How do I pack up and move far, far away?

Ponge

Some people may have read some of my recent posts here, basically I've been offered a transfer to my companys Hong Kong office for a couple of years. I'm taking the position but I have to fly over at the end of the month and it's not really sunk in just how much work I have to do. So really what I'm trying to write is a list of everything I need to do between now and then.

The way it works is that i'll be going over there for a period of 6-8 weeks at the end of the month, and then returning to the UK for 2 weeks so that I can move out of my flat in the UK. After that i'll be returning to Hong Kong indefinatly. For the first period I'll be staying in a hotel that my company will provide for me.

So i'll start the list off with things that I've thought of. If people could suggest additions to my list it would be much appreciated.

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1. Work Visa's - Fill out forms and courier them to HK office
2. Clean up flat. Get rid of a load of crap.
3. Pack work clothes. 7 shirts. 3 trousers. Shoes. Belt.
4. Pack casual clothes. 7 tshirts. 3 jeans. Trainers.
5. Undies. 7 boxers. 7 pairs of socks.
6. Passport!
7. Partially move out of flat.
8. My Laptop
9. My camera
10. Partay with friends/family.
11. Finish up at work.
12. Start my blog that i'm going to write.
13. Read my Hong ong guidebook.
14. Start HK bank account (will do this over there)
15. Find out how much it's going to cost me to take out money from my UK bank account over there.
16. Exchange some money into HK$.
17. Immunisations? Do I need these?
18. Restock on my epilepsy medication.
19. ...


Any suggestions guys? My head is going blank just trying to think about it. If you could put yourself in my situation ad think of anything else you would consider i'd love to hear it.

Aldo

Pictures of family/friends? Making sure you have a phone they can reach you on?

Chinese/English and English/Chinese dictionary? Although you probably won't need that downtown/business district.

spookymuffin

Stock up on things that you're attached to, like your favorite foods, and mail them to yourself, or have someone mail them to you. I can guarantee that you're going to be experiencing a lot of new tastes, and they might not all taste good. Start learning the language now, before you go, so you'll have a few key phrases ("where is the bathroom" etc) to help you get around, and maybe even impress your new coworkers.

I can't think of anything else off the top of my head...

Synthetic Orange

17's probably a must, along with some kind of medical and travel insurance if your company doesnt cover it.

Serpent

Hong kong is hot and humid. I don't know if i would recommend jeans. I know after about 4 hours outside in jeans and a tshirt, i went on the prowl for new underwear and some new pants cause good lord i wasn't about to keep wearing such sweat soaked filth.

Thanatos

Make sure your epilepsy medication is legal in Hong Kong. Get your doctor to write you a two- or three-month prescription for it, that you fill before you go over, since you don't know how long it's going to take you to find a doctor over there. Once you get over there, start looking for a doctor immediately.

That_Spoony_Bard

For connecting with family and friends back home, skype would be something worth looking into.

Doc

Consider getting travel vaccinations. It's not that big of a deal in a place like Hong Kong when you are just going for a couple of days, but if you're going to be there long-term, you should see a doc.

supabeast

Does your company have people on staff to help with this sort of thing?

Ponge

Thanks for the suggestions so far guys, all very helpful stuff.

I'll get an appointment with my doc to sort out stuff. I'm planning on coming back over every 6 months or so so I might just try and get a prescription to last me and keep getting it re-filled by my UK doc. I'll look into getting set up with a doctor over there though.

The travel insurance one is a good question, i'll have to find out.

Yeah they have a full HR department over there who have been really helpful so far. They've said they'll pay if i need anythig shipped over but I can't really think of anything large i'll need to send over anyway. I'll be staying in a shoebox i'm sure so I probably won't have the room! I plan to start transferring my dvd collection onto a harddrive, just so I won't have to lug 200 odd dvd's with me.

Lewisham

You need to sort out that visa documentation ASAP. I would be shitting bricks if I was waiting until a month before I leave to get that done. Also, you need to check what the conditions are on that visa; if you get it before visit 1, there may be a process you need to go through in order to leave the country and get back in correctly.

LewieP's Mummy

Mmm, HK is very humid, and very crowded. If you are taller than 5'6", you will stand out. If you are bigger than a 30" waist, clothes will be a challenge. Take MORE underwear, take shorts for when you're not at work, sandally things to keep your feet cool (DO NOT WEAR SOCKS!).
Do you own your flat, if so, what about renting it out while you're away? If not, do you plan to give up your tenancy?
Learn the language. Yes, young people speak English, but its polite to learn even basic stuff.

Oh, and congratulations!

poshniallo

Your list looks good, but I'd say more underwear. You'll find outsize clothes shops in HK, and you'll also be able to have suits made. But you won't be able to try on underwear in outsize shops, so you'll find yourself hunting for decent underwear eventually and wasting money finding comfy ones.

Ask your GP about the medication - often if you are travelling or emigrating they will give you a bigger script. Presenting the trip as travelling is usually wiser. You might be able to get a double-sized one.

Don't worry about food, books and other culture-specific stuff - given HKs colonial past, there's plenty of British stuff there.

If you're worried about clothes, a clever idea is to measure yourself, or write down the size/make of some of your standard clothes, and leave the piece of paper with your family in the UK. Then, if you need more M&S briefs or whatever, they can sort them out. You might expect to pay many times more for the same kind of item in HK, so mail order is good - for example I mail order jeans and undies from M&S all the way to Japan and it's still a big saving.

Don't go crazy trying to pack everything you'll need - it just isn't possible to pack enough, so concentrate on the short-term and you will have to buy/send/have sent the other stuff.

If you've not been to the tropics or sub-tropics before, you might be shocked at how humid and hot this summer will be, so take some short-sleeved shirts and try to pick up light-weight/tropical smart clothes. Before I came to Asia I had no idea that there was such a difference between similar-looking clothing. If you have long hair or a beard, consider changing your style. If you haven't experienced that kind of weather before, don't assume much - e.g. I hate short-sleeve shirts because they make me look even porkier, but in summer I'd happily skin myself to lose some BTUs (do NOT try this at home, kids)

Power of Attorney for someone you trust, if you have UK finances/assets that might need maintenance.

ASimPerson

Lucky for you, you don't need a visa for Hong Kong proper since you will have a British passport, but if you ever need to go to mainland China you will need a visa for that.

That said, I don't know how long it takes to get a British passport, but you need to do that now. "ASAP" isn't really quick enough to express when you need to do it. If they have expedited passport services in the UK use it, otherwise, you will be cutting it extremely close.

Link to the Hong Kong Immigration Dept.: http://www.immd.gov.hk/ehtml/hkvisas_4.htm

Organichu

Thanatos wrote: »

Make sure your epilepsy medication is legal in Hong Kong. Get your doctor to write you a two- or three-month prescription for it, that you fill before you go over, since you don't know how long it's going to take you to find a doctor over there. Once you get over there, start looking for a doctor immediately.

x2

Take it from a dual citizen: the adjustment of medical paradigms from one country to another can be amazingly drastic if you're not very wealthy.