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Traveling for Business in Comfort: The Right Wardrobe Is Essential
When you're traveling on business, whether by plane or
automobile, you need to be able to dress for comfort while
maintaining a professional appearance; additionally, since you
have to transport everything with you for the duration of the
trip, your wardrobe choices can mean the difference between
being able to relax while traveling and feeling overburdened and
ill at ease.
Make sure you pack as little clothing as you can get away with,
but as much as you need. This requires some thought beforehand.
If you're going to be participating in multiple business
meetings with the same group of people, you need enough changes
of clothing that you're not obviously showing up wearing the
same outfit, day after day. If, on the other hand, your business
trip consists of a series of meetings, each with a different
client, you can probably get away with one or two easy-care
business suits. Make sure that you have enough pairs of
comfortable dress shoes to coordinate with the suits that you
carry; or make sure that all of your suits match one or two
pairs of shoes.
Your professional responsibilities may be largely the
maintenance or repair of heavy machinery or equipment, rather
than business meetings. If your work requires you to have a
specific set of work clothes, make sure they allow you to
function optimally - and safely - while doing your job. However,
ask yourself this: Can you perform the work you need to perform
in a business suit? If so, consider adopting that as your
wardrobe. Just think of the Xerox repair person; he or she shows
up in business attire, complete with white shirt and tie or
scarf, peels off the suit coat and drapes it over the back of an
office chair, secures the necktie / scarf, and repairs the
photocopier in shirtsleeves. The result? Workers at the client
company see the Xerox service representative as a professional
rather than as a blue collar repairperson.
While wool and cotton are superb materials for a business suit,
modern blends, many of which combine manmade wrinkle-resistant
fibers with natural fibers, make more sense during a business
trip; you can pack several business suits into a suitcase, then
remove them when you reach your destination, give them a good
shake, and hang them up, fresh, crisp, and ready to wear. Many
of these fabrics are also easy care; in a pinch you can wash
them in a hotel sink and hang them up; they'll dry, good as new,
in hours.
You may also want to pack some casual clothing for off-hours; if
you have layovers while traveling or some free time once you
reach your destination, you may want to take the opportunity to
explore the community you're visiting.
About the author:
Aldene Fredenburg is a freelance writer living in southwestern
New Hampshire and frequently contributes to Tips and
Topics. She may be reached at amfredenburg@yahoo.com.
Written By: Aldene Fredenburg
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