The ultimate Afro-Caribbean packing list 👜

At this time last year, I started wondering what things needed to be at the top of the list for my move to Sweden. Moving from the Caribbean to a cold climate like Sweden was daunting to say the least, and having to figure out what to take with me didn’t make the transition much easier 😨. In today’s post – one of my final one’s at that – I’m going to help you guys out with the ultimate Swedish packing list for my fellow Afro-Caribbean  students 😄.  

Clothing 👚- I was completely lost when it came to choosing clothes for the winter. I didn’t really know what I should have and what article of clothing would be suitable for what type of weather. Here’s what I figured out:

1. Coats and Parkas 🧥 – To my surprise, I only needed two ‘coats’ for the whole season. One was longer and fell below my knees, and the other was a jacket that I wore 90% of the time I was in Sweden. You need to make sure that your coat is wind and waterproof, some coats even have temperature ratings. It’s also good to do a bit of research and spend a little more where necessary, as these will be your staple items for most of your time in Sweden.
2. Sweaters, Cardigans and Hoodies 🧥 – These are all must haves for cold weather, especially when you’re trying to create some layers. I would say it’s good to have 2 sweaters or hoodies and maybe a cardigan if you like. These are what you’re going to be seen in when you take your coats off, so choose wisely 😅.
3. Underwear and Thermals 🩲 – I only bought thermals a few months into coming to Sweden. However, if I knew better, I would’ve bought them earlier. Two pairs of thermal underwear worked just fine for me, and I wore them anytime the temperature was less than around 12℃. I also had a huge stockpile of underwear which came in handy when I didn’t have the time to wash clothes every week. 2 or 3 pairs of wool socks may also be pretty useful for cold nights.
4. Scarfs 🧣 – 2 or 3 scarfs, in different colours or patterns would be great to have. You can easily get them in a second-hand store or at Uniqlo.
5. Pants and Jeans 👖 – When it gets very cold, you need to avoid bottoms that get very wet or very heavy. Jeans are very versatile but may not be the greatest when things start to get moist or extra cold. I would recommend that you have a few pairs of normal pants to wear over your thermals in the colder, wetter months.
6. Gloves 🧤 – Honestly, I just shoved my hands in my pockets most of the time 😅. There may be times when you need to have your hands out in the open though. For those times, I bought a pair of gloves from Hestra and glove liners from Uniqlo.

: I bought a lot of winter clothes off season. This was by far the best decision I made before coming to Sweden. I saved so much money and got amazing quality items for a really good price! You can also look into other stores for off-season deals.

Food 🍴 – this one was extremely important for me. Swedish food is very different from what I’m used to, and I had to be sure that I had everything I needed to eat 😅.

1. Liquid sauces, jams and seasonings – I used about 2 10-ounce bottles of wet seasoning for the entire year. I didn’t use many jams or jellies, but I would say take those from home if you’re looking for something outside of the basic strawberry or grape.
2. Dry seasoning – I used 1 907-gram bottle of all purpose seasoning for the entire year. Unlike Jamaica, you can’t actually find all purpose seasoning in your average supermarket, I only found it at the Afro-Asian one in the city.
3. Teas 🍵 – I brought Jamaican ginger and peppermint tea. These items are sold in Europe, but under bigger international brands, so remember to take your tea with you if you want something very specific. Be sure to check out the guidelines for travelling with them though.

Shoes 👟 – There isn’t much to say here.  I brought a pair of sneakerish boot thingys 😅 (which a lot of Swedish people tend to wear during winter), a pair of dedicated boots (for when it gets very snowy and cold), and your average sneakers and indoor shoes. Again, these are easy to find at stores like Stadium, XXL or Din Sko in Sweden.

Personal Care and Medications 💊 – I can’t really think of many of these items that I couldn’t find in Sweden. The only thing I can remember longing for is cold and flu medication. In Jamaica, these came in the form of tablets which I couldn’t seem to find in Sweden. There are a number of pharmacies all over Sweden if you need a continuous supply of medicines. Find out more about the Swedish healthcare system here.

Natural Hair Products 🪮 – This section is specifically for people who have very curly hair like mine 👩🏾‍🦱. I spoke about getting hair products in this blog, but here are the details of the specific items that I used:

1. Shampoo and Conditioner – I brought 1 32-ounce bottle of shampoo and another bottle of conditioner which lasted me for the entire year.
2. Moisturizer and Curling Cream – Washing my hair once a week or so meant that I used about: 2 12-ounce jars of curling cream and hair moisturizer per semester.
3. Hair mousse – I used 2 to 3 7-ounce bottles per semester. Don’t stress too much about this one though, hair mousse is more widely available in Sweden than other products for black hair.
4. Oil – While hair oil is also available in Sweden, specific brands may be difficult to find or expensive, so I preferred to use the ones I had from Jamaica. I only needed 2 4-ounce bottles for the year though.

That’s it for this post. I know you guys are under a lot of pressure preparing to move away, and I hope this made it a little easier 🥹. Just take this one step at a time, I promise you’ll get there. I can’t wait to share my next post with you!