Business Travel - Packing

Jeff-

My kind of note!

Thank YOU. It's a privilege to serve.

Mark

Mark and Mike:

Thank you. Thank You. Thank you!

Just returned from my first trip since this cast. Your suggestions worked exceedingly well! I enjoyed having a "strategy" rather than ending up with what I got from haphazardly throwing items into my suitcase.

The shave secret oil is truly wonderful stuff. Thanks for the tip! The plastic bags work very well too! I must admit, I had my doubts. I'm convinced.

You guys ROCK! Thanks for giving continually giving us "the good stuff!"

Jeff

Excellent advice on the travel. As a serious runner maybe I could also offer a few tips on the ideal workout gear for travel.

- Shoes: look for a pair of light racing shoes, like Brooks ST3 or Asics DS Trainer / Racer or Nike Katana. They way between half to two-thirds of what an ordinary running shoe weighs and have less bulk to them. They are designed for 5K-10K races and are just fine for treadmills.
- Shirt: Never wear cotton - it smells. Use a tech fabric like Nike DriFit (all brands have an equivalent) because they are light, can be washed with soap, hung up in bathroom and can be dry for the next day. UnderArmour was also a suggestion though personally I don't like the tight fit. Also Road Runner Sports has cheap plain white tec Ts without big logos so they are good as undergarments one day and running shirt the next.
- Socks: ultralite racing socks. Again easy to rinse and dry.
- Shorts: I like black Nike dri0fit long running shorts or Adidas soccer shorts. Drifit so can rinse and dry, has built in underpants, and are still suitable to wear as a casual short.

Some great comments here. I travel a fair amount (~25%) of the time, and have learned some of these the hard way, so I'm excited to learn some new tips the easy way :-)

I second bobh's remarks - I have a complete seperate set of toiletries for my travels (all in the reqd 3oz or smaller size). These stay in their own zip-lock bag and greatly shorten my travel prep time.

As others have suggested, I always check in online and pre-print my boarding passes.

I have a Tumi wheeled bag. Its served me well for over 10 years. My mindset is that I would be traveling a fair amount so invest in a good piece of luggage. On a related, note, my bag did get damaged by the airline but Tumi repaired it for a nominal fee - great customer service.

Finally, when you're booking your flights I recommend seatguru.com. Allows you to look at the seats on any airlines flights and see it its say, 3x3 seating, 2x3 seating, whether row 14 doesnt recline, etc. Good to check out b4 you get your seats.

Found some tiny spray bottles...
Just to follow up on the discussion about packing small amounts of liquids that need to be sprayed (like cologne). Yesterday in a CVS (that's a chain drugstore in the Northeast US), I found small spray tubes of Breath Freshener - and noticed that the spray part could be unscrewed from the tube - so I could empty the original contents, wash it out thoroughly, and re-use it for my travel kit.

It's nice and small - about the size of a fountain pen- and it costs all of $1.29.

So head to your drugstore and look for pocket sized sprays fo breath freshener. And if for some reason it doesn't work, at least you'll be minty-fresh!

I just discovered what the bottom zipper on my LandsEnd Laptop Tote side pocket is to be used for. (for slipping the tote through the top part of the handle). This is something where a picture is worth a bunch of unspoken words. Great video!

I am not a frequent traveller and while I never carry anything critically important in checked luggage (like presentations and slides), I just find it easier to check a bag that worry about the security requirements that seem to change daily. It does add 20 minutes on to the trip to wait at the carousel, but there are just as many cabs and probably fewer lineups since more of the business crowd take cabs. It seems that in the current travel environment, you have to argue with the desk people about requirements, and then the security staff, and the requirements don't match. So I usually check a bag (a traveling luddite I guess). Also, my laptop is one piece of carryon for those airlines that allow only one.
PS - was traveling, hence the late post on this subject.

That is great. You make packing which was a real pain for me a funny experience!

A tip : have a check list for each kind of trip and keep them in your suitcase so you dont forget anything at home or in the hotel (I keep it on my blackberry)

PierG-

Suit jackets get packed pretty much like shirts. I tend to pack less casual clothes when I take suits - just take out tthe extra jeans and tee-shirts, and remember I had a whole extra set of shirt and trousers that were unnecessary. Removing those, the suit jackets travel beautifully (in bags of course).

Mark

PierG, I had the same thought and would swap some of the trousers and undershirts for jacket space. I am also desperate to try the dry-cleaning bag trick on shirts - I am sure it works but it seems counter-intuitive.

Well done Mark.

Mark,
Very interesting topic :)

What about packing suit JACKETS?

By the way, I put socks inside the dress suit collars to avoid to ‘destroy’ the collar itself.

PierG
http://pierg.wordpress.com

Mark,
Great podcast. Did a packing for 13 day, 3 country(6 cities) travel in Europe(Rather my wife did, I showed her the video). First time hell bent on no checked on baggage it worked.
I keep a beard, so use beard trimmer. I was not sure if that would be allowed in the security scan at airport in hand bag so didn't pack this time. The security guys said no problem. So would pack next time.

Thank you.
Any future podcast on tips for overcoming Jet Lag. Even within USA 3 Hr time difference can be a nightmare. I am in the middle of 5 hr jet lag.
Keep up the great work
Regards
Karthik
Camp: Manchester, UK.

Guys
As always a great cast. I travel about every other week and totally subscribe to the one bag rule. My 11 year old Travelpro bag is just started to show signs of wear!

I haven't read all the posts but would suggest a couple other things.

Never unpack your toiletries! I have complete second set. The dentist knows to always give me two toothbrushes after my cleaning. I am a little more compliant then Mark with TSA (those guys have no sense of humor especially for the 6am flight).

Same rule about those pervasive chargers - get a second one and leave it in the bag. I try to charge a fair number of my gadgets off USB ports (Jawbone and Blackberry) so that reduces those.

Safe travels everyone!

I used these tips for a recent one-nighter business trip. Timing was perfect, as my morning flight out of the originating airport was delayed one-hour due to weather at ATL. Sure enough, the flight from ATL to the destination was NOT delayed, meaning I had 10-minutes to change terminals in the Hartsfield-Jackson airport.

I made it to the departing gate with no problems. What was so nice was the piece of mind I had due to having my bags (22" plus laptop) with me. Prior to this cast, I would have checked the 22" bag, because that's how I've always done it.

One closing comment - the tip about checking-in and printing the ticket online from the John Lucht Interview (Premium content) was priceless, as I was able to secure window seats with nobody next to me for each of the four flights during this trip. Fantastic!

Mark's packing video is now posted for premium members. Very clear, step-by-step.

One comment about your last remark: you're travelling with your work clothes. When I travel, it was often intercontinental flight, (Paris to LA or to Hong Kong), and in cattle class. If I'm wearing my suit during the trip, it will be definitely wrinckled at the arrival! I did use to wear jean's and running during the travel.

Otherwise, great cast and great comments. I did want to ask about the toiletry, and the 100ml limit for liquid, but I got the answer!

When I started doing business travel about 6 years ago, I held off for one trip on the luggage question. I checked out what the pilots and stewards were using, and then went and bought that brand of bag, in green/grey color which is pretty easily spottable.

In retrospect, I'm "glad" the brand I saw wasn't Tumi as I've seen now what those cost. Yow. The brand I got was TravelPro, about $200 retail for a maximum-legal carryon bag.

Nowadays? I might have gone either direction - with Tumi for the long haul or with Costco and just throw the thing out when it wears out in a year and then get a new fun color.

I found some very nice travel bags looking around at flight attendant and pilot websites. These folks, of course, need very durable bags. I picked up a TravelPro that is fantastic, durable, and smooth operating. Very well suited to this one bag method.

Tommy Bahama Silk Trousers are fantastic. I have several pairs, and they are wonderfully light, airy, and always seem the appropriate temperature. They also fold into near no space... it's almost surreal.

One thing that I should mention that I've found is that all the recommended clothing packs very compactly. As a new person moving into this sort of role, and changing my wardrobe appropriately, the amount of space for a knit polo vs a button down dress shirt is really amazing. It's particularly true for jeans (as mentioned).

BTW, the Lands End website also has some packing pics. Not quite in to M&M's detail and clarity although they give an example of how to fold a jacket.

Anise-

Thanks for the reminder. Sadly, in my experience it's been families traveling - those who do so infrequently and are unused to it - who are the greater worry.

And regardless, respect for others when traveling is always a good mindset!

Mark

As a girl I was hit on the head by a tennis racket falling out of the overhead locker, so I have always hated those who unnecessarily bring on too much hand luggage. As a mother at the airport I have had my toddler wiped out by a massive brief case swung by a business man on a mission. If you adopt these suggested practice please take the time to be aware of others around you.

Well, the flight from ORD to SJC got canceled, so I don't go to my meetings tomorrow and get to watch the Olympics with my family instead of travel all night. It's an illustration of what can happen when you take the last flight out. However, it was either that or miss my daughter's concert this afternoon. Family won this time but I'll have to live with the compromise of a telecon instead of a face-to-face meeting.

On the Costco bag. I measured the interior width. It's 13" inside dimensions typically, but with the mechanism for the expansion capability, the width is reduced to 12" across the critical middle half of the bag.

Mark, your bag is 22" long, but how wide and deep is it?

Thanks,
Al

Mark,

Hear you. I travel roughly 4x/yr on business and that's a recent change for me to more travel (previously I traveled quite infrequently). Unsure I can justify the expense in my head.

I'll follow-up on the Costco bag when I get to my destination (flight into ORD now 40 min late, but at least I have my "stuff" with me! ;-) ). With your packing configuration, I wasn't able to get my black loafers into the side and bottom "slots" as you did. At a minimum, it looks like the mechanism that provides 3" of extra depth costs 0.5 - 0.75" of width. That "price" may be too high.

Ah, summer thunderstorms in the northeast and midwest. It just doesn't get any better than sitting in an airport and looking at Manager Tools.... ;-D

Al

[...] For those of you who are wondering if there are some rules to follow when packing your bags - well yes, there are! My heroes at Manager Tools recently started covering travel-related topics, and as luck has it, they cover packing your bags first. You find that podcast here. [...]

Al-

If you travel any amount at all, you're far better off with a name brand bag...

Mark

Mark,

Thanks for the info.

Re the bag. Yes, it comes with a flat garment organizer and another bag I can't figure out. I'm just leaving those home. It also has side pockets and a pocket in the lid that are very thin. Again, for now, these will go unused. If anyone's really interested, I can take some close-up pictures and post them. The bag seems well constructed, though admittedly I've had little/no exposure to $200-$1000 bags so my data is biased. It's certainly better than all of the sub-$100 bags I've seen.

For what it's worth,
Al

Al-

The spray bottles have come from years of staying at some hotels who provide them. The ones in the pictures are all from Pebble Beach, I think. I suspected the question, though, and we'll find you a source.

The silk trousers are from Tommy Bahama. Just seems too good to be true!

Cant comment too much on the Costco bag. Can say the picture worries me - seems like a lot of stuff to help you organize on the inside, which really helps very little in light of our packing instructions. And, it takes up SPACE - which is at a premium in a 22 inch rollaboard.

Mark

Mark,

Enjoyed the cast a lot, especially since I travel tomorrow for 3 days.

Where do you get the small spray bottles? I didn't find any online, though I was only able to look for a few minutes. For that matter, how about those silk pants?

Also, Costco carries what appears to be a nice roll bag for a reasonable price and has many features. E.g., it expands an additional 3", if required, by releasing 2 internal straps. We'll see. I use it for the first time on this trip.

Here's a "compressed" link to it: http://tinyurl.com/5be8dj

Thanks,
Al

Nice cast but really does not address the different issues that a women traveling has. She has more stuff (cosmetics/jewelry) some of which are those dreaded liquids. Also, shoes for women often create more problems in limiting to one pair. (laugh if you want, but most women would agree). I have found that dresses with jackets that are in some sort of poly blend that does not wrinkle works best and I use the rolling technique. As long as I stick with a black palette, one black jacket can last all week. I also reccomend the eagle creek bags.

I like to get hugged.

Hugh

Hugh-

Easy. In the tiny spray bottles.

And please: one spritz, and only if you have on unscented deodorant and you have any facial creams that aren't scented.

The rule is: no one should be able to smell it UNLESS THEY HUG YOU. Period.

Mark

What about cologne?

...and other liquid toiletries...Mark, it seems like you've come up with a great "ziplock bag" solution for keeping the total amount of creams and gels within the allowable maximum.

I've struggled with finding small enough bottles of cologne to be able to put 'em in. It's really not that big a deal - but if anyone has ideas of suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

-Hugh

Bjorn-

Great post! Thanks.

Mark

Mostly traveled in Europe during the last 6 years with a roller bag. I'd sure advise all business travelers to get a roller bag - also in France... :-)

Unless you always can count on business class you will need to settle for one bag only. I have given up on trying to get two (even only the laptop case) bags onboard when I don't get an upgrade.
I have two kinds of roller bags. One 18'' for the office and up two two nights trips. The advantage is clear: Put only clothing and toiletry in the same bag as you already have the office stuff in and you're ready to go. One 22'' for longer trips.
Both bought in the US since the price tag says basically the same in Europe as in the US. Only different currency...

The smaller one:
Samsonite Pro-DLX 18" Rolling Tote fits one or two shirts plus "the rest" incl running shoes. Also of course the computer (13'').

The bigger one:
Samsonite 22''. Don't know its name. The main thing here is to fit clothing and shoes in the big compartment. Papers and laptop in the front lower pocket. Small stuff incl the see-thru toilet bag goes in the upper lower pocket.

Links...
The smaller one is this one:
http://www.ebags.com/samsonite/pro_dlx_18_rolling_tote_closeout/product_...
The bigger one looks much like this one :
http://www.ebags.com/delsey/helium_pro_29_expandable_rolling_upright_sui...

Samsonite exchanges your bags for new or near new ones should they break.

Great cast again guys! Thanks!

Bjorn

Jon-

Yep. I lose some ability to put together any outfit that "might" work when I'm at home, but I've found generally that most people don't have a clue about fashion, my clothes are nice and I look well enough, and it makes packing - which I do A LOT of - super easy. I don't necessarily recommend it, and it depends on the trousers (they'd have to be wool or silk - black cotton looks silly - but it sure works for me.

If someone chooses to wear tan when traveling, I just wanted them to know the limitations.

Mark

Do you ONLY have BLACK pants in your closet?

You make a good point, my tan/camel/khaki pants look crappy when I travel. Hell, even when I don't travel they show a lot more wrinkles at the office.

Agree on the luggage cart ... never used one, no intent.

The shoulder carried bag is particularly useful when one is traveling somewhere where walking is necessitated. You cannot rely on cabs everywhere in the world, not even in western Europe where walking to the bus / train station is frequently more convenient. Try rolling a bag down the streets in Italy, France, Belgium, etc. and it's not without difficulty.

Roll aboards are great for the US for the most part. Weight can be a concern, but it's less time in the gym! The tri-zip is also more conducive to efficient, organized packing. Roll-aboards waste considerable space for the wheels and handles.

Nonetheless, it's not my cast and I respect your opinions. It's worked for me.

- Dave

Love the cast.

Xcelerator-

Gotta say, no problem that you haven't listened, but after having been to onebag, I was unimpressed. I really don't think that the writer (yes, I know he's old) has to travel every week on business.

I disagree with your recommendation of the site for our listeners and the purpose of the cast - business travel.

Shoulder straps or a luggage cart? Nooooo.

Mark

I've not had the opportunity to listen to the cast yet as my iPod is down so forgive me if anything is redundant with the content.

Onebag.com is simply fantastic. Doug Dyment is one of the preeminent resources on traveling light. The carry-on bag he helped design with Red Oxx is my travel bag of choice now. I have made many intl trips in durations up to 3 weeks with my Red Oxx and laptop bag.

Re: shaving ... check out the fine products manufactured by King of Shaves. Their shave oil is good, the shave gel is better and is very easy to transfer to 100ml Nalgene bottles.

I also travel with a small Nalgene bottle of Woolite to do laundry. Beats packing for 15 days at a clip.

Sverrier-

You need to get premium content to see how we handle toiletries. ;-)

And you only need one belt if all your shoes are black.

Mark

Hugh-

I have packed a suit with this several times, and it fits fine. I take one less pair of trousers, maybe no extra jeans..but I CAN FIT A SUIT ON TOP OF WHAT I SHOW packed FINE.

You only need two suits for a week, with different shirts and ties.

Mark

I like to systemize this a bit and think of dressing in terms of number of possible outfits. Simple adjustments can give you a whole array of new outfits and make better use of bulkier items. For instance 2 ties and 4 shirts gives you 8 outfits. Ties are easier to pack than shirts so they are efficient items to pack, assuming you wear one. It´s also a good reason to wear a bit of a bold tie, giving it space in your wardrobe if your shirt is boring/stained/wrinkled.
*Undergarments you need one set per day but 3 sets allow you to always send 2 to get washed without taking a risk when your hotel laundry comes a day late. (I swear by Falke socks and JBS undershirts to keep warm and absorb sweat that might otherwise show)
*Similar with dress shirts and they are the best to pack because they´re always right like you guys said. (My personal favorite are Eton shirts from Sweden)
*You never need more than 2 suits unless you´re going to a black tie event. Use them on alternating days, leaving them 1 day to settle. I pack my jackets inside out, putting one shoulder into the other. (A good tip is to buy two trousers with your jacket because they´ll wear much faster, especially when traveling a lot)
*Wear good leather shoes and you won´t need special travel shoes. I see the point with shoes taking up too much space thus packing only one pair. Give your shoes a days rest between uses and they´ll serve you for years though. True, black works everywhere. But I´m flamboyant and I´ll take a tan or burgundy pair as well.
*If you take two pairs of shoes take two belts to match.
*Ties are almost free but take two for business and one for evening functions. Make sure they fit the shirts you take with you but boldness is an individual choice here as in other places in life.
*Carry your overcoat onboard, don´t pack it. (Another cold climate tip) If you´re not sure about the climate a V collar woolen sweater under your suit jacket does the trick and doesn´t stand out too much. Some trench coats have extra pieces you can zip underneath them for extra insulation but I´ve never tried those. In case you didn´t know, in rainy Europe trenches are nearly mandatory.
*Hang your umbrella on your suitcase.
*Own a miniature set of your toiletries to travel with. (Does anyone know why hotels provide shampoos, conditioners and often body lotion but never toothpaste?)
I won´t bother you with my eccentrities on galoshes (www.swims.no), hats, pocket squares and suit material weight, all of which are good subjects though.

Mark - Any recommendations for a "dressier" packing job - where the trip requires jackets and ties, or suits most days? I think I can intuit it from the podcast and the photos, along with your wise recommendations about having versatile dark suits, plain shirts and repp ties. But maybe you have some quick suggestions.

Thanks again - great cast.

-Hugh

Hugh,

Thanks - but there is no assignment on this planet that will get me to fly through LHR again... For over a year, I flew LAX-LHR-LAX, every month. LGW is my UK airport now - and as for insiders, there, well, I worked there for a while a few years ago :)

It's a good warning for others though - good stuff.

G.

Mark and Mike:

Do you have any recommendations on a brand of dress shoes?

I've been very disappointed in the comfort and longevity of the last several pairs I've purchased. I end up trying to take several pairs on trips to allow me to rotate shoes and thus change my kinematics to reduce low back and foot and ankle pain.

Any suggestions?

Jeff

Jon-

The razor is a gillette, their latest, I think Mach 3 but not 100% sure. The shave OIL is called shave secret. I get it at Wal-Mart, in a 18.75 ml bottle, which is .63 ozs.

No more discount...but those little tubes are cheap and I have far too many to count in a bag. When I run low, I just go scoop up a bunch all at once.

Mark

Gary - here's an insider's secret about BA at Heathrow: the physical forms they have scattered all about the terminals to measure bag size are themselves the wrong size! A 56cm bag will NOT fit into those metal boxes that are used to check the bag size.

Why? I have it on good authority that the contractor made the boxes with 56cm as the OUTSIDE measurements, and not the inside measurements...So a bag that fits everywhere else won't fit into the boxes that BA uses. And by the way: security isn't interested in arguing about it - if it doesn't fit, you don't carry it on!

Just another wrinkle for the frequent traveler!

-Hugh

It's airline, airport and ticket class dependent, unfortunately - if the airport has upgraded their scanning equipment, they have gone back to two bags. The airline may restrict you "just because", or "by ticket class". A recent "full-freight" business class ticket from Gatwick back to Tampa, I was allowed three checked bags (I used one!), and a regular carry-on. I regularly use my 22-in rollaboard for that flight.

For a Gatwick-Europe flight, it was one-checked, one carry-on, and the carry-on had a limit of 5Kg.

This is Gatwick's latest official verbiage from the website:

"Hand baggage

If your airline allows it, you may take more than one item of hand baggage through security control.

Cabin baggage must be no larger than:

• 56cm (22in) tall
• 45cm (17.7in) wide
• 25cm (10in) deep.

However, please check with your airline – some operate further limits on the number and size of bags."

It's definately a "check before you go" deal.

G.

Stephen - you're right. I fly BA transatlantic, and the permitted carryon size at Heathrow is several inches SMALLER than allowed in the US. It was a costly lesson, as I had just bought a new roller bag...

Lesson: check airline websites for hand baggae regulations!

-Hugh

Good cast, I enjoyed it and hope to find it useful in the near future (I don't travel much for business right now and when I do it tends to be by train).

One thing that struck me. Unless the rules have been relaxed a lot since the last time I flew (last October, Birmingham to Dublin) you would not be allowed to carry on the bags as shown in the UK (possibly Europe) on many carriers. Firstly the suitcase looked larger than than the maximum most airlines will allow you to carry on. The size varies from airline to airline but in general they restrict you to something about the size of a medium to large briefcase or laptop bag. Secondly security restrict you to one carry on bag (when I flew they strictly enforced this and if stated that if a woman had a carry on bag and a handbag (purse to those in the US) then that counted as two bags).

The rules may have been relaxed (although the one carry on per person was certainly in effect in May when my father flew from Birmingham to Faro) and there is certainly variation on maximum bag size from airline to airline (I flew Air Lingus which allowed a carry on nearly twice the size of that allowed by Ryan Air). It still something worth bearing in mind and checking before you fly.

Stephen