Comments on: Nappies, bread makers, tampons…what else do you pack when you move overseas?

By: clara@expatpartnersurvival.com

clara@expatpartnersurvival.com — Tue, 19 May 2015 05:28:40 +0000

Hahaha I wonder if your gravy browning was a bit of a comfort blanket???

By: jlhilleary

jlhilleary — Tue, 19 May 2015 04:48:45 +0000

I laugh now at the things I thought were “necessary”. And here at home, I marvel say what I now realize I don’t truly need. How travel bends one’s perspective!

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By: Judy

Judy — Mon, 18 May 2015 20:54:41 +0000

The fact that every expat has a food or ingredient story, says a lot about the importance of eating at least some familiar things to our general well-being. For me it was always liquid gravy browning. Not that I make a lot of gravy, but when I do I cannot live without my Cross & Blackwell. It’s terrifying stuff to transport in a suitcase as if it broke it would be a nightmare, but I’ve taken it everywhere. These days, as I’m now much more into a variety of cuisines, I would definitely also take spices.

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By: Judy

Judy — Mon, 18 May 2015 20:47:27 +0000

I bet you were glad of those underwear, though, I never saw any clothing in Baku I wanted to buy while I was there. We too would also bring back a whole host of drugstore items whenever we made a trip “out.” When our cleaning lady saw my store cupboard she exclaimed “Kak aptek!” (like a pharmacy). Aptek remains our family name for the medicine cabinet :)

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By: isbergamanda

isbergamanda — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 16:53:39 +0000

If I had a family I could see myself lugging around a breadmaker (or at least a dutch oven if I knew that I would have an oven)!

When I was teaching in Mexico I was able to talk my school into getting my apartment an oven (I was sharing it with two other people after all). Then I found the yeast I needed and a bread pan and made my own bread. My favorite thing to do was make pizzas.

In China I didn’t have an oven. Now, in Venezuela, I try not to eat bread for health reasons. Sigh. I love freshly made bread.

-Amanda at https://teachingwanderlust.com/

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By: Packing for Venezuela 2015… and $755 condoms |

Packing for Venezuela 2015… and $755 condoms | — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 08:46:56 +0000

[…] few weeks ago I wrote about all the (sometimes unexpected) things you might take on an overseas posting Then I came across this EPIC post about all the things one international school teacher took on […]

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By: clara@expatpartnersurvival.com

clara@expatpartnersurvival.com — Sun, 18 Jan 2015 14:41:03 +0000

18 pairs of pantyhose?!! You’re right, it’s funny what we take when we don’t know any better! But who would have known how useful travel tissues would have been. …

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By: jlhilleary

jlhilleary — Sun, 18 Jan 2015 14:22:35 +0000

I can sooo relate to this post and comments! Going to the former Soviet Union just after the collapse, there was very little available. I found the travel packets of tissue to be invaluable, used for covering nose/mouth on dusty roads (who knew what chemicals were being kicked up in the air), emergency toilet tissue (never left home without it), to keeping my hands clean during hot dticky summer days.
I laugh now about taking 36 paurs of cotton underwear, 18 pairs of pantyhose, and 12 deodorants with me on my initial move. Later it was toothbrushes i couldn’t get. Tough to be away from home!

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By: clara@expatpartnersurvival.com

clara@expatpartnersurvival.com — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 18:34:24 +0000

It is interesting what we miss when we’re away from home. As well as decent chocolate, I usually miss British sausages, fish and chips and tea. Not to say there aren’t other great alternatives in the countries we move to, but sometimes we all crave the comfort foods of home. …

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By: Sara

Sara — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 17:58:55 +0000

I’m an expat in rural Argentina. I brought lots of feminine care products because they don’t use tampons with applicators here–and have never regretted it, thanks to a new-ish ban on the import of tampons. Also, I hoard (and continuosly con visitors from the states into bringing) peanut butter and hot sauce. We have a large supply of Reese’s peanut butter cups that we try to keep stocked as a little taste of home. We did a lot of research before we left, but in the end kind of winged it! We’re lucky we get an annual home leave, and I make it back a few times a year for business, so if we’ve forgotten something, I can generally smuggle it down in my suitcase.

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