All the luggage at the airport

One of the many challenges to moving is knowing what to pack. It’s hard for any move, but moving to a country you have never been to adds some more stress to it. We kept seeing all these posts on Facebook about what would be hard to find here or what we would be more affordable to bring rather than buy here. Then there is all the stuff thats irreplaceable too. We were having a palette shipped but it was going to take a few months to get to us so we also needed to bring stuff we would need in the few months until it got to us. So we brought a lot on the plane with us. We bought these large duffel bags. They are great to fit a ton of stuff. They aren’t the strongest bags but they held up for the flight. I think we brought 11 of them plus a footlocker.

Tortilla press– #1 thing I am happy about. Flour tortillas are usually easy to get but not gluten free flour tortillas. I have only found one brand and only at 2 stores. Corn tortillas are not easy to find and when I have, they have been pretty expensive. I make tortillas at least once a week now. 

Cast iron skillet– this was needed to cook the tortillas!

Knives- I had a great set of quality knives. They were expensive so I wasn’t leaving them behind and didn’t want to spend money on others. Since I cook all the time, I knew I would need these immediately. 

US to EU electronic adapters- These are easy to find here but after the long journey, I knew we were going to need to plug in our devices and might be a while until we got to a store. We got a few different ones, some had multiple usb ports and some just attached to US plugs. We also got a voltage converter.

Electronics- Apple tv box,firestick, PS5, android tv box, gaming consoles, laptops, etc. These things are expensive and we use them constantly so we brought them. Items are supposed to be at least 6 months old so you don’t get charged custom duties on them. 

Favorite Spices- You can get a lot of spices here but if you have favorites or blends, you might want to bring some.We brought a few of our faves that we use a lot of such as this taco seasoning and Kinders Buttery Steakhouse rub.

Cube Pillow and satin pillow case- I have yet to find a good pillow here, I’m so glad I brought mine. I don’t think I have seen any satin pillow cases either. 

Prescriptions and supplements- I brought enough to last a few months. I didn’t know when I would be going to the doctor here or how hard it would be to get my ADHD medication. I also brought plenty of Bodhi’s medicine.  

OTC Meds- we had learned that some are not available here or they would be different. We brought DayQuil and NyQuil, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, allergy meds, Pepto, Tums, 

Towels- We brought 2 towels because I knew that the first thing I would want to do after a very long journey would be take a shower. We dont use these anymore though because they take too long to dry. 

Ice cube tray with storage– I love ice, but it’s not really a European thing. You can find ice cube trays here but I like the one I had with a storage bin and lid

Heavy Resistance Bands– We both lift weight and I thought it might be a while before I joined a gym so it was great to have these heavy duty bands to be able to workout at the apartment. We also got these handles.

Galaxy light– I love it and it makes me happy.

My favorite makeup- In Tavira especially, there isn’t a lot of options for buying makeup. On the other hand, I don’t wear as much here as I used to, but I do like having my favorite products.

Enough clothes and shoes to last a few months. This was hard because we weren’t completely sure about the weather changing. We brought a mix of summer and fall clothes and a couple jackets just in case. I had about 2 full bags of clothes and shoes