The clever business traveller will always try to travel light for a number of reasons including security, economy and mobility. For short trips including same day trips they will want to keep luggage to a minimum and travel only with hand luggage.
That helps a lot in getting through the tedious but necessary airport security, and also means no having to wait at the baggage belt for a bag in the hold. We have other great business travelling tips which you can read here.
For overnight stays there are slightly different requirements and that will mean bringing the usual business luggage plus an overnight bag, or something like a suit bag. If the entire luggage can be put together in one cabin bag, then again that is the ideal situation.
Almost all business travellers do so without their spouse and to be honest, the normal holiday style suitcases are just not the best choice for business travel. We think it is also important to look the part because at the end of the day, you are representing your company.
There are many choices for business luggage. In fact there has never been so much choices as there is today. Below we have selected a few of our favourites.
Which Business Luggage Would We Recommend?
All things considered we believe the best option to be a rolling business case. Carrying any type of luggage around is just a big no for us so it has to have wheels.
Many of these rolling cases come with a a removable garment sleeve, a laptop case, a toiletry kit and enough room for other travelling necessities.
In addition to that it offers convenience and versatility. The garment sleeve is designed for 1 - 2 suits and is perfect for the overnight stay or even a 2 – 4 day business trip.
Something like the Targus TBR003EU Executive Laptop Roller Bag shown on the right is an excellent choice.
This one fits laptops up to 16", has a zip down workstation, and plenty of storage for clothes if required.. It costs around £30-35 and is well rated by those who have bought and used it. It also meets most cabin size requirements of the major airlines.
Avoid Having to Check Your Bag In
Always try to avoid having to check a bag in as it will simple delay you at start and also as the destination end of your journey and that can be a real pain.
Most of the newer briefcases, most types of travel totes and plastic garment covers are not designed to be checked. These are ideal for carrying on items you don’t want to lose such as medicines, phones and keys. Totes are best for a hassle free trip through airport security.
Always check with the airline what their weight allowance is for cabin baggage and also for the maximum size that you are allowed. This varies quite a bit with the different airlines.
Popular UK Airline Cabin Baggage Size Restrictions
Ryanair
40 x 25 x 20 cm
Easyjet
45 x 36 x 20 cm
Jet2
56 x 45 x 25 cm
Loganair
40 x 35 x 18 cm
Wizz Air
40 x 30 x 20 cm
British Airways
56 x 45 x 25 cm
Thompson Travel
40 x 25 x 20 cm
Aer Lingus
55 x 40 x 24 cm
Thomas Cook
55 x 40 x 20 cm
Want to Keep Your Laptop Separate?
Personally I like to have one roller style bag and keep my laptop in that. Some people do prefer to keep this separate and most airlines will allow you a cabin bag and also to carry your laptop on in a separate case.
The low cost airlines usually only allow one piece of luggage, so make sure that if you have a separate laptop case, that it can fit inside your cabin luggage.
The better designed laptop cases are now available in crush proof materials to help keep them really safe. they also now come in a whole range of colours.
Something like the Croco® Neoprene Protective Sleeve-Case pictured above is an ideal choice and it comes in a whole range of colours such as the standard black, blue, pink, red, plum and many others.
Need A Garment or Suit Bag?
In my opinion these are both a blessing and a curse. Many business people prefer to travel casually if they can but may have to attend a big event in the evening and will need their black tie wear, or a business suit.
These are ideal for this as they will fit into the cabin. Many, but not all of them also have other pockets that will hold shoes and other items.
I prefer those but they are slightly more expensive than a standard suit bag. The one in the picture is a good example and is called the Zegur garment bag. This one also works well for up to 3 suits or dresses.
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Durability and Up to the Job
We see it every single time that we travel. There are business people with cases almost as old as the owner and coming apart at the seams. We have also witnessed those coming apart and it is not a pretty sight we assure you. These do get a lot of abuse as they are dragged through the rain, kicked under tables and shoved into the overhead cabins.
It does depend on the amount of travelling so check every now and then and make sure that it is not starting to come apart at the pressure points.
