The Return of Business Trips
I knew it was coming, and now it is here - the return of business trips. My suitcases and travel bags have sat idle in the corner of my bedroom for over a year now. It is now time for me to reacquaint myself with them, my travel wardrobe, trip essentials, and packing strategies.
I was traveling for work pretty often pre-pandemic and had my travel routine nearly perfected. I had my go-to travel wardrobe and key pieces. I knew exactly how to pack my carry-on liquids bag to maximize space and make sure everything I needed would fit. I knew precisely how to pack my backpack so that I utilized every inch well and could still get it zipped. I'm now starting over and am holding out hope that it all comes back to me.
If you also have business trips (or other travel) coming up or feel work trips will be coming soon, I'm sharing what I am doing to get prepared and offering them as tips for your travels:
Spending time in my closet: I'm trying on suits and other professional outfits. Not only do I want to make sure that they fit well, but I feel certain pieces may be out of style at this point. In addition, I know my taste in clothing may have changed too. After a year of not wearing heels and structured clothes, I need to think about what is going to work for me and how I want to show up when I am out in the travel world again. And it would be nice to get a few new pieces anyway - perhaps a new suit or a couple of professional staples to mix and match.
Re-familiarizing myself with packing: I always kept little travel toiletries on hand for my trips, but I have forgotten what I have in the basket where I keep these. I took a quick inventory and then picked up a few items at Target. I have to make sure I have all my chargers, and I need to remember to pack business cards. Haven't thought about those in a while! Oh, and let’s not forget about masks.
Consult my travel list of items to always have when traveling: At some point when I started traveling for business, I made a list on my phone's notes app of items that I should always have when traveling. This list came about when I forgot something or when a certain item came in really handy (most likely, during an unexpected overnight stay in the Charlotte airport). There are certain things I always make sure I have in my carry on, such as a scarf, earbuds, healthy snacks, an extra pair of contacts, hair ties, dry shampoo, makeup wipes, phone charger, hand sanitizer, lip/blush combo, water bottle, tinted moisturizer (makeup basics), and glasses/sunglasses. I’m really glad I kept this list because I need it now.
Refreshing my makeup: I did this a few weeks ago. I'm really into some different brands like BeautyCounter and Wander Beauty these days. They both have clean ingredients, great products, and awesome customer service. I wasn’t investing much in new products during the pandemic (except skincare, of course), but feel the time is right to have new makeup now that I’m mask-free.
Check IDs - I made a note to check my license and passport for their expiration dates. I was prompted to do this after a friend of mine booked an awesome trip and then could not go last-minute because her passport was expiring within 6 months. Yikes!
In general, I am also thinking through what worked before, such as how to eat healthily and make good choices with food and alcohol, how to fit in exercise, and how to make sure I'm getting enough rest after a long day. The reason this is so important to me is that I got it wrong for quite a while before. It took many trips and lots of time to figure out that I really needed to pay attention to these things when traveling because my body was not responding well to indulging in the wrong foods, drinking bad conference reception wine, and not sleeping enough. I don't want to slip back into any of these habits, so I’m setting myself up for success. It takes intention, planning, and focus to maintain my well-being when away from home, where options are sometimes limited and stressful travel situations are occurring.
For those who may be facing business travel soon, are you glad to be back on the road again? Or have you enjoyed being at home?