Packing for Conferences

There’s refreshingly little pressure to buy things for holidays in Australia. The only sign of Halloween was a half shelf of candy buckets in the grocery store. For Christmas, there’s a tiny display of advent calendars - but you have to search the store to find them.

This is a marked contrast to how the U.S. handles holidays and events. I was inundated with Black Friday emails for weeks.

To push back on American pressure to buy things for events and holidays, today’s post is about how to buy less when you go to conferences. If you pack what you need from home, you won’t have to buy stuff on the road unless you want to. I’m sharing a packing list below, with help from social media. I asked people what’s on their remember to pack list. People shared things they’ve forgotten and things that make them more comfortable during conferences.

Conference Packing List

• Conference Items: Poster/presentation materials, business cards/QR code for networking, paper/pens, travel mug, water bottle, snacks (e.g., instant oatmeal, protein bars, tea bags). [Example: Make a QR code for your LinkedIn to connect instantly.]
• Toiletries: Deodorant, Advil/Tylenol, medication, chapstick (since air can be dry while traveling), sunscreen, mints/gum, floss, toothbrush/toothpaste.
• Clothes: Comfortable shoes, belt, socks, pants, jacket/sweater (for cold conference rooms), rain gear, workout clothes, hat.
• Emergencies: Bandaids (especially in case of blisters from conference shoes), sewing kit, eye mask, earplugs, stain remover stick.
• Electronics: Adapters/dongles, laptop/tablet, presentation clicker, pen drive, chargers/batteries.
• Documents: Passport/license, travel itinerary.

Bonus items: Clear nail polish (can fix emergencies), nail clippers (can double as scissors), lint roller, sponge pre-soaked in dish soap (for washing your mug and water bottle).

Here’s a printable packing list for your next conference. If you know someone who might like a conference packing list, could you forward this newsletter to them?

As always, thanks for reading and believing that scholars deserve support for incredible ideas.

Betty

Stay in touch: The Newsletter, LinkedIn, and The Grant Writing Guide book.

P.S. Sydney has an amazing event called Sculpture by the Sea. Here’s my favorite sculpture of a bonsai tree.