Packing
To Do Before Departure
- Upload a copy of your passport, visa, admission letter, and original certificates to Google drive or sent them to your parents
- Check the weather before departure. Is it cold (do I need to wear thermals)? Will it rain?
- When booking your flight, make use of the student discounts available like Qatar Student Discount or Turkish Student Discount
Notes on cold
- For the most part, I don't use that much thermal undershirt (as my jacket is thick enough), I do use thermal pants a lot.
- Most people will probably survive without a winter boot, I never use mind except when I go out to play with snow.
- Gloves are nice but often very unpractical, you can't really open your phone with them, if you really need them I usually use the think wool ones
- Hoodies are your best friend, you can use them if it is cold indoor, otherwise a thin fleece jacket will do
- Regular sock suffice, I almost never use those thick winter socks
Important To Bring
- FFP2 Masks, lots of em only FFP2 are currently allowed in many areas within Germany
- Sleeping bags, if you are still going to move from place to place
Keep in your carry on bag
- Passport, Admission Letter (Studienplatzzusagge / Zulassung) and Original Copies (if you bring any) (the rest can go into your checked in luggage)
- At least 1 day worth of clothing if not 2 - 3 day (baggage gets lost all the time)
- Hand cream and lip balm (it is really dry in Febuary)
- Pocket tissue (it's usually cold so you might have a bit of runny nose)
- If it is going to rain upon arrival, a tiny umbrella would be nice, otherwise just buy one hear (its around 3 Euros)
Nice To Bring
- Body pillow (you cannot get them in Germany)
- Some basic medicine (paracetamol, promag, diatab, stop cold, antimo, fix44)
- Powerbank
- Earplugs, if you cannot sleep with someone snoring, you could also buy them here Ohropax brand works best for me.
Do Not Bring
- Rice Cooker, just buy one on Amazon.de
- Bedding, the bed size and pillow size in Germany is diffrent (single beds are 80x200 and pillows are 80x40 or 80x80), just grab them at IKEA
- Soap and shampoos, Germany is really dry compared to Indonesia, using soaps from Indonesia will make your skin break, just get them at Rossman or DM
Clothing
- Long sleeve which are quite thick are best for winters, it usually suffice to use one layer and a jacket on top of it (in Berlin at least)
- Summer is hot, so lot's of T-shirts!
- One formal clothing for graduation events and so on