Business trips may sound extremely exciting on paper, however, if you’ve ever travelled for business purposes you know how tricky it may be sometimes. Essentially, you have to do your work while dealing with the stresses of travel. In order to have your business trip go as smoothly as possible we’ve compiled some travel hacks that may come in quite handy.

1. Carry on is all you need

Most of the business trips are relatively short so there’s no need to pack extensively. If you know how to pack sensibly, a carry on baggage will be more than enough. Two business outfits and one casual, a ziplock bag full of toiletries and other essentials such as underwear can all easily fit into a carry on bag.

2. Take care of your clothes

 Now that you have all of your belongings in a carry on you will be ready to make the most out of a couple of days on your business trip. However, if your trip prolongs there’s no need to be scared - find a service that will wash your clothes or do it on your own. If you’re travelling to the New Jersey area you can wash and fold in Hoboken through this amazing service called LaundryPal. The only thing you need to do is drop your clothes off and when they’re all nice and fresh they will be delivered straight to your accommodation.

3. Bring shoe polish

There’s nothing less professional than dirty shoes. In order to look your best at the meetings don’t forget to pack some shoe polish. You can find travel friendly tins of shoe polish almost everywhere. Fixing up your shoes takes 5 minutes maximum, but it’s a nice professional touch. If you seem like you care about the way you present yourself, you will look like you care about your company more. Don’t forget that you are representing your company and their values so you don’t want to look like a slob.

4. Dress appropriately for the flight

When you travel for business it’s not really advisable to travel in shorts. You should wear something comfortable, but also respectable. You never know if you will accidentally bump into a business partner or a client. Another great tip is to travel in a lot of layers. Not only will you save a lot of space in your carry on, but also you will have a way to deal with fluctuating air conditioning in the airports. 

5. Store your clothes properly

When you come to your hotel room it’s very important to unpack immediately - especially all of your business suits. There’s nothing less professional looking than wrinkled clothes. Hang it on a hanger in your wardrobe. Hopefully this will help with the wrinkles brought about by air travel. If hanging your clothes doesn’t work ask for a steamer at the front desk and the chances are that they will have one for guests to use. However, if the hotel services can’t help you you may hang your clothes in the bathroom and unwrinkle your suits by creating steam in the shower. 

6. Do away with jetlag

If you’re going somewhere with a big time difference it’s possible that you may experience some jetlag. Thankfully, there are some things you can do in order to minimize the effects of jetlag. First and foremost - do not drink alcohol on board. Alcohol dehydrates us and not being properly hydrated can worsen jetlag. Instead, try drinking water, tea or non-caffeinated sodas. Also, try avoiding caffeine. So energy drinks, coffee and coke are off the table. When you get to the destination opt for food that is bursting with antioxidants. You can find antioxidants in berries, ginger and dark chocolate.