{"id":6789,"date":"2022-05-18T17:53:35","date_gmt":"2022-05-18T15:53:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kth.se\/blogs\/studentblog\/?p=6789"},"modified":"2025-08-05T15:14:42","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T13:14:42","slug":"what-to-pack-for-sweden-dos-and-donts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kth.se\/blogs\/studentblog\/2022\/05\/what-to-pack-for-sweden-dos-and-donts\/","title":{"rendered":"What to pack for Sweden: do’s and don’ts"},"content":{"rendered":"
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If you\u2019re about to join KTH for the upcoming semester, this post might be just in time for you. As we will talk about something that brings a lot of stress to everybody who is moving to a new country for a long time, packing your stuff. Don\u2019t panic! I\u2019ve been there, too. So in this post, I\u2019d like to share some advice for those of you who don\u2019t know how to tackle this challenging task.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Do\u2019s:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

1.<\/strong> Warm clothes\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I might not surprise you here, but it is cold in Sweden! As for me, I\u2019m very cold-sensitive (sorry for ruining the stereotypical image of a Russian girl), so I was already wearing my winter jacket in early October. Although it might not be the case with you, Stockholm gets cold and rainy quite quickly over the autumn season, so it\u2019s better to be prepared with a nice pair of waterproof boots, a warm jacket and a few sweaters to layer up.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

2. Medical documents & medicine if needed\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Although the health care system in Sweden is quite cheap and sometimes even free, you might want to think about taking your specific medication for the first few weeks with you until you find substitutes here. For instance, I know when it gets cold, I might get sinusitis, so I packed some of the drugs that I use when it happens. Also, your written medical history from your GP or a profile specialist can be helpful when you reach out to a local doctor here. Let\u2019s hope you\u2019re not going to need it, but it\u2019s better to be safe than sorry.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

3. A sleep mask\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Something I struggled without during my first time in Stockholm, as I got used to sleeping with blackout curtains back home in St. Petersburg, where white nights also occur. During summer and spring, it\u2019s pretty light at night, so if you\u2019re used to complete darkness, as I am, it\u2019s better to pack a sleep mask. In Swedish homes, curtains are not very common. And although my student accommodation has blinds, it wasn\u2019t enough for me. Given the fact that my window faces the sunrise, which makes it truly beautiful, but not really comfortable without a face mask for a night owl like me.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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One of the many breathtaking sunrises I witnessed from my student accommodation window<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

4. Little comfort things\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

It may be some pictures with you and your friends to hang on the wall, a mug that you\u2019re drinking morning coffee from every day or simply something that reminds you of home. Even though you might think you don\u2019t need it, it is easier for your mind to adapt to changes when it finds something familiar in this whole new world around you. And it\u2019s going to help you feel better when you\u2019re feeling homesick at some point, which happens with most international students from time to time.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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My own collection here. The mug says “Almost a champion, season 2016-2017”. Oh, the irony<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

5. A small suitcase or a bag to travel within Europe\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Living in Stockholm gives you a fantastic opportunity for affordable travel throughout Europe. Although this might not be a necessity, I found it really helpful. I bought a pretty small violet suitcase back home to fit in the carry-on baggage. I\u2019ve been travelling with it since, as I don\u2019t usually need many things for short trips, and thanked myself multiple times for choosing a comfortable suitcase because it makes the whole travelling experience easier and erases unwanted stress.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Don\u2019ts:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

1. Your whole closet<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Typical mistake number one packing too much clothing. My suggestion is to make a list of clothing that you typically wear every day, add up a few clothes for special occasions, and then one or two favourites that you might not wear that often but would definitely miss. Then, revise everything and try to take away at least 10% that you can do without. Believe me, you don\u2019t need that many clothes! First, you can always buy something you need here. Second, you\u2019re not going to wear everything anyway. And finally, if you have doubts, you can take something you really need when travelling home for the holidays or ask your friends or family to send it to you by post.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

2. Bedding set\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

This probably takes most place in the luggage. If you\u2019re going to stay with KTH Accommodation, they provide you with a bed-kit<\/a> when you\u2019re moving in, which includes 1 duvet and 1 pillow. If you\u2019re renting a place on your own, you can easily find what you need in shops, or buy it second-hand, which brings us to the next point.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

3. Household items (kitchen utensils, a lamp, etc.)\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Swedes are known for being homebodies, especially when it gets cold outside. I think that\u2019s one of the reasons why they pay so much attention to creating a cosy atmosphere at home. Here there\u2019s a large variety of shops where you can buy everything you need, starting from kitchen utensils to lamps, mirrors and literally anything else. IKEA, Rusta, \u00d6oB \u2014 these are just a few of the most popular destinations. And don\u2019t forget about second-hand shopping: sometimes you can find a diamond for just a few SEK over there! Check out my post about it here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

4. Hygiene & cosmetics\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Same here: you can buy almost everything you need in a regular supermarket or in \u00c5hlens, there are plenty of them in the city. Sometimes it can be even cheaper here, depending on where you\u2019re coming from! So don\u2019t waste your precious luggage space on it unless it\u2019s something really local and unique that you can\u2019t find here. If you\u2019re not sure, try googling it first.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

5. Vitamin D<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

For some reason, when I was moving to Sweden, everybody around me was crazy about it, telling me I should definitely pack some vitamin D with me as, allegedly here, it\u2019s always running out of stock. It is so not true! You can buy it in every supermarket or drugstore, so don\u2019t bother yourself beforehand. The same goes with nasal sprays, sore throat lozenges and other seasonal drugs. Unless your medications are specific, like I mentioned before, you\u2019re good to go to Sweden without them.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Hope my post will be helpful to you when you\u2019re packing for your great Swedish adventure!\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Take care!\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\/\/ Valerie\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re about to join KTH for the upcoming semester, this post might be just in time for you. As we will talk about something that brings a lot of stress to everybody who is moving to a new country for a long time, packing your stuff. Don\u2019t panic! I\u2019ve been there, too. So in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1325,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[193,21,871,1129,299,52],"class_list":["post-6789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-student-life","tag-international-students","tag-kth","tag-moving-to-sweden","tag-old-content","tag-packing-and-moving","tag-stockholm"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9W9I7-1Lv","jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kth.se\/blogs\/studentblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6789","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kth.se\/blogs\/studentblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kth.se\/blogs\/studentblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kth.se\/blogs\/studentblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1325"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kth.se\/blogs\/studentblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6789"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.kth.se\/blogs\/studentblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6789\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6797,"href":"https:\/\/www.kth.se\/blogs\/studentblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6789\/revisions\/6797"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kth.se\/blogs\/studentblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kth.se\/blogs\/studentblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kth.se\/blogs\/studentblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}