What to pack for a 3-day business trip
Packing for a business trip can be a challenge. Plans can change, and your day-to-day activities can be all over the place. Plus you want clothes that travel well and won’t have you looking like you have no clue what an iron is!
When traveling for business, it’s important to know how to travel light (ladies I know the challenge!). You don’t want to be the one with excess luggage or the one held back because you have to pick your luggage up from the carousal instead of the overhead luggage compartment.
Pack Complete Looks
Narrowing down your work wardrobe to know what to pack for a 3 day trip is the difficult part. But the best tip to keep in mind is don’t choose individual pieces; instead choose complete outfits from your wardrobe – head to toe. Pack complete looks, from head to toe - including accessories and shoes. This way you know that everything you pack will be worn and you won’t be wasting space and lugging unnecessary items around. It will also help you in the mornings, leave you some extra time to help you navigate the new city!
Pack Confidence
Business trips are not the time to be experimenting with your fashion or trying that new dress that you bought 4 months ago and still haven’t worn. Choose outfits you love, and feel you can conquer the world in when wearing. Nothing looks better then when you feel great in what you’re wearing and you rock your confidence.
Pack Light
The best thing you can do is to travel light, and eliminate options for yourself. How do you travel light? Pre-plan your outfits for the days while you’re away. To save you from having to do laundry on the short trip, and allowing you the option to re-wear if you want to (or you need to because your hairspray exploded in your suitcase) pack your Numi Undershirt. This will keep your clothes feeling clean and freshly laundered, even after a full days wear, or airplane flight.
- 1 dress
- 2 tops - Silk blouses with sleeves
- 2 bottoms - Cigarette pants, pencil skirts, wide leg pant
- Layering jacket – blazer/ trench/ collarless jacket
Pack Neutrals
Leave the bold and wild pieces at home, and pack clothes in neutral colours like black, grey, blush, beige or navy. This way if you wear the same navy skirt twice people are less likely to notice as opposed to the bright red floral skirt! It will also help you with combining pieces to create multiple outfits, and allow you to mix and match for different looks between day and night
Pack Outfits that can be Worn from Day to Night
On this note, packing outfits that can take you from day to night with a few changes in accessories is important (to read more on taking your look from day to night ) Bring a small pouch with some statement jewellery and accessories. These small touches will easily help you elevate your daytime looks taking you into the evening. With long days, often involving you running late for at least one meeting, prevent sweat stains by wearing your Numi Undershirt under your work clothes. This will keep you feeling cool, fresh and confident no matter what the days throw at you. It will also make you feel confident wearing the same look into the evening without having to worry about stains or odours.
Packing Footwear
Shoes can take up a lot of space in a suitcase, and while there is no way around this, we can help you decide what shoes to take. Pick a pair of heels – the ones that go with everything and you can wear for a couple hours on end while standing. However, also pack a flat pair of shoes, these can be worn on the plane and will be more comfortable while walking around the airport. A great flat or loafer is something that can be worn with dresses and pants, again choosing a natural colour –will let you wear them on repeat without everyone noticing.
Packing for Afterhours
You may be going away on business, but don’t forget to bring some comfy layers and loungewear to put on once the day is done. A comfy tee and bottoms will have you feeling right at home, no matter the hotel room.
Packing your Suitcase
Once you have everything chosen and laid out, its time to pack your suitcase in the most space saving way.
- Roll your clothes – the long debate on stacking or rolling your clothes, rolling not only gives you more space, it also helps prevent wrinkles while the clothes are tightly packed together.
- Place the jacket on top – If you decide not to wear your jacket on the plane, pack it last. Laying it flat on top of everything else.
- Easy to grab liquids – if taking your suitcase as carry on (for 3 days there is no excuse why it isn’t!) keep in mind the 100mL restrictions on liquids for carry on bags. When going through security keep them at the top of your suitcase, or if there’s room keep them in your purse until you are in the waiting area of the airport. This will save you from having to publicly display the contents of your suitcase to the entire airport – remembering last minute you put your underwear on the very top!
As long as it all fits, and the zipper closes you are ready to take your business on a trip!