I will suggest few basic things to carry with you if you are flying to UK for the first time. Some of them are generic, whereas few of them are very much situation/person specific. I have tried to make the list as exhaustive as possible. Please choose items depending on your requirement. Also feel free to write to me in case you think I have missed anything.
1) Some basic utensils in case you are planning to cook or not sure if you would like or can afford eating out everyday. Though the british food is little bland, thanks to all cosmopolitan environment, you will find different cuisines. If you are going to stay in London or some big town then you will prominently find Indian/Asian restaurants and take-aways for spice lovers. If you are going to a small size town or country side then I will strongly recommend you to be prepapred to cook your own food as you might not find many multi-cultured cuisines.
For those who dont know cooking, I will suggest to take some basic lessons of cooking, at least some easy dishes. For Indians/Pakistanis learning some rice, dal and currys might help you for some days till you find an alternative.
Utensils can contain -
A Pressure cooker - a must, as it is not commonly buyable in UK, you might get one in some Asian area but quite costly.
Kadhai - Depends on personal choice
Frying pan - good to have.
1/2 dishes, bowls, glasses - Depends on personal choice. Though houses in UK have these things if you rent complete house, in shared houses you will need your own. Else you will have to rush for shopping the day you land. It is a good idea to buy cooking utensils which have handle, lid and are non-stick.
2) Ready to eat packets - Nowadays, there are lots of brands with multiple ready-to-eat/ready-to-cook dishes. It will be a good idea to carry 8-10 packets with you, so that you don't have to worry or spend too much time in grocery shopping and cooking on the day you land. It keeps you sorted till you settle down and find shops in your area. Please note that though shops in London are open longer for most of the day, shops in small towns and country side remain open only till 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. So you might have to wait till weekend to go shopping, in case you are going to be busy from next day you land in UK. On weekends, especially Sunday, the shops open late and close early (by 4 p.m. or 5 p.m.). Every grocery chain has its own website, where you can find the nearest store near your place and find the opening time of the shops. Please see Grocery stores for more details about finding grocery shops and their websites.
3) Depending on your food habits, it is a good idea to carry some basic groceries like rice, dal, noodles, spices, some sugar, ketchup/tomato sauce, coffee sachets, pickle and chutney. Also include maggi noodles packets if you like.
4) I would also suggest you to carry some basic medicines with consultation from your doctor and appropriate prescription. As healthcare in UK is very much different than other countries. UK has NHS (). Click here to know more about NHS.
5) Some books or ipod, songs loaded in your mobile phone for entertainment. You may also want to include entertaining things depending on your hobbies and interests like musical instruments, movie DVDs etc. This is a must epsecially if you are arriving in UK for the first time in any time during September to March. During this period day light is less and weather is cold and rainy, which makes life dull and boring.
6) Thermal wears, winter clothes and jackets are must if you are travelling during September and March.
7) Necessary day-to-day clothes. UK has different clothing styles depending on the season, i.e. summer, winter etc. Click here to know about dressing style according to weather in UK
'8)' Good quality trainers/Sports shoes are good to have, especially during winter months. In case you are travelling during months of March to September, then remember to carry a pair of sandals or chappals or floaters, as heat wave makes it painful to wear shoes or trainers.
9) Iron - If you are travelling on a short trip, then you might not need to carry an iron. Just a word of caution - Laundries are quite costly in this country even to get your clothes ironed. So you might want to consider carrying an iron.
10) Chest X-Ray - A must have. Make sure that you get done chest x-ray, which is no older than 7 calendar days before you fly. This is a must have at the immigration desk when you land. Not having one, might delay your immigration process.
11) In case you are going to search for a job in UK, then I will strongly recommend bringing Blazer suite with you(Tie as well for guys) for attending interviews.
Make sure that you have arranged for an accommodation and booked a taxi/bus or mode of travelling to your designation from the airport you are landing. Taking a taxi after landing might turn out to be costlier than you think. To find out more about finding accommodation in UK, click here
In case you are landing in any of the London airport then easybus could be good option for you depending on your destination. Check http://www.easybus.co.uk for more details. You can also check other airport transfer services at -
National Express
Easyjet
Alternatively, you can also book a car if you are permitted to drive in UK and comfortable with it. Some of the car rental services listed below -
Car rental
Hertz car rental
If you are planning to catch a connecting train then please visit - The trainline to find the convenient trains and book online.
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