When you’re coming to school in the UK it can be a struggle to know what to pack. If you have lots of luggage it may not fit in the taxi when you land in the UK! Plan your packing and DON’T PANIC PACK! Please see a few tips below to help you whilst you are packing!

Clothes

Don’t pack all of your clothes, because you won’t need them. Also, you will need room in your case for other things. Be very selective. The important thing to remember is that the weather in the UK can be very changeable. One minute it can be cold and the next minute it can be hot. Pack a variety clothes for different seasons and temperatures. It’s useful to have things that you can layer up such as scarfs, cardigans and hoodies.

Make sure you pack some different shoes, such as trainers for sports at school, school shoes to wear during the day, shoes for when it’s cold, shoes for when it’s hot and some nice shoes so you can wear them if you go out for dinner with friends. Remember, you don’t need to over pack, if you forget anything the UK has some great clothes shops!

Gadgets

You don’t need to bring all of your gadgets with you. Some schools don’t allow students to bring lots of technology e.g. Xbox, iPad, Play Station etc. Check with school what you are allowed to bring. Many boarding houses will have shared gaming equipment that you can use with your new friends. Another thing to remember is that gadgets tend to weigh lots, and you don’t want to pay lots of money if your baggage is too heavy. If your school allows you to bring a laptop, it is a good idea to install Skype and make sure that your family have it installed too. Skype is a cheap and convenient way to speak to your friends and family whilst you are at school.  If you are bringing expensive gadgets, it would be wise to insure them again damage or theft.  For advice, contact Study Links.

Medicine

Though you may be tempted to pack lots of medicine, we strongly advise that you only bring the medicines that you genuinely and urgently need. Read our blog post on bringing medicine to the UK.

Money

Some students pack lots of money with them so that they have enough to last them for the year. Please don’t bring lots of cash with you. It may go missing, be stolen or misplaced. Lots of schools have pocket money accounts for you to keep your money safe. Also there are travel cards where you can keep your money (much like a debit card).  If preferred, Study Links offer a pocket money service to help keep you money secure, and ensure you receive it regularly. Contact us for more information.

Food

Check the immigration and customs regulations before you bring food into the UK.  Meat, dairy-based and plants/seeds are not usually allowed into the UK.  This is to avoid contaminating the domestic nature.  British customs officers are very strict, and depending on the items you bring, you may be fined, and or prosecuted. If you are concerned about getting food from your country, there are many shops in cities that sell food from different countries. It will be fairly easy for you to buy food from your home countries in the UK.

Sim Card

If you bring a phone from home it would be a good idea to get a UK Sim Card when you arrive. This is for safety reasons, as sometimes SIM cards from other countries are un-contactable from UK lines. Alternatively, you could buy an international SIM card so people from around the world can get in touch with you. Networks such as Lebara sell international Sim cards. Don’t forget to let Study Links know what your new mobile number is! Make sure that you have the Study Links numbers saved in your phone too so that you can always contact us. If you would like Study Links to purchase a sim card for you, just ask!

Rebecca Duggan, Marketing Manager at Study Links