Packing Hacks for a Work Trip

Being a working mom can be rough. Well let’s be honest, being a stay at home momma can be rough, too. Being a mom in general has it’s moments. Moments where you want to pull your hair out while crying in the locked bathroom as your kid sits outside the door screaming. It’s hard. I’m not quite sure what this all has to do with packing hacks for a conference, but you can probably tell it’s been a day.

It doesn’t help when your little guy knows somethings up. When he sees the suitcase being pulled out and knows Momma is going somewhere. Not too long ago I was planning a week long conference in New Orleans. J had to stay behind and so did our little guy. Because though I would have loved to have taken him with me to all of my meetings, I’m sure the other business owners would have not been so thrilled.

Planning a trip away from home is hard, planning one without your family is harder. About a week before leaving I started planning because I knew I wanted to spend as much time as possible the weekend before with my little family. I’m sharing the best packing hacks and tips for traveling for work. You can making traveling without your family a bit easier by creating a plan and then sticking with it.

Watch the video for my favorite packing hacks or keep reading below.

Know Your Agenda

Make sure you check out the schedule for the days at the conference, dinners and any excursions you might be doing. Most places will let you know what type of dress attire is recommended so you can pack accordingly. I typically dress for comfort unless the conference or group recommends dressing in business attire. The only other time I dress in business wear is when there might be clients or prospective clients in attendance.

Also, you should bring a cardigan with you so in case you get cold or get stuck under an AC vent you can be comfortable.

Wear comfortable shoes in case you need to walk any distance, plus flats are easier to pack.

Be Okay With Wearing Items More Than Once

By thinking ahead and planning to wear a pair of pants twice or even wear the same shoes through out the trip, you can save a lot of space in your suitcase. Plus jeans typically weigh a lot more than other pants, so you can cut back on the weight of your luggage. Pants are a lot easier to re-wear through out a trip than shirts are, so try to bring light-weight shirts that will easily match the pants you bring.

Pack Only What You Need

Try not to overpack. It makes travel a lot easier if you have a smaller suitcase to haul around, especially when flying. Most airlines now charge for checked bags and even carry on bags.

For our Florida vacation the airline we flew charged $25 for a checked bag and even more for a carry on bag. You were allowed one personal item for free, which had to be able to fit under the seat in front of you. So unless you are wearing sweats the whole time or only staying for a day then the chances of getting work attire to fit in a backpack without getting wrinkled is slim to none.

Plan Your Outfits

Take a look at your agenda and map out what you plan on wearing each day. Start with your pants and then match your shirts to them. By making a list of every piece of clothing you need each day then you can make sure you don’t forget anything. Write it all down – pants, shirts, undershirts, underwear, socks, shoes, jewelry for each day. When packing for a work trip, your mind could be a thousand other places. If you’re like me then you’re probably trying to make sure your kid has clean clothes for the week, food to eat, your husband has food to eat, knows your child’s schedule, work you have to finish before leaving and everything else under the sun. By having a written packing list you can make sure not to forget anything.

Bonus Tip: Take your list you made of your planned outfits and place it on top of your packed suitcase. It will make getting up early for those morning meetings in a new place a lot easier.

What are some of your packing hacks when traveling for work or for fun? Write a comment below so we can all learn more!