The Overnight Bag

Packing for a trip is hard. It seems though the shorter the trip, the harder it is to pack.

When going on a long overseas trip, the best rule I’ve ever heard is take half the clothes and twice the money – easier said than done, but a nice thought anyway. What happens though when you need to pack for a 1 night business trip? My advice, keep it super simple.

Essentially you’re packing 2 outfits, one to travel in and one to make that business meeting worth it. For flying the rules are simple, stay layered and loose. Try and stick to natural fabrics so that your body can breathe and layer up – it gets cold up there.

Lastly, always carry on. If you can avoid it never check in your bag, it just means getting to the airport earlier and getting out later or worse, landing in Johannesburg while your bag goes round and round baggage claim somewhere in outer Lithuania. What? It happens!

To start off, you’re gonna need the right bag! Something small enough to carry on and big enough for all your things. I got this duffel bag when I picked up the new Aramis Voyager fragrance, but I’ll give you some details on that later.

Pick your business attire very carefully. The most obvious thing is going for items that are crease resistant, so maybe stay away from linen. I like to travel with unstructured blazers, they’re less bulky and easier to fold, I also tend to go for something with a heavy pattern as it does a great job at hiding small creases – here’s a pro tip: turn your blazer inside out to prevent creasing on the sleeves especially.

Make sure you have little pouches for all your small bits (earphones, watches, sunglasses), this way they don’t end up floating round your bag and drive you crazy when you try and find them. This also makes it easier to pack and unpack in the end.

Toiletries are always the most difficult. Start with a good toiletry bag, it stops any leaks and spills from ending up all over everything else. Now, unless you have a whack of travel toiletries try and limit yourself to the essentials, some good face cream, hair products and some shaving gel. A decent hotel should provide all the rest. Lastly, invest in a good mens grooming kit, you never know when you’re gonna need those tiny scissors.

Packing order is important as you want to avoid creases and use space wisely.

Pack the heavy items at the bottom, like your shoes and toiletry bag. Not only will this prevent your other clothes from getting dirty but it will also stop them getting creased. Fill your shoes with all the small bits and bobs like your tie, belt and even your underwear – not only does this help use up space but it also keeps your shoes from getting all bent out of shape.

The best way to pack your pants is to roll rather than fold them, not only does it make for easier packing but it prevents creases. I’m starting to think I should have called this blog post ‘crease prevention 101’! Lastly pack the things you’ll need access to, like books and headphones right at the top, this way you wont be scratching around in your bag looking for them and getting everything all….yes…creased!

That’s it. When you land all thats left to do is hang everything up so that it can air out, do this as soon as you can, the longer everything stays folded up in your bag the more chance you have of those creases setting.

Now head out for a local dinner and a drink (you probably deserve it). Get into bed at a decent time and smash that business meeting in the morning.

Need that little extra confidence boost? Pick the right fragrance, the right scent can do anything from increase your focus, reduce your stress and even put you in a good mood. I’ve been using this Aramis Voyager fragrance for the last week and it’s definitely a new favorite. I like my fragrances spicy and woody so this hits all the right notes.

Oh yes, so about that free bag. Well if you pick up any 60ml (or larger) Aramis EDT between the 12th of March and 2nd of April you walk away with a free Aramis duffle bag. Yeah, that simple. I recommend giving the Aramis Voyager a try but you can check out the range and offer right here.

Okay. Travel safe and stay fancy.