Business professionals are shuttled across the country – and around the world – all the time for crucial yet temporary assignments. Whether you’re helping to open a new office on the opposite coast or heading to HQ for routine training, temporary job relocation means new faces, new places, and a whole lot of questions. While your HR department can help you with the bulk of those questions, we’ll tackle what and how to pack for temporary job relocation so you’re not left scrambling once you get there. Longer stays require more thought and preparation, but even short one-month relocations can mean reconsidering your entire wardrobe.
DO:
- Spend plenty of time researching your new location. Look into the weather patterns and averages for the months you’ll be there and prepare for their seasonal changes. Looking into climate predictions can also be very useful. Social media can be another great research tool that gives you real world expectations.
- Try your best to understand the weather phenomenons of certain locales. Kansas is susceptible to tornadoes, while Florida is known for its hurricane activity.
- When packing for a warm weather location, keep in mind that almost all indoor facilities will be air-conditioned. Pack light sweaters and long pants in addition to your lightweight wears. Cotton is a breathable fabric that adapts to changing temperatures.
- When preparing for a colder destination, choose outfits that you are able to layer in addition to mixing and matching. It can be a struggle to pack for chilly weather as most items are bulky. Choosing items that are interchangeable will allow more room for other items.
- Wear your thickest items during travel. Getting on a plane in a heavy coat and boots might not be comfortable in California, but you’ll be happy when you reach your destination in New York, and you’ll have saved room for more clothes in your luggage.
- Use tools like the “What to Pack?” app by the Weather Channel. Simply enter in your destination and dates of travel and you will be given a list of items based on the weather in that area in addition to the essentials you will need.
- Always pack shoes on the bottom and fit smaller items in and around them. For example, save space by tucking pairs of socks into the shoes.
- Remember you’ll have access to washing and ironing equipment when you arrive so you can pack to save space, rather than reduce wrinkles.
DON’T:
- Don’t buy a bunch of new clothes in anticipation of completely different weather before your trip. If you expect you’ll need to buy items to be better suited to a new environment, wait until you get to your destination. The clothes there will be better suited to that location and you can pack light at least one way of your trip.
- Don’t assume you will be able to anticipate the weather. Just because you are headed to a warm destination, does not mean that there won’t be chilly nights or an unseasonably warm week mid-winter in a cold climate. Layers keep you flexible.
- Don’t think you are immune to common weather patterns. Just because Kansas has more tornado occurrences, doesn’t mean that Florida will never get hit by one.
- Packing a little extra never hurts, but don’t overdo it. You won’t need 5 types of the same shoe each in a different color (we promise). Stick to neutrals for the greatest mix and match potential.
- Don’t buy a whole new wardrobe for a three month stint cross country. Chances are you’ll be able to make do (for the most part, at least) with the clothes you already own. Plus, if you’ll be spending most of the time in a controlled environment like, say, an office or a car, you probably won’t need an extreme variety.
- Don’t forget necessities! Medications, first aides, toiletries, electronic devices and their chargers can all get left behind in the rush of last minute packing.
Do you have packing tips and tricks of your own? What is the one thing you can’t travel without? Share with us, we would love to hear about it! You might just see an idea of your own on our Facebook page!
Image courtesy of How to Pack Like a Rockstar