<p>I'm a 21 year old girl from the west coast who will be spending next fall in London. I don't deal with a lot of rain where I live, and the weather is pretty mild in winter so it'll be a pretty big change when I leave. I do enjoy going out to see the nightlife and I plan on doing a lot of weekend trips to other countries. I'm just looking for some suggestions of things to pack based off of other people's experiences. </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Passport and credit card. Light but rainproof clothes. That’s it.</p>
<p>peanut butter</p>
<p>Layers. Lots of layers, some shoes that can cope with rain and puddles. An umbrella. A coat that will keep the rain off and keep you warm. Gloves and scarf. I’ve seen international students arrive in September and stand there shivering in weather that I regard as being quite mild and not requiring a coat, because they have neither brought a coat nor become acclimatised to the weather! They look quite traumatised when I tell them it’s only going to get colder and it might snow… </p>
<p>Going out clothes </p>
<p>Driving licence - you don’t want to be taking your passport with you everywhere, just in case people decide to go to the pub after uni. A driving licence will fit nicely into your purse. I’m 22 and still being IDd regularly, so don’t think you won’t be either. </p>
<p>Insurance </p>
<p>Laptop</p>
<p>Adapters and voltage thingys - remember that the UK is on 240V power, which is ~double what the US uses, so if you plug anything in without dealing with the voltage, you’ll fry it </p>
<p>Mobile phone that’s unlocked, so you can put a local SIM in </p>
<p>If you’re really attached to a particular brand of make-up, enough of that to see you through. Ditto medication - you may find that a particular brand isn’t available here, or that its formulation is different, so if you have something where only one brand works, bring enough of that. Be prepared to look for generic things under different names e.g. Tylenol = paracetamol. </p>
<p>Find out whether or not there will be bedding in your accommodation when you arrive. Chances are that the answer will be “no”, so find out whether it’s possible to buy a bedding pack from your uni that will be available when you arrive, else you’ll be faced with a bare mattress. Consider taking a sleeping bag to use until you can get to the shops (Primark is a cheap and cheerful supplier of bedding and clothes). </p>
<p>Bit baffled by the comment regarding peanut butter though - it’s very widely available in the UK. That said, if there’s any food you will particularly miss, do take that - when I worked abroad I took marmite and teabags! </p>
<p>Finally, remember that anything that you do forget can be bought after you’ve arrived, so don’t worry too much. For instance, if you’re self catered then chances are there will be no cooking utensils provided, so you’ll have to buy your own, but there’s no point hauling your kitchen over from the US - Wilkinson’s will be able to fit you out quite effectively for a very reasonable price. </p>