Travelling on business with suits, shoes etc

[Manton]

I don't get jet lagged and I have short legs

I'm 6'4" and have to fold up like a lawn chair, and always get lagged on East-bound flights.

 

[Horace]

I find that there are a hell of a lot of people who are in international sales for 2 years, there is almost nobody who sticks around for his whole career.

I know a guy that's been doing it for 35 years, on _very_ long flights.
He takes coach on principle. How's that for self-punishment?

 

[globetrotter]

Quote:

(globetrotter @ Feb. 14 2005,10:39) I find that there are a hell of a lot of people who are in international sales for 2 years, there is almost nobody who sticks around for his whole career.
I know a guy that's been doing it for 35 years, on _very_ long flights. He takes coach on principle. Â How's that for self-punishment?
it goes something like this - you get paid for what you sell. the more you get in the field, the more you sell. you have a fixed travel budget. so, the more flights you can stretch out of your budget, the more you should take home. but still, yes, huge self punishment.

 

[globetrotter]

Quote:

(globetrotter @ Feb. 14 2005,13:39) I don't get jet lagged and I have short legs
I'm 6'4" and have to fold up like a lawn chair, and always get lagged on East-bound flights.
ouch

 

[drizzt3117]

I primarily flew first class, all those miles helped make it possible and I was upgraded alot, if not, I used miles to upgrade.

 

[globetrotter]

I primarily flew first class, all those miles helped make it possible and I was upgraded alot, if not, I used miles to upgrade.

yeah, I worked opposite a consultant from one of the big companies who was working for a large customer of mine in india (one of the large consulting firms actually gave several people on speculation for an unlimited time to my customer thinking that they could get future business out of them, and then didn't get the business) who flew only first class - he earned more than a million miles on LH one year. The most I ever earned in one year was a little more than 500K.
when I was doing my india runs, I flew business, and since it was the same route, the people at all the airports knew me pretty well and I got a lot of upgrades to first, but I never would pay or use points for upgrades.

 

[Kai]

I will do whatever I can to avoid checking my luggage. I try to go carry-on only for any trip of up to 10 days. I use only garment bags. They seem to wrinkle my clothing less than suitcases. I prefer leather luggage. My Atlas garment bag is huge, and will swallow 4 suits if necessary. My Ghurka garment bag is small, and will barely accommodate 2 suits.
For anything up to 3 days, I tend to take only one pair of dress shoes and one suit. For 3 day trips, or for trips longer than 4 days, I often supplement the single suit with a navy blazer. I can dress a blazer up or down, so it will work for the business day or the more casual evening. I know that you're not supposed to wear dress shoes more than one day at a time, but I'll risk a bit extra wear and tear on my shoes for a lighter bag. Also, I tend to favor thicker wool socks with my dress shoes, and these help control moisture and extend the life of my shoes, so I figure it's a good trade off.

For trips of 4-10 days:

Packed in my Atlas "Lincoln" garment bag:
2 suits (3 for more than 6 days)
4 dress shirts (5 if bringing 3 suits)
3-5 ties
White linen pocket square
2-3 silk pocket squares
1 pair dress shoes
shorts, t-shirt, 2 pair cotton socks, running shoes
4 sets of Underwear
4 pairs of socks
toiletry kit
cufflinks

Worn on the plane:
Wool pants
Dress shirt (not French cuff)
Cashmere sweater or sport coat or navy blazer
Tie (if wearing sport coat or blazer)
belt
Dress shoes
Watch, wallet, money clip

For trips of 2-3 days:
Packed in my Ghurka "Packet" tri-fold garment bag:
1 suit
1-2 dress shirts
1-2 ties
1-2 pocket squares
2 sets of Underwear
2 pairs of socks
toiletry kit
cufflinks
shorts, t-shirt, cotton socks, running shoes

Worn on the plane:
Wool pants
Dress shirt (not French cuff)
Cashmere sweater or sport coat or navy blazer
Tie (if wearing navy blazer)
belt
Dress shoes
Watch, wallet, money clip

 

[drizzt3117]

I refuse to fly in coach for transpacific flights, I learned my lesson on that, I am absolutely ineffective for the 24 hours immediately following my arrival and it's much more cost effective for me to relax in first class and avoid those issues

 

[globetrotter]

I refuse to fly in coach for transpacific flights, I learned my lesson on that, I am absolutely ineffective for the 24 hours immediately following my arrival and it's much more cost effective for me to relax in first class and avoid those issues

I actually haven't done that many transpacific flights, many 4-5. most of the time I go the other way. but I went to Nigeria a few months ago, coach, and that was an experience. and then back from Jo'burg to NY, coach. I had a cramp in my leg that I was worried about after that flight.

 

[imageWIS]

Things I will never do again at an Airports / on an Airplane:

Purchase candy from any Airport in Mexico (damn you Acapulco.)

Wear a suit + tie on a flight. Seriously, I'm all for the elegance of the flight in the days of yesteryear but when you are on a jetblue redeye flight at 6:30 am from Ft. Lauderdale to JFK, the most uncomfortable thing you can wear is a suite w/ cutaway shirt and tie

Wear hard to take off shoes

Land in San Juan airport

Taking 3 planes to get to St. Maarten

What I have learned to do:

Be early to the airport, its better to be safe than sorry

Make sure the iPod is fully charged and if it's a long flight, like Miami Int. to Tokyo, carry an extra power pack.

Try to never check luggage, but if you must, book a direct flight, less chance that the morons will lose your baggage from plane to plane

Wear good looking, but comfortable clothing; sure a suit looks good, but try sleeping on the 8 hour and 30 minute overnight from Miami to Buenos Aires in a suit.

Jon.

Edit: yes of course I like first / business class but I am 22 and if the situation demands, I can go on coach with no problem. To avoid cramping btw, just walk around the plane a few times (don't jump around. Seinfeld reference).

 

[Duveen]

Originally Posted by Concordia

Glaser Designs makes nice bags, thoughtfully designed and well made. Not cheap, but I've used their briefcase since B-school graduation (almost 8 years now), and a few of their carry0on bags. They also have a few knife-pillow-shaped inserts that can hold shirts, etc., so they don't get wrinkled in a half-empty bag. They also make one that fits into my briefcase, so I can use that as the overnight bag.
Sorry to necro this thread, but curious - anyone else with experience with Glaser Designs? They seem like nicely made bags but am curious what folks have seen... http://www.glaserdesigns.com/Assets/...DuffelBag.html