BootsnAll Travel Community

I'm sure this topic has been discussed ad nauseam, but I'm in the planning/purging stage of my move to the UK, and I wonder...

What do I take? What do I leave behind? Those of you who left one country for a new one, what did you take with you/what do you WISH you'd taken? And at the same time, what did you wish you'd left behind?

So far, my biggest challenge is my library. There's a lot I can easily (well, not easily, but without tears) leave behind, but there are probably 100 books (about half research-related) that I'd REALLY like to take with me. What do you think?

And as far as other home things, what did you take? What did you leave behind?

I went to eastern Europe after college to teach English, but did a little traveling (plus a month-long stay in a different country) before moving to the longer-term location. The UK is also different in my view because it's more expensive.

It's hard for me to think of specifics but in general I'd say - really think hard about what you actually use in your day to day life.

Obviously the difference between moving and traveling is that when you are traveling, you may not want to spend hours tracking down scotch tape or something, but if you're moving somewhere it is different (you may spend time the first time but then you know and don't need to do it again).

If possible, I'd say bring less the first trip and stock up more on a trip home, when you have a clearer picture of what you really can't be without. Maybe see how you cope for a few months without the books? (Just an example - if you know you need them, just bring them)

Good point. I could PROBABLY pick up another stash of books at Christmas or something.

Since I'm going over to teach, I won't really need my assorted research materials at first. Household items will be more important.

So, though, will school items. I've heard that they're not as abundant or cheap over there, and I should bring what I can (teacher crap-wise) from my vast supply here.

Anyhow, thanks for the input. I'll look forward to hearing from more expats about what they brought/left/missed/regretted.

When I first moved to the Middle East (like 8 years ago) I took some clothing, photos, travel souvenirs and shipped my Books Freight. When I moved to Indonesia a few years ago I did the same – pretty much buying what you need overseas is cheaper than shipping it.

Everything else I sold or gave away
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It's easy to get a good books in England. There are some great used book stores in London and you could always order online there too.

Definitely bring some teaching stuff--most of that is cheap in the US and the selection is usually better than elsewhere. Plus, it'll save you time on searching for what you need.

It's ridiculous how attached I am to my books. But I'm working through a grand purge, reminding myself that anything written by a British or post-colonial or European author, I'll be able to find, with little effort, at used book stores if they're out of print. I have a couple of antique books that will come with me, a few out of prints that are specific to my specialization, and a few (this is the sticking point) that I'm just attached to.

But I'm getting rid of everything else. And I think my sister's going to come and take some of my furniture, so that's one less thing to worry about. Yahoo!

Only a few months now...

Clothes. I always, invariably, take too many clothes.

Since you're moving to an English speaking country there should be little need for you to take along books. Books are heavy and luggage weight limits are being reduced everywhere.

Documents. Take all relevant documents, including documents which seem irrelevant. Somebody somewhere is going to ask for some obscure document you never thought you'd need, that you'll find impossible to replace easily overseas. Shot records, high school diploma, birth certificate, marriage certificate, divorce records, medical records, drivers licence, professional certificates, academic records, employment documentation. It's amazing how often one needs to show this stuff to somebody somewhere. And usually they won't accept xerox copies. Originals only.

I've also found that every country no matter what the native language, understands the word 'document'. The world runs on documents. Have yours ready.

Well, I've got all those documents already, except the high school diploma--I don't think I even have it anymore. But I have the other diplomas (university, postgrad), so I feel set there.

Because of my size, I am going to probably need to bring more clothes with me than normal-sized people. But I don't really have a lot of clothes, so that's that.

What about the little things? Every time I go through my house I find another round of little things I 'need': a particularly good spatula, my favorite paper fan, a little gadget I haven't had a chance to use yet.

I'm in the same predicament as you. I'm moving abroad to teach for the next two years and am going through the big purge. I have a major obsessive compulsive addiction to my books as well. Unfortunately, I have no place to keep anything to return and take back on additional trips. I might have to rent storage, which is something I swore I would never do. I always believed if I could put it in storage for an extended time and not use it then I must really not need it!
The moving money given to me by the school would be eaten up immediately with only a fraction of my library.

I'm going to Colombia, which apprently does not have off-the-rack clothing past a size 10. So I'm having to bring a lot of my clothes as well.
All electronics are staying behind except for my computer and camera.

I do have this extreme fear of taking my diaries and then having them lost in my checked luggage. Not that anyone would care what I thought when I was 8, but I still do. Although there are too many of them to all take carry on.

I can still remember things I got rid off when I moved cross country after university. I don't want to repeat those mistakes.

Essential items you don't want to take and don't want to lose (old journals, those few can't-do-without books)...Stella, have you considered leaving a box of worldly goods with a close friend in TX?

I have just begun the really BIG part of my purge, and it was such a hassle, but SO worth it. Giving away furniture makes geting rid of other stuff look easy.

The more I read, the surer I am that what I really NEED to bring are classroom items. Everything else is replaceable. And often cheaper to replace! Thank God.

I've never moved to another country, but I have moved across country and had to downsize my belongings. I sort my things into categories. Must haves, really really want, want but could live without, and give away. The actual must have pile becomes very small, the stuff I could live without I end up giving away. The stuff I really really want is the hardest pile to deal with but it gradually got smaller each time I worked on it. I didn't take any books really. I used to hang onto books for years, decades actually. One day I realized I was hanging onto books I hadn't opened in 20 years. They weren't antiques or collectables, I just had kept them for a very long time! I think pretty much every book I ended up getting rid of was something that I could get at the local library anyway so I decided to part with it. I now only have a few boxes of books and if I was moving away, I might bring 10 or so with me. Anyway, this is my long winded way of saying that I wouldn't bring many books at all.

The funny thing is nearly every expat exchange board post the expats have said the one thing they wish they had brought more of is books. I think when you are going to a foreign speaking countries books are a little more difficult.
I know when I lived in France I was dying for books. I quickly went through the 20 or so I had brought and I was buying a book a week thereafter. And in euro prices that wasn't cheap. My plan is to pack up a few books for the move and then about 5 small boxes of them addressed and ready to ship.

unfortunately here in Texas I don't have any people to leave stuff with for the entire time. My family has said I'm too nomadic to own anything. Plus they are all holding my sister's stuff since she's going to grad school right now (only 7 hours away, but I digress)

So i started the big project over this long weekend. The hardest thing was saying goodbye to my vintage sewing pattern collection. Irreplaceable and most of them from my grandmothers. But I'll survive.
I'm actually getting kinda excited about purging.

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I'm still putting off getting rid of things. But today was the last day of school, and when I closed my classroom door and turned in my keys, my next step became much clearer...and closer. And as I look around my half-furnished, horribly unkempt (?) apartment, I realize that what I really need to do is just sell the damn books. Okay, I have a group of books that are out of print or are bound material from university courses, which are important for my someday doctoral thesis. Then I have another group of antique books (much smaller collection). And about a handful of books I really want to take with me. I could probably just make a list of the research titles and most of the favorite books and sell them with the rest of the mass of literature.

Actually, reading and posting on Bootsnall reminds me how little I really need. I mean, I'm not off to Borneo or Darkest Peru or wherever. I'm going to be an hour outside London. Books (in English, no less!) will be EVERYWHERE. And I could really use the nine extra dollars from these books.

Yes. I'm convinced. I'll sell them. Hurrah!

Now...to get them to the used book store...

I'm in the same boat as you, except I'm moving to Korea in October (not to teach though, but to marry), and I'm just taking my two cats with me, cash and a carry-on. My books have been shipped already.

When coming to Sweden from the US, I actually paid for a moving company. What a *&^%$# waste of money that was! But before that, when I was moving from South Africa to the US, I brought only two pieces of luggage.

This time I'm downsizing even more. Seoul is a civilized place and from what I've seen I can get anything I need over there. And cheaper than in Sweden.