{"id":4781,"date":"2019-10-15T10:34:49","date_gmt":"2019-10-15T15:34:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/?page_id=4781"},"modified":"2019-10-15T15:09:45","modified_gmt":"2019-10-15T20:09:45","slug":"packing-efficiently-tips-and-solutions-from-experienced-business-travelers","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/?page_id=4781","title":{"rendered":"Packing efficiently: Tips and solutions from experienced business travelers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Posted October 15, 2019<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By PAMELA GIGANTI-BUNGE<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dawn Blackledge is on an airplane every week for work.  As the senior director of National Accounts on Premise for Coastal-Pacific Wine & Spirits, she travels throughout the United States and Europe to meet with clients and attend trade shows.  She says packing efficiently and having what you need at your fingertips is key to a successful trip. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou learn to pack light in this industry.  If you check, you lose your luggage and that\nscrews with your whole meeting,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sarah Schlichter of SmarterTravel.com says there are\nmany advantages to using a carry-on rather than checking a suitcase, even on\ntrips for up to two weeks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAvoiding baggage fees, not having to worry about the\nairlines losing my luggage and being less encumbered by heavy bags while\nnavigating a new place,\u201d she says are all advantageous.  \u201cAnd while other flyers are waiting at\nbaggage claim watching the belt go round and round, I\u2019m breezing past them to\nhop in a cab and get on with my day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the travel management app, Lola.com, 1.3 million people hit the road or the sky to travel for work every day in the United States.  Forty-seven percent of them are female. For a business traveler, like Blackledge making the most of her time is key.  After six years of packing for trips, she has refined her routine in a way she feels is not only best for her, but for her sales team as well.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re traveling with me, we\u2019re not checking bags\nand you\u2019re getting TSA Precheck,\u201d she said. \n\u201cI will not wait at security and I will not wait at baggage claim.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Dawn Blackledge’s Tumi carry-on and tote with strap that slides over handles (Photo by Dawn Blackledge).<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to luggage, she uses a four-wheeled\ncarry-on Tumi suitcase.  She says this\ntype of bag can be easily maneuvered in any direction no matter where you need\nto take it.  She says she chose Tumi\nbecause of its durability and warranty, but that any quality bag will\nwork.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her other carry-on is a Tumi tote bag that doubles as\na purse and has a strap on the bag that allows her to securely slide the tote\nover the handles of the carry-on.  A few\nyears ago, she wanted to simplify even more and swapped out her laptop for a\ntablet because it doesn\u2019t need to be pulled out separately while going through\nsecurity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnce I realized everything was on the cloud, I\npurchased an iPad, so I could take the same luggage and a smaller purse. If I\nhave a presentation, I take a jump drive and I can connect with my iPad.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When deciding what to pack in her carry-on suitcase,\nBlackledge starts with the trip\u2019s agenda and selects versatile outfits to fit\nher needs.  If she has a trade show and\nknows she\u2019ll be on her feet much of the time, she packs flats or low heels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf I\u2019m in meetings all day and then I have a night\ntime event, I\u2019ll wear my two-piece suit and then take a dressy top for dinner,\u201d\nshe explained. She says women travelers are at an advantage because of dresses.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can go 12 days in a carry-on because we can wear dresses.  If I don\u2019t know the agenda or I don\u2019t know the kind of attire, I can take a very simple dress that I can either dress up with jewelry or throw my work jacket on and go.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For shorter trips, Blackledge says the key to packing less is to start with your shoes.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou may enjoy wearing brown one day and black one\nday, but if you\u2019re going on a two-day trip, you pick one color and you go with\nit,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Travel writer, Loren Bell of Lonely Planet says three\nis the magic number when packing.  \u201cThree\npairs of socks. Three pairs of underwear. Three shirts. Wear one, wash one, dry\none.  Choose light, flowing, quick-dry\ncotton-poly blends in matching colors that handles wrinkles well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A small case is designed to hold cell phone cords, headsets and accessories (Photo by Pamela Giganti-Bunge).<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

When loading the suitcase, Blackledge puts the basics\nin first, a pair of black heels and flip flops, iPad and office gear, a jacket\nor a sweater, a book and small Bose headphones, running shoes and workout gear,\nincluding a water bottle.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a three to four-day trip, she will throw in a pair\nof tan wedges.  Blackledge has invested\nin wrinkle-free clothes and rolls, rather than folds them.  She also uses small packing cubes for certain\nitems, such as silk tops. Workout clothes are rolled, then stuffed, along with\npairs of socks into her sneakers to save space. \nShe wears a suit on the plane with a pair of flats.  Her favorite travel hacks are having an extra\nset of her makeup and toiletries always at the ready. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blackledge says these kits contain smaller versions of\nwhat she uses at home and remain in her suitcase at all times, including a\nsmall travel size hair brush.  She saves\nspace by using the hotel\u2019s shampoo, conditioner and other items, including the\nhotel iron, rather than a travel steamer to take out wrinkles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phillip Giganti also works for Coastal-Pacific and is\na part of Blackledge\u2019s team.  As the director\nof National Accounts, he\u2019s been traveling for the past two years and has\nstarted an Instagram blog about his adventures.  He\u2019s also my brother.   But\nlugging his luggage around, a roller bag and a bulky laptop briefcase, got old\nfast.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He too decided there had to be a better way. \u201cI wanted\nto consolidate everything as much as possible. \nI\u2019m 6-foot tall.  I like to sit in\nthe aisle.  Since I\u2019m tall, I don\u2019t like\nhaving anything under my seat in front of me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But packing his clothes and laptop all together in one\nroller bag proved to be inconvenient as well. \n\u201cI wanted to be hands free.  I\ndon\u2019t want to have to check in a bag and I don\u2019t want to have to worry, do I\nhave room to put my bags somewhere,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Phillip Giganti’s Nike Air Jordan backpack (Photo by Pamela Giganti-Bunge).<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s when he got the idea for stowing all of his\nitems in a single backpack.  Giganti uses\na Nike Air Jordan bag with a round zip at the top and a compartment on the\nbottom that looks as if it was designed to hold a basketball.  The backpack is roughly 24 inches in height\nand 12 inches across.  The bottom\ncompartment is roomy enough for a least two pairs of shoes and is also a good\nplace to hold dirty clothes because it\u2019s set off from the rest of the bag and\nis expandable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When choosing what to pack, Giganti says bring clothes\nyou can wear more than once, such as a pair of jeans.  A suit jacket can be paired with two or three\ndifferent pairs of pants, creating different outfits.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like Blackledge, Giganti also prefers to roll his\nclothes to save space.  For a two to four-day\ntrip, he packs underwear and white t-shirts for each day, socks, a pair of dark\nwash jeans and a pair of dress pants, two solid colored shirts to mix and match\nwith the suit pants and jeans, one or two ties and a suit jacket or sports coat.  He also packs two pairs of gym shorts, which\ncan double as pajamas, one small bag of toiletries and an accessories bag for\ncharging cords, and headsets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Clothes to be rolled and put into backpack (Photo by Pamela Giganti-Bunge).<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The key to getting all of these items neatly in the backpack all comes down to the roll and fold.  Giganti first lines the bottom of the bag with the rolled underwear and t-shirts. He then places the rolled pants on top.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, comes the two dress shirts, not rolled, but folded neatly and placed on top of the pants.  If you don\u2019t want to wear the suit jacket, he says a great hack is to take one arm of the jacket and pull it inside out, then tuck that side up and under the opposite shoulder.  This will keep it from wrinkling too much.  Then fold the jacket in half and then in half again and place it on top of the shirts.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The toiletry bag will fit on top of the shirts and\nunderneath the jacket.  He says, keep it\nsimple, a toothbrush, toothpaste, a small face wash, lotion, a razor or small\nbeard trimmer, and a cologne.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Giganti also takes advantage of the hotel shampoo,\nconditioner, lotion and hair dryer.  When\npacking the shoes in the bottom compartment, Giganti stuffs his socks into his\nsneakers and loafers.  He then packs them\ninto plastic grocery bags along with a dryer sheet to eliminate odors. Another\nhack is to pack the dress shirts with collar stays to keep them from\nwrinkling.  His laptop fits neatly in an\ninside compartment.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like Blackledge, he says wear the suit and dress shoes\non the plane. \u201cWhen we put this team together, my boss told me she hired five\nboys,\u201d says Blackledge.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvery single one of them checked a bag when I first\nmet them; now none of them do.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Posted October 15, 2019 By PAMELA GIGANTI-BUNGE Dawn Blackledge is on an airplane every week for work.  As the senior director of National Accounts on Premise for Coastal-Pacific Wine & Spirits, she travels throughout the United States and Europe to … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":93,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"sidebar-page.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4781","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4781"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4781\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4793,"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4781\/revisions\/4793"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/93"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}