Updated: May 10, 2021

The time has come – you’ve booked your accommodations months in advance, bought your plane tickets, secured your entrance badge, memorised your presentation and are all set to go to your first international trade fair. You’ve got your nicest suit on and legitimately could not be more prepared. But oh no, it turns out you didn’t bring enough shoes, or perhaps you took too many. Your thermos is taking up too much space, and your laptop won’t fit. Worst of all, your second and third suitcases are just way too big and unwieldy.

Has this ever happened to you? Well, hopefully not, but are you just going to wait around until it does? Because the cold, hard truth is that everyone makes mistakes while preparing for the first time, especially given the fact the way you need to pack for each occasion can be totally different. You may think you’ve got experience if you’re used to hiking and vacations, but visiting a trade fair like ITB Berlin is much different than actually going on a holiday.

But don’t worry, we’re here to help out with some valuable advice from experienced travel professionals. We’ll share some general tips and tricks on what you should and shouldn’t bring with you, and while a lot of it will vary depending on your needs, hopefully, you’ll be able to make packing a bit more efficient.

Never Pack More Than One Suitcase

This is a mistake that a surprising number of people make when they’re inexperienced in business travel – they pack like it’s a holiday. In reality, your philosophy should be to prepare like you are working as usual but are simply living somewhere else for a couple of days. Obviously, if the event lasts for more than 4-5 days, you will definitely need to bring in an extra pair of clothes. However, you can sometimes mitigate that by utilising a hotel’s laundry and dry cleaning services. A single suitcase is more than enough – consider replacing any objects that take up too much space with lighter alternatives. For example, you can swap that hardcover copy of “A Dance with Dragons'' with a Kindle ebook instead.

Bring Just One Outfit

If your trip only lasts a couple of days, then packing one complete outfit (shoes, socks/stockings, skirt/trousers, shirt and jacket) will be more than enough. Why? Because you’ll be wearing one on the plane as well, leaving you with two outfits totals. Those can easily last you 3-4 days, and if the expo is a bit longer, you can have one costume dry-cleaned while wearing the other. The only exception to this rule are socks, stockings, shirts and underwear, of which you can (and let’s be honest, absolutely should) pack several to change in – but luckily, several pairs of socks or briefs don’t take up that much space. Alan Whitfield from men’s attire shop Harry Rosen recommends picking your suits so that their parts are easily interchangeable, allowing you to, say, quickly swap your jacket with your spare if you need to. Business ladies (and ladies in general) typically have it a bit harder, but Pam Peterson’s Just One Suitcase offers a lot of practical fashion advice for them. Just don’t forget to add a light casual attire (such as PJs) you can change into while at the hotel.

Pack Light on Entertainment

Are video games and books important? Absolutely! Do you need a ton of them for a business trip? We’d argue not at all. Once again – keep in mind that you’re not going on vacation. You will spend most of your time commuting or actively working at the trade event or making connections and speaking to clients at your exhibit. Basically, the only free time you’ll have will be during travelling, be it on the plane to and from your destination or the public transport to the event centre, as well as a few hours after every event day ends. The former you can quite easily fill well enough with just your phone or work laptop/tablet, and the latter you can make use of by exploring the city you’re in. Ideally, you won’t need to pack more than your phone’s charger, your laptop or tablet and potentially a portable battery pack just in case either runs out of juice at a bad time. Optionally you can include a Kindle or handheld video game consoles like a Switch or Vita, but your smartphone can handle entertainment for you quite nicely.

Forget about Most Toiletries

As for toiletries – we’d like to go against popular advice and recommend that you don’t bring anything that you won’t need on the plane, such as napkins or other sanitary products. Looking at the toiletry list on a site like Travel Fashion Girl, the overwhelming majority of items you either get for free in the hotel (such as shampoo, soap, comb and blow dryer) or can purchase very cheaply (toothpaste, toothbrush, razor, body wash). If there’s a particular perfume you enjoy, feel free to take that with you. Ladies can carry a small bag with their make-up kit, but beyond that, the money you’ll spend on basic toiletries at your destination will be more than worth the lighter suitcase.

Share Luggage with Your Travel Buddy

Our final tip comes courtesy of Reddit’s LifeProTips subreddit and is ideal when travelling with co-workers on a shared business trip. If you’ve got company, it’s a good idea to put some of your clothes into each other’s bags. For example, keep half your spare shirts, socks and underwear in your suitcase and half in your co-worker’s, and vice versa. So if one of the suitcases gets lost, you won’t be left without extra clothes. Chances are, a mix-up like this will be resolved within 48 hours, but during this time, you still need spare clothes.

Be smart and prepare for your trip in advance. Spend some time choosing the right size suitcase and outfits. If you decide you will depend heavily on the laundry and dryer services in the hotel, inform your business accommodation company. For example, we, at Fair Point, will take into consideration your requirements and will provide you with a suitable establishment. Travel and accommodation agencies can help you minimise your expenses when it comes to luggage fees. Why pay more when you can have everything prepared and waiting for you at your hotel?