What I packed for life in London as a student from Wales

Hi! My name is Alana and I am from Bridgend, which is a small town in South Wales. Even though I am from the UK, there are many things that I did not consider when I moved from a small town to a big city, so here are my top 10 essential items for life in London.

Item 1: An easily portable laptop (or in my case, an IPad)

A laptop or desktop computer is an obvious essential for university nowadays as most of the resources that you will receive from your tutors and lecturers are digital. However, when I first moved to London, I did not consider the portability of my devices, and so brought the biggest laptop known to man for university. This was such a nightmare as I had to haul a heavy bag every day to my lessons, a lot of them only having a very small amount of table space.

That is why I bought an IPad for my final year of university and have not turned back! It is light, super portable and easy to bring to all my lessons. Plus, I can do hand-written notes in my classes which is a huge bonus! Even though an IPad specifically is not essential, I would recommend bringing or buying if you can a smaller, lightweight device to ensure you are not carrying a huge amount of luggage on your commute to campus.

 Item 2: A lightweight coat

The UK is known for its rain for good reason, and everyone knows that a coat is an essential. However, where I am from in Wales it is extremely cold, so I brought huge winter coats to London thinking that is what I needed. I soon found out that London is a lot warmer than Wales (even in the winter) and so I bought a lightweight, waterproof rain jacket and a smaller thinner winter coat which was perfect for the cold rainy days as well as the 40-degree tube journeys!

Item 3: A comfortable hoodie

Even though London is warmer than Wales, it can still get very cold in the nights, especially inside the house on a student heating budget. The best thing I bought was an Oodie, which is a blanket you can wear. It is perfect in the cold winter nights, and I even slept in mine sometimes!

Item 4: Walking shoes

One of my favourite things about London is how walkable the city is! The little side streets, the parks and the tourist attractions make London the perfect city to get lost in, which also means you need a good pair of walking shoes. I really recommend a good trainer (Asics are my favourite) and a pair of walking sandals for warmer days (Tevas are the best for that).

Item 5: Uniqlo bag

One of the best purchases I have ever made is my Uniqlo over the shoulder bag. It is the perfect size for any occasion, and I have used it for days out, nights out, going to and from campus, travelling, and even for work! It carries everything including my water bottle, and its design looks good with every outfit! If you are looking for a cheaper alternative, Primark also has an incredible dupe too!

Item 6: Water bottle

Something I cannot leave the house without is a water bottle, especially in London where I do a lot of walking. London has a lot of refill spots, with most cafes being part of the Refill campaign where you can fill up your bottle completely free to reduce plastic waste. You can find out which businesses are participating in this campaign by using the Refill app or looking out for the Refill stickers in the windows of cafes and restaurants.

Item 7: A phone strap (+ iPhone insurance and find my iPhone)

As with most major cities, there is a risk of phone theft in London. One way to prevent that from happening is getting a phone strap that attaches to your wrist or neck to stop thieves from stealing the phone out of your hand. After getting my phone stolen myself, I bought a wrist phone strap and feel a lot safer using my phone in public around the city. I also recommend buying insurance for your phone, a lot of the time you can do this through your mobile provider and even your bank. “Find my iPhone” (or your phone's equivalent) is also good app to have as it allows you to track your phone and put it into 'lost' mode from another device in the case of theft.

Item 8: Headphones

The item that I use the most, apart from my phone, is my headphones. When I am commuting to and from campus or walking around the city, I love to listen to music to make time go faster. The tubes in London can also be very loud at times, and so headphones are great to drown some of that noise out!

Item 9: Skin and hair care products

Something I was not expecting was how much my skin and hair would be affected from the different air and water in London compared to Wales. My skin became very dry and irritated, and my hair became brittle and thin. Once I started properly taking care of my skin and hair, it went back to normal! Some of the products I recommend is Dove soap and Aveeno body cream for skin, and rosemary and castor oil for the head and scalp.

Item 10: Something that reminds you of home

My last and most important item in my opinion is something that reminds you of your home and family. It can be something as small as a piece of jewellery or your favourite snack! I always wear a bracelet that matches my nan and my mum, and have a Welsh flag up in my room. Looking at the bracelet or the flag reminds me of my family and of my home and makes me excited to go back!