The idea of crisscrossing across multiples countries in the name of business trip sounds very glamorous at the very least, but it can be a daunting task trying to figure out what to carry and what to leave out especially if you are traveling to a new continent or for the first time. Having traveled across more than 10 countries in Africa for business trips, here is a comprehensive business travel packing list for your trip to Nairobi and other African cities. But before that, ensure you have a steady multi-purpose bag that can accommodate all of your items.

1. Conference/Meeting Essentials

Writing materials

A notebook, a pen, and a pencil. People are quite different when it comes to how they assimilate information. There are some who understands things better when they write them, others could just listen and others prefer to record using their gadgets. So if you prefer taking notes this is good for you. It’s always better to have yours instead of relying on the hotel that you are being hosted.

Business cards

International business meetings and conferences provide a very good platform for networking, creating new business leads as well as customers. It’s imperative to have your company’s business cards and documents at hand if you are representing them in the meeting.

Breathe mints

Sometimes no matter how quiet or introverted you are, you will have to talk at one point or another. The last thing you want is to have an unpleasant odor coming out of your mouth during a conversation. And yes, you could have brushed your teeth or the conference room may have some mints available but there is nothing wrong with having your own, just to be safe.

2. Electronic travel gadgets

This includes your laptop, tablet, a flash drive, and headphones well as the power chords and power banks. Better yet if you have universal adapter kit, be sure to carry it since you don’t want to risk carrying the wrong cables and power chords. Also, bring a power bank to keep your smartphones charged on the go. Don’t leave your mini-computers since we all know that the smartphone technology is cool but not good enough yet to warrant you leaving your other portable devices.

3. Clothing & accessories

Before anything else, be sure to check out the current weather for your targeted destination so as to know what clothes not to leave. Regarding the outfitting, some travel legends have claimed that black color is your friend, as it matches almost everything official. But if don’t like black, at least don’t look like you are trying to copy the rainbow colors with your outfit. This seems pretty obvious but there are so many things that are tied to the idea. Another important package is the pants, the shirts, t-shirts, shoes, the socks, and the belt. Also, don’t forget the sleepwear and the undergarments too. For the ladies, chose the jewelry that is both comfortable and at least one that matches the context of your trip. Finally, don’t forget a plastic bag that you can put your dirty clothes if you have no plans to use the hotel’s laundry services.

4.Travel documents

The most important travel documents as we know are visas and passports. It is, however, advisable to have a high-resolution scan of your driver’s license, passport and credit cards on your smartphone or on your computer. It saves a lot if you ever lose anything. Depending on where you are coming from, different travel documents may be required and therefore do a little research and find out what else you need.  For example, US citizens are required to have both a passport and a visa for travel to Kenya whereas East Africans can just use their national identity cards.

5. Medications & Cash

Truthfully you don’t need much cash while traveling to Kenya, just make sure that your credit/debit cards are valid & loaded and you’ll be just fine since most of the institutions in Kenya accept them. Since you’re your owns the best keeper, don’t forget any medications that you might be having or one that you know you might need like headache pills. For bush meetings in Kenya, don’t forget to carry mosquito repellents and anti-malaria tablets just to be safe.