Yi-Hsin Chen (Taiwan)

I am Yi-Hsin Chen from Taiwan studying MSc Events Management. I found packing my luggage to come to Bournemouth a challenge, given that I had never studied or travelled to the UK. There are a few things I would like to share about what you should pack for your trip abroad.

Don’t bother bringing food, Bournemouth has it all!

People always worry about the food customs in a different country, so many students fill their luggage with their home country snacks or food. However, nowadays with the convenience of global delivery, the UK also supply some Taiwanese snacks. You can also find food from your country in the local supermarket. I would suggest  searching the stores in your neighbourhood, you will find that here are many different types of foods you can buy. I would suggest bringing your favourite sauce that you can only buy in your country or a food that you know you will not be able to find in the UK. However I would recommend as you are living in a different culture, why not give the local food a try? Especially the crisps, they are amazing in the UK.

The kitchen supply dilemma

Some people bought their own equipment such as rice cooker, hair dryer and kettle. I won’t say it is a bad idea, but the difference in voltage could easily break your equipment. Unless your equipment is hard to find in the UK or extremely expensive here, I think it is quite easy to find similar equipment in shops like ASDA, Lidl or Wilko. Another simple trick is to join a group of people from your country and you will find that every year people are trying to sell their second-hand stuff at a pretty low price, so you can ask them to store the item until you arrive.

Don’t forget to bring warm clothes as well

Clothing is another major problem for international students. It is hard to dictate what you should bring for wearing in a place you have never been before. It is easier to buy suitable clothing in the place you are going to live. The local stores definitely sell the right clothes for the local weather. So just bring some clothes for September.  The summer in Bournemouth is very hot so bring some summer clothes too and maybe several jackets for the winter. However don’t worry you will be able to get all your clothes in the town. However, do bring at least one nice suit or dress, as this kind of formal clothing isn’t easy to find.

Yi-Hsin Chen, Taiwan, MSc Events Management 2017/18