The Only Business Trip Packing List You Need

The Only Business Trip Packing List You Need Business travel can be fun making new professional contacts, crushing your meetings, and leid feeling bad about finally cracking open the novel thats been on your reading list forever (because what else are you supposed to do while you wait for your plane to board?).But business travel is fun only if it goes smoothly. If youre fumbling the day of your trip to throw together your carry-on, or if you arrive at your destination only to find yourself frantically shopping for meeting-appropriate shirts because you somehow forgot to bring one, fun wont be on your agenda.To avoid those outcomes, consult this business trip packing list before you travel.Your All-Inclusive Business Trip Packing ListLuggageCarry-on of your choice. Your goal here is not to have to waste time or energy waiting in baggage claim, playing luggage Jenga in the truck of your fhrmann hol ver or rental car, or dragging around unnecessary weight. If your trip is less than a w eek long, you should have no problem fitting all your goods into a carry-on. I love a backpack for its flexibility, but you can also use a small roller bag.Personal item. Whether you use a purse, backpack, laptop bag, or briefcase, pick something professional-looking that you can use to keep important items close to you during travel and to transfer meeting materials as needed. You could bring a bag as well as a briefcase, but do you really need both?ClothingTravel outfit. If youll have time to change at your destination, go for comfy athletic clothes and shoes you can work out in. Thatll keep you feeling good on the plane, and if you have energy for a run or gym session during your trip, youll be ready. If youre the kind of person is comfortably sitting for hours in jeans, you can travel in those, too. Theyre also ideal if youll have time for a mora casual night out with coworkers or clients. One to two pairs of bottoms. If youre going for a day or two, pick one if longer, feel fre e to pack two. Depending on the formality of your meetings and your preferences, you can choose whatever you prefer between pants, skirts, and dresses. If you are bringing two options, make sure theyre the same color so that you dont have to bring additional tops, shoes, or belts to match them. One jacket or blazer, if necessary for the level of formality of your trip.One top per day. Choose blouses or tops with darker prints, which dont show stains as easily. Also, make sure to choose fabrics that dont easily wrinkle. While your hotel room or Airbnb probably has an iron, who wants to have to use it? Underwear (including bras) and socks or hose. This is the one category I give you permission to go all out in. Bring as many pairs as you want, with one pair per day at a bare minimum theyre small and theres nothing worse than having to wear a pair of underwear youve washed in the sink and dried with a hair dryer. Shoes. Here, I give you no such permission. Aside from your travel shoes, which should be either athletic shoes or casual going-out shoes (and in either case should be inordinately comfortable), choose one pair that will work with all of the business clothes you have. Pajamas. Bring whatever you like to sleep in. Getting a good nights rest away from home is hard enough as it is give yourself your best chance by bringing whatever you usually wear. ToiletriesPersonal hygiene products. Count on using hotel shampoo, conditioner, and body wash options to save luggage space, unless youve got a specific routine and/or want to cut down on your single-use plastics use (for hotels that still have themmany are switching to bulk dispensaries, which are more environmentally-friendly). In that case, bring reusable, 3-oz.-or-less containers of whatever you use at home. Other toiletries to bring along toothbrush, toothpaste, and deodorant.Skin and hair care products. Do you use lotion, sunscreen, facial cleansers, or hairspray? Dont leave them behind.Vision products. Co ntacts, contact solution, glasses, eye dropswhatever you may need, bring along.Other toiletries. You might want to bring makeup, a razor, or shaving cream.DocumentsTravel documents. You probably have most of these on your phone if youre going paperless, make sure any boarding passes, reservations, and maps are downloaded and available offline, in case you find yourself without cell coverage. If youre traveling domestically, make sure youve got your ID. If internationally, put your passport in a safe place (and a copy of it in your carry-on), along with any other necessary paper documents.Envelope. If you need to submit hard-copy receipts for your expense report, keep them all in one place. If you dont, take a photo of each and upload it to a designated folder (or when the option is available, choose to have your receipts emailed to you). Youll thank yourself for staying on top of this later. Meeting materials. Along with soft copies of your presentations, bring a few hard copies, ju st in case. Bring a few business cards, too, to give to meeting or conference attendees you havent met before. TechLaptop or tablet. Try to bring just one, with its requisite chargers and accessories (mouse, case). Headphones. Preferably noise-cancelling for use on travel days.Power bank. A small one that has enough juice to charge up your tech in case you find yourself without easy access to an outlet.Phone (I doubt youd forget it, but Im aiming to be thorough here, okay) and charger.MiscellaneousSunglassesReusable water bottleTravel pillowAppropriate outer-wearHand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes. Have you seen Naomi Campbells video about how she disinfects everything around her plane seat before she sits down in it? You may not need to go quite so far, but sanitizing your hands before touching your eyes, nose, or mouth during travel is a good idea airport germs are not your friend.Bathing suit, but only if you promise me youre actually going to do laps in the hotel pool. Otherwise itll just take up space and make you sad that you werent able to use it.If you have other things that make your life easier or make you feel more comfortablemelatonin, an eye mask, aromatherapy dropsor items from your office that make you more productive and you can easily bring with you, feel free to throw those in, too. You should still have a bit of roomI leave you with my business travelers blessing may this business travel packing list prep you well for your journeys ahead, may your flights be on time and your turbulence nonexistent, and may you sign all the deals, land all the clients, and make all the impact possible.Related Articles Around the Web A Packing Checklist for Business Trips One of the biggest challenges in almost all industries today is achieving gender parity. Gender diversity provides huge benefits in the workplace. pWhile some industries have made significant adva ncements in gender diversity, some industries lag further behind... and the construction industry is well-known for being in the latter category. If someone says, construction workers, youll likely picture a group of men in yellow hard hats analyzing an architects plans or laying bricks on top of a scaffold. And men at work signs only help to reinforce this image.pThis stereotype is rooted in reality. When was the last time you actually spotted a woman on a construction site? Or hired a female plumber or carpenter? Your answer is most likely never. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statisticsreports that only 3.4% of the total of 8.3 million construction employees are women.pBut the construction industry has a lot more to offer than steel-toed boots and hard hats, and it needs women to help advance the industry in this era of rapid change. Here are 5 reasons why women joining the workforce or looking to make a pivot should consider a career in construction.h21. Fuel Innovation/h2pNot onl y is diversity the socially and morally right thing to do, but it is also actually an excellent business strategy. pResearch presented in the Harvard Business Reviewshows that diverse teams develop more innovative ideas. This is further supported by a study conducted by Gallupon the performance of gender-diverse teams versus single-gender teams, which found that the difference in backgrounds and perspectives led to better business performance and problem-solving. h22. Capitalize on Demand/h2pThe construction industry is currently experiencing a labor shortage. The industry itself is booming and projected to be one of the fastest-growing industries, with total spending projected to exceed $1.45 trillion in 2023/a. However, most construction companies are unable to meet the rising demand. pAccording to the Associated General Contractors of America/a, more than 80% of contractors are experiencing difficulties filling hourly craft positions that represent the bulk of the construction wo rkforce.pAnd demand isnt limited to individual contributor roles. Given the industry boom, there are a number of open stable and high-paying roles (any project managers out there?) waiting for the right candidateh23. Leadership Opportunities/h2pAccording to the Bureau of Labor Statistics/a, women compose only 7.7% of the total 1 million managerial positions in construction.br/pBut given the highly collaborative nature of construction work, more women in leadership roles would help drive innovation and enhance productivity.Furthermore, as a woman in construction in a leadership position, youd have the unique opportunity to drive change for the industry and make it a more attractive option for other women.h24. High-Income Potential/h2pSalaries for many skilled positions in construction are on the rise, making a construction career a prime choice for women looking for a high-paying job,pThe 2018 Construction Craft Salary Surveyconducted by the National Center for Construction Education and Research revealed that salaries for many skilled craft areas are increasing. Project managers and project supervisors topped the list at $92,523 and $88,355, respectively. The next set of highest-paying jobs include those of combo welders ($71,067), instrumentation technicians ($70,080), pipe welders ($69,222), power line workers ($68,262) and industrial electricians ($67,269). Of the 32 categories of workers in the survey, 19 positions earned an average salary of $60,000 or higher.h25. Sense of accomplishment/h2p The construction industry can give employees a unique sense of achievement. Yes, the job is stressful and the work can be demanding, but nothing beats the feeling of being able to build something from the ground up. pHow many professionals in other industries can point at a school, a hospital, or a skyscraper and say I helped build that?pThe construction industry has a long way to go in combating gender bias and supporting women in the workforce, but given the current demand for workers, theres no better time to pick up a sledgehammer (figurative or literal) and smash the gender stereotypes plaguing the construction industry.