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Packing for Corporate Travel

Are you an “early bird” packer, who starts packing for trips a week or more in advance?  Or are you a procrastinator packer, preferring to wait until the last minute, sometimes as late as a few hours prior to take off? Regardless of when you choose to get all of your items in place for your trip, you are bound to forget something. It seems to happen every time, doesn’t it? Creating a list of suggestions and necessities ahead of time will help ease your mind during travel, and the following list is a great starting point.

Something for the plane ride there

Do you like to read, work, sleep, or watch a movie while en route? Really think about what you prefer to do as a way to occupy your travel time. The last thing you want to do is over pack a carry on, so make sure to narrow it down to one or two items that will keep your attention the whole flight. Remember, your laptop or tablet provide the ability to complete multiple tasks. Use it as a means to catch up on work followed by relaxing with your favorite flick, or download a book for some light reading.

Something comforting from home

Do you have a favorite blanket or old, comfortable sweatshirt? Airplanes do get chilly, so it wouldn’t be inappropriate to bring something warm along if you have the room. If you are leaving family for an extended period of time, consider taking a photo along for your desk at your temporary office or home. An alternative is uploading a few digital albums and setting your screensaver to shuffle through them. Perhaps your home always smells a certain way, like citrus from the tree in the yard or spiced tea from the evening pot. Traveling with that familiar smell with you in your new abode will certainly maintain your comfort zone.

Backup items for electronics

Nothing is more frustrating than forgetting a phone charger and/or power supply for your laptop or audio device and having to purchase another one while yours is sitting at home on the table.  Don’t forget other pertinent items such as thumb drives and external backups for your computer. Always save your work in more than one place and consider backing up important data and documents to a cloud drive. What could be worse than being on a temporary job, working hard on an assignment and then losing all your hard work? Nothing guarantees the loss of a client like a simple mistake such as lost files or projects.

Versatile clothing

We said it before and we’ll say it again: don’t over pack! Airlines charge huge fees for being just a few ounces over the weight limit. Choose versatile clothing pieces that are essential to everyday life and can be worn on multiple occasions. Neutral colors that can easily work well together, button down tops that can pass for casual or formal wear, and jackets that layer well, take you from the office to cocktail hour.  Lightweight accessories, such as scarves, can change a look entirely. When traveling through seasons, opt for items such as formal boots which work well in the cold while dressing up a warm weather outfit. Corporate housing tends to include a washer and dryer, so you can under pack and still have enough clothes for your stay.

Specialty cookware items you can’t live without

We know that not everyone is a chef, nor do they all have fancy cookware. Even so, you may be an athletic person that can’t live without your protein shaker or only like Himalayan salt on your food. Whatever it may be, we all have our quirky habits when it comes to food, so do yourself a favor and pack whatever it is! Heck, we’ve known people that juice so often that they had their juicer shipped to their hotel room. You may also request certain items to be in your corporate apartment – PC Housing will make sure you’re not without your most essential items!

Any personal items you can’t live without

Is it impossible for you to sleep without your memory foam pillow? Do you have a favorite pair of pajamas? Don’t drive yourself crazy because you left your favorite item behind. Grab it and pack it before anything else!

It’s hard enough traveling, let alone being away from home alone for extended periods of time. Keep a copy of this list attached to your luggage to ensure you are prepared for each trip. With change comes an adjustment period and we don’t want you losing sleep because you left your favorite slippers hundreds of miles away.