THINGS TO CHECK BEFORE YOU TRAVEL FOR BUSINESS

 There is hardly enough time for a career woman to pack her stuff in the wake of a business trip. Most often than not, we realize at our destination that we have forgotten a lot of important things that should have topped our packing list. As a career woman, I sometimes forget my laptop charger while on a business trip. I had to buy a new one which is more expensive than the one I would have purchased from my home country. 

Leaving out necessary items for the trip  can sometimes  be blamed on our busy schedule of trying to balance between being a successful professional, a wife, and, or a mother.

This article is therefore intended to help us, women figure out a checklist as we look forward to having a successful trip. The secret to ensuring stress free travel and not miss out on anything, is early planning.

GENERAL TIPS

Early Preparation
There are trips that we are notified on short notice while others take two weeks, one month, or six months to prepare for.
If you have a higher likelihood of going for short notice trips, depending on the nature of your business/job, then you will have to be very swift. Unfortunately, however no matter how hard we try, we still miss out a few things here and there.
But this can be avoided, more so if you are a regular traveler.There are things like toiletries that you do not have to unpack every time you come back from a trip. Knowing that a prepared toiletry bag has been packed lessens the thinking what to carry for the next trip.
If anything, we should just check what needs replenishing and make sure we replace these before our next travel date.
 
But those who have adequate time to prepare should have no excuse whatsoever when it comes to early planning.

Early planning
This stage is important because it saves you both time and money. You are wondering how, right? See this. A report from a corporate-travel firm- Carson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) found out that women save their firms approximately $17 a trip, around 2% of the ticket price because they prefer to do their business flights earlier than men.
Planning ahead is key when you want to avoid checking in of bags that come with additional fees and sometimes could be hefty.

TRAVEL DOCUMENTS
What documents does one needs to check before travelling?
Trave documents comprise several important things that you can not do without in most circumstances, and are very relevant in ensuring a safe, peaceful trip.

These include:

• Plane, train tickets or passes
• Passports (with up to date Visa if needed)
• Up to date health insurance card
• Extra photos if you have to get visas along the way
• International vaccination certificates
• Guide books and relevant maps
• A list of local contacts in the places travelling to
• Copies of all important papers

 
Money
Ensure enough cash is handy to avoid being stuck. If travelling overseas, know the local currency’s exchange rate. The money we usually carry will help us in sorting out taxi bills and for any other relevant transactions.
We can also play safe by carrying your credit cards and ATM cards. But be proactive, check for bank charges when used overseas and notify your bank in advance regarding your travel time and destinations.
 
Clothes
I usually carry clothing items with basic colors like black, blue or brown for skirts and pants to reduce the weight that I will need to carry. The dark colors come in handy since they do not easily show dirt or inner wears. It doesn’t harm to put it on one more time if we run out of clean clothes. Tops should be able to match the selected bottoms. Always pick out materials that are light and do not take up a lot of space.
Don’t forget to add a jacket or blazer that has a solid color scheme and matches the selected bottoms. Do not forget to pack a pajama suit if you know you cannot sleep without one.
All work and no play is no fun, pack workout clothes that are not heavy but can dry quickly since you may be forced to wash on the sink and dry them through hanging after exercising.
Throw in one or two evening dresses depending on the time table. Don’t over pack shoes. One or two pairs are just enough, so long as they match with the outfits that have been pre-selected.

Stationery 
Having a pencil pouch where you can stack in pens, small notebook, glue sticks, diary, Business cards, personal address book, maps, guidebooks, phrase books, and telephone access numbers among other items is always handy. I lived in Japan twice and this is something I learned there.
You are wondering if a pencil pouch/case can be used by a business woman?  Of course yes. The pencil case is very versatile and functional. Most importantly, it brings order to your collection of writing instruments and other knick knacks.

Personal items
Don’t forget to pack personal items like toilet paper, anti-bacterial wipes, nail cutters, a small tube of moisturizing cream or lotion, small bottle of anti-bacterial soap or hand sanitizer, Cotton ear bud, toothbrush and paste, shampoo, deodorant, a small unbreakable mirror, sewing kit, safety pins, wash cloth and menstrual pads or tampons. Yep, these things we could NOT live without.

Electronics
Carry chargers for all electronics. Be it for cameras, phones,or lap tops. It does not matter whether you will travel away for a few hours or couple of days.
If you will be using a camera, remember to carry lenses, batteries, extrtra memory cards, and flash as needed.
For the lap tops, remember to pack a flash disk, hard drive, power cord and network cable.
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Medication
If you are the type that gets affected by environmental change or jet lag when you travel, remember to carry a few painkillers of your choice, infection treatment, antihistamine incase you suffer from allergies, malaria tablets, mosquito net or insect repellent, a sun screen, lip balm,   contraceptives and any necessary medication (with prescription if required to have one).
Lastly, a tip I learned from a close friend who is a frequent traveller, make it a habit to have different suit cases for different travel trips. For short trips that take a few days, a small bag or an overnight bag is usually enough. But in case you are travelling abroad and intend to stay for long, say more than two weeks , get a spacious suit case or luggage. I prefer the box type luggages that are not heavy but are sturdy.

With all the above suggestions based from my experiences, you are set for your journey and assured of comfort that will make you feel at ease while travelling and relaxed as you embark on your business trip. Bon voyage!