Work travel: What clothes to pack?

While many of us may travel on a regular basis for work, some of us may be less experienced in what to pack and still have a suitcase of normal proportions.  After all, there is a decent chance you will have to take that suitcase to a meeting or a conference, so you certainly do not want to take your largest steamer trunk for a three-day trip.

Here is a quick list of essential clothing no matter what events the trip may include:

• To wear – Comfort is the name of the game, but obviously yoga pants would be unsuitable for work travel. Depending on what you have to do when you arrive at your destination, I would highly recommend a pretty tunic and leggings with flats, loafers, or moccasins.  Plus I always travel with a scarf or pashmina.  It works to combat the cold temperatures on a plane and can also serve as a blanket or pillow.
• To pack – As when I dress at home, I prefer to travel with clothing that can be mixed and matched. For a week long work trip, I might include black slacks, grey slacks, one jacket, one cardigan, and tops that will go with all of the above items.  I also travel with one pair of flats (usually worn on the plane) and one pair of wedges.  Instead of packing my iron though, I prefer to take clothing that is wrinkle-resistant so that I do not have to mess with that on the road.

One additional tip — whether I’m traveling for work or for vacation, I love my packing cubes.  They do an amazing job of reducing the space that my clothing occupies and I can organize everything so that it’s easy to find once I arrive.