Introduction

With the holidays fast approaching, I’m sure there are plenty of you out there planning on travelling to see friends and family from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day. And whilst the prospect of visiting relatives and mates that you haven’t seen for a while may be an exciting one, the idea of packing for said trip can be something different all together.

As a modern, sartorially-inclined male, editing any form of travel bag can soon turn into a nightmare. A heady combination of wanting to include basic pieces, on trend items and the occasional ‘just in case’ shirt can often leave most guys weeping into their paisley pocket square.

Luckily for you guys, that’s where FashionBeans comes in. In reality, men don’t need a lot of options, they just need the right ones. When you begin to understand exactly exactly what these are, packing will become an absolute breeze. Who knows, I may even reveal some of my own personal packing tips to give you that extra competitive edge.

Business Or Pleasure?

There are two primary reasons for travel in the modern era: business or pleasure. This first article in a two-part series will cover pleasure – or, in other words, travel that is not being done for work. Business will follow next week.

With that in mind, let’s begin…

The Bag

First things first: the bag. You’ll want to pick up a medium sized leather holdall that can be used as carry-on.

For the purpose of this article, I’m assuming that your time away does not extend past five days, which, with the right choices, a holdall can easily accommodate. Anyone who is telling you to take a suitcase is wrong – they only lead to additional hassle (trains) or increased cost (planes). Go carry-on and your life will be a lot less stressful and a lot more enjoyable. There’s also a certain pleasure to be found in living out of a bag for a few short days.