Amanda Morison
ADVERTORIAL • May 2017
Five packing tips every business traveller should know
Less is definitely more when it comes to packing for business travel. Like George Clooney’s character in Up in the Air observes, the difference between having to check luggage in and taking it as hand luggage is a week’s worth of queues. Bugaboo’s latest luggage range takes the innovative design from its strollers and applies them to the Boxer – a revolutionary luggage system that rolls so smoothly you can push it in front of you and won’t have to twist, lurch or do any other gymnastic manoeuvres on your next work trip. Seasoned traveller Amanda Morison shares her essential pointers for business trip bliss
Stay organised
One thing you shouldn’t travel light with are itineraries and vital work documents. We should all be practicing a paperless office, but everyone has experienced a low-power moment and been unable to use electronic devices. Plus, carry-on gadget restrictions are likely to get more prohibitive rather than less. So if you have planned using the flight as work time, take hard copies. And boring (to me, at least), always take copies of your itinerary, with addresses, directions, names and contact details of everyone you’re meeting. The Bugaboo Boxer’s Organizer keeps essentials close and easy to access, with dedicated pockets for laptop, passport, phone and even toothpaste. There’s also a luggage strap to secure a jacket directly onto your system.
Be prepared to power up
Remember that business travellers are particularly power hungry. So pack a back-up power source (or three) as well as international plug adaptors. Most units should be capable of charging a smartphone once, but if you’re prepared to go for a bulkier and powerful model, you’ll get enough oomph to charge an iPhone six times.
Lighten the load
Make beauty and toiletry samples your best friends. You can expect soap and shampoo at your hotel, but be sure to collect free toothpastes from dentist visits, samples from beauty counters and magazines, and mini deodorants. Lots of hotels offer these, and it’s worth phoning housekeeping anyway to see what products they can supply that you’ve ‘forgotten’ to pack. Perhaps I’ve spent too long in hotels, but I get pretty excited about sticky roll lint removers and sleep-inducing pillow spritzes.
Layer your suitcase
Before you pack, consider what you’ll be doing on your trip. If Black Tie is involved then you’ll have to take it – and female travellers can at least take a crinkle-proof dress, or a little black number that will work by day with a power jacket, by night laden with accessories. Think matchy-matchy (this is no time for flamboyant fashion gestures) with as many shirts or blouses as you can fit into your carry-on. Bugaboo Boxer makes it easy to keep things smooth with its Inner Bag. Water-repellent, it doubles as a daily tote, and helps you organise clothes and keep them wrinkle-free before you travel. And follow the advice of professional butlers to turn jackets inside out and fold them around something like a T-shirt. I put underwear into the sleeves for further crinkle protection, and tuck small items in last to fit in the cracks.
Keep it clean
Investing in hotel laundry might cost you less than paying for the extra luggage needed to lug your entire wardrobe around the world. Bugaboo Boxer luggage system takes the weight off your travels, but there’s no need to pack the proverbial kitchen sink. Thanks to its clever interlocking case system, you can hold all of your bags in one place.
Power of push
Stop straining your body using a flimsy shoulder strap. Instead, think about the power of push, and relieve your aching back. When navigating from plane to taxi and beyond, Bugaboo’s Boxer Travel System’s technology works at the touch of a fingertip. And keeping luggage in front, rather than behind, can surely only make you a friend of airport security.
Travelling this month? See the Bugaboo Boxer range yourself in Heathrow Terminal 5’s First Lounge
This article has been tagged Advertorial, Travel Tips