England Packing List: What To Bring To England To Make The Move Easier

Moving to England and wondering what to pack? Or more specifically, you want to know the items Americans wished they stocked up on when they moved to England?  If yes, then this England packing list is for you.

Although most American things you can find substitutes for in the UK, having the comforts of home the first 3-6 months makes the transition from American life to British life a whole lot easier.

Some American things you can buy online at a premium, some you can simply learn to live without, and some are just flat out hard to replace. I’m not referring to furniture, wedding china, the old recliner or your favorite pair of jeans. Those things you can easily sort out on your own. Just make sure to get dimensions of your new home and stage furniture placement so you know what will fit before you schlepp it across the Atlantic. 😂

This England packing list includes all the other stuff that no one tells you about – certainly not your movers.

They are the everyday life things that you never realize how important they are until you no longer have access to them. Even upon unpacking our kitchen boxes, I had no idea how much joy a box of HEB Texas Tough grocery bags would bring. To this day, 18 months later, that same box gives me joy. The day it goes empty will be crushing. And it’s not because you can’t buy white 13-gallon kitchen bags in the UK, it’s just that they are more expensive, different and one more thing that seems outrageously expensive for what it is.

Besides, it’s HEB. It offers a certain nostalgia now. Yes, I’m still talking about trash bags. 🤣

I thank my packers every day that they paper-wrapped everything they found in the pantry of our Texas kitchen on that incredibly hot moving day. Between Bounty paper towels, Ziploc bags, Reynold’s Wrap, scotch tape and yes, trash bags, they brought me strange comfort while I navigated the culture shock of everything else those first 6 months after moving to England.

It’s not that you can’t get all of these things. In fact, in some cases, England offers far better and more environmentally friendly choices. It’s simply nice to not have to run out and buy everything new when you’re not quite sure what the best British replacement is.

And once the newness starts to wear off and reality sets in, so doesn’t homesickness. The shipment might be en route when you first arrive or not quite unpacked in your new residence, but by month 3 you’ll be ready for it. Those American things you stocked up on start to come in incredibly handy. Taco Tuesday tradition, anyone?

So, if you’re moving and wondering what certain things to bring to England that American expats wish they had stocked up on, then this packing list is for you.

Sure, some items might resonate with you and some may not. Ultimately it’s up to you to pick and choose which items will make the adjustment to living in England simpler for your family. Pack the items that will make the first 3-6 months easier so that you can lean on the comforts of your old home while you start creating your new one.

What To Stock Up On For A Move To England

Organized by travel luggage, shipping container, and air freight.  Because yes, there are that many packing options when you move abroad.  😳🌍

Items To Pack For England In Air Luggage

This luggage travels with you so that you have access to it immediately upon arrival.

Moving companies won’t pack spices as they won’t pass customs or could hold up your shipment at the border upon entry. Bring all the spices you can possibly fit.

Pack important comfort food that you can buy in a powder form and spices in your travel luggage with you, along with essential medicines and toiletries to get you through the first couple of months.

• Lawry’s Seasoning Salt
• Taco Seasoning
• Guacamole Seasoning
• Onion Powder
• Garlic Powder
• Montreal Steak Seasoning
• Dale’s Steak Seasoning
• Adam’s Reserve (Sweet & Spicy)
• Mac n Cheese Packets (any brand)
• Jello Pudding
• Graham crackers
• Hershey Kisses
• Crystal Light Packets
• Kool-Aid
• Velveeta packets
• Ranch packets
• Lipton onion soup mix (so you can keep making awesome burgers on the grill)
• Soup packets in general…even chicken noodle.
• Saltines
• Triscuits
• Wheat Thins
• Cheez-Its
• Goldfish Crackers
• Cheetos Crunchy
• Flavored coffee, such as New England blueberry coffee. Finding flavored coffee to brew at home is a challenge.
• Dill pickles. These can be tricky to pack so it might be best to just start eating pickles every day till the big moving day arrives so that you’re so sick of them you don’t want to see another pickle for several years.
• Salsa! Also risky but worth the risk. We stock up on salsa whenever we visit the States.
• Favorite toiletries: shampoo, conditioner, and body wash (like Aveeno).

Items To Pack For England In Your Shipping Container

This shipment arrives weeks, up to 2 months, after you do. Purchase in bulk to pack these items in your shipping container for beyond the 2-3 month mark.

• Your favorite deodorant. If you have a favorite brand, be sure to check boots.com or amazon.co.uk to see if it’s sold in England.
• Your favorite toothpaste. Crest White is always on my “bring back from the States list”.
• Preferred medicine brands, such as Advil, Tylenol, Motrin, Aleve, Neosporin, and Mucinex.
• Stock up on all children’s medicines, such as Children’s Benadryl chewables, Tylenol chewables, and Children’s Mucinex. Basically everything! This is really important if your little ones prefer a certain flavor. Grape-flavored anything isn’t available in the UK and even cherry and strawberry are hard to find. Blackcurrant is the primary flavor available for medicines and juices in the UK. This one is a hard adjustment for kids.
• Preferred vitamins. If you’re a Flinstone family, stock up!
• Swiffer Feather Duster Refills and Swiffer Sweeper Wet Wipes if you pack your sweeper.
• King sized sheets and bedding for your American sized bed. My British friends are always amazed at how much bigger American furniture and beds are.
• Plastic organization bins. Hit up Walmart, Target or the Container Store and bring plastic bins with you. If you can’t or forget, the best buy for oversized bins in the UK is QD Stores.
• Ziploc bags, all sizes.
• Reynold’s wrap.
• Wax paper.

Bottom line, just pack the messy kitchen drawer with all the plastic wraps, foils and containers. You’ll be thankful you brought those to England.

Items To Pack For England In Your Air Shipment (if you have one)

This shipment arrives in England at the same time you do.

This is typically a box (or boxes) that can either be shipped separately just prior to your departure from the USA or as checked luggage on your flight.  Find out how many bags/boxes you are approved for or what the box size restriction is before packing it up. And make sure to consider the size of the vehicle that will be picking you up on the other end. 😳

• Printer and replacement ink cartridges. The first several weeks are loaded with documentation requests that require signatures, copies of records and other legalese. Rather than have to find your way to print documents on a regular basis, bring your printer with you for immediate access upon arrival. And don’t forget the replacement ink cartridges! Ink cartridges are not the same in the UK, even if the box contains the same model printer.  Stock up!
• Small toolkit. There is no handy Home Depot or Lowe’s around the corner. Buy a small hammer, screwdriver and Phillips head for managing your new old home while you wait for everything else to arrive. Remember, it’s England!

Although these items don’t need to be stocked up on, pack them with your air shipment so that they travel with you.

• Your safe!
• Jewelry.

Don’t pack anything precious in your shipping container that you can’t bear to lose or lack proper insurance on.

Let’s get packing!

Now that you know what things to stock up on to bring to England, you’ll be in great shape to ease into British life at a slower pace. Use your England packing list to battle homesickness or to keep up with traditions that create a sense of familiarity and comfort when the family starts missing home. And when eventually the stock is gone, you’ll be more prepared to substitute or splurge on the things you’re family can’t live without!

Looking for more resources to move to the UK?  Try these.

• American Cleaning Products Not In the UK: What to take with you and what to use instead
• 6 Practical & Peculiar Items To Pack Abroad
• Moving abroad?  Download the moving abroad checklist.  Created for expats, by an expat who moved abroad in less than 3 months.  All the steps in chronological order to get you organized to move from the USA to the UK.  Download today!

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