What should I
take overseas with me?
What should I leave
at home?
Should I mail stuff to myself?
Take only what you really really (really!) must.
Humping heavy stuff around the world is no fun at all.
Especially, as it seems you will only arrive on very hot
and steamy days - or in the middle of an ice storm -
neither of which is a lot of fun for "humping" stuff
around!
Medicine
Okay, I'm an older guy - so I always think about what
medicine I need that I can't find over there. Ask on
ELT World and
TESALL discussion boards. Generally speaking though
- most medicines are much cheaper overseas - so don't
bother to stockpile. Unless the medicine you need/want
is unusual or very new - it will most likely be easy to
find where you are going.
What is Critical?
Anything critical for maintaining your health - bring it
with you.
Other Stuff
Bring only the basics in clothing - you'll find you can
get by with far less than you are used to. Bring a few
special photos of family and friends.
Teaching Stuff
Bring one or two reference books. Books are heavy and
bulky - but they are often quite expensive overseas and
sometimes hard to come by. But. . . with the Internet -
you don't need them quite as much. You can look up
almost everything online. And, even the most remote
villages nowadays have Internet access (okay, an
exaggeration!). But the Internet is available almost
everywhere now.
To
Bring a Computer or Not
Lots of people use moving as an excuse to pick up a nice
notebook computer. To me, just something to worry about
having stolen. A cheap desktop where you are moving
will cost you (usually) about half what your notebook
will cost. But, prices can vary a lot - so ask on the
discussion boards. And, often, pirated software (I'm
NOT advocating this) is loaded onto these desktops for
free or a tiny fraction of what you would pay at home
for the same stuff.
Get
a big memory stick or portable external hard drive - load all your essential stuff on it
- and bring that instead. It's a whole lot less
trouble!
Mailing Stuff
Not
recommended. Things get lost, things don't arrive. If
you really need it - put it in your suitcase. If
it is critical - carry it onboard with you.
