Planning your trip to UoM

Hi everyone! Before you start reading today’s exciting post of planning your trip, please take note of this new WeChat mini program “Discover Manchester 探索曼城”. This page has all kinds of useful travel tips in Manchester and the UK, it is very useful and could potentially be your lifesaver when you arrive in Manchester(sorry for our non-Chinese readers as this page is only in Chinese😞).

There are only 40 odd days left until you start your student life in Manchester. This means it is now time to start planning for your journey here. Some of you may be still waiting for your exam results to confirm your place with us, but that shouldn’t stop you from planning ahead (I hope to hear good news from you soon)!

Booking your flight and arriving

• Manchester Airport is the third busiest airport in the UK serving around 100 airlines to over 200 destinations(so wherever you may be living in right now, you will be able to get here with ease!).
• If you are arriving at the Manchester Airport between the 11 and 16 September 2018 (7am to 9pm), we will have plenty of student ambassadors at the airport to help and guide you to your destination (here is a link for more info).
• We will also have airport pick up services between the 12 and 14 September. We will drop you off at you accommodation free of charge. This service is only available if you are living in university student halls. Sign up for airport pick up service here!
• If you plan to arrive somewhere else in the UK (somewhere that is not Manchester airport), then click here for more information.

Packing up

With limited space provided by the airlines(here, I’ll assume you are given one large check-in bag and one small carry-on bag), you’d have to think carefully on what are the things you will actually need to put in your suitcase. I have put together a list of things you should consider bringing, use this list as a starting point and work out what you need to bring. As usual, if you have any questions or can’t decide whether to bring something or not, please leave a comment and I will try my best to help you.

For Twitter users, please take a picture of 5 things you are bringing to Manchester and post it with “#hellouom” to share it with your fellow students coming to Manchester.

• Underwear – you’d want to bring two or three weeks’ worth. Ideally, you’d want to do your laundry once a week (twice at max), so the more you bring the less often you’ll have to do your laundry.
• Socks – again, bring two weeks’ worth just in case you need more. They don’t take up much space anyway so bring them!
• Bed Sheets/linens – one set only and you can buy another set when you arrive so you can switch around. Duvets are provided by the halls so you don’t need to bring it. If the ones provided by the halls aren’t what you want, then you can buy them as they aren’t expensive.
• Toiletries
  • Toothbrush/toothpaste – they are small so bring them!
  • Makeup – try keeping it reasonable if you have a whole set.
  • Towel – I would suggest bringing one only and then buy another one when you arrive, you can bring two if you want of course but NO more than two, please.
  • Shampoo/body wash/conditioner – bring travel size packs only for your first day or two and then buy normal sized ones here. They are not expensive so don’t waste your luggage space on them!
  • Feminine products – one month’s worth.
  • Razors –  again, it’s small so squeeze it in somewhere
  • Nail clippers – many people often forget about this, bring it’s small!
  • Brush/comb – bring it, it’s small.
  • Deodorant –  you can bring it if you don’t it’s no big deal because you can find them at most places here
• Coats/jackets – bring two or one if you are running out of space. Make sure it’s a thick one as it gets COLD here in the winter (and rains a lot so bring your waterproof ones!).
• Flip flops – this is essential! If you live in halls, you’ll have a shared kitchen and/or shared bathrooms. The floors at public areas aren’t always clean so yeah, bring a pair. You can buy them here as well but I’d say bring a pair just in case you will be too busy during your first few days here.
• Umbrella(it rains a lot here during the winter) – if you have space then squeeze it in, it is OK if you don’t, you can just buy it here. Make sure you get one before winter because you will need it!
• Clothes – this is the last thing on the list because you’d want to pack your clothes at the end because this is probably going to take up all your spaces
  • Jumper (sweater) – This is essential as it’ll be cold even with heating on indoor so this thicker layer of clothing will keep you warm indoors.
  • Short sleeve/long sleeve shirts – this really depends on how much space you have and how much you want to bring to make your mind up!
  • Pants/skirts – again, it’s up to you.
  • Scarves and gloves – this will come in handy (hehe😉😉) in winter. You can also buy it here for cheap of course.
• Shoes – bring a pair of good walking shoes because you will be doing lots of walking on campus
• Extras – this is a sub-list of things you might have already thought about bringing, but I’ll include it just in case.
  • Adaptor – make sure you get a UK adaptor so you can charge your phone and laptop
  • Reusable water bottle – This is ESSENTIAL! Keeps you hydrated and use less plastic to save our world, one stone many birds.
  • Stationary – on average, a pen costs £0.30-£0.60 in the UK and a notebook will cost you 2 to 3 pound. If they are cheaper in your home country then stock up!

Once again, thank you for reading and please leave a comment below if you have any enquiries (ANY!).