What to bring when moving from U.S. to Germany

I'm amazed that that I've managed to get through life without a single cheap Ziploc bag, let alone loads of them.

I hate ziplock bags, bring hefty instead.

What is a ziplock bag? Seems I've managed well with out them too

Tis one of them bags they give (or did) you at the airport to put your liquids in, the ones I can never get to stay closed.

This is a related question; hope it's not out-of-place here.

But what were people's experience with moving companies/shippers?

We're moving to Berlin this summer -- paying for it ourselves, by the look of it. We have one online bid of $5100 for a three-bed house of furniture, books, kitchenware, bikes, etc. (Following this thread, I'm now thinking of leaving some of the shelves behind and stocking more computers, jeans, & tennis shoes. :-) But it looks like we'll need a 20-foot container... They pack the crate & all...

We'd love more than one opinion, though - some do's and don'ts of moving. (Pack ourselves? Let them do it?) Is there a variety of experience here?

You should find some useful information here: search results for "shipping".

What about maple syrup? Can you get it at a reasonable price? I mean the real stuff...not Aunt Jemima.

We're moving to Berlin (Kreuzberg area) in a couple weeks, and are looking forward to trying new German things (like lederhosen). As a Californian, I understand that I will at some point have to rid my diet of nachos, cheap pizza, and root beer (although this one makes me sad) in order to explore my new German lifestyle. My question is- what are some of the German products you've found that you've liked for the following: shampoo & conditioner, clothing (brands, stores in Berlin esp. for a 20 something female), deoderant, hair products (I use a lot of Sammy brand hair gel), favorite German cook-at-home foods, favorite "instant" foods, places to order-in (if such a thing happens), German recipes (and if possible vegetarian), bottled drinks (incl. buy-at-the-market beer), snack food, anything else. Danke in advance!!

Yeah you can get maple syrup in Germany (German: Ahornsirup)...but I doubt you'll find an American brand (but should you the price will knock you backwards)...
just try some German brands...you should find a brand to your liking

Bring:
Zip-Loc bags.
A few rolls of real Hefty trash bags.
Levis in your size(s).
Anything with peanut butter in it (don't forget Reeses peanut butter cups).
Ridiculous (to the point where the Wal-Mart/Walgreens girl makes you put your purchase on three separate credit cards to get over the local-teens-trying-to-buy-enough-antihistimines-to-possibly-get-them-high limit) amounts of over-the-counter-medicines ([ironically] Bayer aspirin, cough syrup, Tylenol anything, Mucilex, Bacitracin, calamine lotion, Deep Woods Off, etc. etc.).
Real Anti-perspirant (i.e. unscented)
Real Toothpaste.
Real Band-Aids that really stick.
Real duck tape that really sticks.
Real Scotch Magic Tape for the office that really sticks (there's a theme emerging here).
A Real Swingline stapler with staples.
Business clothing that doesn't make one look like you're wearing something designed for circus chimps.
Meat rubs.
Kraft Macaroni and Cheese (buy the boxes, gift the macaroni to US friends and family and bring the cheese powder packs to Germany in bulk for later reconstitution with domestic macaroni).

Don't bring (commercially available):
Oreos.
Wine.
Tupperware.
Toothbrushes (they're all from here anyway)
Computers (order from Dell in Ireland with English software).
For that matter, any electrical equipment (the money your transformers will piss away will overshadow any savings you think you'll realize ... give everything to your parents, because they're too cheap to buy them themselves and would secretly really love that big TV/stereo!)
Highlighter pens (the german ones are better).
Kitchen knives.
Cars.
Dremel tools, or for that matter any power tools.
Kids (send them to New England boarding schools instead).

Bring all the normal stuff you use back home (razor, shampoo, yada yada) and a converter and some adapters to switch the plug from US-style to Euro-style. They wanted a whole lot of mula for that sh*t here. Also, any electronics. If you need a new laptop/mp3 player/phone- buy one there!!! They are about 30% + more expensive here. Buying a phone unlocked with a pay as you go plan is an esp. good idea as setting up phone here can take some time and being without one may give you that lost and abandoned feeling.

Bring some decent kitchen tongs! I see someone else has mentioned Band-aids.

Leave the Dremel stuff at home. Here in Germany I prefer Proxxon. The quality of the bearings is better.
If you need parts for Proxxon they shipm it directly. Dremel is a rip off.

The Edeka next to Amadeus sells Canadian stuff

I am absolutely gobsmacked at some of the things people are listing here, Bayer Aspirin FFS every chemists around here has a bloody great display in the window, and Hefty trash bags WTF, how do they differ from any other rubbish bag?? Band aids, razors are equally as puzzling. I can understand stuff like levis etc, and some foodstuffs, but honestly most of the stuff listed is readlily available, maybe a different brand but it's here!

Hello all. My name is Wayne and I'm planning on coming to Berlin in either September or November. I'm taking the Cambridge certification course at the Berlin School of English. This will be my first time so I'm basically fishing for advice. Like things you wish you had brought once you arrived, things you brought you didn't need. My luggage allowance is only 100Lb; so I really need to make the most of it. For one thing I have a heavy bomber jacket that would eat 20Lb, so I'm wearing that puppy on to the plane even if its sweltering! Stuff for gifts and trade my cousin said Zippo lighters made him popular on shore leave when he was in the navy. I'm coming to stay so whatever I can't bring is being sold or donated. Hope Y'all can help

Topics merged by admin

You may need to pay for another bag or two...

The bomber jacket may be needed when you get off the plane, it has been surprisingly cold (in Stuttgart) this summer.

They really do have most everything you need here. It may take some looking, but you can find it. Especially if you are staying for a while, you need to get used to the local brands.

However, I have had trouble finding Dial bar soap and Gel antiperspirants. They do have tube soap and oily bar soaps and spray antiperspirants.

If you are bringing electronics that can run on 220 (most converters and laptops can) you should buy a bunch of cheap converter plugs. I have not found them here.

We brought big bottles of OTC drugs. They don't do OTC here so much, you have to go through a doctor in a lot of cases.

Hello all,

It looks like my husband and I will be relocating to Germany (near Hamburg) sometime in the next 6 months or so. We are moving to be closer to my husband's parents, so this is not a company-financed relocation. In fact, currently I am the breadwinner of our family, while my husband stays home with our 10 month-old daughter, and, since I don't really speak any German yet, money will be rather tight for our first year or so, until I speak the language well enough to be employable in my field (urban planning and design). We are trying to keep our shipping cost as low as possible, but we don't want to put ourselves in a position where we have to purchase items it would have been more cost-effective to ship. I have a fear we will pare things down to a bare minimum to save on shipping, only to arrive in DL to find that purchasing necessities is much more expensive than the shipping would have been! Furniture is obvious as too expensive to ship, but there are a few other items we are trying to assess.

First is our mattress. I have read that American bed standards are very different from European standards, and that we may not be able to find a mattress that we like. Ours is very new (<1yr) and was about $600, so we are thinking of shipping it. Is this true about mattresses in Germany--that they are not as nice/thick/soft (not sure what the differences would be) as American ones? How can I assess the likely replacement cost for something comparable?

What about electric appliances and such? Mostly I am worried about my KitchenAid, which I would be terribly sad to leave behind...also have a waffle-maker and ice-cream maker that we use quite frequently. Is there any sense in bringing these kinds of things? Would they work with an adapter? Prohibitively expensive to replace?

Last is about clothes. The aforementioned 10-month old was responsible for some shifting and repositioning of various portions of my torso, and I am going to need to purchase some clothes--especially work clothes--soon. Given the weak dollar, it seems like it might be better to shop here before I leave. Does that seem like it could be true? I mean, other than the obvious Levi/Wrangler thing. Also it sounds as if there are fewer "bargain" or outlet-type shopping places in Germany. Is that true or have I gotten the wrong impression?

Well this is only the tip of the iceberg...I have a million more questions: childcare, professional networking, learning German at 38, maternity leave benefits, health care, etc., etc.--but I will try to keep them in their own threads. I'm pretty excited to be moving to Germany--I have always had a great time when we have visited--but I'm also a wee bit, um, terrified and intimidated by the logistics. Particularly with the baby.

Advice and commiseration are each welcome.

Thanks!

-Kelly
Boston, MA

Topics merged by admin

Welcome. My first recommendation would be to do a search on this very topic as many of these questions have been asked before. I'll try and tackle the rest:


King, queen, twin, etc. don't exist here. The beds are standardized in various sizes but sheets form North America won't fit here and vice vesa. I prefer my German foam and slat bed to a traditional box-spring and coil mattress but I'm weird like that. I like it so much I'm shipping it back to the US with me (in about 2 hours no less). Most North Americans prefer what you have. Everyone agrees that German pillows suck.


I can almost guarantee that those appliances are 110V/60Hz only and won't work here. You could use a transformer which would be a real pain in the ass. As for being prohibitively expensive to replace? Yes. KitchenAid mixers go at an outrageous premium here. I've seen them for 1000 Euros in department stores but you might be able to find them cheaper someplace else.


Buy what you can now and bring it with you. There aren't fewer discount stores here, they're just different. The Target/Wal-Mart/K-Mart type store is a rarity here but you'll find chains that sell on the cheap.


Most of us have been there before. As you arrive, I'll be leaving, and so the cycle continues.

I have just returned from the US after a holiday and as a woman, let me just say: BUY AS MANY CLOTHES IN THE US AS YOU CAN! It is ridiculously cheap in comparison to here!!

I wish I'd have shipped my bed. My mattress at home was 10 inches thick, the ones we have here are half of that. Thank god I brought my memory foam mattress cover (even though it doesn't fit the bed properly) or I'd be up shit creek. Every time we go shopping I try out the matresses and they are crap. Total crap.

Also, fitted sheets around here only seem to be available in jersy knit. I haven't been able to find any plain cotton bed sheets.

If you bring pillows be sure to bring pillow cases too. The ones here will not fit US pillows.

You've obviously never been to IKEA.

Get a job before you move here. If you don't speak German, don't expect to work here. At 38, it will take you about 12 months to be able to speak german comfortably to get a job or an interview for a job. It will take another 2 yrs to be fluent.
I have to agree about the mattresses. I hate our german mattress and squeaky slat 'box spring'. And the jersey material for sheets? What is that? Cost prohibited to purchase real sheets for this mattress and forget about a top sheet. They are unheard of here. Only those stupid duvets. In the summer, I want a top sheet especially since there is no air conditioning in these buildings. Duvets are too hot.
Buy your clothes in the states in various sizes or plan a trip back every 6 months to stock up.
Leave the electricals back in the states and replace them here.

I wouldn't worry so much about the toiletries...you can buy those here. But if you do have a favorite brush or hair product, bring that, it will make you feel good and at home. I agree with the clothing posts...clothes are really expensive here, it's best to stock up on clothing necessities in the states; basic T's, jeans, professional clothing. I do go shopping here, but then I usually spend my money on something really unique so I don't feel so bad thinking I could get it for way less in the states. The only things that I have my parents regularly ship here (which this will sound ridiculous), oreo cookies, tylenol, Nyquil and any other sort of med. that I can buy over the counter that I use semi-regularly...that's about it. About the maple syrup, we buy ours from Kaufland and it is Canadian.

Yikes! This is somewhat confusing to me--how can i get a job before I get there if I don't speak German? FWIW, I will be studying German from now till we leave (6 months or so) and I have budgeted 6 months to study intensively there. I have studied German before, but never for long enough to become really facile with it...but I have an ear for language, so I have hope that it will not take me years to become fluent enough to get a job.

Oh, and I'm not just looking for a "job" any job. I have a profession--and degrees from Berkeley and MIT. Let's hope they are worth at least a little. I have been told that in my profession, perfect language skills are not essential. And the ability to write and communicate in English could be an asset. Let's just hope these assumptions are true since my husband is an artist and (currently) stay-at-home dad with no profession and a high-school (Gymnasium, though!) education.

Thanks for the reality check, though.

Hiya... If you're planning on continuing your role as the primary breadwinner over here, I'd strongly recommend putting up a separate post asap about your job prospects. Now matter how well you budget, your dollars run out quicker given the exchange rate so IMHO you should move this topic to the top of the list given that you have high job expectations in a specialized field and in a specific region of Germany. Good luck to you!

That is likely to be VERY difficult - with added problem of not being a EU citizen.


I get impression you are moving here without having a job lined up. To put it mildly this is heading for the rocks.

Not much to be honest with you. The professional experience you have in your chosen field, which I don't think you've mentioned here, will be more important.

If I were you I would follow the advice given and start looking for jobs as soon as possible. Depending on what your profession is and the companies to which you apply will determine how much actual German you may or may not need.

The work permit burden should be eased somewhat as she is married to a German. Plus, she has academic degrees.

Urban and regional planning.

OK just checked this thread. About the job situation. I'm taking the Cambridge CELTA course at the Berlin School of English. I've checked the local ads and it looks solid. Has the job market changed or is it still a hot market for english tutors.

I have an advanced degree and 20 yrs experience too but I don't speak German and I gave up looking for a job. I would have your German husband calling his friends and helping you look for a job. Get some interviews lined up and get a contract before you make permanent plans, Or your reality could get ugly real fast. (btw, I didn't learn german because our time here was always going to be temporary, but had I found a job, I would have pursued lessons).
Edit: Oh, I should add...Two weeks before I was scheduled to move, the job offer I had was withdrawn because of an end of year re-organization in the department that was going to hire me. Yep, it sucked big time.

Well, I do hope it's not as bad as all that for us, since our move does not come as a particularly optional thing. I am networking already, husband's family is helping (providing housing), and I'll work in a bar if I have to, in order to make ends meet. (Did that sort of work in my previous life...so I'm not just saying that.) I have studied German off and on for many years (been with the German husband for 15 years), so i have a start, if a weak one. And my in-laws don't speak English, so I will really have to learn German. As I said, it's not a particularly optional thing. I *will* learn German because I have to. If I have to go back to school to find a different profession in order to find a job, will do that, too.

Really, the concerns expressed folks on this board are very thoughtful and I appreciate the sentiment. I am sure they are not unfounded, though I hope they are mitigated by our actual situation: my husband has many friends in Hamburg (still! after 20years...), we have family there, I have degrees from internationally recognized schools (MIT, Berkeley), I have a few professional contacts in my field in DE, and I currently work at an internationally recognized firm (in my field).

And all I really wanted to know was if we should bring our mattress.

I am afraid you will discover that "international recognition" does not extend beyond the german educational system.

Hope you like watching daytime TV

Yep, if you are that attached to it and you can afford it, then go ahead and bring your mattress