Tips You Need if You Travel for Work

Towards the end of COVID, I made the switch to a full-time, work-from-home (WFH) job that also required some travel. During my first year on the job, I traveled every other week! I really racked up those Skymiles rewards and Marriott points!!

When starting off, I had NO idea what I would need to pack or bring to survive “life on the road.” I spent WAY too much time on Google and Pinterest trying to find out the best travel hacks and products that I would need to make my corporate life easier while traveling. These are some of my must-have picks for the corporate, travel girlie! Hope they help you too!

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1. Invest in good luggage!

This seems like a pretty obvious one, but I think could be overlooked. I really try to avoid having to check a bag and I love just being able to have a suitcase that fits in the overhead compartment instead. So I usually travel with this TravelPro suitcase that easily works as a carry-on and I tend to switch between carrying a backpack or my tote for my other carry-on item. This suitcase has plenty of space for all my work clothes for the week and even a few pairs of shoes. It’s wheels let you do the rolling method or the pull behind method. It holds up really well, as mine has taken some abuse and it still looks almost brand-new!

My favorite tote has been my Tumi Voyager bag. Tumi is a standard for high-quality travel accessories and luggage, so if you haven’t heard of it or ever checked it out… you’re really missing out! Their stuff is MADE to hold-up during lots of trips and look really good! It also has great functionality and just the right amount of pockets that they make sense and it’s not overwhelming. I have an older version of the bag linked here, but it still seems to be the same layout in general. A bag worth investing in because it lasts you many many years!! Extra bonus is that it has the slip on the back to go right over the handle of your roller bag! Makes transporting both bags sooo easy!

2. Make sure you have extra chargers and a portable charger too!

Since our world now revolves around electronics, this definitely deserves to be at the top of the list! Traveling solo and for work means I have to have a backup plan if my phone ever hits low battery. That’s honestly one of my biggest fears, being stranded somewhere with no way to charge a dead phone! When I am traveling, I try really hard to make sure my phone stays out of the low battery mode.

I have an extra charger that I always leave in my suitcase so I don’t have to think about if I packed it! It’s nice to have an extra long charging cord for this purpose, because you never know what type of awkward position the charging location will be in the hotel room. I want PLENTY of room for that charging code to stretch to my bed!

I also recently added a portable charger to my carry-on luggage. It’s rare that you would be somewhere where you can’t find a place to plug-in a charger, but it is nice to have this portable charger to avoid having to be tied to a wall. This has saved me more than a hand-full of times! I’ve tried others too, and specifically like this one because it holds a long charge and it charges your phone quickly too!

Don’t forget the charger for your laptop or tablet too! Again, I got an extra charger for my laptop JUST to leave in my suitcase so I wouldn’t have to worry about packing it every time. It only took ONE trip where I forgot my charger to know I didn’t want to make that mistake again! I love having an organized way to pack all the chargers and found this travel organizer bag works well!

3. Consider a dual monitor

I don’t always bring this, especially on shorter trips, but when I WFH, I get so used to having my dual monitor, that I find it hard to work without one now! I’ve finally found a dual monitor that is easy to set up and travel with. It doesn’t connect to the side of your laptop like some do, but the screen is bigger and it comes with a stand, so you can have it sit right next to your laptop screen. I’ve been really happy with it! I’m sure there are other options out there, but I was not happy with the side kick ones that are supposed to attach to the back of your laptop and come off the side (in my experience, they don’t work!).

4. Find a good toiletry bag

Gosh, that first year on the job, I traveled so much I basically never unpacked my toiletry bag! Even to this day, I still keep all my makeup in my makeup toiletry bag, because I never know when I will need to grab it last minute to hit the road… and I’m a girl who does NOT go without her make up LOL!

I’ve rotated through several different makeup bags over the years, but I’ve really come to like this toiletry bag the most! I love that it comes with the three smaller bags. I use the largest for makeup, the long skinny one for toothbrush/paste/floss, and the other one for skincare products. But mostly I love that the three smaller bags all go in the larger bag and it keeps everything together! I don’t find that very often and I like them all being together in a larger bag. I also can throw in any dry shampoo, hair straightener, or other items into that larger bag too. Even when/if this bag starts looking rough (hasn’t yet!) I will plan to order another one of these too!

5. Bring your own water bottle and coffee cups

One of the best travel hacks I’ve found, which again seems obvious, is to travel with your own water bottle! I love doing this because it saves you from buying expensive water at the airport or standing in line. Most airports have a bottle filling station at their drinking fountains, and it’s usually pretty cold too! Of course, just remember that you can’t have any fluid in the bottle when you take it through security! This water bottle has been my favorite for travel. It keeps liquid cold and I like that it has the straw, which makes it easy to drink while you’re on the go!

When I used to work in an office, my favorite part of my morning commute was drinking coffee out of my travel coffee cup. I wanted to be able to replicate that same feeling while on the road. Luckily I came across these fun little contraptions, coffee cups that are expandable! I liked them so much, I got two! I make or take coffee from the hotel to the job site now when I’m on the road. It gives me a little comfort from home, knowing I have coffee in my own mug. 🙂

6. Other random travel accessories

I try to duplicate my sleep routine when I’m on the road in order to get the best sleep possible! In my 30’s, I’ve become addicted to sleeping with a sleep mask and I love keeping this one in my suitcase for travel.

I also love a good face and lip sleep mask. Usually I keep these exclusively for travel, so it’s always like a little treat when I get to use it. 🙂

I’ve already mentioned I’m in my 30’s… so with that comes the need for SOME medicine… I’ve found that this little travel pill box is all I need for a few ibuprofens and some antacids too!

I’m naturally a pretty cold-blooded person and at home I’m constantly wearing slippers. A pair of slippers for those cold hotel rooms was another cheap-ish essential that I needed when I traveled too. I bought these and just keep them in my suitcase so I always have them. It’s usually the first thing I do once I check into my hotel room after a long day of traveling, kick off my shoes and put on my slippers!

Did I miss anything!?

This list isn’t meant to be exhaustive, but rather provide some additional travel must-haves you may not have considered before! Let me know if there’s something else that should be on my list! You can reach out via my contact page. Maybe I’ll see you on the road!