This is a good list of items if you are planning to live abroad for 1-3 years, in my opinion. Obviously it's geared towards living in the UK, but would be relevant to most foreign countries. It's still fairly early, but I've been here about two months now, and have decided that thus far these are the things I can't live without. I am curious to see how it changes over the coming months. Many of these things were gifts, so if you're one of the gift-givers, you rock.
In first place is: my cell phone. I use it to Whatsapp, Skype, Groupme, and text my family and friends. I use it for Spotify (because mah fave girl Gagan added me to Spotify Premium for Family, I can listen to songs without Wi-Fi when I go running which is super sweet - Gagan you're the best I love you!). I also use my phone for budgeting! This year is a voluntary year of service so I don't make very much but it's definitely enough for a responsible frugal lady to live on.
Enter my Budget App! It allows me to track my Monthly Stipend and my Food Stipend and see how I'm doing. I keep track of EVERYTHING I spend on here and it's pretty awesome. I also use the weather app, the Notepad, and Google Photos on a daily basis. A good cell phone is a necessity for life abroad. That probably sounds terrible to the old hippie PCVs who lived in The Gambia pre-internet and wrote letters that took like ten months to send home, but let's be real, that ain't me. Or most of you. And it's not realistic for someone who is in a long-distance relationship and has a cat. I had an ancient iPhone 4 (gifted to me by the wonderful Jamison) until basically when I left and getting a new functioning phone was a very good idea for keeping in touch with people back home.
Next: is my laptop. Great story: I hate spending money on electronics, so after getting aforementioned new cell phone, I was like cool, no more new electronics. But then two days before I was supposed to leave, my laptop stopped connecting to the internet for no reason. It's four years old and has been abused and loved very much in that time, so I made the rash decision (after asking my dad and Shantonu like five times each if they thought it was a good idea) to get a new laptop that same day because I didn't want to lug my heavy, not-working laptop overseas with me. This one is a super simple, lightweight, no hard drive memory Lenovo and so far I love it. I also bought it on the last day I was seeing Shantonu before I left so I up and dragged him (more like he dragged me, let's be real) to Best Buy during our final few hours of spending time together for the next 3.5 months. I am very lucky to have a patient and wonderful boyfriend. This laptop case was a gift from Shantonu and it's super important for protecting and keeping my laptop in good shape! Also very cute. I'd recommend updating your electronics before departure. It's a lot cheaper in the States than abroad.
Converter: Shantonu got this for me. It's amazing. USB ports, plug ports, and it's usable in Europe, the UK, Canada, and Australia. I use it every day.
USB: Great for backing up documents (that don't fit on my laptop's hard drive) and taking things to print.
Headphones: For Skyping and listening to music. Multiple pairs.
Water bottle/thermos: I do not know how I'd live without this thermos. It was a gift from Mrs. Diane and if she hadn't given it to me, I would have had to buy one (cheaper and less nice, probably). But this one is perfect - it keeps the water super hot for a long time. When I had the flu I'd fill it up and it would still be HOT in the morning for me to drink when I woke up. I drink tons of warm water throughout the day too so it comes with me everywhere. This baby water bottle was another gift from Shantonu and I love it. The normal-sized Nalgenes annoy me because they're cumbersome so this little guy fits perfectly in my travel backpack. I accidentally bought myself an oversized Nalgene right before I left off Amazon which would only be useful if I was living somewhere without potable water. I'd recommend a smaller one if you are traveling/living in a country where there is ready access to potable water in bathroom sinks/restaurants.
Kindle: My parents got me a kindle for my 20th birthday and at the time I only used it for a few school books and some random other reads. Years went by and I even considered it selling it since I used it so infrequently and preferred real books, but something held me back. Then I discovered this past summer that you can rent library books on a Kindle and my whole world changed. I set it up prior to departing for England and it was the best thing I could have done! I had a ready supply of literature (from the Baltimore County Public Library, mind you) through every phase of my journey - Orientation in Chicago, first few days in-country, Orientation in-country, and even now that I'm more settled (and have a library card for the York library!). I'm currently rereading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and reading for the first time the 3rd book in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series on my Kindle. It's helped me discover new books that I wouldn't see on the shelves and it's obviously portable and compact. I still read real books and I've already gone to the library and checked out a bunch of books, but both have a place in my life now. If you read at all and are planning to move overseas, get yourself a Kindle and rejoice.
Hand-Warmers: My dad was the best and went out and got me ten sets of disposable hand-warmers right before I left. When I get my period, I need to have something hot to soothe my cramps and I didn't want to bring my microwaveable rice sock (Shantonu's mom came up with this and it's the best idea ever - dry rice in a sock and you can microwave it and use it like a hot water bottle) because I didn't know if there'd be a microwave. So I had this brainwave that hand-warmers might work, and these came to my rescue when I was at Orientation and thought I might die from cramp pain. I lauded myself heartily for that one. It's a good back-up to a hot water bottle (which I now have, because my roommate had an extra one). They are great if you know you'll be traveling and need hot things for body aches.
Lotion/Toiletries: My skin is terrible so I wanted to bring this awesome lotion from home. It was worth the suitcase space. I said I wouldn't talk about things used on a daily basis, but I would recommend bringing a supply of the basic heath-related things that you need for about a month - things like deodorant, ibuprofen, tissues, hand sanitizer. Everyone says, oh you can get that there! Which is all well and good, unless you're like two days in-country and desperately need something and you don't know your way downstairs yet, much less to the nearest pharmacy. I was really glad I brought a basic supply of some toiletries to get me through the first month and I was sorry I hadn't brought more cold medicine, Airborne, shampoo, and conditioner. All were sorely missed and scrambled for at some point or another. If you feel comfortable, I'd also recommend investing in Diva Cup which is fantastic for travelling and also just life and takes away the urgency of having a ton of tampons/pads in your possession.
Travel Backpack/Bags: You don't need a thousand bags but you do need a good day-trip backpack and an overnighting backpack. You also need a handbag that is secure. And a reusable shopping bag is always useful too.
Umbrella: Always bring a cute umbrella to England, you will need it! This is a Cath Kidston gem from Basma didi that fits in my little travel bag and doesn't weigh very much.
Duct Tape: It's just useful. Nobody needs to explain why. It's duct tape.
Notebooks: I brought a work/life notebook and a journal, both of which I use all the time. I wish I'd brought more notebooks because I got some amazing ones as gifts, but I didn't have room in my suitcase. (Minions are the best! Yet another Shantonu gift because he spoils me. Yes he basically did outfit me to live abroad because he's amazing, generous, handsome, and also knows what he's doing.)
Hillbilly Back Scratcher: I needed this so bad, I asked my dad to send it with my cousin Erin, who came to London, and then I brought it back from London to York. This is my Hillbilly Back Scratcher that I use at least once per day. The month without it was horrible! Basically, if you have a creature comfort in the USA, you're still going to need it when you move abroad. Lesson learned. I like my back not to be itchy.
Cards/Family Photos: I brought some cards when I came (but actually got sent this set by my godparents as a birthday present) and that was smart - it's fun to send mail home and you need to write thank-you notes, and before you know where to go for cheap cards, it's nice to have some on-hand. I brought a few photos but not enough, so my dad also sent via my cousin some more photos. Don't underestimate wanting to decorate your space, because it's a whole year of living away and it's nice to feel like your home is your own.
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