Tips: Packing efficiently for your business travel

Being perfectly prepared for your business trip is essential to make a good impression on colleagues or clients. As soon as you enter the meeting in a creased suit, you will ruin your first impression. Here are five tips to help you pack your suitcase as efficiently as possible. Success guaranteed!

Tip 1: Good preparation

Be aware of the types of meeting you have arranged for your business trip. Will you be having a formal meeting, a business lunch, or a casual dinner? For each occasion, there are different dress codes. Decide in advance what sort of clothing you need for these various occasions. Of course, it’s important to take the weather into account. Wearing a three-piece suit will not be a good idea for an outside dinner in Dubai, where it is currently 30 degrees.

Tip 2: Choice of suitcase

Are you going on a short business trip and will you be returning on the same day? If so, just take a laptop trolley. This will be enough to carry your laptop, a few adapters and something to read. Are you staying overnight? Then take a hand baggage trolley for a few essential items of clothing and small toiletries. If you fly Business Class, many airlines allow you to bring two pieces of hand luggage. For longer trips, check-in baggage will be necessary. Check beforehand if your ticket includes check-in baggage.

Tip 3: Packing

Are you taking a few heavier items, such as books, jeans and shoes? If so, pack them in the bottom of your suitcase. The softer items of clothing should be packed in the middle, with shirts and other formal items of clothing on top. If you roll up your clothing, you prevent creases and save space in your suitcase. Rolling up shirts requires some practice. The trick is to put socks and underwear in the middle and then roll up the shirt as tightly as possible.

Tip 4: Extra space

Will you be meeting clients on your business trip? Take into account that you may need some extra space for business gifts. International clients often give you a small present related to their country, such as a bottle of wine, a book about their country, or another small cultural item. You don’t want to have to leave such gifts behind only because you have no space for them. An extra tip: if you have time at the airport before you leave, why not buy a small gift for the clients you are visiting, such as Dutch ‘stroopwafels’ or something similar.

Tip 5: What to do about creases

What if you have followed all the packing tips, but your shirt still comes out creased? Don’t panic! In most cases, your hotel will have an iron available for guests. No iron around? Then hang your shirt in the bathroom while you’re taking a shower. The steam will moisten your shirt and the creases will disappear.

Packing your suitcase will always be a challenge, but practice makes perfect. Have a nice trip!