pants, two blouses, one jacket, one pair of shoes – the perfect mix. Are you sure? Well, no, because according to Murphy’s Law: if something can go wrong, it definitely will 🙂 Of course, only when we are not prepared for it.

What can go wrong, or why a minimalist mix of clothes is a poor solution for a business trip?

Hmm .. nothing but maybe:

• you will pour your coffee out just on jour shirt or stain your trousers with your lunch (if you are late and eat on the run)
• you tear your clothes apart when you run around the room in a hurry and hit the doorknob 🙂
• during the meeting, you will stain your clothes with ink, ballpoint pens or felt-tip pens. Or someone else will get you dirty
• it turns out that the client wants to meet you at the end of the day for a less formal but still business meeting
• it turns out that on the second day of departure, a more casual dress code will be required and everyone else knows it apart from you. (Or it is a spontaneous idea, where everyone is local and has all their wardrobe at hand and you only have your entire suitcase)
• you just want to change at the end of the day
• and probably many other things that have not happened to me, but may have happened to you.

So what clothes should be in the suitcase?

Outfits

If the trip lasts 2-3 days, it is good to consider in advance what the schedule is and whether you have any plans after work. For a two-day trip (I spend about 8 hours with my clients every day) I take two separate „business” sets plus one blouse for a spare. Clothes can mix & match, but I don’t rely on this. The point is, when I have a spare and one thing was eliminated as a result of unforeseen events, it wouldn’t affect my appearance in any way. I avoid taking new-bought items, because it happened several times that it went out badly :). I add an outfit for a possible evening out and a blouse to a journey back home so as not to stick to what I wore all day.
I will not compose ready-made sets here, because the requirements vary depending on the job and position. I will only present outfits that work for me and assumably will work for you regardless of the preferred style.

So what to pack on a business trip?

Shoes

I always take two pairs, plus „driving” shoes for a trip – unfortunately, they usually get damaged from the car mats soI don’t want to destroy my favourite shoes. If there is a plan to go out after work, I also add matching shoes. Walking in one pair of shoes for 10-12 hours, regardless of the season, seems to me not very hygienic nor comfortable.

Outerwear

A black cardigan is always useful for everything (I’ve been looking for the right one for ages), plus a jacket and / or coat. I try to make sure that these things can also be used for a possible going out after finishing work or for a less formal part of it.

Accessories

I check if there is a possibility to do sports in the place where I am acomodated – swimming pool or jogging area. If this is the case and I plan to use it, I take the appropriate accessories.

Ah, that’s right … and spare tights. Two pairs. I forgot again 🙂 How can I never forget about things so obvious that they are missing later?

Travel app? Yes!

I am heavily digitized and the phone application allows me to handle the packaging. Thanks to this, I do not forget about the obvious like the tights and I remember to pack things that are in use until the last minute before leaving the house (comb, toothbrush, etc.). The application will not answer the question of how to pack for a business trip, but it will avoid forgetfulness.

I tried several apps, but the free TripList has settled on my phone for good (there is also an Android version, but it’s fully paid). Here you can make thematic lists of anything you ever want to take on a trip. The lists remain in the memory in the categories you can set. You can always add another. Initially, sample sets (in English) are entered in the application, but you can delete them and create your own instead. When you plan a trip, you go through all the lists and check off what you want to take. This creates a list of items to be taken on this particular journey. When you start packing, you check off the items that you have already packed, so you know that you remember everything.

I also invite you to read the Minimalist’s Suitcase series, where I write how to pack for a two-day trip – semi-private, semi-business.