Packing for university can be overwhelming, especially if you are studying overseas. Here are our top tips for packing when moving to the UK for university.
Pack half (or less) of your belongings
As tempting as it might be to pack everything you own, don’t! It makes sense to pack for each season. So, if you have a September start, pack your autumn and winter wear. If you have a January start, it will be worth packing some winter clothes as well as spring wear. That way, when you go home over Easter, summer or Christmas, you can take your clothing with you and have a wardrobe swap to more relevant clothing.
Buy all the big household items when you’re here
It may be a bit of an inconvenience, but buying things such as household items and furniture (if necessary) once you’re here will work out better. Firstly, you won’t have the hassle of having to ship things over or carry them in your luggage when travelling to the UK and it will save you much more space for other important items. Secondly, anything you do buy that you don’t need to take home with you, you can sell on a student forum or by using a platform such as eBay or Depop. But be sure to upload these items online a few months before you need to move back home, as this gives you time to sell them.
Electronics
When coming to study in the UK, you will need some electrical items such as a laptop or tablet to work from, headphones when at the library, possibly a camera if your course requires one, and the accessories that come with it, such as chargers, USB sticks, memory cards, etc.
So bring these essentials along with you, but some of the electronics you won’t need will be things like a TV, microwave, toaster, kettle, etc. These things will most likely be provided for you when moving into halls, student accommodation or a shared student house.
Essentials
When travelling to the UK, you’ll need some essentials in your hand luggage such as a pen, your passport, important documentation and any valuables you may have such as your phone, cash and other items that you don’t want out of sight.
You will also need a luggage tag to put onto each of your suitcases, so make sure these are filled out with accurate information and be sure to have one for each address, such as luggage tags for your UK address when travelling from home and for your home address when you’re travelling from university. This is a safe option, just in case your luggage gets lost or somebody picks up the wrong suitcase. These can then easily be identified and be redirected to your address.
Remember…
You will most likely end up with more things than you brought with you, so keep this in mind when moving back home. You may want to either book extra luggage space or send some items that you won’t need urgently via a parcel (excluding valuable items).
Hopefully these tips have helped you have a better understanding on what to pack when moving overseas to university.
