Business Travel Packing Tips: What Do You Always Bring?
It's been a while since we've discussed business travel — especially business travel must-haves. What things do you find indispensable in your travels? What do you keep packed in your bag, or make sure to bring or restock? In general what are your best business travel packing tips?
Some of the things readers have noted in the past are below in the graphic — the previously recommended travel humidifier (which blew my mind, great tip) is sold out, alas, so I'd love to hear if anyone has a new reliable one they love.
Business Travel Packing Tips: Readers' Favorites
These are some of the Corporette readers' favorite items for business travel…
Business Travel Packing Tips
What Tech to Bring
Readers have noted that laptop privacy screens are important — not only do they help with glare, they block the screen from view unless you're immediately in front of it. Handy.
Extra cords, portable chargers, and (for international travel), travel adapters are awesome. If you're in the U.S., at least, I'd also recommend a wall tap, which is the official name for “that thingy” that gives you extra outlets and USB chargers. It takes up almost no space, and can be great at the hotel as well as if you're traveling and someone else has already claimed the charger. (Ask first, obviously.)
(I'm also bummed that Anker's bright-red portable battery charger that plugged in is no more — the color always seemed so smart if you were traveling with it. I just got this newer, slimmer Anker model, and it does the job reliably.)
Note that if you've got a bag with a charger, such as the Away bags, you have to remove the charger if you're checking the bag; even if you're just using it as a carry-on they warn that you should be ready to demonstrate at the gate how to remove the charger.
Personal Items to Keep Packed
There are a ton of things that you can keep packed in your bag in miniature sizes or limited portions, such as Advil and other OTC medications, nail files or clippers, hand lotion, toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant, perfume, makeup remover, hand sanitizer, lip balm, and so forth.
(I've even gone so far as to keep a bag of makeup packed just for trips — generally unopened sample-sized things like mascara, or affordable/less-preferred things like eyeliner, eyebrow pencil or gel, and more.)
Some things are especially great to keep handy for when you land to refresh yourself — face misting spray, for example (Caudalie and Evian's face mists have always been reader favorites), or disposable toothbrushes or tooth wipes.
Business Travel Packing Tips: Some Of Our Must-Haves
Food to Bring on Business Travel
A number of readers have noted that they love bringing tiny bottles of Tabasco sauce to spice up boring airplane or hotel meals — others even noted that you can find packets of Tabasco sauce at Panera, and occasionally World Market has sriracha packets. (Amazon has a 6-pack of Tabasco miniatures for under $14.)
Readers have also noted that ginger tablets can be really helpful in case of motion sickness. (I'm also a fan of these basic motion sickness bands.)
I tend to always have a protein bar in an outside bag pocket — handy in case of emergency. Ditto for Liquid IV or other hydration packets — so handy if you're not drinking as much water as you normally do.
(I'm also a fan of bringing reusable water bottles when I travel — I vastly prefer cold water, so it's easy to pop it into the fridge at night and have nice cold water ready for when I wake up. I tend to bring Nalgene bottles because they're so lightweight, but obviously S'well, Hydroflask, or Stanley ones are really popular now.)
Also note that Minimus.biz is a website specializing in travel-sized products for personal care, food and dressings, and other travel accessories.
Block It Out: Noise! Lights!
Especially if you've got long flights for your business trip, an eye mask to block out light can be great. This Ostrich Pillow mask is compact but also serves as a pillow against the window (brilliant). If you'd prefer just a really good eye mask, I have this one from Manta and can confirm it blocks 100% of the light.
Noise-canceling things were also high on everyone's list – Bose Quiet Comfort headphones, Loop earplugs, or even just your basic ear plugs.
While we're talking about filtering and blocking things — this is a huge personal preference, but you might also want to consider keeping some face masks like N95s tucked into your carry-on bag in case someone on the plane has a nasty cough, there's an exciting new disease/variant circulating, you're sitting for a long time at the gate but not in the air, or other reasons. The 3M Aura N95 comes individually wrapped and gets rave reviews for comfort.
Clothes and Shoes to Pack for Your Business Trip
A Lightweight Travel Scarf
The old office pashmina is a classic for a reason — it's an extra layer of warmth (even over a blazer or coat), it can be used as a travel pillow, or you can drape it over a skirt while sitting if you want a bit more modesty. (If, for example, you're like me and often sit cross-legged.)
Some of our favorite office pashminas as of 2024 include ones from J.Crew, Nordstrom, and this super affordable one from Amazon. If you're looking for more of a ruana jacket, I highly recommend the Brooks Brothers' ones!
Foldable Flats
These can be a great backup if your regular shoes turn out to be uncomfortable, and they can also be worn around the hotel room as slippers. Because they fold down so small (and many of them are so affordable), you can easily keep these in your bag…
Some of our favorite foldable flats as of 2024 include Silky Toes, Yosi Samra (at Amazon and Nordstrom), and Amazon seller HEAWISH. If you're looking to splurge, the Tory Burch travel flat also has a split sole.
Related: Totes with Travel Sleeves
Hunting for lightweight carry-ons with a trolley sleeve for your rolling bag? As of 2024, Tumi, Lo & Sons, Cole Haan, Vera Bradley, and Baggalini are your best bets if you're looking for quality — but here are some other options (including super affordable Amazon ones) below. (Kat has this one and likes it!)
You also may want to look into travel cup holders like this one, designed to go on your rolling bag.
Related: Travel-Friendly Suits for Women
Hunting for travel-friendly suits for women or lightweight suits? As of 2024, some of our favorites include these brands/lines: 1) M.M.LaFleur, 2) Ministry of Supply, 3) Paul Smith, and 4) Talbots. (Not pictured: Eddie Bauer and Suitably! Brooks Brothers also occasionally has suiting in their BrooksCool line, and Uniqlo occasionally has Airism suiting. ) You may also want to check out our roundup of washable suits for women!
Related: Reversible Work Clothes
Hunting for the best reversible workwear? There is a surprising amount out there right now — as of Nov. 2023, we'd recommend taking a look at White House | Black Market, Aday, Wool&*, DvF, Lafayette 148 New York*, and Akris. (Asterisks have plus sizes as well as regular sizes!)
Readers, how about you — what are your top business travel packing tips? What are the things you keep packed, restock, or always make sure you bring? In general, what are your best business travel packing tips?
Stock photo via Stencil.
I am carry-on only & have been for 10+ years, so I have it down.
I take pants, a skirt, and jeans in the roller, and wear a pair of pants, usually something like the Eileen Fisher crepe pants so they’re comfortable on the plane. If I’m taking a blazer type jacket, I wear that on the plane. If I’m taking a coat, it’s always a puffer now so that I can shove it on top of my rooler in the bin.
I love to take a variety of woven silk tanks because they roll up to nothing and can fit around the edges of my heavier items. Everything I go to seems to be business casual, so I take lightweight jackets or knit jacket/cardigan things for the third piece.
I wear one pair of shoes and pack another. I don’t bring workout clothes. I used to but there were too many occasions where I never wore them and they add too much bulk.
I do bring a pair of flip flops or very lightweight ballet type flats to wear as slippers and just in case the fire alarm in the hotel goes off and I have to walk down several flights of metal stairs, which has happened more than once.
I have a packed bag of 3 oz or smaller toiletries and makeup that lives in my suitcase, which all went bad during the pandemic! But I’ve replenished it now even though I’m not traveling every week anymore.
I wear compression socks on the plane. All my tech is in my carry on tote, which also holds a little bit of makeup (powder, lipstick) so I don’t have to get into my roller to refresh before we land. And I love the pashmina suggestion because I always have something like that as well.
Everything I wear on the plane is washable because I’ve been spilled on and I’ve spilled on myself. Sometimes my top, under my third layer, is something like a long sleeved tee that becomes my pajama shirt for the rest of the trip. And I always wear shoes on the plane that I can walk a long way in, because sometimes that turns out to be reality.
I have a lot of travel bags that are mostly flat so they can fit nicely in my backpack, which in turn fits under the seat. One of these is a case for chargers, and I also got extra chargers of all connection types that live in there. It saves a lot of hassle in packing, and also means that I’m not having to dig through bags in order to plug in my phone when I get home. Same with the toiletry bag. The stuff I use is cheap enough that I can have a duplicate of everything and just keep it packed.
I’ve also got a special set of pill cases that’s smaller than my normal set. It’s an absolute must to have 1-2 days of extra pills on hand, which has saved me more than once in cases of flight delay or clumsiness.
As a side note on the masks, I’ve had a couple of friends comment that they get hassled less by anti-maskers when they wear one that isn’t just plain white. I guess it looks a little less medical that way? I’ve got a bunch of white ones I’m still working through but my next batch will probably be in a different color. ::pours one out for all my pretty fabric masks that are now useless::
Binder clips and/or clothespins. Great for securing curtains that don’t close all the way, keeping crackers/chips fresh, and many other uses. A travel extension cord for the rooms where the outlet isn’t in a good spot. A pair of Tom’s slip-ons that stay in my bag and are my travel slippers and/or backup shoes (for vacations or shoe emergencies). A mini flashlight. All of it stays in my travel backpack that I’ve used for almost 10 years. It goes in the overhead bin and my tote bag goes under the seat. The tote contains a bag of almonds, hand cream and lip balm, bag of liquids for TSA, etc.
I prefer something like this to a wall tap (I have this particular one and another Anker as well; they have a bunch of them.) Means you’re crawling around on the floor less often, and you have more room for larger plugs. https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Outlets-Charging-Extension-Delivery/dp/B09PGZHCXR/ref=sr_1_11?crid=C8N66O78D70S&keywords=anker+power+strip&qid=1675456878&sprefix=anker+power+strip%2Caps%2C217&sr=8-11