Over the five years I travelled to and from Syria, and numerous other destinations on project business, I gathered round me, in briefcase and wallet, various small things that made trips smoother. These became my essential business travel kit, and were as follows.
In wallet:
In wallet:
- Currency. On the principle that it's good to have enough cash to get you unstuck, and waving plastic sometimes just doesn't work, I carry enough dollars, euros, sterling and local currency to get me at least from the airport to a hotel and fund a night's stay and a meal.
- A set of passport photos - if travelling to countries with "officials" who make up the rules as they go along, having passport photos is like carrying an umbrella. Chances are you won't need them, but when you do you can guarantee that the photo booth will be kaput.
- Membership cards. I don't carry loyalty cards as all the necessary details are on my phone, but where I may be making use of benefits - for example the Institute of Directors for free use of airport lounges or regional meeting rooms - the card has to be handed over.
- mp3 player (Sony, as their sound quality is exceptional) and headphones (Shure, again best sound quality and ambient noise deadening I've found). For long flights having some music and the opportunity to shut out the noise of the plane is simply essential.
- Earplugs, for similar reasons, but mainly when I've reached the hotel. Sanity savers.
- Small digital camera. Currently a Canon Ixus 860IS. If I don't carry it in the briefcase I'll forget to pack it, and the regret those moments when I really want to capture a memory. UPDATE 2013: Now using a Sony RX100 - a bit bigger than the Canon, but an exceptional lens.
- Skype headset. Logitech.
- Portable hard drive. Working documents are kept on one of two USB memory sticks, but the WD hard drive has all my archive material and back-ups on it and has been a lifesaver on many occasions.
- Electric plug international adapter. A Muji one, with the capacity to take a USB charging cable off it as well.
- An Iain Sinclair flashcard torch. Lasts for years and is very slim; I'm now on my second since 2002.
- Basic spare unlocked Nokia mobile phone, which enables me to buy a local SIM card and save a fortune on routine business calls to clients.
- A USB cable - does hard drive, camera, Nokia and many other pieces of kit.
- Kensington remote controller for Powerpoint presentations. A fairly recent acquisition which I wish I had bought years ago.
- International driving licence; you never know...
- Spare business cards. I hate that moment when you have to say "I'm sorry, I don't have a business card on me right now, but...", so I keep a number available just in case.
- Pen, pencil, notebook. Faber-Castell do a great 0.7 pencil with a large eraser built in, which is ideal for Sudoku. The pen is a Lamy fountain pen with a couple of spare cartridges - never had a leak yet, touch wood. The notebook is a pocket-sized buff-coloured Clairefontaine with squared pages, which makes a nice alternative to a Moleskine, but which are also getting hard to find.
- I don't often use them en route, but I sometimes take along what the airlines call a "refreshing towelette". Useful last minute if you're handshaking someone straight off the plane. I've recently tried an Agua di Colonia version - very wet and very strong. My daughter said they made me smell like gin.
- Spare pants and socks, tie, toothbrush and a disposable razor. Useful for those occasions when the airline sends your checked-in bag off to somewhere else and you have to survive 24 hours or so.
- Laptop. I use a Sony Vaio TZ from 2008 which is now getting a bit worn but is small, light and still has a five-plus-hour battery life. UPDATE 2013: Now using a Samsung Series 9 - lovely piece of kit in all sorts of ways, only niggle being occasional wobbles in its WLAN connection.
- Phone. Sony Ericsson X10, about which I still have many reservations but seem to be still using anyway. UPDATE 2013: Now using a Samsung Galaxy S3.
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