One Bag for the Business Traveler...

April 17, 2008 8:42 AM

I'm going on a six-week trip to another city for an internship, and want to avoid being that person with the half-a-dozen elephant-sized bags. Unfortunately, most travel sites either focus on short business trips (>2 weeks) or backpackers. Any tips for travelling light on what will basically be a temporary relocation would be much appreciated.
posted by Tamanna to travel & transportation (11 comments total)

When on extended trips I Fedex luggage to my destination. Saves a lot of hassle.
posted by dawdle at 8:59 AM on April 17

Just remember you will not need every article of clothing that you own. Pack enough clothes for a two week trip and plan on doing laundry. Also, unless you are going to a city buried deep in the backwoods there will be a Target or (at worst case scenario, a walmart) where you can pick up things you might have forgotten or didn't have room to pack. example: You can get a cheap towel or two once you get to your destination and leave them there when your are done.

Set your limit at two suitcases and your carryon. Really, that should be plenty. You might have to be harsh with "do I really need that?" And it might not be a bad idea to ask a friend for help in paring down your packings.

One every extended trip I have taken I have always been impressed with how little I actually need compared with what I thought I couldn't live without.
posted by silkygreenbelly at 9:01 AM on April 17

as above. We survived 3 months on essentially one suitcase each when we emigrated.

Don't duplicate anything and think hard about which clothing items can double up as business and pleasure.
posted by Frasermoo at 9:11 AM on April 17

If you're open to using a local laundromat (and can find one within walking distance of your lodging), you can bring just a week's or 10 days' amount of clothes and wash them. Tips for this would be: bring a laundry bag or duffel for easy conveyance, pack machine-washable and dryable clothes so that you don't have to lay much out to air-dry in your living space. If you want to go even farther, don't pack any colors that would have to be washed separately (e.g. as 'whites').

You can pre-load a laptop with movies/podcasts/exercise videos as your downtime entertainment, and thus avoid bringing many books. If you bring magazines or a newspaper for the flight, you can discard them as you go along.

It's worth it to take the extra time to shop for the perfect jacket/coat and shoes that can meet varying levels of formality (from running errands to a restaurant dinner), coordinate with your clothing, and span weather conditions (e.g. the jacket can fit over a sweater, the shoes are water-resistant).
posted by xo at 9:15 AM on April 17

Only bring clothes that would go with every other piece of clothing. It's super easy for guys because I could bring, like, two suits and two pairs of dress pants and then mix and match everything with different ties. No one's the wiser. Casual clothes aren't a big deal because you can wear jeans and such a bunch of times before washing them.

So, if you're really strict about erring on the side of a semi-boring, two-color wardrobe, you'll be fine.
posted by lockestockbarrel at 9:31 AM on April 17

Use the The Universal Packing List. Truly very useful.
Lifehacker also offers lots of handy packing tips.
posted by Sara Anne at 10:49 AM on April 17

I agree with the first person: move by mail. This is what I used to do when I would go home from college (1000 miles away) and it always worked well. If you can plan ahead, you can do it by regular mail, which takes longer but is cheaper. And then just keep aside only what will fit in one large suitcase and a large purse or backpack. This is also a great way of limiting what you pack, because you literally have to pay for every ounce of stuff you want to bring.
posted by lunasol at 12:08 PM on April 17

My personal suggestion would be to only pack clothes, if that even, and purchase and ditch the rest (shampoo, soap, etc. maybe even towels) when you get there. Six weeks is long enough to use a tube of toothpaste, a toothbrush, a couple bars of soap and a bottle of shampoo for sure, for example.

You can totally do six weeks out of one bag and a carry-on. If you do decide you need another bag, watch out for the $25 fees some airlines are charging.
posted by melvinwang at 12:52 PM on April 17

I say bring three pairs of pants (one jeans, one could be casual, could be dressed up like a pair of navy pants and then one pair of regular slacks, black BUT actually you only need two in addition to the pair you wear on the plane) and just mix and match. You can go to the laundromat. You can dress all of them up, all of them down. Three pairs of shoes (well, I run, so I always bring running shoes, nice-ish flats, and casual flats and once again, you'll be wearing one of these pairs on the plane), seven shirts, eight pairs of underwear (that you can wash in the sink if you need to), a t-shirt to sleep in, and maybe your running clothes (if you have to run or work out). A book, your laptop, a light jacket, and call it a day. You can fit all this in a carry-on if you roll your clothes tightly.

And packing well is key: roll those clothes tightly and you'll have lots more room.

Good luck and safe travels!
posted by cachondeo45 at 12:55 PM on April 17

I travelled around the world for 4 months a few years ago. We had to pack clothes for summer AND winter, which made loads heavier. I had one of the lightest loads (I came just under limits) and I still brought too much. You'll be able to find stuff there, and you really don't need THAT much clothes. Some people wore the same stuff all the time.
posted by divabat at 3:57 AM on April 18

Well don't do what I did when I went to Brussels for a 6 week internship years ago, and take along a pile of books (it was for my MA applications, and was before the internet was really, really useful). I struggled a bit because I needed smart office clothes, some hanging out at the weekends clothes and some nice clothes for going out (it was Christmas time, and parties were inevitable). Try to be creative and take things you can use in lots of situations, and yeah, buy disposables when you get there. I learnt from that experience, so much so, that I took the same suitcase to Poland for 6 months, and managed to pack lots of thick sweaters to get through the winter.

Also, find out if you will need bed linen and towels or if they will be provided by your accommodation. It's a pain to pack them, but it's more of a pain to turn up 9pm, after a day's travelling, knowing you've got to work tomorrow, and discover that there's nothing on the bed. If that is the case, you could take a small sleeping bag and/or a small towel to last you until you get a chance to shop.
posted by Helga-woo at 3:27 AM on April 19