Those who often travel for business know that packing is a form of art. When you’re flying out somewhere every other week, you can’t afford to waste time picking outfits and rummaging through your luggage to find that one tie.
And you’ll never waste time again when packing for a business trip with these business travel packing tips! They’ll help you pack faster, to stay more organized, and for some of you, they will allow you to never have to pack your own suitcase again!
Choose The Right (Carry-On) Luggage
Half the job is taken care of when you’ve got just the right luggage for your business trips. Choose the perfect suitcase and you’ll be packing quicker and more easily, which is the goal, right?
First, consider just how big a bag you need. Underseat bags are great for business travelers who are usually gone overnight. They’re big enough to hold a change of clothes and they’ve got plenty of compartments and pockets for all the electronics and documents you might need to pack.
If you normally travel for 2-3 days at a time, you will likely need a proper carry-on suitcase. You need to choose between hardshell and softshell luggage – hardshell luggage is the better choice if you want something extremely tough and durable, but pick up a softshell case if you value having multiple pockets and compartments.
Additionally, look into luggage specifically designed for business travel. Lots of brands manufacture suitcases for modern professionals, and these bags are equipped with the features you might be missing on a low-end bag.
Look for a suitcase with a suiter section if you usually pack suits and shirts and you need them to arrive at the destination wrinkle-free. Brands like Tumi, Travelpro, and Briggs & Riley all sell high-quality suitcases with built-in suitor sections, and they’re some of the best options if you want high-end luggage that will make packing quicker and easier.
Stay Organized
Keeping your luggage neatly organized can save you a lot of time and the best way to keep your suitcase neat is to use travel packing cubes. Use one travel cube for your shirts, another one for your pants, a third one for underwear – you get the idea.
This way everything has a dedicated spot in your luggage and you don’t have to rummage through the bag just to find the one item you need. You can also separate outfits into different packing cubes and then just take out one cube at a time.
Also, look into organizers for electronic devices. Some of the best travel organizers feature a laptop sleeve and several smaller pockets that allow you to pack everything in one place.
You can save a lot of time by keeping all the electronics in one place – instead of having to rummage through the bag because the Airpods are at the bottom again, you can have easy access to everything at once if it’s all packed neatly in one organizer.
Ditch The Liquids
Packing liquids in carry-on luggage is always a gamble, so it’s best to just ditch them entirely if you can. Not only are you wasting precious time at TSA checkpoints, but there’s always a chance of a shampoo bottle bursting and leaking out of the toiletry bag all over your luggage.
You’ll get all the toiletries you need at the hotel, plus you can buy anything additional you might require at the duty-free shop. Also, it’s 2022 – there’s a solid version of pretty much every liquid product out there. Toothpaste tablets, shampoo bars, and mouthwash tablets all take up less space than their liquid alternatives, plus they can’t explode and ruin all your clothes.
If you must pack liquids, make sure you’re following the TSA 3-1-1 rule, that everything is packed inside a ziplock bag, and promptly take them out of your luggage at the security checkpoints.
Use A Luggage Shipping Service
Luggage shipping services are becoming increasingly popular with business travelers, especially the ones that go a step further and do the cleaning and packing for you. Consider using a luggage delivery service like DUFL – they will store your clothes and luggage, give you access to a virtual closet where you can choose which items you want to be delivered, and they will clean, iron, and pack everything for you.
When you’re coming home from the trip, just ship them the luggage and they’ll have everything ready for your next trip. Services like DUFL have a subscription cost associated with storing and taking care of the items, so they only make sense for people who travel very often.
Alternatively, you can look into services that pick up your luggage, ship it to your hotel, and then ship it back to your home after the trip. These services are great for people who often travel with a checked suitcase because they can save them a lot of time at the airport, plus it’s virtually impossible that the luggage will get lost. They’re not a great option for business travelers who usually travel with just a carry-on.
Anna was born to travel the world having studied languages all her life. Although she has traveled the world, she now calls Switzerland home and spends her time writing about her experiences on Expert World Travel. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
