What to take on a trip to work abroad?

Going abroad for work is a big decision – you will be leaving your home for a few months and will have to cope in a new place. In order to make your life and work as easy as possible, you should prepare well for your departure and take along both essential and simply useful items.

What to take on a trip to work? Checklist of essentials

Whether you are going to an EU country or a non-EU country, you will need to take the necessary documents with you and fulfil a few obligations.

Documents

What you need to bear in mind first and foremost is proof of your identity, i.e. an identity card and a passport. If you are going to the Netherlands or another Schengen country, an identity card will be sufficient, but if you have a passport, take it with you as well. Check the expiry date before you leave – if it is too short, get a new document. You need about 30 days to do this, so don’t leave it to the last minute.

While in the Netherlands, remember not to carry both documents together. If one of them is destroyed, lost or stolen, you will be able to use the other document. If you lose both, you can get help from the embassy of your country. You can contact the office by email, telephone or in person – the necessary telephones and addresses can be found on the website of your country’s embassy.

Although not a necessity, a driving licence is also useful. Having one is an added advantage for an employer and a chance to find a better job. If you have a driving licence, you can work as a driver or delivery driver, plus you gain more flexibility to move around the Netherlands, not just between home and work.

Bank account

When you go to work abroad, you will of course receive your salary. In the Netherlands, this is only paid by transfer to a bank account, so you will need to open one if you do not already have one. The applicable currency is the euro, so it should be a foreign currency account in that currency. Payments are only transferred to an account that belongs to the Employee, so you must have an account that you own. You cannot use the account of your sister, wife, father or co-worker.

If you don’t have your own foreign currency account and don’t want to set one up, you can use your Revolut account. With it, you can not only collect your salary for work, but also pay bills or make other payments conveniently and quickly.

Phone with internet access

Working abroad is different to working in Poland. Here, you know your neighbourhood, you speak the local language and even if you get lost, you can always ask for the directions. In the Netherlands, it is not as easy. A phone with internet access will help you communicate efficiently.

You will use your phone to communicate with the Dutch employment office, you will receive a work plan, as well as a weekly settlement, the so-called salaris, the equivalent of the Polish pay slip. You can also install a navigation application on your phone, which will allow you to easily navigate around the city – to work, to the shop or to the nearby sights.

Cash

Beginnings are always difficult and it remains to be seen whether your suitcase contains everything you need for your first few days at work. To protect yourself, it is a good idea to carry some cash with you – enough to last you the first two weeks, which is the minimum until your first paycheck.

Things useful for a trip to work abroad

What to take on a trip abroad for work is determined by where you are going and what conditions you can expect there. Being well-prepared is essential, so before you go to work in the Netherlands, think about everything that is useful to you in your life in your home country.

All-weather clothing

When going abroad to work, you need to make sure you have the right clothes and footwear. Buying everything when you arrive is not a good idea, as Dutch prices differ from Polish prices and basic items of clothing can be much more expensive.

So, remember to take clothes for all weathers and pack both cold weather and warmer weather items. To make sure you don’t forget anything, make a list. It should include:

• thermal clothing, e.g. from Decathlon,
• a raincoat,
• two hats – warm and a snapback,
• two pairs of gloves,
• specialist safety shoes – if you don’t already have these, you can buy them when the contract is signed at the office. You will find the necessary information on this subject in our handbook.

Comfortable underwear, a dozen pairs of socks and comfortable trousers, T-shirts and sweatshirts will certainly come in handy.

Medication

Your baggage should also include medicines, especially those you take permanently or frequently. Take a three-month supply with you. Medicines for basic ailments are also useful, i.e. painkillers and antipyretics, anti-inflammatory ointment to help with muscle pain, and something for food poisoning, i.e. activated charcoal, electrolytes or antimicrobials.

Cosmetics

If you have your favourite cosmetics or hygiene products, supplement your luggage with them. It is best to take a larger quantity of these but adjust it to the space available in your suitcase. You can also buy the items you need when you arrive, and only take your first month’s supply with you.

Cleaning products

The staff accommodation is furnished, but you will not find basic cleaning products. So, for a start, you will need washing powder or capsules, washing-up liquid and a sponge, toilet paper, disposable towels or tissues. Don’t take too much, though – you can buy cleaning products there at a price similar to that in Poland.

Food

When you leave your country, you will certainly miss your favourite foods or products. If it is food that has a long expiration date and does not need to be stored in a refrigerator, you can take it with you. There is access to a fridge at your accommodation, but space is limited for each Employee, so you won’t put too many products in it.

What else to take on a trip abroad for work?

It is said that the forewarned is forearmed and better safe than sorry. These two sayings apply when preparing to go abroad for work.

Spare phone

As you already know, having a working phone is very important as it keeps you in touch with your employer and helps you get around. In order not to be left out of touch, take a spare phone with you. You will use it if your primary equipment breaks down or you lose it and you don’t want to spend the money to buy a new one.

Dutch SIM card

When contacting your employer or the staff at the employment office abroad, you need a Dutch phone number. If you do not get a SIM card from the office, try to buy one yourself. This will allow you to save on calls from a Polish number to a Dutch number. You can get a SIM card before you leave Poland, for example by buying one on the Allegro website, or after you have arrived in the Netherlands.

Phone holder for bicycle

In the Netherlands, your primary means of transport will be your bicycle. In order to ride it safely on Dutch roads and at the same time not get lost, a bicycle-mounted phone holder will come in handy. It will allow you to use navigation comfortably and safely while riding.

Kitchen set

The accommodation provided by READY STEADY GO is fully equipped with the necessary crockery, cutlery and pots for each tenant to use. However, if you prefer to have your own plate or cup, you can bring not only dry food, but also a set of crockery and cutlery to eat comfortably.

Before you go to work, install some apps on your phone

Already during your trip to the Netherlands, you will find that having some apps on your phone can make life much easier. Above all, you will need Google Translate, which will make it much easier for you to communicate in both English and Dutch, for example when shopping for groceries.

Upon arrival, Vivolang, an English learning platform available for free to READY STEADY GO agency Employees, will also be useful. For contacting family and friends, WhatsApp will come in handy. With this app, you can call international numbers free of charge.

Don’t forget about effective navigation, such as Maps.Me, which does not require internet access. The pinning option available there will allow you to plot on a map and save your most frequently used locations, such as work or home.

Going to work is not so scary

When planning a trip to work abroad, it is a good idea to make a list of things that should be in your travel suitcase. If you want to prepare even better for your departure, read the article “Earnings in the Netherlands – why don’t I get offers with a higher hourly rate?“, where you will find some useful information about what Dutch employers value in Employees.

Now you know what to take on a trip abroad for work and how to prepare for it, so making a list will be much easier. So, get to work!