Men's day special - Look what's inside a CEO's travel bag

On this Men’s day, let’s celebrate them in their truest sense and their free-est natures. Since all our dearest men love to travel but hate to pack, this one is an attempt to cheer them up. Let us tell you the most important things that should travel along with you. We’ve asked some of the guys that we admire and have sat down to compile all the answers that we got. Some of the men down here are the ones who made it extremely big! They’re CEOs and Co-founders of their kingdoms. Let’s hear about the stuff they can’t travel without.

Sharat Dhall – COO, Yatra.com:

Travel smart: Carry compact cameras, portable USB battery packs, grab any memory cards or portable hard drives that you may require during travel. Keep valuable items like phone, laptop, wallet, and passport with you at all times to avoid getting them stolen. Depending on where you’re going, affordable food may be a bit hard to come by. You can be prepared for this situation by putting some small, non-perishable snacks in your travel bags. Do carry location maps while travelling by road to avoid getting lost in cases of no network reception.

If travelling to the mountains: When travelling to the mountains always research the area, carry drinkable water, get weather updates, have a first aid kit, mosquito/ insect repellant, sun block, fire starter and other such travel essentials. It is imperative that you carry your umbrellas, raincoats and emergency lights. Skip all whites and pastels while packing and ensure you travel light. Do watch out for wild animals as well.

Light layers: Instead of bringing lots of different outfits, pack a few interchangeable wardrobe pieces that can be mixed and matched to create different attires. When travelling in cold weather or across multiple climates, it is advisable to dress in layers rather than carry bulky sweaters/coats to effectively manage the space available. Always wear the bulkier pair of shoes and pack the lighter ones during travel

Travel organizers bag: This essential can work well for all weather conditions and is perfect to provide both style and comfort. This bag allows travellers to separate everything and make travel even more convenient.

Sharat is Yatra.com‘s Chief Operating Officer (COO). He joined Yatra in 2011 as President and has also been a vital part of Tripadvisor. He is responsible for all Yatra’s B2C Businesses across flights, hotels, rail and bus as well as their marketing initiatives.

In his career, Sharat has been associated with brands like Hindustan Unilever in sales and marketing, where he had set up the very interesting and globally acclaimed rural initiative, Project Shakti, before making venturing into the internet space to head the e-Commerce business at Indiatimes.

He is always coming up with initiatives and is always seen travelling to some place or the other. That paired with the magnitude of the above insights should make all the above one of the best ever pieces of travel advice!

Also read: 17 travel essentials that you will find inside an expert traveller’s backpack

Varun Sheth – CEO & Co-Founder, Ketto:

Best travel shoes for men: Nike shoes.

Best travel shoes for men: T.shirts, loose pants and sneakers.

Travel essentials for men: Toothbrush, flip-flops and water bottle.

Travel gadgets for men: Portable wi-fi, a power bank and my laptop.

Varun Seth is the Co-Founder of Ketto, an organisation that strives towards the noble cause of raising money for medical care. All the celebs are part of it.

Furthermore, Varun is seen dabbing on his introductory image! Now that must be a fun guy to look up to, isn’t it?

Krish Subramanian – CEO, Chargebee:

Travel gadget: Kindle for books.

Travel essential: Multipoint charger.

Clothes: Jeans and T-shirt, Sweatshirt, hoodie.

Shoes: Nike shoes(die-hard Nike fan), my go-to shoe.

Krish is one of those Madrasis who’s startup soared all the way up to the USA. ‘I enjoy customer support. That just summarizes why I love SaaS!! That’s what it says on his info. That’s not it. About his startup Chargebee, he says, ‘We are a close-knit team of professionals spread across Chennai & USA, delivering world-class SAAS(Subscription Billing Solution for Online Businesses).

Thanks to our engineering strength & experience, we have built the best Subscription Management and Billing product in this space. We work very closely with Stripe, PayPal, Braintree and many other payment gateways worldwide to streamline billing operations for recurring revenue businesses.’

Neelesh Rangawani – Co-founder, Wishup:

Checklist: Electricity switch converter, Ticket, Passport, Visa, Innerwear, Socks, 3 Regular wear clothes, Shrinkable Microfibre Towel, Swimming trunks, 2 Shorts t-shirt, Light Snacks, Wallet (forex card, debit card), Glasses, Dental Kit, Hair kit, Mobile + Charger, Currency, Forex card, Power bank, Laptop + Charger, Scarf, Foldable light feather Winter Jacket.

My travel bag always has these items ready. Apart from these, Keeping it light is very essential for good travel. You have to find things in the market that are travel focussed.. light, foldable, shrinkable etc. I always like to keep light Canvas Loafers as they are light and easy to wear and comfortable. If I’m going to a destination with beaches, I carry floaters, Which can also be used as bathroom slippers ;). Again the key is keeping it light. If the destination has Mountains and trekking opportunity then the combination changes to trekking boots and slippers. In the pants keep chinos instead of jeans. Jeans are heavy. Shirts can change as per destination. In gadgets, I always need a Mobile, a small Laptop, power bank, universal switch, earphones + respective Chargers.

Neelesh Rangwani is the co-founder of Wishup, India’s first virtual employee company providing verified/experienced shared-assistants to self-employed professionals, entrepreneurs and freelancers and small businesses. Being the main force behind the company, Neelesh is responsible for taking strategic decisions on its business model, revenue model, introductions of new business lines etc. along with focusing on branding and customer acquisition.

Neelesh now foresees Wishup employing at least 20,000 remote workers and more than 50,000 users in the next 5 years. He eventually envisions to develop Wishup as the largest platform in the world where employers can hire and manage such employees working remotely. Meanwhile, in his intention to create a million new jobs in near future, Neelesh is also generating valuable jobs for women who are willing to work from home as part of their social welfare. When he isn’t doing any of the above, Neelesh reads non-fiction and watches sci-fis movies. One awesome Co-Founder, don’t you think?

Lovejeet Alexander – Founder, founderINDIA.com and Green Cheese:

“I believe in travelling light. As minimum luggage as possible. I can be travel ready within a few minutes. My packing list is pre-drafted and well-etched in my mind. Slight bit of changes are to be done in view of the trip duration and destination’s weather, plan,” says Alex.

Best travel shoes: “Most of my trips, short ones at least, and the ones that don’t include trekking, etc. are in one pair of loafers only. Just that the loafers are picked thoughtfully so as to go well with all the clothes that are to be packed. Good quality suede leather loafers are what I prefer and advise.”

Best travel shoes: “Denim does the trick. A pair on and another shade packed can take you through a week-long trip easily. Semi-casual, mandarin collar shirts are my saviours. One for each day and I am sorted. A couple of sweatshirts and scarfs for layering and styling is all that you need.”

Travel gadgets: “My iPhone 7plus is all that I need. Battery backup is amazing and picture quality is unbeatable during the daytime at least. That’s the only reason why I picked this big phone and haven’t missed my DSLR since then. My convertible Dell (tab-cum-laptop) comes in handy when there is work involved in the trip.”

Lovejeet has so many things going on and is the best at what he does: market! He is a communications professional with 16 years of experience. His media consultancy firm, Green Cheese is turning heads as we speak here.
Alex is a known name in the field of marketing and communications. Spearheading a media startup and acting as a consultant for several startups, his work takes him across the globe.

Pranesh Padmanabhan – CEO, Studio 31:

Best travel shoes for men: I’d always prefer dark coloured, lightweight shoes that are easy to wash and clean. Shoes that can breath when you walk are the best. While I’m not brand specific, I’ve been liking the Puma and Ajio shoes off-late. Since I walk a lot, lightweight shoes help and do not cause pain.

Best travel clothes for men: I’m known for wearing 100% cotton plain black and grey quick drying, anti-microbial round neck tees throughout the year. It’s simple, casual and makes me comfortable. I don’t prefer spending time staring at my wardrobe every morning to select my attire for the day. During events and occasions, I switch to ¾ sleeve sweatshirts and wear the same colours. I pair them with plain blue or black slim fit jeans.

Travel essentials for men: I always carry double the clothing that’s actually required as I change twice a day. For three nights and four days trips, my suitcase would have at least eight t-shirts, three jeans and eight pairs of socks.

I also carry an additional pair of shoes and flip-flops, just in case. I don’t carry any toiletries as four and five-star properties across India and the world provide them by default.

Apart from these, I carry,

L’Oreal Paris Hydra Genius Aloe Water
Himalaya Anti-Hairfall Styling Gel – Normal Hold
First-aid kit
Backup smartphone
Sunglasses

Travel gadgets for men:

International power converter / wall-point
DSLR with three lenses.
Go-Pro
Power-bank
Sim-card converter
Noise cancelling earphones
Waterproof Bluetooth speakers
Neck-pillow with massager
Credit/debit card protector

Pranesh Padmanaban is the founder and CEO of Studio31, a photographer’s paradise. He also owns a chic cafe called 80 degrees East in Chennai. Passion-fuelled professional choices and ‘never say never’ are his go-to mottos. You could approach him from nowhere and strike-up a conversation. Super friendly, passionate, experimental and sincere are the words that could best describe him. All of this apart, he is a top-class mentor and an even better manager. He spews positivity wherever he goes.

Now that you know what it takes to be a regal-looking traveller, why don’t you start whipping up stories of your own?