Travel Essentials for the Gentleman

So you’re heading for a weekend getaway and as usual you’ve pushed travel packing for the last minute. Maybe it’s cause you know what you’ll keep, that trusted old t-shirt and those ragged jeans. And all through the trip you look like the ill-fitted spectacle of the family, the man-Friday of your clan.

So often we keep things that we don’t need on a trip and often worry about things that we really shouldn’t be worried about at all. Like the tooth brush, “will I remember keeping it in the morning”… ooh the last minute excitement. Well it’s this excitement aka waste of productive time that stops us from looking our dashing selves on our vacations.

But worry not, last minute packers! We have put together a travel packing checklist for men:

A good perfume– Trust me, when you go on a vacation your deodorant is not going to cut it. And if you’re still stuck on talcum powder then I’m surprised you’re even reading this blog considering your love for all things 80’s.

A sexy suit– let’s face it, even you feel a little awkward sitting in the dining hall of a swanky hotel wearing that same pair of jeans or god forbidden pyjamas. Why not take that suit you got for your wedding for a spin and set the hall on fire with your charisma.

A nice pair of formal shoes – Duh, what’ll you pair your sexy suit with. Go for tuxedo shoes, those shiny ones. Go for ones with leather soles. Make an entrance with some clank-action. Let the people know their king has arrived.

A classic time-piece – Nothing says awesome like a beautiful watch. Try not to go too chunky with your watch though. It’s very easy to go wrong with this style statement. Men have options for jeweled watches as well. Blessing of the unisex age no less. It’s one of the few accessories men can enjoy and thankfully it’s not a dying art. You can even go class and get a pocket watch. Now that’s timeless!

Plenty of clean underwear– Do I really need to elaborate on this? Really? Really ?!

A grooming kit – Okay, this is where most men get it wrong. A grooming kit isn’t as simple as going down to the local store and buying what your favourite hero is selling on the television. You have to create a grooming kit for “you”. I’ll take this up on details in another article. But for shorts I can mention a good moisturizing cream, an gentle after-shave lotion, a mild shaving gel, antiseptic solution, mouthwash.

What not to sweat over:

The above list covers the essentials of your travel packing list. And here are things you needn’t worry about:

Toiletries– toothbrush, comb, slippers… stop sweating over the little things in life. Just dial the reception and they’ll be more than happy to oblige you with a never ending supply of all the above. Stop wasting your suitcase space and mental space on this stuff.

Your Impulsive SLR– yes you bought an SLR and wanted to capture all those special moments. But now you’re over the fascination yet want to carry it around due to you guilt. So get over it, use your mobile camera and spend more time with the family. Anyways high resolution pics take way longer to upload on fb.

Cigarettes – okay for starters they are bad for you and your family. Try to take a break from this habit especially if you’re heading for the hills. But make sure you carry some gum. We don’t want mood swings now do we.