What to remember when travelling home for Christmas

Travelling home for Christmas can be a stressful affair for students. Juggling suitcases on a busy train isn’t ideal but it can get even worse if you forget something vital when you’re 5 hours and a pricy train ticket away from your university room.

With this handy guide pointing out things people usually forget, you can be sure you will remember to take everything with you for Christmas!

Chargers

First off, you will probably want to pack up all your devices but it’s not so good if you can’t charge them. Don’t forget to check all your sockets (and turn them off!) before you leave to ensure you’re not having to fork out for another or share with a sibling when you get home.

Fridge food

What people usually forget is fridge food. Although easier if you don’t live too far from university or are travelling by car, taking fridge food home instead of chucking it away is a great way to increase your sustainability and not come home to mouldy food in January.

Stocking fillers

If you’re like me, you’ll have been collecting various stocking fillers whilst at university and you want to make sure you’re taking them all home and not left giving them when you go back home for the Easter holiday. I like to make sure they’re all in a bag together and not scattered around my room so I don’t forget anything.

Documents

Documents are another big thing to remember, just in case you want to make sure you’re not leaving any important ones in your room. This doesn’t just include your ID to go out over Christmas with your mates, but also passports or birth certificates to ensure they’re in a safe place.

Print off any work

Another good thing to remember is to print off any work you may need to have over the holidays. Even if you have a printer at home, save money and use your allocated university printing budget instead.

Clothes

Clothes are essential (and if you’re the typical student, lots of dirty washing too!), but make sure you’re not taking too much as it’s just more to carry. Writing a list can be really helpful if you’ve got plans and pre-planning outfits so you’re not overpacking.

Going along with the overpacking theme, it’s normal to overpack for university, then get there and realise you really don’t need all the clothes you’ve not worn since last year. Once you’ve got into the groove of university life and realised what you actually wear on a typical week, try to take back anything you don’t need so there’s less to take back at the end of the year.

Furthermore, to save space in your uni room, take back your summer clothes and swap them with your winter clothes over the Easter holiday again if you can. This all helps with keeping moving out at the end of the year as pain free as possible.

It’s always good to type out a quick list of everything you’re taking, or even take a photo to ensure you don’t forget anything when coming back too!