I have travelled a lot for work through the years, everywhere from the US to Korea and India, from Qatar to South Africa. Now that I work in Luxembourg, I go between Luxembourg and Brussels on a weekly basis. As a result, I have become quite good at packing and out of all the options, packing for a short work trip is possibly my favourite genre. 

I don’t think I have any particularly revolutionary insight to offer, but I enjoy thinking about packing, so I’m going to share my thoughts anyway. It also serves as a reminder to myself to follow my own excellent advice and actually implement all the ‘best practices’ that I preach.

The prep. The most important step of packing is the preparation for packing. I look at my agenda, the locations/venues and the weather. This makes the decision-making already much easier - no need for that coat if it’s 35 degrees where you are going - and helps to avoid over-packing. I usually do not take an umbrella with me and rely on the hotel to have one*. I do, however, usually take a pashmina or something similar, as I am always cold and even when travelling somewhere hot, the AC is a bitch.

The set-up. The most practical and versatile gear for a 2-5 day work trip is to bring a cabin-size suitcase, a tote bag and a small cross-body bag that you can chuck into your tote if need be. In terms of space, I could sometimes get away with a weekender instead of the suitcase, but my experience shows that a suitcase is simply more comfortable. I am strong, but carrying all my luggage by hand for extended periods of time is not ideal. The tote and the cross-body between them cover all your bag needs: tote for work meetings, cross-body for nipping out in the evening when you don’t want to lug the tote around with you. What you see on the picture is everything I took to Italy for 8 days in Italy, but one has to take into account that it was very warm, which reduces the need for space for clothes. 

The list. I highly recommend having a list of the absolute must-haves, so that you don’t forget to pack them. This is the point I myself tend to sin against, because I feel like I KNOW what I need to pack, I’m not stupid! And of course I do know and usually get it right, but there is no shame in having a check-list: surgeons and pilots have lists or the most basic things, because it is so much easier to have a list than live with the consequences of forgetting something (I concede that the stakes in packing aren’t quite the same as in heart surgery, but it is a very low-effort/high-reward habit to have). I copy my basic list below, yours could of course be different and you can have much more elaborate, even exhaustive lists, but I find this is what I need the most. In case you are checking in your suitcase, I would try to keep these things in the cabin luggage with you. 

ID-card/passport, other documents
Money, credit card
Keys
Phone, iPad, laptop (I, unfortunately, have two phones and two iPads) 
Chargers for the above (and adapters, if needed)
Contact lenses, solution
Toothbrush and paste 
Cleanser, SPF
Underwear, socks
Headphones
Books

Clothes. Contrary to popular belief, I am not an overpacker when it comes to clothes (skincare and books are much more difficult categories for me). I pack outfits based on the agenda, usually one outfit per day, unless there is an evening event that absolutely requires something different (opera, for example, or sporty activities). And then I add one extra outfit in case something goes wrong or I change my mind. I wear something casual on the plane that I can also use when I have any free time on the ground. I know people usually recommend packing separates, but especially for shorter trips, I am a big fan of dresses. They are a full outfit in themselves and if I have two days of meetings, I have it all sorted with two dresses, one pair of shoes and perhaps a jacket. When the trip is slightly longer, a small capsule can be more useful, so that you can mix and match the pieces. But I almost always pack at least one dress. For evening events that are not quite opera level fancy, my favourite strategy is to wear a bare-shoulders dress with a jacket during the day, then lose the jacket and add dangly earrings for the evening. The earring trick works with other clothes too, if you are not a dress fan.

Shoes. I bring one pair of heels and one pair of something flat and comfortable that I also travel in. Always, always pack one pair of footwear that you can walk in for long distances. Smart sneakers and loafers are both good, as you can also wear them to work engagements, if need be. I tend to have a pair of flat shoes in my tote at all times, something that I have learned to do through bitter experience. Even if you have checked the agenda and no walking is foreseen, buildings can turn out to be huge or someone spontaneously decides to walk to the restaurant that is 20 minutes away - and even I enjoy walking markedly less in my pumps. If you are planning to train while away, it complicates things further and you probably need to take another pair of shoes for that purpose.

Skincare. If you travel very often, I actually recommend having a separate pouch with skincare that you use only for travel and where you keep all your essentials. I haven’t done it thus far, as I am extremely fickle and also want to customise my travel skincare based on the destination. However, as my routine has settled down quite a bit recently, I might in fact take my own advice and have the basics ready at all times. I am also trying to buy fewer travel size products - I adore minis, but there is no denying the packaging waste. I am not great at decanting, but for example Sali Hughes does nice minis that are refillable, so this I can get on board with (and her line is great for travel in general, as it’s very streamlined). Some things I would not decant, though, retinols and vitamin C in particular. Fortunately, they usually come in small containers anyway, so I just use my usual products. I also highly recommend buying some sort of Face Halo type of thingy for easy makeup removal. Again, the Sali Hughes ones are excellent.

Hair. I avoid washing my hair when away like a plague. I do it before I leave and if I stay longer than two days, I bring dry shampoo. If I have a very important event, I have a blow-dry ahead of the trip and extend its life as long as humanly possible and sometimes beyond. I know this is not possible for everyone, but if you can avoid washing your hair during your trip, do so, because otherwise you are opening an entire new can of worms: whether to bring your own shampoo and conditioner (usually yes, as the hotels cannot be trusted), what styling products to take with you, do you need a straightener or any other tools, does the hotel hairdryer emit any warm air at all, etc. In any event, if you have longer hair, bring something for putting your hair up: this is useful both if your hair has lost its first freshness or if you have washed it, but end up looking like a mad sheep, which is usually what happens to me.

Extras. I always, always bring a book and usually several. This is the area where I constantly overpack, despite having access to my Kindle and Audible books. I just cannot help it. In general, I have one book about the country I’m visiting and something lighter for entertainment, but it varies and can be a bit random (I am writing this as I’m flying to Italy for a week, so I have Tom Holland’s Pax, Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend and Hirohito Oyamada’s Weasels in the Attic on paper, I am reading Anne Bishop’s Murder of Crows on Kindle on my iPad and listening to Dan Saladino’s Eating to Extinction). If I were to offer advice - and in case you are a reader - I would say bring one book on paper (paperbacks are lighter) plus Kindle and/or Audible. The obvious benefits of the latter two are the lack of bulk and the opportunity to buy whatever you happen to be in the mood for when away. I always bring my Bose headphones, too, mostly for Audible, but also for listening to music and shutting out annoying people on the plane. Finally, perfume. I tend to pack one bottle that I think suits the destination and some samples for variety. But if you are a signature scent person, I recommend getting the travel size version of it, too. You can often get nice designs that are refillable and also protect the glass.

The most difficult advice to follow is to leave a little bit of room in your luggage in case you will buy something, need to bring back gifts or receive a nice gift yourself. My usual strategy is that when flying out, I squeeze as much as possible into my suitcase, check it in and leave my tote relatively empty. This gives me a bit of flexibility on the way back, including buying stuff at the airport. 

So what about you? Do you enjoy or hate packing? Any tips to share with others?



*Never hesitate to ask the hotel for whatever you have forgotten to take or simply didn’t realise you would need - umbrellas, sanitary pads, tooth paste, adapters, chargers… They often have them, even if they aren’t in the room.