Packing List Moving Abroad: COMPLETE List of What You’ll Need

Overwhelmed with packing for your trip? This post has the basics of creating a packing list for moving abroad, as well as my very own packing list at the end of this post! Let’s get you packed and ready!

Take a deep breath: this packing list for moving abroad will help you make sure you get all the essentials (and maybe a little bit more) together before you go.

When I decided to move to Beijing, my very first thought was: “DO THEY HAVE MY FAVORITE MASCARA IN CHINA?!?” (I was really particular about my mascara back then…not so much now 😂)

I know it’s stupid, and I can laugh at myself now. But long story short: we worry about ANYTHING and EVERYTHING when it comes to moving abroad!

We’re scared of going so far away, only to realize that we forgot something MAJOR!

Reality is, though: almost EVERYTHING you’ll pack is REPLACEABLE. Clothes are. Shoes are. Personal hygiene items are.

Honestly, my BIGGEST advice is to keep it simple. Remember that people have lives in your expat country, too! They need new clothes, hairdryers, and maybe even prefer whitening toothpaste, just like you might!

So DON’T overwhelm yourself; most things are replaceable! Let’s jump right in.

Packing List for Moving Abroad

Here are the essentials (and for my own detailed packing list, hop to the bottom of this post!)

• Documents
• Clothes
• Shoes
• Hygiene/Medicine Items
• Daily-use items
• And some unnecessary (but nice to have!) extras!

1. Passport, Visa, Travel Documents (and copies!)

Maybe this is a given…but just remember: you get nowhere without the passport and visa!

Does your job require you to bring your diploma (or at least a copy)?
Will you need your birth certificate, or is it enough to just bring a copy?

If you’re moving abroad just for a year or two, it may be a good idea to leave your most important documents with family in your home country, and just bring copies with you, though some people prefer to bring everything!

Definitely bring your passport, visas, and any other documents that your job or study abroad will want to see.
Consider leaving your birth certificate, social security card, physical diploma, and other important documents.

Again: you can always bring copies of these important documents! Personally, I think it’s best to leave as much as you can, and let a parent or family member in your home country look after things.

But if you prefer to have this all on your person…suit yourself!

2. Location-Appropriate Clothes

Are you moving to a country or region with very mild winters? Then you probably don’t need to waste suitcase space on a massive down jacket.

Likewise, bringing your rain-boots to a place with fairly low precipitation may leave you with more of a burden than a blessing.

Also, look into the local culture’s dress norms! For example, China tends to be OK with pretty short shorts for ladies, but showing cleavage, collarbones, and shoulders is considered more “edgy”.

Any lower-cut or sleeveless professional shirts/dresses that I had for work in the USA are just a no-go in China, period. So I didn’t waste space on them!

Because I’m a foreigner, I know that locals will accept that I have different standards than they do. Still, it’s not a bad idea to “blend in”, rather than putting an obvious target on your back that you’re from “out of town”.

Research the place that you’re moving to before you take the leap. Don’t pack things that will weigh you down!

A Thought About Packing Clothes:

CLOTHES ARE EASY TO REPLACE!!

I know some people REALLY love their closet and home style, so in that case, maybe they will focus a lot of space on packing clothes.

But personally, I’ve bought TONS of clothes in China which I really love. My style has shifted, and I realize now that I didn’t need so much of the stuff I brought.

So how much clothes you pack really depends on you. But personally, I’d rather save space for other things.

3. GOOD Shoes!

Unless you’re moving to a country which produces high-quality shoes locally, or a country where there are lots of brand names available that you can buy in your home country, BRING YOUR OWN SHOES!

Shoes are one of those things that aren’t as easily replaced as clothes, in my opinion.

I brought sneakers, heels, and boots. In China, it’s hard to find my shoe size (they have much smaller feet on average), so when I visit home, I always buy a few new pairs!

4. Hygiene/Medicine Items That You Need From Home

Again, this section is IMPORTANT but mostly up to your personal taste! Here are a few personal items to consider packing:

Medicines from home

Including allergy, pain relief, stomach relief, and any prescription meds.

Finding effective equivalents in your expat country can be a hit or miss. Personally, there is not a single medicine that I’ve tried in China that’s worked well for me. So I have to STOCK UP when I visit home!

Hard-To-Find Personal Care Items

For example, I’m a curly haired girl living in China, where everyone has straight hair. Buying curl creams here is anywhere from 4-10x MORE expensive than getting them at home, plus it’s hard to find a good brand of stuff.

So, again, I stock up on curl creams when I go home! Larger bottles of liquids CAN be transported, but only in your check-in baggage!

Try to think of any personal care items that could be difficult to get in your expat country, and stock your bag!

5. Daily Use Items

What items do you use on a daily basis? Think about small appliances, like items in your office or bathroom.

Given items include your computer/laptop, backup drives, and other non-replaceable items.

But what about other small household appliances? For example, do you need your SPECIFIC hair dryer, which you’re not sure if your expat country will carry? Then pack it!

What about your pillow? Do you need a really specific pillow for your neck? Bring your own from home!!

Walk through your daily routine at home, and make a note of all of the items you use which you aren’t sure you can replace in your expat country.

6. A Few Touches of Home

I’m a person who’s really into being cozy…so maybe this is just me!

I brought a few mugs (which I wasn’t crazy sentimental about in case they break) with me to China, and I use them almost every day. One was a gift from my mom, and it’s a sweet touch to have in my apartment.

I also brought just a few things, like family photos and such, to make my apartment feel more like me.

As I’ve made friends here, I’ve noticed that the little parts of my culture and home are things which they love to see. So in my opinion, making space for those items in my suitcase was a big win.

Bringing Gifts

I’m a HUGE gift-giver, and another great thing I did was to bring little gifts, like keychains, candies, and other souvenirs from my hometown to share with my new friends.

These kinds of gifts are SO meaningful, especially to other expat friends who understand how much moving abroad and bringing things from home means. So if you have space, I highly recommend bringing a few gifts!

My Personal Packing List for Moving Abroad

If all of those explanations have overwhelmed you more than anything, then here is a no-frills, no explanations packing list that I used when moving abroad!

Documents:

• Passport (visa was glued inside)
• Copies of birth certificate, social security card, and diploma

Clothes & Shoes:

• Jeans (3 pairs)
• Dress pants (1 pair)
• Professional tops (10, I bought more in China)
• Casual tops (10, bought more later)
• Dresses (10 – I love my dresses)
• Underwear & bras- a TON because China doesn’t have the kind I like!
• A light coat (I moved in summer and got a winter coat here later!)
• 3 pairs of dress shoes
• 1 pair of exercise sneakers
• 1 pair of casual sneakers
• 2 pairs of sandals
• 10 pairs of socks
• My comfort sweatshirt
• A cocktail hour type formal dress for a big work or social event

Hygiene & Medicine:

• Hair curl cream for a year
• Makeup for a year 😂 (though I later learned I could find great makeup products in China, too)
• Hairbrush & curl comb
• Ibuprofen, Benadryl, Imodium, Pepto Bismol
• Prescription medications I was taking at the time (I took a year’s supply)
• Toothbrush, toothpaste, and other toiletry items just to get myself started
• Menstrual products (China didn’t widely have tampons or menstrual cups until recent years! Research your country!)

Daily Use & Home Items:

• 2 mugs from home
• Family photos printed out
• A few stuffed animals (I’m a child, I know)
• My favorite tea
• A few holiday decorations
• A few shelf knick knacks from home
• My computer & charger (bring an adapter or buy a new charger in your expat country)
• My phone and charger (bring an adapter or buy a new charger in your expat country)
• A harddrive for computer backups
• 5 books (some of my favorites and a few new ones…they also make for good re-gifts when you’re done!)
• Headphones
• Some bracelets, magnets, and a few coffee books which I gave as gifts to my colleagues/boss at Christmas (I know that’s thinking WAY in advance but that’s just how I am!!)

Things I Considered Packing, but my Expat country Had Them!

These are some things that my over-prepared self WANTED to bring, but was easily able to obtain in my expat country!

• All kitchen utensils and appliances
• Bedding
• Throw blankets, pillows, and other decorative furniture
• Hair dryer, waterpik, and other small bathroom appliances
• Bath towels and hand towels
• Winter coat
• Winter boots
• I moved in summer…so pretty much any winter items I bought after moving! Worked fine for me!

The rule of thumb is: if you need it to live there, odds are that the locals need it too. Therefore, you can buy pretty much everything you need.

The main thing is your documents, computer and personal appliances, and some clothes and things to get you through getting established…and everything else can usually be obtained afterwards.

Summary

Keep the main thing the main thing. It may be a good idea to sort your list into 2 categories:

1. Things I MUST have with me to get to and make it in this country!
2. Things I can LIVE WITHOUT.

Ultimately, as long as you have all of your Category 1 items, the rest is “small potatoes”, as I say.

Keep it simple, don’t overwhelm yourself!

Remember that people everywhere have the same basic needs (and often desires!), so there really isn’t too much (aside from documents, computer, and other personalized items) that can’t be replaced in your expat country!

You’ve got this!

Now that you’ve got a starting point, I’d love to hear from YOU! Is there anything you’d add to this packing list for moving abroad? Let’s talk in the comments!

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