Pre-Departure Checklist - MS In Ireland
Pre-Departure Checklist - MS in Ireland
Yippeeee! Almost ready to leave! You have secured an admission at your dream University in Ireland, Student Visa is stamped and your flight tickets are all booked. All that is left is to pack your bags and fly to the Republic of Ireland! However, packing is not as easy as it sounds, considering you are making a long-term move. You may forget the most essential items or even something meagre that could cause inconvenience for you once you land. Hence, it is extremely important to prepare a comprehensive pre-departure checklist in order to ensure that you are not missing out on anything absolutely required, big or small.
Read on for tips on how to prepare a pre-departure checklist.
Tips To Prepare A Pre-Departure Checklist
The table of contents below lists what you need to look out for while preparing your pre-departure checklist.
Table of contents
Health Checkup
Medical expenses might be heavy on your pocket when in Ireland. This is important, especially if you have been diagnosed with any underlying chronic medical conditions. Visit your eye doctor, dentist and your physician and get a complete body check-up done if possible. Remember to take all your recent medical certificates, and signed prescriptions when you fly. Surf online and check if your medicines are allowed in Ireland, and always carry prescription along with your medical supplies if you are carrying any.
Shopping
Clothing
Shoes
Electrical
Utensils
Masala
Stationary
Toiletries
- Carry your medications along with the signed prescriptions. You might need to show it at the airport security check.
- Carry a few 1 or 2 Euros coins that may come in handy at the airport.
- As soon as you reach Ireland, you would be jet-lagged and fatigued after travel. Grocery shopping or food shopping may not be possible, depending on what time you land. Carry a few ready-to-eat items like cookies, instant noodles, soup packets, ready-to-eat microwavable food items, dry snacks, etc., to nourish you during the initial days.
- Label and pack all the homemade masala powders in multiple layers of zip-locks. Always carry these items in your check-in luggage and not in carry-on (cabin luggage). These might be questioned at the airport security check.
- No food items and water are to be carried in the cabin baggage. So, pack these in your check-in baggage.
- Some airlines allow dry snacks. If you wish to avoid airport food, you can carry some rotis/cookies or other snacks that have good shelf life in your backpack, packed neatly. Do check with your airlines once.
- Carry adequate number of passport size photos as photo studios are not easy to find in Ireland and can prove expensive to print some.
- Your home at Ireland might mostly be equipped with yellow bulbs only. If you desire for white light, you can carry 25W CFL bulbs.
- Carry enough masala powders which can last for at least six months. Depending on your place of stay, you may / may not have an Indian grocery store nearby. Even if you do, imported masalas are a little expensive.
- If you are diagnosed with any medical condition, please pack the specific medicines (which can last for at least two months). Also, consult your doctor about the alternative medicine you can purchase in Ireland.
- If you wear spectacles, get yourself an additional pair. This is again not cheap in Ireland.
Often, we end up purchasing a lot more than required. Overspending on shopping is needless as we might not even use all of it when we are in Ireland. Shop wisely and save money & space only for your crucial items.
Travel Bags
There are three things you should be keeping in mind while looking for your travel bags:
- Good quality : Seeing your bag tear/break down during your journey is the last thing you want.
- Light weight : You do not want to buy hefty baggage and end up removing your essential items in order to adhere to the weight limit.
- Dimensions: Make sure that the dimensions of the bag and its shape match with the description mentioned by the airlines.
The Final Packing
Pack properly and weigh all your bags to make sure they do not exceed the weight limit. Leave an identity mark/luggage tag on each of your bags. Lastly, make sure all your valuables, important reports and documents, your passport, and your air-tickets are kept in the cabin baggage.
- Get a proper trim/haircut done before you leave. It is quite expensive in Ireland 😉
- Leave a copy of all your original records and documents at home with your family.
- Write down/keep a copy of all the important contacts numbers (including your senior's/university contact number) and the directions to your place of stay in Ireland.
- Inform your University's International Student's Office about your date and time of arrival (a few days in advance). Ask them for an availability of airport pickup services.
