A Complete Travel Essentials Checklist for a Business Traveler
| September 12, 2017 | Posted by Steve Williams under Business Travel |
If you’re someone who travels for business or work quite often, then you must know how important it is to have a list of things in hand to make sure you’re on top of your game. And, that’s exactly the plan of our post here, to give you the ultimate business travel checklist of the necessities and precautions to take while travelling, packing tips and tricks for a frequent business traveler.
Without any dilly dally, let’s get on with the travel guide, which would definitely help you prepare for your next business trip a lot more efficiently.
Spoiler Alert: There is a downloadable PDF file with a packing checklist for you in here somewhere!
What to Pack for a Business Trip?
Check, double check and even triple check if need be, ‘cause you do not want to miss your flight, bus or train at any cost. Trust us, it happens more often than you think. Moreover, imagine you’ve reached your conference or meeting and you realize you did not bring the most crucial documents. It’s not a situation you would want to be in…ever.
For simple reasons like these, you can follow this simple travel guide with a travel essentials list and stay ready well in time.
Documents & Information Related Items List
- Travel tickets and booking confirmations
- Frequent flyer card
- Photocopy of all your travel documents
- Your business travel itinerary
- Passport and visa (if applicable)
- Business travel insurance policy
- Updated international vaccination card (if applicable)
- Driving license (if doing any driving)
- Cash in hand and payment cards (debit/credit/prepaid currency cards)
- Wallet
- Copy of doctor’s prescriptions (if applicable)
- Medical history (if applicable)
- Emergency contact information
- Your business cards
- Your work papers and documents
Clothes and Miscellaneous Items List
- A good travel bag other than your suitcase
- Inflatable travel pillow/neck pillow
- Business attire, i.e. suit, shirts, etc.
- Casual and formal wear for leisure
- Sportswear (if applicable), e.g. gym wear, swimwear, etc.
- Comfortable travel outfit
- Pajamas
- Underwear and socks / pantyhose
- Shoes – formal and casual
- Umbrella
- Belt
- Ties
- Watch
- Jewelry
Electronics and Gadgets
- Mobile phone & charger
- Laptop or iPad and charger
- Power bank
- Plug adaptor & converter (if different electrical standard)
- Extension cord
- Laptop accessories, that include USB hub, mouse, USB adaptor, etc.
- eBook reader
Toiletries and Health Concerns
Always organize your toiletries in a dedicated travel toiletry bag instead of throwing it all inside a pocket in your suitcase. For one, it tends to create a huge mess especially when you’re travelling by air and even if you’re not, you end up scrambling through your whole bag at some point which can get frustrating at times.
- Your preferred toiletries (i.e. lotion, shampoo, toothbrush, deodorant & others)
- Hair dryer (if you prefer)
- Comb or brush
- Small mirror
- Shaving kit (if applicable)
- Make up kit (if applicable)
- Feminine hygiene products (if applicable)
- Hand sanitizer
- Small first aid kit
- Malaria tablets (if travelling in malaria infested area)
- Contraceptives (if applicable)
- Glasses/contact lenses (if applicable)
Other Possible Essentials List
- Books/magazines to read in your leisure time
- Notebook/journal and pen
- Address/contact book
- TSA-Approved Luggage Locks
- Earplugs, sleeping mask
- Chewing gum or mint (if flying)
- Plastic Ziploc bags
- Sewing kit and scissors
- Spare batteries
- Travel iron
- Small flashlight
- Insect repellent (if applicable)
Some Extra Travel Hacks For a Business Trip
1. Second UK Passport
Many of you might not be aware, but the UK government allows British citizens to have a Second Passport apart from their First Adult Passport. Although the government doesn’t prefer to advertise about this on their site, a UK citizen is allowed to have this Second British Passport which help them to have uninterrupted travel between nations.
2. How to Pack For a Business Trip?
Type and color of business attire for men (depends on the number of days you are going to be travelling):
- Suits – Grey and darker blues are the safest ones to go for, as they leave very little room for error.
- Jacket/Blazer – Try going for a darker colors in medium-weight worsted wool. Grey on the darker side go with most colors and occasions, whether it is for a formal occasion or casual.
- Trousers – Browns and Khaki colored trousers tend to be the safest colors. You can also go for matching trousers to go along with your dark grey blazer.
- Shirts – A classic white shirt and one light blue shirt is a must to carry as it is a very relaxed color, simple but not dull. And if you need more, you can try out lighter shades of purple or shirts with subtle stripes.
- Shoes – First priority is a pair of black leather oxfords, after you that taken care of you can opt for a dark brown or a tan colored pair of leather/ suede shoes. Browns and tans are very versatile colors which gives you the flexibility of wearing it in a formal or casual manner depending on the occasion.
- Tie – Ties can get really tricky at times. Do not opt for ties with the same print or pattern of your shirt. The optical illusion it creates causes the human eye to find it unattractive.
- Pocket Square – Easiest way to pick out the right pocket square for your attire is to take the secondary color of your tie/shirt as the primary color of the pocket square. If that gets too confusing, then you can just opt for a white one to avoid overthinking it.
- Belts – A black belt which is not too thick with a simple buckle is best choice.
- Socks – Match your socks with the color of the trousers you’re planning to wear. Remember, white socks are a no-no in formal wear, unless you are planning to be funky.
Type and color of business attire for women:
- Suits – If you’re planning to take a tailored pant suit or a skirt suit, it’s always better to opt for the basic colors (black, grey or blue).
- Bottoms – It’s always a good idea to carry one or two basic colored bottoms whether it is a skirt or pants. That way you will not have to carry too many shirts/ blouses and shoes to match with your bottoms as colors like black, blue and grey go with most colors.
- Blouses & Tops – Choose solids of lighter shades or you can even opt for some printed ones but make sure that the prints or the patterns are subtle and not too loud.
- Underwear – Make sure to take a few skin colored underwear as they are the best ones to avoid any see through mishaps. Another important thing to take care of is to ensure that the lining of your underwear isn’t prominent through your clothes.
- Shoes – Take one or two of your best fitted and comfortable shoes or heels. Tan and black colors go with most colors of any outfit.
3. Foods To Avoid While Travelling For Work
- Always buy sealed bottled water – Many a times people end up falling sick by drinking tap water while they away on a trip.
- Avoid taking ice with your drink.
- Avoid salads and other raw fruits and vegetables unless they are kinds that can be peeled.
- Always carry a hand sanitiser with you wherever you go.
An Added Checklist of Business Travel Necessities
If you’re someone who stays alone and has to go on business trips every now and then, you might have a lot in your mind about the things to take care of before leaving. For instance, who is going to feed the cat/dog or water the plants or what kind of precautions you can take to prevent the chances of a burglary for that matter. For concerns like these, we thought we should make the life of a corporate traveler even easier by preparing a scenario specific business travel necessities checklist to tick off before you leave.
Below are some important reminders for the time you will be away from your office and home:
1. Finishing Up In Your Office:
- Make sure all your pending appointments are rescheduled.
- Address all your pending work – finish your projects and set up a later due date of your projects, set up out of office replies on your mail, shoot an email as a reminder to all concerned colleagues about your trip).
- Print copies of your travel itinerary and other travel and work related documents that would be needed for your trip.
2. Getting All Your House Work Taken Care Of
- Arrange for someone to feed your pet or water your plants.
- Try to keep at least one of your house lights on while you’re away so that your house does not seem empty.
- Leave a set of your house keys and any other relevant keys to the person you have asked to keep a check while you are away.
- Lock all your windows, doors and any safety box.
3. Leave Complete & Adequate Information With Your Caregiver/Friend
- Brief them about all necessities to take care.
- Leave all your important contact information – the hotel you will be in, any emergency contact, vet, etc.
- Your travel itinerary.
Why Is It Important To Have a Business Travel Packing Checklist?
It is important that you have an organized system to follow through when you are traveling for work as it is very easy to miss out on essentials things when you have less time in your hands to pack.
Note: Always keep extra clothing items in hand in case of accidents like spills, tears, etc. Keep the items that you feel that you might sometime during the travel separately, like – a neck pillow, magazine, EBook, etc., so that they are easily accessible whenever you need them.
Enjoy your trip!