Hi everyone! It’s Michael Gortenburg!
Today, I’m sharing some travel packing tips I’ve picked up after years of bouncing between meetings, deals, and flights. I’ve packed more bags than I can count, and I’ve learned exactly what works and what just slows you down.
Build a Routine You Don’t Have to Think About
The biggest mistake people make with packing is starting from scratch every single trip. I pack the same way every time, same order, same spots for everything. Chargers go in one pocket, toiletries in another, shoes always go in first. When you stop thinking about where things go, you stop forgetting things too. It sounds simple, but once you build that habit, packing takes ten minutes instead of an hour.
Roll Your Clothes Instead of Folding Them
This one took me longer to adopt than it should have. Rolling clothes instead of folding them saves a surprising amount of space in any bag, and it keeps wrinkles down better than folding ever did for me. Shirts, pants, even light jackets, roll them tight and you’ll fit noticeably more without needing a bigger suitcase.
The bag itself matters just as much as how you pack it. I covered my go-to options in The Best Bags for Traveling, and picking the right one makes rolling and packing even easier.
Keep a Bag Half Packed at All Times
Business travel doesn’t always come with much notice. I keep a small bag stocked with a toothbrush, phone charger, spare cables, and basic toiletries so I’m never scrambling the night before an early flight. If a trip comes up fast, I can grab that bag, add clothes, and be out the door in fifteen minutes.
Keep Work Separate from Everything Else
Laptops, chargers, and documents go in one section of my bag, and clothes and toiletries go in another. It sounds like a small thing, but when you’re rushing through security or digging through your bag in a hotel lobby, knowing exactly where your laptop or boarding pass is makes a real difference.
Always Pack a Backup Outfit for Meetings
Coffee spills, flight delays, and wrinkled shirts happen more often than you’d think. I always keep one pressed shirt and a spare tie packed separately from the rest of my clothes, so I’m never walking into a meeting looking like I just got off a plane, even when I did.
I’ve written before about the small things that make a trip easier, like in Things I Never Travel Without, and a lot of that still holds true no matter how many years I’ve been doing this.
Packing well isn’t about bringing more, it’s about bringing the right things and knowing exactly where they are, and that’s really what these travel packing tips come down to after years of commuting for business.
Michael Gortenburg, Founding Principal of Eighteen Capital Group (18CG) in Kansas City, Missouri.
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