Part 2: Everything you need to pack for Germany

By Aravindha Thiagarajan on October 10, 2020

If you are still sticking around after the last article - many thanks! (you made us all teary lol). This is going to be a long article, so I will cut to the point straight. Whether you like to spend endless hours trying to find that right product or you hate the very idea of shopping, this time around, there is no escape. It is because it is one of the most essential tasks before you jump on that plane to Germany. This section covers most of those which I feel important personally and will contain insights from an Indian point of view. (People from other countries, don’t worry, I got you covered too!)

1. Clothes:– The general strategy is to have something for the cold winters and the somewhat hot summers.So, always mix it with thick layers for the winters (which you arrive directly to) but also thin layers so that you will not feel the heat! Also, I would not comment on the numbers/pairs which you might need, as it is an individual decision.

  1. Formal clothes (for presentations or interviews only)
  2. Causal clothes like Tees, Shirts
  3. Causal clothes like Jeans/ Pants/ Trousers of your choice
  4. Traditional wear (Expensive in Germany) (for events or festivals)
  5. Ties and belts (again for presentations or interviews only)
  6. A blazer (if possible, not a must)
  7. Sweaters (Germany ain’t hot and humid matey!)
  8. Thermals (~2 pairs is more than sufficient)
  9. Jacket (if you have one, bring it; otherwise don’t buy it in India; costs around the same here and you can save on baggage Kgs)
  10. Gloves (again, if you have it bring it; otherwise could be easily found in Primark or Euroshop)
  11. Towels (bring a couple, might be also available in the Primark or Euroshop as well)
  12. Undergarments (as per your needs)
  13. Umbrella (It rains almost all the seasons. But not heavily most of the times. Might also be useful when it snows)
  14. Slipper/flipflops (~1 pair; for indoor usage)
  15. Sports shoes/Sneakers (if you don’t want to buy it from your home country, Decathlon is your friend, you can also find trekking shoes and winter shoes at Decathlon)
  16. Socks (as per your needs)
  17. Cap (not compulsory)
  18. Detergent Powder (small quantities to tide over your initial laundry, easily and cheaply available here locally)
  19. WASHABLE MASKS!!!

2. Kitchenware:– Suggestions based on the experiences of Lacto-vegan cooking almost daily.

  1. Cooker (Expensive locally)
  2. Cooker ring + Safety valve
  3. Few Tupperware boxes or food-grade boxes (also available at Euro shop)
  4. Plate(s) (go for ceramic or weightless ones to save your baggage)
  5. Frying pan/Tawa (INDUCTION COMPATIBLE)
  6. Spoons + Forks (also available at Euro shop)
  7. Knife (CAUTION! AIRPORT SECURITY)
  8. Water bottle (s)
  9. A steel vessel for boiling tea or coffee or cooking your favourite meal (you guessed it) Maggi
  10. Ladles of personal choice (also available at Euro shop)
  11. Steel tumbler/ glass for liquids
  12. Tea Strainer
  13. Slicer or Peeler (also available at Euro shop)
  14. Wooden roller (if roti = = life) (also available at Euro shop)
  15. Cutting board (also available at Euro shop)
  16. Measuring cup (If required)
  17. Some empty Ziplock bags
  18. Rubber bands and re-sealable clips

3. Masala/Spices:– The Indian in me writes this list now, but if you run in diametrically opposite directions to the likes or presence of masala, pack accordingly & ignore this section.

  1. Chilli Powder (In packet)
  2. Coriander Powder
  3. Pepper
  4. Turmeric Powder
  5. Garam Masala
  6. Jeera
  7. Cumin Powder
  8. Chana masala/Chat masala etc.
  9. Hing
  10. Salt and sugar for the initial period
  11. Tamarind/tamarind paste
  12. Ginger garlic paste

Except for #5-7, and #11 almost the rest are available in Aldi/Edeka/Lidl; others are also_available in Indian stores.

4. Food items:– The strategy is to bring it for the initial few days until you get to know how things operate in Germany and where your nearest stores are.

  1. Rice
  2. Ready to eat (try to get it as much as possible as it is costly here in Indian stores and for the initial few days it would be a lifesaver)
  3. Maggie/Yipee etc. noodles
  4. Dry red chilli (not compulsory)
  5. Teabags/powder
  6. Instant coffee packets
  7. Oil (sunflower oil is available in local supermarkets)
  8. Ghee
  9. Snack items
  10. Wheat flour (Not compulsory)
  11. Rava/Wheat Rava/Vermicelli (Vermicelli is not available here, maybe except at Indian stores)
  12. Coconut oil (again, Indian stores only)
  13. Pulses like toor dal, urad dal, moong dal, etc. (again, Indian stores only or Edeka)
  14. Papad
  15. Mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, etc.
  16. Cloves/ cinnamon, etc.

Others which you might feel as important for making your food, kindly bring it.

5. Cosmetics/equivalent:– Almost most of them are available in the triad of the local supermarkets Aldi/Edeka/Lidl and also at DM and it’s relatively cheaper too.

  1. Hair oil/gel/spray
  2. All hair related products like clips, combs, etc.
  3. A small travel mirror
  4. Nail cutter
  5. Trimmer/Razor + shaving cream, etc.
  6. Body wash gel/soap
  7. Shampoo/conditioner
  8. Perfume/body deo
  9. Talcum/face powder
  10. Body lotion/cold crème/lip balm (lip balms are comparatively costly here locally)
  11. Other hygiene supplies as required

6. Stationaries:– Get most of your stuff from your home country as it is a definitive bet that it will be costly in Germany. You might get some useful stuff during the welcome day (if it happens physically).

  1. Pens (bring the supplies for the entire 2 years :P)
  2. Pencils + Eraser + Sharpner
  3. Ruler
  4. Notepads
  5. Few A4 sheets
  6. Scientific calculators (will be dealt in detail, kindly remind me later on)
  7. Tapes/glue/doubled tapes
  8. Staplers + pins
  9. Small punching machine (not the huge one!)
  10. Scissor(s)
  11. Files of various kinds for filing
  12. Markers
  13. Plastic hooks/S hooks for hanging

7. Other misc things:–

  1. Needles with threads/buttons/etc.
  2. Handwash/sanitisers of required quantities
  3. Keychains
  4. Spare glasses if you wear glasses
  5. Shopping bags

8. Electronics:–

  1. Your laptop + accessories (duh!)
  2. Your phone + accessories (hope you don’t forget)
  3. Tablet (if you have one, highly useful here although I could manage without one just fine)
  4. Powerbank
  5. Adaptors for German socket pins
  6. Router (if possible, the average cost here is ~ 20 EUR)
  7. Portable weighing machine (might come in handy during your many Euro trips!)
  8. Alarm clock
  9. Rechargeable batteries + charger (batteries are damn expensive here in Germany w.r.t. India)

If you forgot anything or couldn’t accommodate it in the baggage, don’t worry, you get most of_them in the Euro shop.

9. Medicines:– Before departing, visit your family Dr if you have one or get any those underlying conditions checked. Check your eye power and get a spare of glasses as it is again expensive here and the process is highly different from the home countries. Also, you need a prescription from the doctor to bring those medicines along with you in baggage (rules might differ again). The non-exhaustive list given here:

  1. Calpol and/or Dolo - basically paracetamol tablets
  2. Band-aids
  3. Antiseptic powder/cream
  4. Cream for burns
  5. Erythromycin (maybe/may not)
  6. Karvol plus/Ecaluptus based liquids for cold/running nose
  7. Strepcils/Halls/equivalent
  8. Vicks vapour rub
  9. Digene or equivalent antacid
  10. Oral Rehydrative Salts- ORS powders
  11. Something for nausea/stomach ache/vomiting, etc.
  12. Riboflavin/ B-capsules
  13. Moov/iodex/equivalent
  14. Other recommendation of your physician

10. Others (final “others” list, I promise)

  1. Bed linens and comforters with bedspreads and pillow covers, if possible the vacuumed pillow too!
  2. Iron, if required
  3. Extension board - the spike buster type with German pin configuration or you could buy it here
  4. Hairdryer, if required
  5. Hand towels
  6. Wristwatches with new batteries
  7. Your certificates originals which you might feel as important for interviews/jobs/etc.
  8. Photocopies of important documents as you will shell out a good share of your fortune trying to photocopy something here

You will also find the entire list in a checklist-like format under Summerizing Sheet

See you in the next blog! Aravindha.

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