Consider Duration & Purpose
The duration and purpose of your trip are some of the main factors you should consider when travelling abroad for work. The longer your trip, the more clothing options you will have to consider, similarly the bigger the suitcase you will need to bring.
In the case of a warm weather business trip, you may be required to pack more formal clothes as you are not travelling for leisure. However, for business travel, especially in a warmer climate, you can afford to dress down a little bit. This doesn’t mean you can show up to a meeting in shorts but it does mean that you don’t have to wear a full suit, shirt and tie.
Dressing appropriately for the climate on business trips is essential to feeling productive in the heat and making those ever important first impressions.
For a short business trip spanning a few days, a weekend bag or a medium-sized suitcase is all that is required. Our Saddler Weekender bag is perfect for such a trip as the sides open up allowing you to flat pack a suit or blazer as well as shoes at either end of the bag. This helps to free up space in the main compartment for other items such as trousers, chargers, underwear and liquids. If you opt for the suitcase, Carl Fredrik carry On Pro Case is the choice for many business travelers as well as flight crew.
Fabrics, Fabrics, Fabrics
The type of fabric is a huge factor in how comfortable you will be while travelling in the warmer weather. The best thing is to bring clothes that have an open weave and that are breathable such as linen shirts, pants and jackets- this will keep you cooler, even on the warmest of days. Fabrics such as linen, cotton and silk are all great for hotter weather due to their breathability. Linen, however, is always the most recommended when considering warm weather fabrics due to its breathability and moisture-wicking properties. Although linen is highly breathable, one main characteristic of the fabric is the ease of wrinkling. If you are not a fan of the creases of linen, we recommend opting for an open-weave wool, cotton or silk as these will not crease as easily as linen would. Having a blend of these fabrics is also a good idea as the benefits of each will compliment the other - many of our blazers are made of a blend of the likes of wool, linen and silk.
Create Outfits for Each Day
We recommend that while you pack, you should be putting outfits together that have interchangeable pieces that will suit the variety of situations you will be in as this will streamline your packing and will mean you will be packing less. We have out together an example of our top picks of 3 outfits based around a 3-day weekend business trip to Italy in late August.
Day 1: Flying and Arrival
Navy Blazer
White Jersey Shirt
Beige Cotton Chino
Dark Brown Suede Ankle Boot
When you’re flying you want to be as comfortable as possible. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t fly in style. A classic navy blazer with an open weave will allow you to carry your essentials and be comfortable enough that it won’t restrict you when reaching for a coffee to wake you up for a 7am flight. The white jersey shirt will be very breathable and wrinkle resistant allowing you to feel at ease, especially if it is warm in the airport and on the plane. A classic beige cotton chino pairs nicely with the ensemble as they will be highly comfortable all while not feeling out of place. Finally anchored with a pair of brown suede open walker shoes which wear as nicely as a pair of slippers so your feet won’t get sore walking through the airport and easy to take off if you get the security pat down.
Day 2: Meeting/Event & Dinner
Louis Copeland Sports Jacket
Louis Copeland Slim Fit Shirt
Louis Copeland Long Sleeve Shirt
Mmx Lynx Linen Trouser
Magnanni Leather Slip On Shoes
It’s the main day of the meeting or event so you need to look well. Starting with a wool, silk and cotton blazer is lightweight and breathable for the warmer weather. The bolder green colour is a welcome change as the colour reflects the environment you’re in and compliments the Irish complexion. Paired with a light blue oxford cotton shirt which will allow the breeze to cool you down and the patterned inlay on the collar adds a nice touch of detail. Following the shirt, these lightweight linen trousers are perfect for the heat to ensure you don’t overheat and finally completed with a pair of medium brown loafers. When the meeting or event is done, you can swap out the formal shirt for a long sleeve polo in blue which pairs nicely with both the green and navy blazers.
Day 3: Sightseeing, Lunch & Fly Home
Louis Copeland Sports Jacket
LC White Jersey Shirt
Mmx Lynx Linen Trouser
Moreschi Suede Ankle Boot
You don’t have long left before you fly home but you have some time to sightsee and get some lunch before heading back to the airport. Utilising the same green blazer as the day before and pairing with the white jersey shirt from the first day to ensure you are comfortable in the heat for the last day. Pairing those items with the linen trousers, again to beat the heat and finishing off the ensemble with the dark brown suede open-walkers as it will ensure your feet are comfortable as you wander about seeing the architecture, nature, statues all while looking for a restaurant for lunch. When lunch is done, you can head to the airport all while remaining cool and put together for the trip back through the airport en route to home again.
We curated these outfits so that you would purposely be left with plenty of space in the bag. 5 clothing items in total.. means that you will have plenty of space for a laptop, chargers, briefs and some space left over for a “few” small bits in the duty free. This capsule wardrobe for the trip is the best way to maximise your luggage space.
All the above looks are all great for a warm weather business trip as all are wearing a blazer and trouser combination the one jacket can provide many different looks just by changing the trouser and shirt. All these looks are interchangeable and demonstrate what can be done on a short business trip such as the example we have demonstrated.
