Being the Microsoft Technology Lead for my company puts me on the road a lot. In this series I’m sharing my experiences and best practices, so your tech conference experiences may end up on a higher level. (perhaps even the level of a free holiday abroad)

With all the preparations taken care of, a few days before your departure, you can actually start packing, saying goodbyes to loved ones, etc.

Tips for packing bag(s) and suitcase(s)

Pack it yourself

Always pack your bag(s) and suitcase(s) yourself. During the boarding process, this will be one of the standard questions, so make sure you can answer “Yes” to it.

Don’t leave it out of your sight

After you’ve packed your bag(s) and suitcase(s) make sure you don’t leave it unattended or out of your sight. When you use cabs to go from your house to the airport and from the airport to or from the hotel, keep your bag(s) and suitcase(s) close to you. When a bag or suitcase is put in the back, make sure it’s locked.

Take care of proper luggage locking

Speaking of locking luggage… Some destinations require approved locking. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) people you encounter on your trips to the USA, for instance, require TSA-approved locks to continue to perform their useful jobs.

Take care of proper luggage tagging

Your bag(s) and suitcase(s) might not be one-offs. This puts them at risk of being mistaken for someone else’s luggage. At the very least put tags on your luggage, pointing to your contact information. Extra stickers might also make your luggage stand out on the luggage belt, as will baggage wrapping (since no one does that these days).

Don’t put your home address on your luggage tags. In my experience, most tags are perfectly suited for business cards.

Liquids and the rest of your stuff

As part of the current luggage rules, you need to present liquids in carry-on luggage in a separate plastic bag, with liquid containers not exceeding 3 Oz. (100 ml.) Make sure you have this bag within reach when you move towards the friendly Transportation Security Administration (TSA) people.

Laptops and tablets might also be needed to be removed from your carry-on luggage and their respective bags and/or sleeves. Stowing these deep inside your carry-on luggage might not be the best idea.

Make a list of the contents of your luggage

a list of the contents of your luggage is useful in multiple ways. First of all, when under scrutiny you can show them the list, potentially, removing their suspicion. At the end of your trip, it might also be useful to gather all your stuff from the hotel room.

When you consistently use the list, you can apply the Kaizen principles to the list, improving it continually with every trip.

Leave room in your luggage

One of the characteristics of tech conferences is the swag you might end up with. While some argue that leaving your contact information for the sake of winning something is the worst thing you can do, and picking up swag at vendors booth is a sign of weakness, some swag might actually be useful and/or worth something.

Discounts or overall favorable prices might also seduce you to purchases. When you leave room for these in your luggage on your way to the destination, you actually may bring them back. Of course, check your local regulations on the amount (of worth) you might actually bring back…

Concluding

Pack light.