1985mcdermid

Hi all

I have recently accepted a job in Abu Dhabi and am extremely excited for the move. However am beginning the rather tricky task of sorting through my things.

Looking for anyone who can offer some hints and tips on prioritising what to take and what leave behind.

Thanks for any help you can provide

Joanne

_Cheery

Travel as light as possible and just bring whatever you really need to bring...
Have you sorted out accommodation and is it already furnished?
Some flats come with fully equipped kitchens and build in wardrobes so you could find out about that plus how much space there is and work around that info.
I don't really think there is much more advice that is Abu Dhabi specific - it's just general...
IKEA is quite popular here and there is one in Abu Dhabi.
Personally I'd recommend doing as much clothes shopping in the UK as possible, if that's where you are - the same high street shops here as there seem to have older and less stock, and prices higher.

al dente

Photos and paintings are a must. Books, not so much. We culled about 75%.

driftingaway

We booked our shipping based on a speculative '8 Boxes of misc stuff 762mmx508mmx508mm' which = the £750 shipping allowance we're being given.

We've now gone through our clothes, books, a few paintings etc and only filled two boxes!

Now thinking about what else we can take... we were planning to buy a few things here and bring them until we found out new things are taxable.

Bahtatboy

There are two ways to view this.

I spent 4 1/2 years in AD/Dubai, and come the end had a huge load of stuff to off-load / ship back to UK. I didn't bring much initially, and my company gave me a fairly generous moving-in allowance, about 75% of which I spent on wine, women and song, and the remainder I squandered on things for the apartment. It was nice to have stuff around me, but to be honest most of it was unecessary.

I'm now elsewhere, and came with 1 suitcase. I live in a fully-furnished apartment, but would would never, ever have chosen any of the furniture, fittings or decorations. The only things I've supplemented are decent bedding (from home) and some cheap kitchen appliances bought locally. I'm quite happy, partly from the knowledge that I haven't spent money on stuff I don't need (want and need being two very different things).

My family weren't with me in AD/Dubai, but came and stayed occasionally, and the home comforts were welcome but not entirely necessary.

So, its a case of priorities and want v need. Sometimes simple is best.

Atcguy

Hi there, new to all this. I'm moving out in about 3 weeks and am looking for a couple of good 'honest' estate agents to show me some apartments. Any leads?....

scrubbedexpat141

I moved with two suitcases, golf clubs and playstation.

3 and a bit years on, I own BARREL loads more. I occasionally look around at some of the nice shit I've bought and wonder how much I'd take home - probably 20% of it.

Bring a little, buy just enough to live nicely, take the cool shit with you. Flog the rest to the next person.

pomomp

I'm the next person, wheres the best place to look for good 2nd hand items?

mikewot

Dubizzle, G4N.

pomomp

Thanks mike!

One last question im cloudy over. Am i able to buy a contrqct mobile straight away or do i need to wait for my residency visa for that? Should i buy a phone outright then get a contract sim?

I hope to god theres 3G in madinat zayed.

mikewot

You can buy a prepay sim at the airport on arrival, they'll take a copy of your passport. Supermarkets and electronic shops all sell mobile phones and there are many Du and Etisalat 'offices' in the malls, generally long queues. Have a look at what plan suits you best and you normally have no problem converting prepay to postpay. I'm on the Etisalat Business Ultimate which works for me and when I want to change any add on's I've not had a problem when I ring them and they do it on the spot.

pomomp

Cheers bud. Yeah ill just buy a phone and prepay when i get there and ill click over to post pay after. I wont know anyone in the uae to start with so i wont need a huge package, internet is probably the main thing.