Prepare: Business Travel Preparedness

I travel frequently, (1-2 trips per month) and as such, like to travel ready for anything. By car, I can carry anything I may need. But most business trips are by airplane, which raises questions as to what I can legally and safely carry while on trips away from home.

To start, most of my trips are to urban and developed locations and all are in the continental U.S. (CONUS). I have colleagues who travel outside of the U.S. to Africa and Asia for instance; I could not imagine what I would do in those circumstances so I am thankful for what I have to work with.

When I travel, I carry a roller board suitcase and a backpack. I have always preferred backpacks over over-the-shoulder computer bags. Besides the fact they can be carried on two shoulders (I use this more frequently than you would think), they are designed to be carried for longer periods of time and have more features than a standard laptop bag.

While I would like to say I carry some expensive Kelty business ready backpack, all of my backpacks are generic, rugged bags which I replace annually.

There are a few things I prepare for while on business trips. They include:

Low risk:
Flight delays or reroutes due to weather, repairs, etc.
Getting bumped from my hotel or losing reservation
Change in travel plans, i.e. extra night or day travel

High risk:
Plane crash landing
Weather disaster such as hurricane
National emergency which grounds flights, i.e. such as 9/11
Other national emergency, like the kind we talk about here...

Here is how I pack:

My roller board contains my spare shoes (generally a pair of sneakers for workouts), workout clothes (sweatpants, t-shirt, hoodie and socks), and another set of business clothes.

Depending upon the time of year, I will carry gloves, thermals, a hat and a heavy pair of pants such as jeans and a pair of boots when traveling in the winter. I always bring along a hat regardless of the season.

The outer pockets of the roller board contain nearly always food. I pack foods which are approved for air travel and can be brought onboard. Almost always they consist of:

Packets of oatmeal
Boxes of raisins
Ramen noodles
Protein bars

You cannot carry bottled water through security; TSA will throw it away. So I sometimes purchase two overpriced bottles of water at the airport store once inside the gate area. Sometimes, the airline will give you a bottle if you ask on the plane, but not usually.

In my roller board, I also carry a portable water filter and bottle contraption I purchased at REI.

In my backpack I carry more food and other supplies. Besides protein bars and hard candy, I also have the following:

flashlight - 2. One small standard and another a clip on carabiner type.
3 heavy duty plastic bags. These are large enough to hold a laptop and are especially sturdy. When my company moved our office, the office manager gave me some of these.
2 standard black trash bags - for shelter, to carry
2 ziplock bags - pack small items, carry water, etc.
Tools and knives are no-nos on the plane.
I usually have a small first aid kit.
1 pair of nitrile gloves
2 N95 masks
(nope, I have never received a funny look or had a problem with these in my bag).
1 compass
1 road map for the area I am visiting.
1 spare pair of socks.
Sanitizing gel (actually, I stick this in my pocket in case it is taken by security).
1 pack of kleenex - those little packages. Guess what - toilet paper!
1 pack of matches. I manage to put those in my suit jacket and they are never taken by security.
1 lightweight wind/rain coat.

If the plane goes down in the middle of the wilderness and I survive, I have the makings of a shelter, light, and something to eat.

I know it is not likely I will survive an aircrash, but what if I am stranded at my destination city? Say there is a nuclear attack or other SHTF event? I will have the start of my pack to get from Point A to Point B (home).

Wish list:

We all wish we could travel "packed".
I wish I could bring along a multi tool.
I wish I could bring along another form of communication besides a cell phone.
I wish I could pack a car, trailer fully stocked in my roller board too.