The One Thing Richard Branson Surprisingly Can’t Travel Without

By Jason Fell May 12, 2014

When traveling for work or for pleasure, what’s the one item you can’t go anywhere without? A good book? Your smartphone or tablet? A pet? Your toothbrush?

One entrepreneur who’s always on the move is billionaire Richard Branson. For the founder of the Virgin Group empire, one might think his must-have travel item would be some high-tech gadget to keep his busy schedule in check or to help manage his multitude of projects. Nope. Branson’s go-to travel item is very analog.

A notebook.

“I like to record conversations, and I like to capture the wonderful life I lead,” Branson says in a recent video from FreeEnterprise.com, a site produced by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Related: Richard Branson on Developing a Vision for Your Company

“If I’m having meetings with people and they’re not taking notes, I know they’re not going to remember what we discussed,” Branson continues. “So, at least one of us in the room will remember what’s been discussed.”


I don’t know about you, but if I was in a room with or sitting on a plane next to Richard Branson, I’d remember every word that man says. Something tells me I’m not the only one.

What’s the one item you cannot travel without? Let us know in the comments below.

Related: Richard Branson on Constructing the Perfect Pitch

When traveling for work or for pleasure, what’s the one item you can’t go anywhere without? A good book? Your smartphone or tablet? A pet? Your toothbrush?

One entrepreneur who’s always on the move is billionaire Richard Branson. For the founder of the Virgin Group empire, one might think his must-have travel item would be some high-tech gadget to keep his busy schedule in check or to help manage his multitude of projects. Nope. Branson’s go-to travel item is very analog.

A notebook.

“I like to record conversations, and I like to capture the wonderful life I lead,” Branson says in a recent video from FreeEnterprise.com, a site produced by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Related: Richard Branson on Developing a Vision for Your Company

“If I’m having meetings with people and they’re not taking notes, I know they’re not going to remember what we discussed,” Branson continues. “So, at least one of us in the room will remember what’s been discussed.”


I don’t know about you, but if I was in a room with or sitting on a plane next to Richard Branson, I’d remember every word that man says. Something tells me I’m not the only one.

What’s the one item you cannot travel without? Let us know in the comments below.

Related: Richard Branson on Constructing the Perfect Pitch

The rest of this article is locked.

Join Entrepreneur+ today for access.

Subscribe Now

Already have an account? Sign In

Jason Fell

VP, Native Content at Entrepreneur
Entrepreneur Staff
Jason Fell is the VP of Native Content, managing the Entrepreneur Partner Studio, which creates dynamic and compelling content for our partners. He previously served as Entrepreneur.com's managing editor and as the technology editor prior to that.

Related Content