Little Lesson Number 10:

How To Pack For A Business Trip

By Nancy K. Crevier

Life is a series of tasks. Some are easier to perform than others. Some are downright tricky. Some tasks we have mastered, while others remain, for one reason or another, a mystery. The Newtown Bee is presenting a series of short articles, “Little Lessons,” meant to light the way to a new or easier way to tackle those day to day duties, or even those less commonly encountered tasks, each one accompanied by a video at www.newtownbee.com. Welcome to the classroom.

Mark Dennen has been traveling for business for more than 25 years. As the vice president of sales for Japanese-based JSR, which makes electronic materials for computer chip production, he feels that it is important to meet face-to-face with customers. With the customer base spread across the United States and internationally, that means putting on between 175,000 and 200,000 miles — just in domestic flights — each year.

“Typically, I’m gone Monday through Thursday, usually two to two and a half weeks out of each month,” said Mr Dennen.

What a great deal of frequent traveling for business has taught him is that there is a right way and a wrong way to pack for a trip.

The biggest mistake Mr Dennen sees inexperienced travelers make is that of being indecisive.

“They procrastinate about packing and don’t plan as to what they’ll be doing or need to wear. You have to think ahead about that, and about how many days you will be gone,” he said. The indecisive traveler tends to overpack, and necessary items may be forgotten.

“I’m a big believer in not carrying more than you have to,” Mr Dennen said, citing close connections that can mean jogging from one terminal to another. “If you are trailing a heavy suitcase and a briefcase, you will regret overpacking,” he said.

Step one to a successful business travel trip, he said, is having the right bag. Mr Dennen prefers a rolling garment bag to keep clothing as crisp on arrival as when it was packed. Select a bag size that will fit in an overhead compartment. Several days worth can be packed into such a bag, when packed efficiently.

“I never check my bag. That’s just asking for trouble, especially if you are going to multiple locations on a trip,” he cautioned.

Pack the night before a trip.

“I pack everything except the toiletries the night before, and leave the case open. Then in the morning, I throw in the toiletries packed into that quart-sized bag, close it up, and I’m ready to go,” he said. The toiletries should all be in the correct, airline approved sizes, and be sure that the caps are tightly secured, and that the plastic bag is tightly sealed.

When it is time to pack, Mr Dennen packs in the same order, every time.

“First, I go to my dresser and throw out my underwear onto the floor, counting the days I’ll be gone as I do so. I do the same thing with my socks and handkerchiefs,” he said. By actually handling each piece in that manner, he is certain to have the right number of items. These items are the first to go into the bag, opened widely on top of his bed. Corner pockets are perfect for socks and miscellaneous electrical cords for the iPod and such, and undergarments fit nicely into a waterproof, zippered section.

Next, he selects the dress shirts, on plastic hangers, and left in the dry cleaning bags — one of his top packing secrets.

“Keeping everything in plastic prevents wrinkles,” he said. Otherwise, it can mean sending items out to be ironed, or taking time to “steam” them in the hotel bathroom.

Pants and matching jackets are selected next. Like his socks, which are always the same color and style — black — his slacks and suits are all in coordinating, neutral colors.

“Blacks, charcoal grays, navy, that’s about all I have,” he said. The jackets and pants are hung together on a flat plastic hanger — “Suit hangers are curved and take up too much space.” — and covered with extra plastic bags that he keeps when items are returned from the dry cleaner.

“Put the jackets and pants into the bag first,” he instructed. Shirts, on hangers, are placed on top of the jackets. He doesn’t worry about varying his wardrobe with casual pants or polo shirts.

“I have never felt overdressed. A button down shirt is always appropriate, no matter where you go,” he pointed out.

Next, coordinating ties are selected, folded into thirds or fourths, and laid flat in a special pocket in the garment bag.

For running or gym workouts when he is on the road, Mr Dennen packs just one quick-drying Cool-Max shirt and pants, which can be hand washed and hung in the room to dry, and one pair of athletic socks. These items can be stuffed into a corner pocket. Running shoes are the last item to be packed, and he always has a pair of Bose noise-deafening headphones in the side pocket of the garment bag. The headphones can be easily removed when on the plane, he said, before storing the bag in the overhead compartment.

“I always wear my dress shoes and the belt I will need,” he said. He also carries or wears either a lightweight Gore-Tex jacket or in colder weather, his overcoat.

Packing for business is always a bit easier than for a vacation, he admitted.

“I’m not as lean when traveling for fun. It’s harder to know what weather you’ll encounter, and you are probably doing a variety of things that require different clothing,” said Mr Dennen. Still, his basic premise of thinking ahead, organizing, choosing coordinating colors, and packing as lightly as possible still apply.

“It’s a mental thing,” he said. “Always make it routine.”

His last tip involves an item he keeps in his briefcase, which fits on top of the rolling garment bag.

“We all can misplace a wallet, but on a trip, it could be fatal. So in my briefcase, which I am less likely to misplace, I keep an AmEx card of a different account than my usual, and my passport. Those two things will always get me home.”

To see Mark Dennen pack efficiently and quickly for a business trip, visit www.NewtownBee.com and watch the video.