For a first move, start with five things: your reporting date, exact destination, confirmed first-night stay, arrival plan and money available until your next income or family transfer. Everything else can be organised around those decisions.
You do not need to solve your entire new life before leaving. You need a workable first week.
Two to four weeks before: establish the basics
Confirm the exact campus or office location. Save the entrance you will actually use, because a large campus or business complex may have several gates.
Then work through this list:
- Confirm when you must arrive and when reporting begins.
- Decide who will receive you and how you will reach your first-night stay.
- Record all payments already made and the next amounts due.
- Check move-in timing, access instructions and the contact person.
- Ask which documents your institution, employer or accommodation provider requires.
- Keep an alternative arrival plan if transport is delayed.
Put confirmations in one folder. A screenshot can be easier to find than an email when you are standing outside with luggage.
One week before: prepare your daily routine
Check a realistic route between your stay and campus or work. Include the walk to transport, waiting, transfers and the final stretch. Ask someone who makes that journey how it works at your actual travel time.
Arrange a simple food plan for the first two days. Identify how you will get drinking water, charge your phone and buy basic supplies.
Build your first-month budget using confirmed quotes and your own spending needs. Keep setup costs separate from recurring costs.
The day before: pack for the first 24 hours
Keep these accessible rather than buried in the largest bag:
- Required identification and arrival confirmations.
- Phone charger and a charged power bank, if you have one.
- A change of clothes and toiletries.
- Any medicines you already use as directed.
- Drinking water and a simple snack for the journey.
- Saved addresses and contact numbers available offline.
Carry a backup payment option you can access if your usual method fails.
On arrival: confirm before unpacking
Check access, basic facilities and whom to contact about problems. Record any existing damage and send it through the agreed channel. Keep payment receipts and written terms together.
Let someone you trust know you have arrived. Then handle food, water, charging and rest before trying to complete every errand.
During the first week: build a repeatable routine
Test your commute before the first important day. Settle laundry and meals. Introduce yourself to a neighbour, roommate or colleague. Keep a short list of unresolved issues with the date you reported each one.
StayZ is built around this full transition, from move planning to belonging. Continue with our first seven days in a new city guide for a day-by-day plan.
