LIST: Things you SHOULDN'T have brought with you

**This list is part of a series of lists that are intended to be a reference point for Americans looking to or preparing to move to the UK. Please add your comments and items to this list, however small you think they might be, because these will hopefully prove to be a very valuable reference point for newbies and others in our situation. Thanks. **

What did you bring to the UK that ended up being useless for you there? What was just a waste of luggage space? What did you bring that should have stayed behind?

Help us narrow down what we should bring and what we shouldn't bring.

**Please note that this topic will be occasionally modified, and off-topic entries will be deleted. In order to keep it more of a LIST, discussions will be removed (if not now, then later when I have time) - or put into a new topic. New topics that I've plucked out of the LIST topics will have a note in their new title indicating that they were a split from another topic.

I wish I wouldn't have brought all my California 'summer' cloths. Sure there is warm and sunny weather in England, but not enought of them to have justified bringin all my summer clothing from CA.  Othere then that I have found some use for most of the stuff I brought over.

Well when I first came over here I brought my hair drier and a converter from radio shack.  After blowing the fuse twice in my dorm and putting the entire second floor in the dark   , I threw away the converter and bought a new (UK) hair drier.  Other than that I don't regret anything I brought over.

There's very little I *did* bring with me, so not too many regrets here.  However, I brought too many inappropriate shoes with me, not realising I actually *would* be walking a heck of a lot here.

Also, some of my clothes for work.  Styles here are just too different to be seen in some of the things I would wear over there.

I wish I wouldn't have brought all my California 'summer' cloths. Sure there is warm and sunny weather in England, but not enought of them to have justified bringin all my summer clothing from CA.  

Totally agree, sweetypea.  I shipped over boxes of clothes that wouldn't fit in my suitcases and ended up paying through the nose for clothes that were utterly useless and took up precious space.  My summer clothes sat unused for four years.  I'm finally getting to wear them again.  Only glad they still fit and they're not rotten from mildew.

Well, now that I'm officially here, I'll add to the list as best I can.

Don't bring: (from personal experience)
1. diary
2. datebook
3. addressbook

For the love of God just have them shipped. It would have saved me a few hours in the Immigration Detention cell if I had just shipped the boogers.

Okay, we just moved in, so I'm still not sure I need every little thing that I brought, but, I do know we had an issue with one big item: the queen size box spring.

We were fortunate to be using movers provided by my husband's company. When our air shipment arrived, with a full size mattress & box spring, the box spring barely went up the stairs of our house (I'm told it's Edwardian). We knew that we would have a problem with the queen size box spring when it arrived with the sea shipment. And yes, indeedy, it would NOT fit up the stairs. Fortunately, the movers also provided a handyman, who dismantled the box spring. Imagine my surprise when I discovered it wasn't actually a box spring, it was basically a padded open crate. Thank goodness it was, the handyman carefully pried it apart, with the fabric & padding intact, folded it up, and carried it up the stairs. He then reassembled it, using screws, as good as new! He told me that if it had been a true box spring, with the actual springs inside, it would have been a different story. He proceeded to tell me horror stories about removing windows so that sofas could be brought inside.

So, my advice is to check out the doorways, stairs, etc. to make sure larger items will fit! Otherwise you might have to have an impromptu sidewalk furniture sale!

Karen

I thought I was really clever buying several bits of Bakers Secret non-stick cookware. Cake pans, cookie sheets, etc.

Yesterday spent all morning preparing a gorgeous fragipane puff pastry tart for our dinner guests last night. My first chance to use my jelly-roll pan (cookie sheet with shallow sides on it).

Got it all beautifully layed out, it was a work of art.

The stinkin' pan would not fit in the oven!  

It was way too long and too wide as well  

Our apartment-size cooker (which I love cause it's convection/fan assisted) is about 2" each way smaller.

You can buy Baker's Secret equivalents over here, so I am all set now. But it was a waste of space.

Lauren

You sound like a great cook, Lauren! I had to leave behind our large baking sheets too. I noticed the smaller size of the oven before we moved in, so I didn't bring anything large. I'm still working out how I'm going to do a turkey in that oven!

Karen

Mar,

   PLEASE explain the whole diary thing  Am confused and a tad worried about that.  I'll have my diary and datebook in my bag with me when I come over.  Why should they be shipped instead?  

Calluna,

Depending on your visa situation and how you are planning on coming over, you may have trouble at immigration.

If you are not coming over on a spouse or fiance visa, immigration officers often will read your diary to find out why you are visiting.  If it mentions anything about hoping to get married while you are here when you told them you were just visiting a 'friend' there might be trouble.

Date books and diaries are one of the things they look at when trying to find out about you if they think you are coming over illegally.  Rather embarassing for most!  

If you are coming over on a visa tho, I wouldn't worry.  It's very simple and they are happy to wave you thru.

Ditto what Wishstar said. I came over on my passport and they thought I was suspicious (didn't have a lot of money, was here for 5 months...) they were afraid I was going to try to just stay in England and settle illegally. So they read through absolutely everything I had on me, including my diary, and made copies. But like Wish said, it's a whole different ball of wax if you've got a visa in hand.

My CD player (small boom box), it fried on the converter after 2 weeks.  
Agree on some of the baking sheets.  If you have a London size oven forget about it.
Too many clothes (downsize, unless you will have huge wardrobes or plenty of storage space)

Any clothes you promise yourself you'll wear again (i.e., fit into again, repair etc....) -- really stick to the rule - if you've not worn it in the past year, don't bring it.

x

Well, now that I'm officially here, I'll add to the list as best I can.

Don't bring: (from personal experience)
1. diary
2. datebook
3. addressbook

For the love of God just have them shipped. It would have saved me a few hours in the Immigration Detention cell if I had just shipped the boogers.

This happened to me too... my jaw dropped in shock when i saw this post!  Guess i thought i was the only one.