Unpredictable UK & international travel with new job: all tips and hacks gratefully received!

[xigris]

Hi
I have a new job that’s going to include irregular, unpredictable national and international travel. Could be land, sea or air. The longest we’ll likely be away is 3 nights, even if it’s considered long haul.

I’ve never worked like this! Never had travel as part of my job!

We’ll only be able to take hand luggage…..if any of you have had to travel like this please can you send me all your Top Tips and hacks? I am not a great packer and tend to very much OVER pack. I think I will need some sort of decent rucksack rather than a wheel-ey suitcase. Any suggestions for this, too?

Thanks!

This backpack is brilliant, because of the way it opens like a suitcase Carry on Backpack, Extra Large 40L Flight Approved Travel Backpack. It comes with travel cubes, which I swear by, you can get so much more in by using them and everything stays organised.
In terms of what to pack, pick a neutral colour pallet so that things can be mixed and matched if needs be, but plan an outfit for each day. I used to pack pencil dresses, I think I had one in black, one in grey and one in green. They can so easily be dressed up or down by adding jewellery and a jacket. Wear one jacket (a more casual one) and I'd take a blazer and tights. Then one pair of heels and wear another pair. Of course, it will depend on the sort of job you are doing as to what to take, but I found dresses so much easier than shirt + trousers because they took up less space, meant I had to pack less and I could just throw them on and go.

If it’s going to be regular, keep your bag packed. Get duplicates of your toiletries etc so you're always ready to go.

With regular trips you'll learn soon enough what you actually need to take and what you don't, which should help cure your overpacking.

Airport food gets boring very quickly so make sure you carve out time at your destination to eat properly.

Agree with the point about dresses being easier than separates. Jersey dresses won't need ironing and you can put them on and use different jewellery to accessorise. I'd think about getting some costume jewellery that you like but where you won't be really upset if it gets lost or broken, for taking on these trips.

Have a dedicated washbag with small toiletries and makeup to keep in your carry-on - saves having to remember it all the time.
Invest in a capsule wardrobe of crease proof mix and match clothes.
Hopefully you’ll get airport lounge access with your business travel.
NB it all gets boring after a while, but great fun for a couple of years.

Will you be booking your own travel and getting reimbursed, or having tickets booked for you? If the former I would get a credit card with airmiles like the Amex BA card or Amex Platinum, lounge access will be a nice bonus if you're often in airports.

Thank you so much! This is all massively helpful. @xmasdealhunter I’ve ordered that bag so thank you for recommending it.

I should have said that this is not a corporate type job. I’ll largely be in some sort of uniform. I won’t be booking any tickets and it’ll be a mixture of private and commercial flights (NB - there’s ZERO glamour involved 😆).

In this house we have an electricals pack. It’s got a charger in it for every type of device we have (watches, phones, kindle), international adapter, extension cable and battery pack. If anyone’s travelling for work, they just grab the pack and take with them, no thinking required.

Get an all in one charger so you have one lead for everything and a super fast charging plug and lead. And a power bank.

Also make sure your travelling coat has lots of big pockets.
a thin blanket scarf is useful too.

Get a Turkish/hammam towel that can double up as a shawl. They dry quickly and take up little space.

I agree with this. I don't travel for work anymore but I used to. Mine was a wheely suitcase because I hate using backpacks but I would have duplicate toiletries ready in the clear plastic bag, all under 100ml:

Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Shampoo
Shower gel
Small sun cream
Travel razor
Face wipes
Small perfume

I didn't have duplicates of my make up so the morning I travelled I'd have to pack that. I have a "tech kit" as my partner calls it, but really it was just a power bank and a spare phone charger. Kept them in my bag all the time so there was no chance I'd forget.

I'd keep a pair of pjs in there, when I was home and they were washed they'd go straight back into the suitcase.

I had a thin cotton bag that I use a laundry bag, that stays in the suitcase too and I use it for my dirty clothes.

I also had a small bag (like a sandwich bag but it was reusable, that had a couple of sachets of instant coffee, some sugar sachets, teabags I'd take from hotel rooms, a couple of paper straws and most importantly some reusable cutlery. Sounds daft but I was once caught out having picked up dinner and walked back to my hotel room to find there was no cutlery in the bag. The hotel didn't have a restaurant so couldn't find any there either. I will never travel without a reusable fork again 😂

I'm interested in all the people on this thread who are saying that dresses take up less space than trousers - I worked away 4 nights a week for many years and found the opposite because I could reuse the trousers a couple of times.

I tended to wear 1 pair of black trousers (early mornings flight, straight to the office from the airport) which I wore at least once more that week, then took 1 spare pair with me. Obviously a different shirt each day, with a jacket/scarf to make it all look a bit different. I took no spare shoes (had to be a small wheelie bag to fit in the locker, which had to include my laptop and charger) and slept in just my knickers.

The keys is planning... You say you tend to overpack - that's because you haven't yet decided what you might wear. I used to spend half an hour each Sunday planning exactly what I'd be wearing all week and ensuring I had vital things like passport/phone/boarding pass all ready to grab and go at 04:30 on the Monday...

I am intrigued by your job!

Have duplicates of everything pre-packed in your work travel bag. Most of the stress for me is mentally remembering all the cables and non clothes “stuff” so this helps:

Full set of your normal toiletries (in travel sizes obviously!) in a dedicated washbag
Duplicates of all power leads (eg for your laptop)
All in one travel adaptor covering UK, EU, USA etc - I have one from Tumi and it is brill
Underwear and PJs that just get washed and packed immediately after you return
Travel wallet thing with passport, EHIC card etc

Then you can pack around this with your workwear. Second having a simple mix and match set of clothes but sounds like you don’t need this as much?

If you like Podcasts or watching box sets etc always make sure you have plenty downloaded in your device so you don’t forget to do this before leaving home

I have some smart-ish lounge wear that’s good enough to wear down for dinner in the hotel if I get in late. I want to change out of uniform that feels icky after travelling all day but want a bit of comfort.

There is no expectation that I would be going out with people for the evening though, so I understand it won’t always be suitable.

If you're a regular traveller you'll need to your toiletries to be in the clear plastic bag for security at the airport (unless you're flying from one with the new scanners) so make sure you don't put them in an ordinary wash bag and be that person near security having to empty it all out. (As you said you'd be hand luggage only).

That sounds v exciting to me! What’s your job?!!

Start by packing the bare essentials for your first trip, then adding more if you feel you really missed anything. Not the other way around (i.e. don't start by packing everything you think you might need with the idea of discarding if you don't use the stuff). For only 3 nights, it's not a major disaster even if you miss something.

I haven't travelled for work a while, but when I did I could easily manage 3-4 nights with a day pack-sized rucksack. The key is picking items that feel good to/on you and can ideally pull double duty. You'll figure out what works for you soon enough.

You'll be surprised how little you actually need when travelling. And carrying around less weight is totally worth it.

Unpack, wash and repack everything as soon as you're back and keep your go-bag ready. Also, another vote for dedicated toiletries and electricals that always stay in the travel bag.

And leave a little bit of space for specific creature comforts you know you'll appreciate when stuck in airports and such. For me, it's good headphones, something to read and a couple of snacks I like, but a friend of mine carries a pocket sketchbook, for example. Small enough not to take much room but goes a long way to making delays etc bearable.

Second advice about having a dedicated wash bag and liquid gels bag that live in the bag full time.

Might be worth spending s few quid/euros on a multi plug/multi voltage adaptor with USB output to save carrying too much in the way of electricals...I used a Skross one for years when travelling.

Using a backpack has been mentioned - it might just be worth checking to see if your company has policy on their use if you intend to wear it/drag it around whilst in uniform..some companies aren't keen on the mix.

I know it's obvious but stay hydrated. It's very easy on work trips to end up just drinking coffee.

Make a small first aid kit: plasters, paracetamol, imodium. They aren't always readily available in hotels.

I have been living like this for years (minus the Covid pause). Economy flights, Easyhotels, random notice, loads of European countries and some North America, as well as all over the UK.

I have a fully opening waterproof rucksack which fits under an airline seat and this is the single best improvement I have made. Inside I have a zipped case with cables, powerbank (multi-cable type), adapters, Airflys, Airpods, etc. I don't have a toiletries case I just have everything packed into an airport 1l sealy bag. I take soap and solid shampoo. I always travel with the first defence nasal spray and use it the whole time I'm in the airport/plane. Also take a silk eye mask, compression socks, and loads of lip balm and moisturiser. All this stays in my bag with things like softcups, pens, emergency coins etc, and my passport and travel health card zipped into the safety pocket.

For clothes I usually take leggings and light trousers so I can double up or strip down depending on weather. I like long vests and then I take a few silk shirts and dresses that are very compressible. I tend to wear a jumper or big cardie and big coat. I don't worry too much about knickers and socks and things as they are usually cheap and easy to buy (depending where you are of course).

Over the years I've become more and more minimalist re clothes and more interested in small comforts that are sometimes a pain to acquire in a foreign place. I do take coffee and tea bags. I do make sure my cables are in order. I don't worry about wearing the same thing twice. Toothpaste is always available so I don't worry if I forget it or it won't fit in my liquids bag.

Be super conservative about what you eat & drink while away. No salads or fruit you can't peel. Avoid fruit juice which could have been made up from concentrate.

Depending on where you are be super cautious around food requires freezing or refrigeration. Anywhere the electricity goes off fairly frequently.

For me, I avoid room service meals unless I know for certain they are coming up from the restaurant kitchen. I also avoid buffet food.

On one occasion in a place where the water was unreliable I brushed my teeth using diet coke.

The local water may be totally fine but different from what you are used to. It sounds like your travel/work pattern won't give you time to acclimatise so it's not worth the risk.

Second the poster who said trousers are easier than dresses - although if you’re in uniform that doesn’t matter.

Def a dedicated tech bag, and a toiletries bag. If you’re an Apple user you can buy an international pack so you don’t need to bring adapters - you just change out the socket of your existing chargers. USB and USC plugs too as always a baffling array of options.

i also keep a packing list in my phone (by trip type) so i can quickly scan it when I’m leaving and make sure I haven’t forgotten anything.

if you have the type of job where you have to take notes consider a remarkable / e tablet - or if not get sorted with a notebook system that means you’re not leaving important bits of paper in the wrong location.

last thing - a good book! You’d be surprised sometimes at when you have no WiFi etc - it’s good to have a paper book at hand.

Power bank, international adaptor, a small bag of spare cables/chargers. If you might be going somewhere where access to showers/water might be an issue, take wipes or a cloth and something which can be used for waterless washing.

Have a permanently packed 'basics' toiletries so you don't have to remember to pack your bathroom toothbrush. Use packing cubes to keep all your clothes from getting tangled in with your tech/laptop because accidentally throwing your (clean, thankfully) knickers on a meeting room table never looks good.

I think all the posters have things pretty much well covered but when I used to travel a lot with work, I did 2 additional things that made a difference imo.

1. I kept a packing list on my phone (and updated it regularly) for different types of trips so I didn’t have to think at all when packing. It also provided reassurance at 4am when I was rushing to the airport that I hadn’t forgotten anything important.

2. When I returned from a trip, anything that I hadn’t needed (from toiletries to clothes etc) was removed from the list / travel bag. This meant I quickly learnt to take only what I needed/wanted, no more no less.

I don’t travel any more for my job but still keep a separate wash bag / clear plastic bag and chargers etc packed in my travel bag. I even have my emergency stash of meds and tea bags. Old habits die hard. 😛

As an aside, I prefer dresses to trousers for work trips away. Because it’s obvious to people (clients!) that you have a ‘whole new outfit’ rather than you’re just changing tops each day. And also because I’m clumsy and am guaranteed to spill something on my trousers if I only take one pair. 🤦‍♀️. I found Issey Miyake Pleats Please dresses to be almost life changing. They don’t take up much room, they can literally be screwed up in a ball and still look great and they’re washable (you can even hand wash them in a hotel room sink and they’ll be dry and ready to wear by the morning). The downside is the price. Worth the investment if you can afford it though (Vinted helps!)