136185597 What to and what not to bring with you to Stavanger

So now that you have made a decision to make Stavanger your new home, and have started planning out your move, you are probably asking yourself, and your friends – “what should I take with me, and what should I not?” The answer to this question will depend on two factors:

    • (a) Space – both in your shipment, and in your new home in Stavanger. If you are shipping a container, then you can get, well, a container full of things. If not, you will have to be more selective in your shipment. Most homes in Stavanger, from what I have seen, are smaller, and more compact than homes in several other countries. Keep this in mind when shipping bulky items, especially furniture.

 

    • (b) Yours and your family’s specific needs. Stavanger is a big multi-cultural city, so more likely than not, you will find everything that you are accustomed to using in your daily life. You may not get the same brands you are used to, but with a little research you will find them. And part of the fun of moving to a new city/ country is exploring the stores – you will find so many new things! That said, if you have specific brands for certain items that you can’t live without, then I would suggest first finding out whether the company sells them in Norway or if there are European online stores that sell it, and will ship to Stavanger. Most companies will have that information on their websites, or you can always call them to find out.

 

What else should you bring, and what should you avoid bringing with you to Stavanger? Here is a short list that might help you with your planning.

 

Picture 17 610x318 What to and what not to bring with you to Stavanger

What not to bring:

    • FURNITURE: Unless you own a lot of expensive, and/ or antique furniture that you cannot part with, try not to bring furniture with you. Like I said before, Norwegian houses are in general, smaller than what most people are used to, and there is always a chance your furniture may not fit in your new home. Nothing is more annoying/ heartbreaking to ship your furniture all the way to Stavanger, and then find out that you either have to give it away or sell it. A lot of rental homes here are fully furnished and you can easily find good, and moderately priced new furniture as well as really well cared for second hand furniture at Fretex, and a few other stores. Norwegians tend to only sell/ donate items that are in good shape, and throw away things that are unusable or in a bad condition. So you will find some really good, gently used second hand furniture.

 

    • FOOD: Unless you know that you cannot find certain things in Stavanger, I would not suggest getting any food with you. Because Stavanger is a multi cultural city, with a huge number of expats from all over the world, you will find several ethnic food stores around the city. With a little research and a little patience, you should be able to find almost everything you are accustomed to. Also, before bringing any food with you – prepared or otherwise – please make sure you know the rules regarding what you can or cannot bring in to the country. Different countries have different rules regarding the import of food items. You can find a list of rules here. We would suggest though that you contact the custom services to confirm before you pack anything to bring with you. Here is a list of grocery stores and food items in grocery stores, and this is a list of grocery stores and international stores in and around Stavanger.

 

    • BED LINEN/ CURTAINS: Again, unless you have vintage and expensive bed linen that you cannot part with or you are bringing your bed with you, I would not suggest bringing bed linens with you. Most beds and pillows here are of different sizes. In fact, different stores tend to sell slightly different sizes of beds and bed linens. Of course, you can always look up online and see standard bed, bed linen and pillow sizes in Norway and then get linen accordingly. Curtains have the same problem. Unless you know the sizes of the windows in your home, do not buy curtains until you get here.


    • ELECTRONICS: If you are moving to Stavanger from a country that uses a different voltage than Norway, it would be advisable not to get your electronics/ appliances with you. Most of them will not work here, or will need converters to function (also, there is always a chance that they might fry your electrical wirings). Plus you may not find a place to service or repair your appliances, in the unfortunate situation that they break down. You can find almost all kinds of electronics and appliances in Stavanger. You can find a list of electronic stores here.

What to bring:

Let me preface this section by making it clear that you will (most likely) find everything you need here. You may not find the brands that you like, but you will find newer, different brands. In fact, buying some of your daily-wear from here would make sense in the long run, just because stores here stock clothing and footwear that is appropriate for the weather here. That said, some of these things you will need the moment you get here, and given the initial sticker shock you will get (if you have never lived in Norway before, you will get the sticker shock) you may not be inclined to make big buck purchases immediately after you get here.

    • WARM & WATER PROOF CLOTHING & SHOES: Be prepared for a lot of rain and wind – it rains in Stavanger almost every day. There will be days that it won’t rain, but those days are few and far between. It can also get very windy at times. So you will need waterproof clothing (both for warm and cold weather) and footwear if you want to do anything outdoors. Get a good warm jacket that is also waterproof for the winter months, and a Mac for the summer months. Get warm waterproof gloves, comfortable rain boots, and a good sturdy umbrella that can withstand wind gusts. Most of the times umbrellas will be useless because of the wind, so you need a coat with a hood. Also get bags that are waterproof for daily use, especially if you plan to carry a laptop with you when you go out. It usually does not snow much in Stavanger, but there are days when it snows, the snow melts and turns in to ice. That can be a problem if you like walking – a lot of the city is hilly, so if you plan to walk a lot, you may be looking at days when you’ll be walking up or downhill on icy streets. Keep this in mind when buying footwear. Get footwear that would be good to walk on ice and snow.

 

    • CELL PHONES: Cell phone providers do not tend to give cell phones with service plans immediately to new comers. You can buy pay as you go plans to use with your own phone, or buy new phones at market price (which can be a very expensive purchase, especially if you have to buy one just when arrive). So, if you can, buy an unlocked quad-band/Europe capable phone before you get to Stavanger.  Also, if possible get a smart phone. I can’t tell you how many times a smart phone has come in handy at stores (especially the grocery store), finding my way around the city, finding the bus schedule etc.

 

    • MEDICINES/ PRESCRIPTIONS: A lot of drugs and medicines that one can easily get over the counter (OTC) in other countries are prescription only in Norway. If there are OTC drugs such as painkillers/ cold medicines you are accustomed to taking and don’t think you’ll find them here, you should get them. Do make sure that you get prescriptions for them. Before packing drugs and medicines please look at the customs website or contact them to see the limits on the kinds and quantity of drugs you can get with you. Also, do keep in mind that the health stores here stock vitamins and other supplements, so you don’t have to worry about stocking up on them.

 

    • ALCOHOL: Alcohol is extremely regulated here by the State. This makes it very expensive – you can only buy beer and cider at the grocery store. All other kind of alcohol has to be bought at the Vinmonopolet. Of course, you cannot get any more than you are legally allowed, so you will have to eventually get used to buying alcohol at the Vinmonopolet – it is not terribly bad, once you get over the initial sticker shock. See here for how much you are allowed to bring in without paying customs. This link is in Norwegian (and can be easily translated using Google Translate) but has a handy figure to tell you how much alcohol you can get, and what kind of alcoholic beverages can be substituted for each other. This link (also in Norwegian) provides information the customs associated for the private import of alcohol.

 

    • CRAFT SUPPLIES: There are several craft stores in Stavanger that probably carry all the crafting/ art supplies you need. However, the supplies can be very limited, and can get very expensive at times. I do a lot of Origami and work with paper, and so far I have only found one store that sells origami paper, and not only is it very expensive (especially for something that I will more likely than not be crumpling up and throwing away in frustration),  the choices are also very limited. If you have specific craft supply needs, then I would suggest you bring some with you, so that you have some at hand while you are looking for a store – online or brick & mortar – that stocks all that you need.

 

    • Anything that reminds you of home. You will get homesick. That is part of parcel of the expat deal. If there is something that reminds you of home, and comforts you on the days that you miss home, bring it with you.
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About Aparna Kher

Ms. Sunshine, A.K.A Aparna in real life, is a self professed part nerd, part geek, and a professional student - she has always been in school, except for the first two years of her life. Right now, she is finishing up a doctorate in Political Science though the move to Stavanger in October 2011 from Houston with her partner has temporarily slowed down her writing. She enjoys reading, collecting cookbooks and stationary, origami, jazz music, listening to NPR, dancing, movies, traveling, and trying out new cuisines and wines. When she is not staring at a computer screen, you can find her day-dreaming about opening a bakery-cafe that is also a florist's shop, an indie concert venue, a bookstore, and a home goods and paper boutique, when she grows up. That, or becoming the dictator of the world. She hasn't decided yet. You can find her musings here. .