When it comes to business trips, sometimes packing for one can feel like the hardest bit of work! Whether you’re having to think of the best way to stop your shirts creasing or if you really need three pairs of heels, there’s a lot to think about.
We commissioned a study of 2,000 adults to discover everything from who took the longest to pack out of men and women, what were the trickiest items to pack and what top tips people had when it comes to packing.
Packing’s more of a chore
According to research, whether it’s a two-week holiday or a work trip, women take longer to pack than men. For a business trip, women spent on average 34 minutes to pack compared to men who take 28 minutes. And when packing for a fortnight away, women took around 51 minutes with men taking 10 minutes less. It also emerged that a third of women tend to pack a few days in advance of a trip, while 41% of men leave it until a lot later… the day before they go away! So, while they might be packing quicker, it was found that more than a third of men have let their partner pack for them, compared to a fifth of women.
Teaming up with the Style Sisters
Following the findings, we teamed up with organisation gurus Gemma Lilly and Charlotte Reddington aka the Style Sisters who shared their top tips and hacks for packing with us. From writing a checklist and checking ahead to see what essentials the hotel already has to packing delicate items in your shoes, these will all no doubt save you time and hassle. Another suggestion was packing your case from the corners inwards, starting with shoes and finishing with toiletries on top. Clever.
So, what other tricks did they have up their sleeve? Well, they were firm believers in the ‘fold and roll’ method to prevent creasing and revealed their key items to pack for a business trip are a laptop, pyjamas, sleep mask, toothbrush and clothes.
They said: “It’s always useful to plan ahead when travelling for work or leisure to check what hotels provide – this can avoid you having to squeeze in the likes of toiletries or hairdryers.
“We typically pack in order of shoes, clothes and then toiletries and also advise putting water resistant materials around the edge of a case, such as a waterproof coat, to protect against any spillages.
“You’ll never regret writing a list and packing in advance, we’d prep a week before for a two-week holiday.
“When it comes to travelling for business, there has definitely been a shift in work attire and we’re typically more casual now, it’s ideal to buy key staple pieces to dress up or down.”
Packing peeves
Research found that the most popular way to pack clothes was to fold them (59%) while 22% swore by rolling and 10% simply lay their items flat. However, despite the different approaches to packing, unfortunately 47% of people said they typically arrive somewhere with creased clothes. Ironing board, where are you?
Coming up trumps in the trickiest items to pack were said to be jackets and coats (29%), boots (25%) and trainers (20%). It seems like footwear gets a bad rap! In general, research showed us that more than a quarter of people found packing ‘a chore’ with 43% getting frustrated that they can’t fit everything into one case. What’s more, a third of people surveyed found it stressful trying to work out if they have enough outfits, while 46% try to pack versatile items with 33% choosing things which can be dressed up or down.
Business packing that means business (and leisure)
Of the people polled, results showed us that of the 27% that travelled for work, 43% of packed the same clothes for work and leisure.
Our Premier Inn spokesperson said: “Bleisure style travel is on the rise – mixing business and leisure – and it’s great to see how the packing hacks make it easier to be prepared for both. They went onto say that due to the pandemic and working from home, “workwear has become more casual in the past couple of years” and that “less formal looks are now acceptable for work, which can be easily transformed to leisure outfits.” So, while it can be tricky to know what to pack, hopefully it’s this switch in trends that make it easier to pick out key pieces that suit both business and leisure.
Check out our 25 top packing hacks so when you’re staying with us at Premier Inn when your next business trips comes around, you’ve got it covered like a pro:
1. Wear your heaviest clothes
2. Place shoes in shower caps
3. Pack cases from the corners inwards
4. Put toiletry bottles inside socks
5. Put water resistant materials near the edge of the case e.g. raincoats, flip flops
6. Use the ‘fold and roll’ technique when packing
7. Don’t leave packing until the day of travel
8. Pack shoes first
9. Pack toiletries last
10. Put underwear or laptops in the zipped section of a case
11. Write a list before packing
12. Check if the hotel has an iron and wardrobe facilities
13. Decant toiletries into small reusable bottles
14. Use packing cubes
15. Take chargers for everything that needs one
16. Packing outfits together makes unpacking easier
17. Fill hollow spaces with underwear
18. Put breakables in shoes e.g. electric razor
19. Use shampoo bars instead of toiletries
20. Pack clothes in hand luggage
21. Pack half and half in each case if you're travelling with a partner
22. Check ahead what toiletries the hotel provides
23. Check ahead if the hotel includes towels
24. Open the front compartment of a case to release extra space
25. Take fewer clothes and use laundry services when you're away
