Business Trips: 8 Must-Have Essentials for Professionals

Do you often go away or abroad for work? Then you know how stressful and thankless the experience can be. Luckily, only a few inexpensive and savvy investments separate you from much more enjoyable business travel. Here are the eight essentials for boosting your productivity, connectivity, and comfort.

1.   Noise-Cancelling Headphones

Whether it’s to drown out the screaming toddler three seats down or others in a coworking space, noise-cancelling headphones are a godsend. The best actively cancel out ambient sounds, letting you focus on putting together that presentation or recharge during a long flight without interruptions.

2.   A Universal Power Adapter

At a bare minimum, you’re bringing a smartphone and a work laptop. Factor in nice-to-haves like a portable shaver and electric toothbrush, and you can be sure that at least one will need charging even during short trips. A travel adapter is essential if you don’t want this minor nuisance to spiral out of control.

The adapter needs to be universal in two ways. On the one hand, it should be compatible with the outlets and voltage of the places you’re travelling to. On the other hand, it needs to support Micro-USB, USB-C, and any other format your devices use.

3.   A Travel Mouse

Work laptops can have excellent keyboards, but not even the best trackpad is an adequate substitute for a dedicated mouse. Travel mice are more compact than desktop rodents, letting you zoom through reports or pinpoint spreadsheet cells without wire entanglement. The best ones even work on glass surfaces!

4.   A Travel Pillow

Even first-class aeroplane seats will make you antsy after hours of sitting, to say nothing of their poor sleeping potential. Travel pillows save the day by supporting your neck, allowing you to get some shuteye without waking up sore and cranky.

5.   Toiletries

Even high-end hotels may not have your preferred moisturiser brand at hand, so why take the chance? Assemble a toiletries kit with duplicates of all your favourite body care and grooming products, so you can just pack and not worry about them. Make sure to use TSA-approved bottles and take extra care to pack moisturiser and lip balm if you're a frequent flyer, as cabin air can be dry.

6.   A Reusable Water Bottle

Speaking of dryness, staying hydrated has various positive side effects. Your jet lag will be less intense, you’ll be able to concentrate longer, and your immune system will be better able to deal with all those foreign germs. The easiest solution? A reusable, environmentally responsible water bottle you can carry at all times.

7.   An eSIM

eSIMs are among the greatest recent tech developments for travellers. You download the app, sign up for a plan, and can start using it as soon as you land. Say you’re travelling to see the city of Madrid, get an eSIM for Spain. No more fiddling with physical SIMs or baulking at the roaming charges you’d incur, just a transparent and straightforward way of accessing reliable data abroad.

This is useful on multiple levels. Local cell tower coverage is extensive practically everywhere, so you can fire off emails or have access to important documents even if there’s no Wi-Fi available. Speaking of, eSIMs are a much safer alternative since mobile networks have far better security measures.

So if you haven’t used an eSIM before, it’s time you gave it a try. Most eSIM providers offer plans that won’t break the bank, but you can always check out promotions and deals. Popular providers like Saily have discount codes that are widely available online.

8.   Luggage Trackers

All these other preparations will be for nought if someone steals your carry-on or your luggage ends up in Guatemala. With luggage trackers, you’ll always know where to look for your suitcase. Some are proximity-based and alert you as soon as you move away enough from the fob. They may also have built-in GPS tracking, making it possible to pinpoint your belongings even if they accidentally wind up halfway across the globe.