How I Pack When I Travel for Work
What's in my Bag
Lately, I've been doing a bit of traveling for work. Teaching workshops, and directing a documentary series that is taking me around the US. In this blog post, I'll share how I pack when I travel for work and go over some of my favorite gear and accessories that I take with me.
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Planning
When I head out to any destination, I like to plan ahead to make sure I bring exactly what I need. The main things I take into consideration are:
The purpose of the trip
The number of days I'll be there
The weather
Any activities I might do
Creating a list helps me think through my scenario, and check each item off as I pack them. I do this a few days ahead of the trip so I can revise my list, as things come to mind. I build a simple Notion document to help me track this information. You can download my sample packing template here.
My next project is taking me on a 9-day trip to the south, so I need to prepare for warm and humid weather. I'll be taking with me a check in luggage for my clothes, a backpack for my tech, and a sling to use for when I'm on the go.
Suitcase
I'm currently using this hardshell roller from Level 8, which was sent to me to try out. For clothes, I always start with making sure I have enough clean underwear and socks for the duration of the trip. Usually 1 set for each day, however if there's laundry available at my destination, I pack less.
For my outfits, I keep things pretty simple. 3 pants to alternate throughout the trip. 2 gym shorts for sleep and workouts. And a few everyday T-shirts. I also bring 3-4 dress shirts to look professional on set, and for any client outings.
Where I'm headed has a slight chance of rain, so I'll be bringing a light weight jacket and an umbrella just in case.
I like to bring at least one extra set of shoes whenever I travel, so I can alternate and air them out every other day. I also bring a few reusable bags to separate out my shoes and dirty clothes.
The last thing I pack in my suitcase is my toiletries in my dopp kit. I put all of my liquid containers into clear zip bags, to prevent them from spilling in case they open up during travel.
Item list:
Black Nike Air Force 270 shoes
Black Converse Chuck Taylor shoes
Backpack
For the past few years, I've been using the Peak Design Everyday backpack. This backpack is feature rich, but not clunky, and has many intelligently designed spaces inside of it. It's an excellent solution for a hybrid creator like me, who needs to carry a laptop, cameras and tech, alongside everyday items.
While I've hired an entire production crew to shoot the documentary I'm directing, I myself like to bring a small camera kit of my own to capture footage while I'm on my trip. This includes my mirrorless camera, shotgun mic, a few lenses, batteries, and SD cards.
I've tried a few different travel tripods, but I’m really liking the one by Peak Design. It's compact, holds up to 25 pounds, and is so easy to mount my camera on and off of, because of this quick release plate.
To hold all of my cables, chargers, and dongles, I keep them all neatly organized inside a Bellroy tech kit.
Since I'm directing a documentary series, I'm responsible for interviewing the talent. So I have a few tools that help me conduct the interviews, which I keep in this leather folio by Bellroy. In it I keep an iPad mini with questions that I prepare ahead of time to help me structure my conversations with the talent.
While I like to plan ahead, I still leave plenty of room for spontaneity and curiosity. I use a notepad and pen to note any interesting points that come up during my interviews, so I can follow up with questions.
To stay hydrated while I’m on the go, I’m testing out the self-sanitizing water bottle from Larq. It uses UV-C lights to kill bacteria and viruses to keep the bottle fresh and odor free.
Item list:
Peak Design Everyday Backpack 30L
Leather Folio by Bellroy for iPad & Notebook
Sling
The last thing I bring with me is the 9L Venture Sling bag by Bellroy. I like this because it has a generous size, without looking bulky. And it's made of high quality materials. When traveling, this works great for access to personal items on the plane, and turns into my everyday carry bag when I'm on the ground, exploring the city.
When I'm in transit, I use this to hold a few things. I usually bring a book with me to read on the plane. When I'm working on a project, I like to immerse myself in relevant content. I also keep my ipad and notebook with me to work out ideas. I find myself extra productive when I fly, cause there's nothing else to do or distract me.
When I arrive at my location I usually take out my book, and swap it with my camera, so I can snap photos and videos on the go.
