Do carry

• Clothes 
  • 2 suits
  • 3 ties
  • 1 belt
  • 1 shirt for every two days minimum 2 shirts
  • 1 set of undergarments for each day
  • 1 pair semi-formal/outdoor shoes
  • 1 pair of socks per day
  • spare shoelaces
  • plastic/cloth bag for used clothes
• Documents & Information 
  • wallet: id cards, money cards, memberships
  • to do lists
  • airline tickets and schedules
  • hotel reservation info
  • car rental reservation info
  • 50 business cards to give out
  • directions to and from key places
  • phone & address book: electronic or printout
  • phone numbers, addresses and directions to friends and associates in the area printed on a separate piece of paper
  • tourism guidebook for the area. eyewitness guide or similar
• Electronic Devices 
  • portable computer or pda with modem, a/c charger
  • cell phone
  • cell phone charger – car
  • cell phone charger – wall socket
  • spare cell phone battery
  • digital camera, CF card, 4 spare AA batteries
• Misc Items 
  • bathroom kit: comb, toothbrush, toothpaste, razor, shaving cream, deodorant, nail cutter
  • 3 handkerchiefs
  • 1 compact towel
  • 3 empty plastic bags
  • food to eat on plane/train something healthy and energy giving. keep a few energy bars for reserve
  • wheels for baggage. carrying luggage at the airport is tiresome

Do not carry

• Too many books to read. I haven’t gotten time to read all the books I carry on trips in the past. Too many books are a burden to carry.

Before leaving, do the following

• change voicemail message at work. provide alternate contact person and number
• enable email out-of-office auto-response at work. provide alternate contact person
• ensure that any tasks one-time or recurring that i had scheduled for the duration i’m away are assigned to alternates
• reach out to some family and friends in the places i’ll be visiting, even if i may not be able to meet
• backup laptop computer i’ll be carrying with me in case it is lost or stolen
• backup mobile phone i’ll be carrying with me in case it is lost or stolen

After returning, do the following

• change voicemail back to usual message
• disable email out-of-office auto-response