How to Pack when you Frequently Travel for Business

Since I work with Australian and New Zealand businesses but live in Singapore, I am required to go back to the beloved girt every 3 months (and sometimes even more so often if we have multiple events) and travel quite often.

Me and my mumma! If only I could bring her on all my work trips too

As someone who is notorious for being able to arrive just in the nick of time, I have been able to somewhat develop a routine to get me ready for my work trips, packing all the essentials I need in carry on luggage. This means I need to be smart, deliberate and minimalist with my clothing and item choices.

Here are some unauthorized tips from yours truly about how to adequately pack for a short business trip:

1. Understand where you are going, what the weather will be like, and who you will be seeing. 
I know this sounds like a really obvious tip, but you'd be surprised with how much I didn't grasp this concept until the fifth or sixth time I went traveling for work. Really think about this, and make your clothing choices accordingly.

2. Bring versatile statement pieces that can be dressed up or down, depending on the occasion. 

• I make sure to always bring with me two business straight pants - one navy blue and one black.
• Three dressy shirts, which can also be rotated over two weeks if needed. Because #indopride, I like to make sure that at least one of these dressy shirts are batik!
• I always bring with me two shirts that reflect Instagram/Facebook, one being long sleeve and one being short sleeve
• I'd bring a blazer so that I can dress up the shirt if needed, judging from how I'd perceive the nature of a particular event or client meeting. Personally, when I go into more one-on-one client meetings, I opt for the dressy shirts and when I go for events, I'll wear branded clothing. 
• I also bring one fancy dress in case there's another special event
• To prepare for colder weather, I  also pack a black cardigan just in case. I'll include my thermal and warmer jacket if truly needed
• For shoes, I always bring one pair of black work shoes and one pair of joggers that I'd wear on the plane
• Gym clothes so that I can try to keep up with my fitness!
• Finally, I then bring my pj's (of course!)

3. Don't fold, roll! 
I never fold my clothes in my suitcase, but instead roll them. You'd be surprised with the space that rolling can save you in your suitcase! The only exception for this is my Longchamp folded bag - I bring an extra Longchamp bag always just in case I need the extra room!

4. Organise your beauty/toiletries items into two separate small bags: One for in-flight and one for in-hotel
This is probably my favourite tip of all time because it's basically saved me a ton of time in between cities and keeps me sane throughout the entire hectic process.
In my small hand luggage that I also have in addition to my carry on, I have a small bag which includes all the essentials I'd need for a flight, such as:

• Eye mask 
• Headphones
• Hand Sanitizer 
• Tissues 
• Ear plugs 
• Hand cream
• Lip balm 
• Rubber band 
• Hairbands 
• Safety pins 
• Toothbrush + Toothpaste 
• Small Hairbrush

So that I stay refreshed throughout my flight, I use my eye mask, ear plugs, lip balm and hand cream as soon as I enter the plane. I'll usually brush my teeth about 1 hour before landing.
For my in-hotel bag, I only include my toothbrush/toothpaste (yes that means I have two separate sets - I know it's not environmentally friendly but it keeps things separate and organised ...) and some basic make up like mascara and foundation.

5. Always pack an extra lock for the suitcase. 
Even though you aren't necessarily checking in your suitcase for the flight, I always lock my suitcase anytime I'm out of my hotel room, meaning that an extra lock is needed just to be safe. Always better to be safe than sorry brutha.

And those are my tips! Whilst travelling can be physically draining, I do enjoy the feeling of being at the airport, watching people wiz by towards a new adventure of their own.