This blog post was updated on October 5, 2018.
My hotel’s wireless connection in Prague was every business traveler’s nightmare. When you are up against deadlines and full inboxes, you can’t afford to have your signal drop, and drop and drop. As the kind man from the hotel desk tried to get a new wireless base station working in my room, I realized I could have easily avoided this problem by packing my own.
There are several items lurking in your office that can make any business or leisure trip for that matter less of a headache. Take a look around your office before catching your next flight and grab these items for better business travel.
Power Strip: The search for an outlet at an airport often ends when you notice a crowd of business travelers huddled around one plug, elbowing each other for a chance to charge up. Be the hero for yourself and maybe another fellow traveler and pack a power strip. The power strip also can be useful back at the hotel when there is only one plug in a remotely convenient part of the room. Rather than sacrificing charging up your phone instead of your laptop or vice versa, you can charge up both if you pack a power strip from your home office.
Airport/Wireless Base Station: There is nothing that bothers me more when I travel for business than when the hotel’s wireless connection drops in and out for the wireless base stations are either only in the lobby or 10 years old. After upgrading my Apple Airport Wireless Base Station at home, I now use my old, slower one when I travel. By packing your own, if the wireless connection is one bar, you can instantly have full bars by plugging in right next to your bed.
A Folder: Found an old Lisa Frank folder in your office at home? There is still a use for those glittery cats it when you travel for business. Often times, I find myself checking into multiple hotels in a two-week trip. All of those travel documents start floating around in a bag if they aren’t kept in a folder. Receipts accumulate with each passing check in and travel day. A folder easily solves this problem by keeping all papers nicely together.
Paper Clips: If you are traveling for business, chances are you are packing a suit or wearing one. Buttons love to pop off and zippers love to break just as you are getting ready for that big presentation. Paper clips can hold down a popped button or torn blouse when emergencies arise. They also can be useful when you get your bag at baggage claim and find the zipper pull didn’t survive the journey.
Travel Mug and Tea/Coffee Packets: If you work at a desk or office, there is probably some form of caffeine nearby. Throw in your empty travel mug always perched at your desk at home. You can avoid paying an obscene about of money on water at the airport by filling up the empty travel mug with water at a drinking fountain. Also, while traveling, it seems there is never enough caffeine to be had. Throw in a few packets of your favorite instant brand of coffee or tea to ensure lack of caffeine crankiness doesn’t spoil your business trip.
What office items do you find useful while traveling for business or leisure?
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter!
photo: dominiquegodbout
Leave a Comment