What to bring when moving to Singapore from the US

boffenl · Post by **boffenl** » Fri, 29 Jul 2011 3:54 pm

I agree, and I miss Di'Giorno pizzas the most.

Oh, and bring extra pairs of socks. The socks here aren't worth the money you pay for them. Gimme made in china Hanes anyday!

Sorry, channelling my 9 y/o:

1. hair ties/ponytail holders
2. gum and your favorite candy
3. microwave popcorn
4. spaghetti o's
5. salad dressing (if you have a favorite outside of ranch, italian or french which you can find here at a decent price)
6. fajita mix and salsa (I think I mentioned that before)

I'm hungry now and off to get a banana-soya bean drink. Yummmmm.

intbound · Post by **intbound** » Fri, 29 Jul 2011 10:00 pm

Wow, these are great. I hadn't thought about bringing any of this stuff. I don't know why, but it never occurred to me that you could ship food.

What's your experiences with an average shipping time from packing to actual delivery in Singapore (I'm guessing we'll ship over on a cargo boat).

boffenl · Post by **boffenl** » Mon, 01 Aug 2011 9:37 am

Your shipping company should be able to tell you. We basically did it ourselves--the container arrived on our driveway, my husband filled it and then they trucked it to CA. I believe it's between 6 to 8 weeks. My husband packed the container after I left Indiana then joined me here for a few weeks before our stuff arrived. I honestly can't remember if it was closer to 6 or 8 weeks. Sorry!

Almost all food here in SG is imported. That's why it's more expensive. Or at least that's what I keep telling myself.

I'm heading to a conference in DC next weekend and my family already has a Wal-Mart list ready. Top on the list: chocolate covered raisins.

Good luck!

intbound · Post by **intbound** » Mon, 01 Aug 2011 10:30 am

boffenl wrote:Your shipping company should be able to tell you. We basically did it ourselves--the container arrived on our driveway, my husband filled it and then they trucked it to CA. I believe it's between 6 to 8 weeks. My husband packed the container after I left Indiana then joined me here for a few weeks before our stuff arrived. I honestly can't remember if it was closer to 6 or 8 weeks. Sorry!

Almost all food here in SG is imported. That's why it's more expensive. Or at least that's what I keep telling myself. I'm heading to a conference in DC next weekend and my family already has a Wal-Mart list ready. Top on the list: chocolate covered raisins.

Good luck!

Oh my gosh. It took 6-8 weeks to get your things? That will be tough with our baby (will probably be 18 mths at the time). So we would need to take a considerable amount as checked baggage. Did you rent a furnished place or rent furniture when you arrived, or did you just do without furniture for that time?
ETA: Were you able to track your shipment to know where it was at it or did you just wait for notification that it had arrived? Does it take long once your belongings arrive to go through customs?

boffenl · Post by **boffenl** » Mon, 01 Aug 2011 11:26 am

My husband said it was quicker than 6 weeks. Sorry I can't remember exactly. We rented a furnished place and I visited Ikea for sheets and towels, plates, cups and utentsils before they arrived to have a few things to make the apartment seem homier. But it was great to finally get our things--that's when your apartment becomes your home.

Yes, make sure you use all your alloted carry on weight. If possible, ship some things to your husband's office before you leave (if the company will pay for this). I think United still lets you bring 2 suitcases--so bring 2 suitcases.

Other carriers are getting stingy on the amount of bags and weight you can "use".

I'm not even sure what to suggest to pack for the plane--my daughter was 5 so her toys all got shipped and we just packed some clothes and her "essential" toys for the airplane. She's also not fussy with food and fell in easily with local choices.

Good luck!

intbound · Post by **intbound** » Mon, 01 Aug 2011 12:00 pm

Less than 6 weeks is a little better

I'll have to pack a bag of toys and snacks to get her through for that many hours and we'll still have to use videos and cartoons to keep all the other airline passengers from wanting to murder us

.
Were any of your things damaged during transit? How did they get to you once the shipment arrived in Singapore?

boffenl · Post by **boffenl** » Mon, 01 Aug 2011 4:11 pm

No, nothing was damaged, but my husband packed everything into plastic Rubbermaid boxes he got on sale for $4 each. Not I have about 30 Rubbermaid boxes.

Once we got notice that the shipment arrived, we worked with a recommended moving guy (a small truck and two guys) to get the container unloaded at the port and brought to our apartment. Your shipping company (if you're doing a door-to-door move) should get you your stuff with zero hassle. I was actually surprised how hassle free it was--especially sicne we brought over 250 DVDs. None of them were opened even through they were clearly marked on the shipping manifest.

richie303 · Post by **richie303** » Wed, 03 Aug 2011 9:56 am

If you are bigger than a 12 year old girl, bring anything that can't be tailored! The women here are ridiculously small!

My wife is a "woman of traditional build" so bras, etc are impossible to get hold of, if you are a size 16/18 (UK) then you can get some clothes, but bras are impossible! Oh, and places like Marks and Spencers that will sell clothes in your size are double the price of the UK!

I am a big man, I cannot get jeans here! Oh and if you have big feet, bring shoes. Mrs R has size 8 (UK) and struggles too!

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Wed, 03 Aug 2011 10:58 am

Richie, I have the same problem with jeans. Except I'm shorter than the average Asian Male of today. But the jeans here are all made in the Philippines or China and, for guys at least, they are all cut like cheap hotels.

boffenl · Post by **boffenl** » Wed, 03 Aug 2011 11:25 am

Cheap hotels, at least you guys have someplace to put your "stuff"-- the bras here are insanely small. Buy a few and make sure you know your favorites so friends can ship you a few later.

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Wed, 03 Aug 2011 12:02 pm

The problem with cheap hotels is normally the lack of a ballroom!

Same problem as cup sizes.

Post by **nakatago** » Wed, 03 Aug 2011 12:23 pm

sundaymorningstaple wrote:Richie, I have the same problem with jeans. Except I'm shorter than the average Asian Male of today. But the jeans here are all made in the Philippines or China and, for guys at least, they are all cut like cheap hotels.

Heck; I'm Asian and I have size problems with clothes/shoes here! Ironically, though, not in the Philippines.

ChicaDelMar · Post by **ChicaDelMar** » Thu, 04 Aug 2011 1:14 pm

-Clothing
-Snacks (i.e. chips, crispy minis, etc as they are really expensive).
-Vitamins
-Medicine
-Comfortable shoes that fit

richie303 · Post by **richie303** » Thu, 04 Aug 2011 5:04 pm

SMS, have you found anywhere that tailors jeans (not adjusts, they don't even do them NEAR my size) as when I came over I only brought shorts and work trousers! I have no jeans for casual outings... I am not planning on going away (anywhere that I could get some) just now!

Cheers

Richie

Post by **sundaymorningstaple** » Thu, 04 Aug 2011 6:13 pm

Richie, if you are looking for Jeans, I swear by two places and haven't had a mishap yet and even with postage it's still cheaper by far....

https://www.americanjeans.com/
http://us.levi.com/home/index.jsp

I've used both a number of times (especially in the past three years as I dropped 26kg off my 1.7M frame.

I'm a diehard Levi's 501 button front guy myself. Both the normal ones and the shrink to fits.

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What to bring when moving to Singapore from the US

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