Arrival· Updated October 2026
Most of the stress of moving abroad happens in a single week: the one either side of your flight. Get a handful of things sorted in the right order and that week becomes the exciting part, not the hard part.
Before you fly
- Confirm your room in writing. Have your booking confirmation, move-in date, check-in hours and the property's contact number saved offline.
- Book your airport pickup. Arriving with two suitcases after a long-haul flight is not the moment to work out public transport.
- Install an eSIM. Activate it before departure so you have data the moment you land.
- Load a forex card. Carry a small amount of local cash too, for the first day.
- Buy your insurance. Check it meets your visa and university requirements.
- Ship what you can. Books and winter clothes are usually cheaper to ship than to carry as excess baggage.
Landing day
- Message your family and your pickup as soon as you land.
- Keep your passport, offer letter and booking confirmation in your hand luggage, not your suitcase.
- Check in at your property, inspect the room and photograph anything damaged before you unpack.
Your first seven days
- Register with your university and collect your student ID.
- Open a local bank account. Many digital banks let you start before you arrive.
- Register with a doctor if your country requires it (the UK's GP system, for example).
- Complete any address registration, such as the Anmeldung in Germany.
- Get a transport card and apply any student discount.
- Meet your flatmates. Your first friends abroad are usually the people down the corridor.
Let us handle the list
GoDorm can arrange your room, pickup, SIM, insurance, forex and bank account in one conversation. Message us on WhatsApp and we'll start with your city.