How to Pack for a Business Trip

Source: Pixabay

During my career, I’ve attended out-of-town seminars, conferences, various departmental gatherings, and trade fairs. These can entail a single overnight stay or an entire week away from home. But regardless of duration, packing for a business trip always takes careful planning.

For example, I participated in a corporate event a couple of weeks ago that involved only one overnight stay. Nevertheless, I had to pack for three different situations: a formal gathering, a semi-formal dinner, and an informal breakfast.  

Which Clothes to Pack for a Business Trip

The main challenge is to have everything you need—from clothing and toiletries to gadgets and work essentials—without burdening yourself with more than a couple of pieces of luggage.

Therefore, pack strictly in accordance with the stipulated itinerary and dress code. No more and no less.

If you’re new to the company and unsure of which clothes to take, ask another employee beforehand.

Clothing

How efficiently you pack for your business trip depends on how streamlined your wardrobe is. Neutral colors and versatile items that can be worn both formally and casually form the backbone of mine. Every piece earns its place.

Let’s use this as an example and imagine we’re about to embark on a five-day conference. According to the itinerary, there’ll be formal gatherings, informal dinners, and some free time. This is what I’d pack:

• Two medium-weight suits, one in solid gray and one in black. With its matte finish, the gray jacket can also be worn as a sports coat with navy chinos or dark blue jeans. The black jacket can double as a blazer with jeans, gray chinos, or the gray suit trousers.
• Dress shirts and ties add color. As my only extravagance, I’d take one for each day to ring the changes. If wearing without a tie, button-down collars sit best, providing an option for informal events.
• I have several polo shirts in white, which I’d wear in the evening instead of a dress shirt and tie.
• For downtime, I’d wear my polo shirts and a fine-knit cardigan sweater, depending on the weather. A classic V-neck cardigan can also be worn as a vest beneath a blazer.

Accessories

Like my shirts, my ties are of cool colors and subtle patterns. These I use to dress up my very plain suits.

Other essential accessories are a belt of medium width suitable for jeans, chinos, and cloth trousers; a versatile watch; and a tie clip. These items add dimension for a polished appearance.

Depending on your style, you could include cufflinks and a pocket square.

Footwear

Fewer shoes mean less weight and more space in your luggage.

I’ve always taken two pairs: slip-on dress shoes and more rustic Hushpuppies, both in black. The latter I can also wear with a suit, although the look isn’t as smart as with dress shoes.

But if you’d prefer to get by with one pair, some brogue styles enhance both casual and formal wear.

Source: Pixabay

How to Pack Clothes for a Business Trip

Select fabrics that are easy to care for and resistant to wrinkles.

Synthetic materials are a great option for business travel as they hold up well during transit. My shirts and chinos, for example, are all of a cotton-polyester blend.

If you want to go a step further, “performance wear” suits never wrinkle, regardless of how you treat them.

Roll or Fold?

One thing I don’t do well is fold. I therefore roll everything that goes into my suitcase, which saves space and reduces wrinkling. Even my chinos and cardigans.

My shirts are the only exception. These I fold loosely and place on top of the rolled items.

Packing Cubes: A Business Trip Essential

To save yet more space and keep my luggage better organized, I pack underwear, socks, and ties in compression packing cubes.

These come in various sizes and reduce garment volume by about half.

Non-compression packing cubes I use for stationery, medications, a first aid kit, and an emergency sewing kit in case I lose a button or something tears.

A Shoe Bag

Since I only take two pairs of shoes, I wear one for the journey and pack the other.

But I don’t want dirt and odors transferring to my clothes. This is why I keep them in shoe bag together with an express shoe shine sponge just in case.

A Garment Bag

To save luggage space, wear one of your suits during travel.

My black suit is of a wool-polyester blend, so it won’t be significantly wrinkled after sitting for extended periods in a car or on a plane.

My pure wool gray suit goes into a garment bag, which I can hang on a grab handle in the car or place in an overhead bin on a plane. This usually counts as hand luggage, but check airline regulations before deciding to do this.

During winter, wear your overcoat over your suit while traveling. Don’t try to fit such bulky items into your luggage.

Removing Wrinkles on Arrival

The moment you arrive at your hotel, unpack and hang shirts, trousers, and jackets to reduce minor wrinkles.

If, in spite of every effort, your clothes are badly creased, there are four options:

• Borrow an iron from the hotel.
• Hang the wrinkled items in the bathroom while you take a hot shower. The steam may relax the fabric.
• Dampen the wrinkles and blast with a hairdryer.
• Use a wrinkle release spray. Surprisingly, this really works.

Personal Care Items

Toiletries

I have a six-drawer plastic tool container in my bathroom to hold toiletries. But I obviously can’t pack all of these for a business trip.

This means reducing my extensive skin care regimen to a minimum. For example, in the shower I use curd soap, a face wash with salicylic acid, and a pH-neutral wash lotion. Since the latter is suitable for all body regions, that’s the one I take.

In order that I don’t forget anything, I go to the bathroom to pack my toiletries, picking out items according to the order I use them: e.g., clean teeth (toothbrush, toothpaste, and baking soda), shave (safety razor, shaving brush, and shave stick), shower (wash lotion), trim mustache (scissors), and so on.

Wherever possible, decant creams and lotions into smaller containers or buy travel-size products. Everything should fit comfortably into your toiletry bag.

Grooming Tools

The only grooming tools I pack for a business trip of more than a couple of days are mustache and eyebrow scissors, nail clippers, and a nose and ear hair trimmer; unfortunately, the latter is something I need at least every other day.

I otherwise give my remaining head hair its weekly buzz the day before travel so that I can leave my clippers at home.

For men who need them, hairdryers are a standard amenity in many, if not most, hotels.

If you want to avoid packing a shaving kit, an electric razor could prove more convenient.  

Source: Pexels

How to Pack Gadgets for a Business Trip

If flying, my laptop bag counts as a personal item that I can take on board. I’d never pack my laptop in my suitcase since luggage is often manhandled by airport staff, and I wouldn’t want to take the risk of it being stolen.

I keep my phone on my person at all times and, just in case, a power bank in my laptop bag.

The only tech items that go in my suitcase are chargers, adapters, and a Bluetooth mouse.

A laptop bag is also the best place for travel documents.

© 2025, J. Richardson. All rights reserved.