I will be the sole woman traveling to Europe in a month on a work trip. We will be moving almost daily to a new location throughout Germany, France and the Netherlands. How can I pack light, have appropriate attire, and take care of my hair while I represent my company? Since we are moving around a lot, this will be a real exercise in packing only the essentials. I'm thinking two neutral knee-length skirts, two pairs of loose linen pants, solid colored tops that can go with any skirt or pant, a lightweight jacket. How can I cut back on shoes and not wear my feet out in one pair? Also, do I still need to worry about blowing up hotel circuits with a blow dryer? My hair is an absolute mess without drying/styling and since this is for work, I hate to just pull it back in a too short, untidy ponytail.

My suggestion would be to browse the Travel Smith catalog online. Even if you don't buy anything, you'll get the picture of what kind of simple outfits travel well. (And I think they are such good quality for such a good price, you might want to buy.)

As for your hair, go to beauty parlors! Your hotels and colleagues can direct you. Do whatever you would do where you live.

PS: Your hotel will provide you with the hair dryer.

You will likely find that European business wear is about the same as here. In fact, Europeans tend to have fewer different outfits than Americans so they won't care if you do too. Pants or skirts are fine. I would not bring linen though. In those countries it is not likely to be too hot. And light weight wool or polyester travels better without wrinkling. For a week I would have 3 bottoms (skirt or pant) and twice that many tops and one or 2 jackets or cardigans. That counts what is on me on the plane. Two pairs of shoes, one on you, one in the suitcase are plenty. Err for flatter heel as if you do any sightseeing, even going out with colleagues for dinner, you may walk more than you are used to at home and on cobbled or uneven sidewalks. Even modest business type hotels will have a hairdryer or you can ask for one to be provided. Enjoy your trip!

Laurie_ann has given you a good start on your packing list. You'll naturally do some tweaking based on your personal style - but her list is about what I'd take. I might stick in one additional pair of shoes. One pair on your feet on the flight and two in the carry-on sized bag.

All should easily fit in a 21 inch rollaboard.

Assuming you are staying in business class hotels - I'd not even consider taking a hair dryer. The European dryers provided by the hotels will work better than your dual voltage one from home.

Hello mommatac, the Europeans I know (most in business) do not have the extensive wardrobe that a lot of Americans seem to have. Quality over quantity is usually what I have seen. A couple of silk pretty scarves could add some interest to your business wardrobe and they really take up no room in your luggage. Good comfortable and well maintained leather shoes will work for you. With a one week trip I agree with three bottoms (two skirts and one pair of slacks), one jacket and if you have room in your luggage a second jacket would be good but not necessary. I love linen but for business I would opt for a very light summer weight wool. Business like tops, I wouldn't take any "bright" colors personally. And yes, all that would go with the bottom skirts and pants and the jackets(s).

Agree with the above especially the part about using scarves/accessories with the basics -- for basics, when I go on business or for a conference I take a 21-22 inch bag, good leather walking/work shoes (low heel pumps, usually Paul Green or equivalent brand), a pantsuit (grey or black) and second pr slacks to go with the jacket; I tend to skip skirts but depends on your industry; I can see they could be useful if they work with the jacket.

I use neutrals for the tops (adding one with color) and tend to use accessories for color/accent. I avoid linen (which I love) for the region in question due to the wrinkle problem and the lower likelihood of extreme heat. My mainstay has been a soft grey pantsuit from Chico's that is actually machine washable (does not look it!) but the most helpful strategy is to hang everything up to dry between wearings and overnight.

Also I bring or wear one more casual pair of pants and top and possibly a very light windbreaker and travel umbrella if indicated. and one more pair of shoes, probably a tad more casual and good for walking, as well. If space allows I bring a second pair of shoes to wear on the job such as flats.

Shoes are more important than extra clothes. No one's going to notice if you wear a top an extra time, but if you have only a single pair of shoes and something goes wrong it can almost ruin a trip.

As janisj says, one pair on your feet, two pair in the suitcase, for three pair total.

Most hotels that people use for business would have hair dryers in the rooms.

I like your clothing list. I love linen and travel with it often. I would not buy new TravelSmith stuff especially for the trip (although I do like the catelog and it's good for ideas). I think it's better to travel with clothes you already have worn and "know".

>Most hotels that people use for business would have hair dryers in the rooms.
And even in case they don't, you can always ask for one at the reception.

Bring tops that don't need ironing, dry quickly and can be washed by hand. Either carry a tube of washing detergent or use shampoo and wash them in the sink of your hotel bathroom. Two jackets (one worn, one in the luggage). 3 or 4 crinkle(!) scarves and bandanas (no ironing, look best after cramming them into a suitcase) in different colours/patterns that match the jackets and tops to add some variety.
Avoid linen, there is nothing wrinklier.

I'd also vote for 3 pairs of shoes in total - one pair closed and suitable for rainy days, one comfy warm weather pair, one elegant/evening pair.

First - before deciding on a wardrobe I would check with colleagues on what will be expected. Generally business people in europe dress more conservatively than in the US and our idea of business casual won;t make it many places there. (We always do suits - although one jacket may go with 2 different pairs of pants. And I stick with dress flats - for all the walking and negotiating escalators in airports.

As for you hair - every business hotel has hair dryers -so there should be no hair issue - unless you have some very fussy style. (If your hair requires more than 5 minutes to style/dry - change your style - or get a better salon. Time is too valuable to waste fussing with hairdos unless you're on a red carpet.)

One more suggestion -- if you use a flatiron to manage your hair, I would recommend buying one that is useful in Europe--not only with the correct plugs for your countries visited but also with the correct current. US flatirons don't generally work well there. I bought one through the internet and it worked great. I travel to Europe often enough to make it worth the purchase price which was $60 or so.

I understand from your post you will be going next month (August)? In that case linen may well be more comfortable. It can be very sticky during the day.
If your hotel room doesn't have an iron and board you can always ask for them.
Most hotel rooms have a hair dryer in them. Certainly business class hotels do. If you use what you call a flat iron I suggest buying a cheapish one when you get to Europe.
Do pack something to change into out of work hours too!

Three words...black, black, black. Make most of your bottoms black. That way if you sit in anything, you will be fine. Nicely printed skirts or blouses are good too. The problem with plain clothes are if you have any spot at all it really stands out.

Invest in good travel hair appliances. I had a little tiny travel hair dryer and the voltage just wasn't right.

All above advice is good.

Until last year I made similiar trips for work semi monthly for 15 years.

Black is always a good idea. Your tastes are your own but I've always taken black skirts, shoes, bag and jacket. For days simple tops in pale colors (blue, green) work nice.

For evenings take a good pair or two of black or charcoal slacks and red or colbalt top.

Shoes - take at least 3 pair. dress shoes: 1 heel - 1 low or flat
and one pair of black walking shoe. You will most likely walk alot more than you do here.


Oh and it may sound odd but a scarf or two is always great with an all black outfit.

Kelliebellie is right those little travel hair dryers are useless. I used one in 2006 in Italy and looked as though I had cut my own hair with nail scissors This time I took my own hair dryer from home and was much happier (I don't like hotel hair dryers).

mommatac, I can't help much with the business side of things, but consider packing a set of yoga/gym pants, a comfortable tshirt and maybe a pair of socks for the evenings when you are pottering around in your hotel room at the end of long days.

I find that two pairs of dress/work shoes are sufficient as long as I stick to either brown or black. One would be a closed walking shoe and the other more of a nice sandal. You might want to throw in a pair of flipflops to walk around in the hotel. That should be enough unless you want to excersise or hike on the weekends.

On my first business trip I neglected to take a bathing suit with me. A few of the places where we stayed had great swimming pools so I was really sorry not to have one with me.

I agree that conservative attire is the way to go. And keep the makeup to a minimum. I once had a colleague wash her face over the first coffee break at our initial meeting started, she was the only woman wearing eyeshadow and blush (she is a very selfconcsios person and felt horribly out of place).

Take a small bottle of fabric freshner (something like Febreze) with you. There are many smoking hotel rooms and workplaces. Once a suitcase is opened in a place like that it will stink everything up.

All great ideas. And I'll add (probably needlessly), make sure you have adaptors and the right equipment to recharge your electronics (cell phone, ability to use your laptop, camera, etc.)

Do you have an easy spirit outlet near you? They have wonderful walking shoes, but can be a bit pricey at their regular store. If you get a nice pair of flat black walking shoes, they should take you most of the trip. If they are like ballet flats, you can even wear them with your skirts.

I tend to wear so much black in Europe because that way everything in my suitcase matches. I take a black backpack/purse and black shoes and a black sweater for chilly nights. Then with black bottoms and tops I can mix in some nice color on the other ends.

You should try to get a good haircut before you go. Maybe they can give you a style that you can do with just a hairdryer. It would cut down on an appliance.

You don't say when this trip is but, in the summer it can be hot or cool and rainy in those countries -- except maybe in the south of France, where it's just hot.

Yes, the linen pants are just too impractical. A good source for travel knits is Chico's. They can be quite cool, that is, not too hot. I'd replace your linen pants by at least one dark knit pair. Pick clothes that can be washed by hand in the evening and will dry overnight. Hang your clothes in the bathroom so the steam helps get the wrinkles out.

As others have said, work clothes are more formal in Europe. Two jackets are better than one. Stick to darker colors.