So finally your dreams realized you got the coveted UK visa. Next what, you need to pack up your stuff and get going. You can’t wait to board your flight and reach your destination. But wait, what will you take with yourself? What to pack what not to pack?
Well worry not here’s your checklist. I have tried to compile the list of things which might be helpful to you. This list mainly aims to give you a general idea on which you may build on. The assumption which I have made here is that you are mainly visiting UK for work and your interest is making maximum money while you stay. Also, the point of view here is you are going to a foreign land and want minimum hassles when you land.
1) 5 trousers
2) 5 Shirt
3) 5 Ties
4) One suit (white shirt with classic stripped tie) preferably a dark colored, if you are to appear for interview this would surely make an impression.
3) Underwear’s
4) Vests
5) jacket- This jacket should be good one, not one from dharavi the classic leather jacket they will help you here. The weather prevalently here is cold.
6) Two pair of clothes you need for travelling about the country, you could include two jeans here. Jeans are better in this part of the world I need not explain that. One thing to bear in mind is you will need to have shirt and trousers of full length.
7) Pair of woolen gloves,
8) One head gear (woolen) should be able to cover your ears
9) One pair of thermal wear
10) A shade
11) 7 hand kerchiefs
12) Umbrella
13) Watch
14) Torch (small one would do)
15) Shaving kit (foam/gel, razor, blades)
16) Tooth paste, 3 tooth brushes, tongue cleaner, mouth wash
17) Shampoo, hair conditioner
18) Medicine box( stuff for could and cough, here the pharmacy will not give you anything without doctors prescription, better carry your regular stuff like Crocin, cough syrup, Band-Aid strips, pain relievers etc)
19) Needles, thread, buttons (obviously all matching the clothes you are carrying)
20) Cold cream
21) Hair gel / a bottle of hair oil (if you use)
22) A note pad
23) Few ball pens (optionally at least one of each color, blue, green, black, red with refills)
24) Deo, a bottle of scent, Bathing soap preferably DOVE (it contains cream, you don’t want skin to be left white after bath)
Now, you must be wondering the items 16 to 24 are trivial and you can get them easily in UK. I agree they are trivial and you will also get them easily except item 14. But they come at a price remember you will have just landed in UK and you will need to save maximum right now till you have got your first salary. Believe me I have analyzed prices of all these items. At the time I was writing this article what I could see cheapest was toilet tissues. You get 6 rolls of them just for 15 pence. Say you will buy dove hair conditioner in UK it costs around 2 pounds here and the same brand costs 69 INR in India. Are you willing to pay more than double, your choice? Same is true for all other item. I am referring to price from cheapest stores mind you. Ahh! There will be another blog on where to buy things from in UK.
25) A pressure cooker at least 1.5 liter
26) A plate or thali (you can carry plastic ones, remember you want keep light)
27) Two bowls, 2 spoons & 2 forks
28) A glass for drinking water
29) Cooking pan
30) A knife, potato peeler
Remember all the cooking items need to be flat bottom, why? Tell you in a minute. You will say why carry articles 23 to 28 well if you live as paying guest you might not need them. In case you land up in shared house or studio you might be expected to have them. Then at that time you will have to run for these basic items. Once you have these basic things you might think of adding up later. You might think how to find accommodation don’t worry I will give you some places where to start in another blog. Well to be frank you can get other items required for cooking cheap again details in another blog later.
31) Digital camera
32) Laptop
33) Rechargeable batteries
34) Laptop charger
35) Universal plug (DONT 4GET TIS 1, U can buy this from eBay if you don’t find in local stores in your area. I have faced lot of trouble not carrying one with me. I could not work on my laptop for 15-20 days till I located a charger on eBay.)
36) Some snaps of near and dear (it helps when you are alone)
37) Cell phone and charger (In case you don’t want to buy a cell phone on contract here, what is this? right guess on some other blog)
In case you are interested you can carry some food articles because the day you land you will need something to eat. At least some snacks.
38) Guajarati Thepla (they remain good till 2 full days)
39) Khakhra
40) Papad
41) A Kg Rice (the rice here is growing more costly as India and other Asian countries have stopped exporting rice)
42) Garam masala, saffron,
43) Some pulses
44) Pickles (it should be packed in air tight seal, in case they spill could spoil other articles)
The articles 37 to 43 are really optional but you should carry some snacks for immediate consumption.
Ouch…Quite a list yes it is. Now you are smart packer but just a suggestion pack items 1 to 14, 25 to 30 and 38 to 44 should go in check in luggage. The items 15 to 24 and 31 to 37 to go in hand baggage.
Along with these articles try to keep your air ticket, foreign exchange (cash and travelers cheque), passport handy and readily available. Also the documents like your visa, work permit should be kept handy so that you can get them without hassles in case any authority wants to see them. Also carry your previous 6 months bank statement you will need them to open bank account in UK.
I hope you have booked your tickets if not try to get direct flight as far as possible as this would reduce the risk of loss of luggage in transit. Also, early booking might help you to get cheaper flight. When I had come I spend days comparing prices from various airlines (Jet Airways, British Airlines, Virgin Airlines). My observation was that Jet Airways get costlier as it approaches the flight date so book early if you want cheap deal. British Airways and Virgin go neck in neck. I finally settled for British as it was cheaper in comparison to Jet. I would have loved to fly by Jet simply as it was INDIAN carrier. May be, better luck next time.
Yes let me take this opportunity to let you know some more info, this will be a broader topic on some other blog. But I think a brief will definitely be help full here. In case you need to travel after you landed from flight by bus try to get a flight which will land during the day time, it’s helpful to land in day light. In case you are travelling during summer there is good light till 8 in night. However in winter it starts getting dark here at around 4 pm.
Ok, in case you need to travel to some far location, have look at the time table of buses available at http://www.nationalexpress.com. The buses are available from Heathrow terminal just outside terminal 1 & 2. In case you can get an e-ticket booked by your friend or someone in UK nothing like it. In case you don’t get it worry not they are easily available at the ticket counters so don’t worry.
Here’s wishing you happy and safe journey. And yes more blogs on whatever I have promised in the above one are on the way.
P.S. this blog is dedicated to all people who do not have where to start from in case they are travelling abroad. Someone close to me did face this situation.
And in case you are married, don’t forget to pack your wife with you, most important asset while you are here in UK. UK is very romantic place and I bet she will enjoy it.