Expat Packing List

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William and I are in a unique situation when it comes to moving abroad and coming up with our expat packing list.

Many students studying abroad are only there for a semester or two. It is a lot easier to leave things behind if you are only going for 6 months. And if you can find furnished housing through the university, even better. No need to squeeze in kitchen tools!

William is going to school for a much longer term, and there is no on campus housing. In fact we receive very little help from the school. Which is to be expected from a school that has a student population of about 100. My Intro to Psychology course had more people in it.

And those who are moving abroad for work have it really good, as all the guidebooks we read never fail to remind us. They have their companies setting up their apartments and paying to ship everything. We’re talking people bringing beds, couches, and pianos from America to Europe.

It must be nice to work for a wealthy company. We have none of that support and it would cost us $500 to ship a 50 pound box of stuff. No pianos coming with.

Instead, we can only take what we can carry with on the plane. For $170, we are getting an extra checked bag each, giving us a total of 4 50-pound bags, 2 12-pound carry-ons, 2 personal items, a computer bag, and possibly an umbrella.

It has been difficult whittling down all our possessions. Who knew that two 20-somethings could have already accumulated so much stuff!

Our Expat Packing List

Clothing:

Our goal here was to only bring clothes in good shape that we felt good in. We will likely be buying more clothing there, but this will get us started. We donated soooo much clothing in preparation for this move!

Chloe:
5 T-Shirts
5 Long Sleeve Shirt
3 Layering Sweaters
3 Layering Tanks
1 Sweatshirt
6 Bottoms (shorts, skirts, pants)
5 Dresses
1 Pair Leggings
1 Pair Pajama Pants
13 Pair Underwear
6 Bras
7 Pair Everyday Socks
2 Pair Winter Socks
1 Swimsuit
Workout Tank and Yoga Pants
5 Fashion Scarves/Shawls
1 Fall Coat
Winter Scarf, Hat, Gloves, Mittens, and Coat
6 Pairs Shoes (Boots, Sandles, Heels, Walking Shoes)
(I don’t know why I am bringing so many shoes…it just happened)
Climbing Shoes and Harness
Jewelry – 3 necklaces, 4 bracelets, 1 pair earrings
2 Purses

William:
5 T-Shirts
8 Long Sleeve Shirts
1 Sweater Vest
4 Undershirts
4 Pair Pants (Shorts and Long pants)
1 Sweatshirt
1 Set Pajamas
7 Boxer Briefs
1 Pair Long Underwear
5 Pair Everyday Socks
3 Pair Winter Socks
2 Ties
1 Belt
1 Swim Suit
1 Rain Coat
Winter Scarf, Hat, Mittens, Coat
Rain Suit
3 Pairs Shoes (Sandals, Dress Shoes, Workout Shoes)
Climbing Shoes, Harness, and Belay Tool
.
.
.
.
.

Books and Games:

Books are really heavy, but we couldn’t just leave our favorites behind. We tried to narrow it down to just the stuff we would need. We are also having William’s mom bring over a suitcase of stuff in November, and that is mostly books.

Pocket Reference
9 German Language Books (Dictionaries, Grammar Books, etc.)
5 Rick Steves’ and Other Guides (Europe and Germany)
7 Cookbooks
4 Religious Books (Bibles, Missals, Theology, etc.)
6 Hobby Books (Motorcyling and Rock Climbing)
10 Health Books (related both to my work and to my health)
3 Jewelry Books
1 Relationship Book
4 Games (including a deck of cards)
Address Book
Kindle
A to Z Essential Oil Guides

Kitchen Tools:

We mostly just packed a few necessities, focusing on lighter stuff. We will have to repopulate most of the kitchen when we get there, but it will be nice to have a start with things we already own.

2 Mugs
Thermos
2 Spoons
4 Forks
2 Table Knives
5 Knives and Knife Hone
Cutting Board
Measuring Cup and Spoon Set
4 Cup Measure
Kitchen scale
Cast Iron Pan (If you have one you like and have the weight…)
Thermometer
Rubber Spatula
Metal Spatula
Tea ball/spoon
Vegetable peeler
Microplane
Egg beater
2 Place Mats
2 Dish Towels
1 Dish Cloth
Beeswrap
Nut milk bag
Fermentation cap
Salt and Pepper Grinders
Salt and Kelp Shaker
Vanilla Beans

Home, Office, and Memorabilia:

One of the most important parts for coping with a move is making your new place feel like home.

Useful:
2 Blankets
2 Bath Towels
2 Wash Cloth
1 Hand Towel
Laptop and Charger
The Guts of Will’s Computer
(to be built into a whole computer again when we get there)
Phone
MP3 Player
Device Charger
Europe Electric Converter
UK Electric Converter
Graphing Calculator
Pens, Pencils, and Highlighters
Weekly Whiteboard and Marker
Calendar
Planner
Staples and Stapler
Leatherman
Keychain
Wall Hooks
Clock
Envelopes
Reference Card
Padlock and Extra Key

Personal:
5 Journals
Christmas items: 5 Christmas Ornaments, 2 Christmas Stocking, Nativity Scene
Religious items: 4 Rosaries, Crucifix, Prayer Cards and Mary Icon, Protective Symbol
Dream Catcher
Dice
Jewelry Bowl
Blog Papers
Orange Glasses
Reading Glasses
Tripod
Yoga for Fertility DVD
7 Married People Things
3 Relationship Trinkets
3 Pictures and Frames, plus a few loose photos
2 Other Trinkets
Mr. Happy Puppet
.
.
.
.
.
.

 

 

Toiletries:

I make a lot of my own personal care products and I use a lot of cloth products in lieu of disposables. I made up batches of everything before we left. One less thing to worry about when we get there.

Hair binders
Travel Toiletry Kit
Comb
5 Supplement and OTC Medication Bottles
2 Toothbrushes
Toothpaste
Retainer
3 Bars Soap
Face Wash
Facial Toner
Skin Healing Serum
Make Up and Bag
Razor, Blades, Shaving Soap, Brush, and Cup
2 Jars Coconut Oil
Lotion
Burn Spray
Correct X (an essential oil healing ointment)
Deep Blue Rub (an essential oil pain relieving lotion
Fractionated Coconut Oil
Essential Oils, Sample Bottles, and Cap Stickers
Zinc Oxide (to make sunscreen)
2 Bottles Sunscreen
Q-Tips
Band Aids
3 Cotton Rounds
Magnesium Spray
Glasses Cleaner
2 Handkerchiefs
Sckoon Cup
4 Cloth Pads
Pregnancy test (Just in case…so I don’t have to find one in Germany if I need one)
Fertility Charts (aka family planning method of choice)

Other:
383€ cash
Passports and extra photos
Marriage and birth certificates
Medical Records
Bank Records
3 Tins Sardines, Cookies, and Other Plane Food

More books and the photo albums from our wedding on honeymoon are being brought over in November. We will be purchasing a lot more once we get there, primarily more clothing, kitchen equipment, and bedding on top of furniture. But we want to maintain a generally minimalist lifestyle. We don’t need very many things and we don’t have a lot of money, so we will do our best to make do with what we have. That is certainly one benefit to moving long term with no support: it helps you determine what of your ridiculous quantity of possessions you actually need.

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