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This guide is approximately a 5-minute read.

This article can serve as a checklist for the traveling businessman. It covers items in the following categories:

• Essentials
• Business attire
• Casual attire
• Toiletries
• Entertainment
• Miscellaneous items

Let’s dive in.

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Business Travel: Packing Checklist for Businessmen

When businessmen pack up for their business trips, there are probably some things that they’ll reach for and pack routinely. These are things that they probably touch every day – items such as their cell phone, wallet, tablet, and maybe even a favorite jacket.

But in the rush of getting ready to leave for a trip, it can be really easy to forget some of the basic things that you use all the time. Items such as extra socks can be forgotten, and maybe it's easy to even forget to grab that travel toothbrush you forgot you had, leaving you running around in a new city you aren't familiar with trying to find a place to pick up your forgotten essentials.

In order to help you out, below is a business travel packing list for men who travel for work. Hopefully, this checklist will be a nice resource for you to help you remember what to pack for your next business trip.

Essentials

• Underwear. You might think it goes without saying to bring underwear, but in your rush to get packed and ready, you might often miss out on the smaller things you need... like underwear. Be sure to grab enough underwear for the duration of the trip. Maybe even pack two pairs for each day to be on the safe side, if space permits. You never know when you might need an extra pair or two – they could come in handy!

• Socks. Socks are important, and travelers need to be sure they have plenty on hand. Businessmen need to remember to not bring only socks to wear with casual shoes, but to be sure to bring a variety of dress socks. Similar to underwear, think about taking more socks more than you think you'll need, just to be safe.

• Phone charger. Without a charger, travelers may find themselves in sticky situations, such as being lost in an unfamiliar city with a low battery and no way to access GPS. Forgetting the charger can be a critical mistake, so it's always good to check (and then maybe even double check) that it’s been packed for good measure.

Business Attire

• Suit(s) or sport coat(s). If you have business meetings to attend, it’s useful to have the right attire. It’s important to make sure to have the right suit for different occasions, and enough suits or sports coats to fit the needs of the entire trip. Have enough for dining out and plenty for meetings and conference events.

• Dress shirts. Sometimes a suit will not be necessary – but you still want to look professional. For that reason, it’s important to have dress shirts on hand. Pack at least one for every day during the business trip. Whether a person just wants to look nice each day or they want to attend business casual events, dress shirts are pretty valuable.

• Dress shoes. It’s important to be able to complete an outfit whether that means wearing a full suit or just some nice slacks and a shirt. If there’s enough room, perhaps you can bring more than one pair to change up your look throughout the trip.

Casual Attire

• Jeans. There likely will be time on a business trip to relax, shop, visit with a friend in the area, eat a casual lunch, and other leisurely activities. For this reason, it’s important to be prepared to lounge or walk about in casual wear. Businessmen should pack some of their favorite jeans in case there is a bit of downtime after work.

• Athletic shorts. Speaking of relaxing, those who want to do so comfortably should bring something comfy to slip into after work. Athletic shorts are not only good for lounging in the hotel room, but they also make for good workout attire if the desire to hit the hotel gym hits or for a walk to see the sights.

• Weather-friendly attire. If a person lives in sunny Florida and is heading up to Vermont for a meeting in the chillier months, they're going to need some warmer clothing they might not have at home. Pack jackets and coats, and purchase some gloves and scarves for good measure. The reverse can be said about going from cold to warm places; find the right attire that is breathable and comfortable to get you through the warmer weather you're not used to.

Toiletries

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• Toothbrush. This, too, may go without saying, but since it’s so second nature to just reach for a toothbrush in the morning, chances are it could be forgotten about and just assumed that it will be at the next destination. Travel toothbrushes are available to keep packed and ready to go for the next trip.

• Toothpaste. Not only is it a good part of oral hygiene, but toothpaste can be used to freshen up someone's breath before heading out to a meeting where they will be surrounded by people in close quarters.

• Soap or body wash. If you typically don’t like to use the soap or body wash that hotels provide, make sure to bring your own from home. It might be a good idea to bring smaller soap containers in order to save more space, but that part can be left up to the traveler themselves.

•  Shampoo. The same can be said for shampoo. Hotels will come with shampoo and conditioner already stocked, but if that is not enough or there is a preference, then don't forget to pack it.

• Other toiletries. Hair styling product, face wash, face moisturizer, shaving cream, aftershave, body lotion, deodorant, floss.

Entertainment

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• Headphones. Hopefully, you won’t be consumed with work during your entire business trip. Headphones will allow businessmen to enjoy a movie at night or keep them entertained while traveling and commuting. Furthermore, if you have a roommate on the business trip, this will give travelers the quiet they want to watch a movie or even to fall asleep.

• Camera. If you’re going to to a cool city that you’ve never been to before, chances are, you’re going to want to take pictures of what you see. Bringing a camera along is an excellent way to take plenty of pictures without clogging up all of the space on a phone, and it’ll make it easier to sort through the different images for uploading and sharing later.

• Reading material. Whether that means bringing a Kindle or just bringing along a book, you may want to have something to read during your downtime between meetings. You can also bring materials for writing and journaling, such as pads and pens.

Miscellaneous

• Wallet. You should check - and then double check - that you have your wallet on hand, as it’ll be really inconvenient than not being able to show ID, pay for something, or access important things while out on the go.

• Copy of your itinerary. Whether it’s a physical copy or one that’s loaded onto a phone, having the itinerary for the trip is crucial. Having it on hand at a moment's glance can stop the panic of not being sure if you’ll make it to a meeting on time, or the embarrassment of not being able to find the venue at all.

• Boarding pass. Of course, without a boarding pass, it would be impossible to get on the plane or train to make it to the destination. It’s important to grab it and stash it somewhere that’s simple to access while wandering through the airport or train station to start the travel time off without a hitch.

• Passport. If the trip is out of the country, it’s important to have the passport ready and simple to grab. Customs can possibly take quite some time, so make it easy by keeping the passport near.

• Driver’s license and other photo ID. Some places you go may require that at least two forms of ID are presented in order to purchase certain items, travel certain places, or enter different buildings. A traveler definitely doesn't want to leave their driver’s license behind if they are renting a car, so check that it’s in your wallet.

Conclusion

Packing up for a trip doesn't have to be a stressful nightmare, and the business travel packing checklist for men presented here should be a great help to get ready for any impending trip.

As a last tip, just remember to do a final sweep through before leaving the house to make sure everything is packed, and then enjoy the trip!