For many professionals, business travel is simply part of the job. One week you might be presenting in London, the next attending meetings in Milan, Singapore or New York. Your schedule is packed, your suitcase has limited space, and somehow your tailoring still needs to look as though it has just come off the hanger.
The good news is that a well-made suit is designed to travel. Quality cloth, proper construction and careful packing all help your tailoring recover remarkably well after a journey. With a little preparation, there’s no reason your suit shouldn’t arrive looking every bit as sharp as when it left your wardrobe.
Here’s our guide to travelling with tailoring during the summer months.
Choosing the Right Suit for Summer Travel
Not every cloth performs equally well when travelling.
For business trips to warmer climates, we always recommend open-weave wool over linen for formal business wear.
Open-weave wool fabrics such as Huddersfield Fine Worsted Fresco, Dugdale Tropicalair, Dugdale Summer Cascade, Dugdale Mockleno or Holland & Sherry Mesh & Hopsack have been specifically developed for warm weather.
Their open construction allows air to circulate while the natural resilience of wool helps the jacket recover from creasing far better than many lightweight alternatives.
Linen certainly has its place. It’s relaxed, breathable and effortlessly stylish, making it ideal for less formal meetings, dinners by the coast or weekend travel. Just remember that linen is designed to crease. Those soft wrinkles are part of its character rather than something to fight against.
If your diary includes important presentations, client meetings or conferences, open-weave wool remains the smarter travelling companion.
The Best Colours for Business Travel
When suitcase space is limited, versatility becomes everything.
For a week’s business travel, we usually recommend building around:
- Navy
- Mid Grey
- Brown (particularly this season)
These colours can all be worn multiple times without appearing repetitive and allow jackets and trousers to be mixed with ease.
A navy jacket worn with grey trousers creates an entirely different look from the original suit, instantly giving you more outfit options without taking more luggage.
How to Fold a Suit Properly
The way you fold your jacket makes all the difference.
Start by fastening the top button.
Turn one shoulder inside out before tucking the opposite shoulder neatly into it. This protects the shoulder padding and keeps the lapels supported.
Fold the jacket gently in half vertically before folding once horizontally. Avoid pressing down or forcing sharp creases.
Place the jacket near the top of your suitcase where it won’t be crushed beneath heavier items.
Trousers should be folded along their existing centre crease and laid flat across the suitcase before other clothing is packed around them.
Rolling knitwear, polo shirts and casual pieces around the jacket also helps prevent movement during travel.
Use a Garment Bag Whenever Possible
If you’re travelling by car or train, a garment carrier is always the safest option.
For flights, however, luggage space isn’t always on your side.
Many airlines will happily hang a garment bag in a wardrobe if one is available, particularly on long-haul flights. It never hurts to ask politely when boarding.
If your suit does need to go into a suitcase, don’t panic. Properly folded tailoring generally travels remarkably well.
Arriving at Your Hotel
One of the biggest mistakes travellers make is leaving everything inside the suitcase until the following morning.
Instead, unpack your tailoring as soon as you arrive.
Hang your jacket on a proper wooden hanger if the hotel provides one. If not, use the widest hanger available to help support the shoulders correctly.
Hang your trousers by the hems using clip hangers or fold them neatly over the trouser bar.
Allow gravity to do much of the work overnight.
Simply hanging a quality wool suit for several hours will remove many of the small travel creases naturally.
Freshening Up Your Suit
Most hotel rooms include a bathroom that can double as a simple steam room.
Run a hot shower for a few minutes with the bathroom door closed, then hang your suit nearby—but never directly in the water.
The gentle steam helps relax minor wrinkles without exposing the cloth to direct heat.
Avoid using the hotel iron on your jacket.
Domestic irons can easily flatten the natural texture of the cloth, create unwanted shine and permanently damage the shape of the garment.
If your suit needs pressing during a longer stay, most quality hotels offer professional pressing or valet services.
Caring for Your Suit During the Week
Even if you’re travelling for work every day, your suit still benefits from a little care.
At the end of each evening:
- Empty your pockets.
- Brush away any dust or lint with a clothes brush.
- Allow the suit to air overnight.
- Never leave it folded in your suitcase.
- Rotate between suits where possible.
Giving each suit a day to recover helps the wool fibres relax naturally and significantly extends the life of the garment.
How Many Suits Do You Actually Need?
For a typical seven-day summer business trip with meetings throughout the day and three evening events, you don’t need seven suits.
With careful planning, three well-chosen suits are more than enough.
Our recommendation would be:
Suit One – Navy
Your hardest-working suit. Perfect for presentations, formal meetings and one evening event.
Suit Two – Mid Grey
Ideal for conferences, client lunches and another evening function.
Suit Three – Brown or Lightweight Check
A little more relaxed for travel days, less formal meetings and your final evening engagement.
Pack additional shirts, ties and pocket squares to create completely different looks throughout the week.
By alternating jackets and trousers, you’ll comfortably create six or seven business outfits from just three suits.
Don’t Forget the Essentials
A few small additions make travelling much easier:
- Cedar shoe trees
- A soft clothes brush
- Spare collar stays
- A lint roller
- Shoe cream or polish
- Extra pocket squares
- A travel shoe horn
None take up much room, but they’ll help keep your tailoring looking immaculate from your first meeting to your last dinner.
Invest in Suits That Are Designed to Travel
The best travelling suit isn’t necessarily the lightest—it’s the one that performs consistently.
Quality wool has a natural elasticity that allows it to recover from creasing, regulate body temperature and remain comfortable in changing climates.
At Norton & Townsend, we regularly recommend open-weave wool collections from Dugdale Bros, Holland & Sherry and Huddersfield Fine Worsted for clients who travel frequently. They offer exceptional breathability while retaining the elegance and resilience expected from classic British tailoring.
Whether you’re flying to Dubai, attending conferences across Europe or spending a week meeting clients in New York, the right cloth, careful packing and a few simple habits will ensure you arrive looking as though you’ve stepped straight out of the showroom.