{"id":6,"date":"2017-04-14T10:07:27","date_gmt":"2017-04-14T10:07:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mortaine.com\/?p=6"},"modified":"2017-04-18T06:17:13","modified_gmt":"2017-04-18T06:17:13","slug":"business-travel-packing-retrospective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mortaine.com\/index.php\/2017\/04\/14\/business-travel-packing-retrospective\/","title":{"rendered":"Business Travel Packing Retrospective"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Bluebell_line_train_luggage.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-22\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mortaine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Bluebell_line_train_luggage.jpg?resize=288%2C190\" alt=\"Not packing light, here!\" width=\"288\" height=\"190\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a>I spent the last 4 days in San Diego at the Global Scrum Gathering. Today, I&#8217;m going to do a &#8220;travel packing retrospective&#8221; in which I list what I brought in my \u201cone bag,\u201d with everything I didn\u2019t use crossed out. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This post is a &#8220;Personal Scrum&#8221; and serves as part of my \u201ctrip retrospective,\u201d in which I look back at one element of the trip (my packing and luggage) and decide what I will change for the next time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>In this particular part of my life, I&#8217;ve been iterating my travel packing list for a while, but every trip seems to have its own set of needs.\u00a0This particular packing list, however, is for short, professional-oriented journeys, roughly 2-4 days, in weather that does not require wool socks and winter coats.<\/p>\n<p><!--more-->Some of the requirements:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Professional &#8211; this wardrobe needs to\u00a0make a good impression on a potential client or employer. Wrinkle-free is also a good start.<\/li>\n<li>Light &#8211;\u00a0I bring one carry-on bag and one purse. I try not to check my bags.<\/li>\n<li>Versatile &#8211; I\u00a0don&#8217;t need a parka, but I want to be comfortable in a range of temperatures.<\/li>\n<li>Complete &#8211; I can&#8217;t be stuck in Denver without\u00a0clean underpants.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For this trip, I brought one purse, one large carry-one bag that went in the overhead bin, and my CPAP machine that also went in the overhead bin. I&#8217;ll leave the CPAP out of the rest of the discussion,\u00a0because it&#8217;s medically necessary and is exempted from airline bag restrictions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Worn<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Black slacks, white long-sleeved button-down shirt, black socks, black boots. Carried: lightweight corduroy jacket.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Clothes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Pink button down shirt, light blue patterned sleeveless shirt, aqua blue short-sleeved shirt, business vest, dark grey slacks, black skirt, 3 bras and underwear, 2 pair black socks, 1 pair grey socks, pajama shorts and a t-shirt to sleep in. <\/span><del><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Running pants, sports bra, tech shirt, running shoes<\/span><\/del><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, low-heel black shoes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Toiletries\/Meds<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: toothbrush, toothpaste, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">eye drops<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, pill bottle, nail file, blue eyeliner, black eyeliner, lavender eyeshadow stick, blue eyeshadow stick, red lip stain, 2 pink lipsticks, lip gloss, lip primer, <\/span><del><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">eyelid primer<\/span><\/del><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><del>inhaler, preventive inhaler. Hydration pack and bottle<\/del>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>CPAP machine <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in travel bag<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Other things<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Rocketbook Wave and Frixion pen. Set of 7 extra Frixion pens. <\/span><del><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Common Loon stencils<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fountain pen<\/span><\/del><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><del>.<\/del> Small moleskine notebook. Mechanical pencil. Regular ballpoint pen. Small knitting bag. Bluetooth headphones. <\/span><del><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Audio cable for headphones<\/span><\/del><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><del><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Earbuds<\/span><\/del><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><del>.<\/del> Kindle. MicroUSB charger (for BT headphones and kindle). Cell phone charger (it\u2019s <\/span><b>different<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from the MicroUSB, because Samsung hates us all). Small portable cell phone battery. Stack of business cards and business card holder. <\/span><del><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pad of paper. 40 copies of my resume.<\/span><\/del><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Jeff Sutherland\u2019s book (to be signed). Professional purse. Sunglasses. <\/span><del><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My house keys<\/span><\/del><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><del>.<\/del> Bags of herbal tea. A 2-lb bag of plain M&amp;Ms for the flight crew.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Initial Conclusion:\u00a0<\/strong>My bag was pretty danged heavy. It has backpack straps and\u00a0my back was pretty sore after trekking through an airport. So, let&#8217;s take a look at what I could cut!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Things I didn&#8217;t use:\u00a0<\/strong>My exercise clothes and shoes, meds for\u00a0exercise asthma, hydration pack, and earbugs&#8211; all things I would have used and justified bringing, if I had gone running even once. Also didn&#8217;t really use any of the things\u00a0for creative crafting (the knitting and stencils) in case I got bored. Finally, I didn&#8217;t need my resume or house keys or spare pad of paper&#8211; these conferences often supply pads of paper, or the hotel usually does.<\/p>\n<p><b>Things I under-used: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I barely used my knitting stuff and could probably travel without it. Since small electronics are now permitted during takeoff and landing, I\u2019m no longer fidgety during the scariest part of the flight. If I\u2019m really feeling like I need to have \u201csomething,\u201d perhaps I will bring a tatting project, since they are tiny.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The pens. I needed a Frixion pen on this journey to write in the Rocketbook Wave. I also used a pencil and a regular pen, but I could have easily borrowed a regular pen, or used the one provided by the hotel. The pencil was a great backup when Frixion pen #1 died in the middle of a session, and is my preferred method for note-taking in my moleskine. I didn\u2019t want to write in my Rocketbook with a non-erasable pen, but I still needed to take notes. I later came up with the strategy of writing on a piece of scratch paper or post-it and just putting it on the Rocketbook to scan.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Things I\u00a0missed having but wouldn&#8217;t bring:\u00a0<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My bass ukulele, because there was a uke jam on Tuesday. But bringing the bass generally means I should have a little amp with me\u2026 and cable, and sheet music, and and and. So that\u2019s something I wish I\u2019d had, but honestly wouldn\u2019t have used enough to justify the extra bulk. I borrowed a soprano uke from someone at the conference and jammed anyway. Perhaps it\u2019s time to take up harmonica again.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I wish I\u2019d brought a pencil sharpener for the eyeshadow pencils. The lavender one broke and I didn\u2019t have a sharpener. But I could and did live without it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Thing I missed bringing:\u00a0<\/strong>I wish I\u2019d brought a disposable razor. I didn\u2019t realize the TSA permits them if the blades aren\u2019t removable. I had to go out and buy one on Tuesday morning.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Other Thoughts<\/b><\/p>\n<p>I was grateful I had the extra Frixion pens when the first one ran out after only 18 pages (lifetime total page count for that particular pen.)<\/p>\n<p>I wasn&#8217;t thrilled with my clothing options on this trip. I think I could trim down a bit more and be more versatile with a few more smart choices. A multi-wrap skirt that has one layer in black and the other in some kind of pattern that matches the other clothes would be a good choice. The sleeveless blouse really needed to match the jacket better&#8211; I will be on the lookout for one with teal rather than powder blue in it, or a neutral jacket. I didn\u2019t need two long-sleeved button-down shirts, although I did look snappy in them.<\/p>\n<p>I had 3 pairs of shoes with me, and don&#8217;t really know how to reduce that any further. A pair of low heels was great at the mixers. A pair of running shoes is essential if I plan to stay healthy. But I don&#8217;t want to wear running shoes with business slacks&#8211; not only isn&#8217;t it professional, it adds miles to my shoes that aren&#8217;t from running.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For my next cell phone, I&#8217;m going to try to get one that shares the MicroUSB connector, because I would have been fine with a single charger for all three devices.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I could have gone lighter if I had a non-corduroy jacket. I\u2019d planned to bring my black blazer, but the fit on it is weird and I have a hard time getting long shirt sleeves to fit. So, OK for summer travel, but something to think about for the other seasons.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I don\u2019t usually wear makeup, so I brought more than I normally wear, but I was trying something this trip. I accidentally brought 2 more lip cosmetics than I intended, but ended up using them both anyway.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Takeaways:<\/strong> For my next business trip, I will leave the running clothes, the knitting, the\u00a0extra\u00a0earbuds and cable, and my house keys at home. If I can, I&#8217;ll also try to find an alternative to\u00a0my blazer\/shirt combinations. I may also reduce down by a pair of slacks and\/or a shirt.\u00a0Two shirts, a blazer, and a vest can make 9 different\u00a0combinations if they\u00a0pair correctly.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Do you have a set &#8220;travel packing&#8221; list? How often do you review and iterate it? Do you use the previous results on your the next trip? Leave a comment with your thoughts!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I spent the last 4 days in San Diego at the Global Scrum Gathering. Today, I&#8217;m going to do a &#8220;travel packing retrospective&#8221; in which I list what I brought in my \u201cone bag,\u201d with everything I didn\u2019t use crossed out. This post is a &#8220;Personal Scrum&#8221; and serves as part of my \u201ctrip retrospective,\u201d &hellip; <span class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mortaine.com\/index.php\/2017\/04\/14\/business-travel-packing-retrospective\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[4],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8CvWE-6","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mortaine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mortaine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mortaine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mortaine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mortaine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.mortaine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61,"href":"https:\/\/www.mortaine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6\/revisions\/61"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mortaine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mortaine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mortaine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}