Packing Guide for Korea

When I made the decision to move to Korea to teach most things seemed to fall into place. I found a school quickly; they arranged my visa and flight. There was little to worry about except for packing. I consulted dozens of forums and blogs. I have now decided to compile my own list as I disagree with many of the sources I originally consulted. This mostly applies to women.

If you are going to be living in a reasonable sized city in Korea then packing should not cause you much stress.

Toiletries:
You will be able to buy deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo, tampons and just about any facial care product known to man (Korea is the land of skin care). I wasted so much time and money buying ridiculous items like oil-absorbent face wipes and Lush hair products when all of these things were available (literally!) across the street. While tampons are not as common in Asian countries as they are in the west I saw them in nearly every grocery store. Don't pack a year supply! Do consider bring condoms. Condoms sold in Korea are often of poor quality and western men complain that they are too small (take that with a grain of salt). So only pack enough basic toiletry items to last you until you build up the confidence to brave the Korean supermarket.

Clothing:
Korea loves stylish clothes and the prices are comparable to what you would see in America. Western brand clothing is also widely available (H&M, Forever 21, AE, The Gap ect). While you should dress nicely to make a good first impression when you have just arrived, you will likely be able to dress reasonably casually at work. I would avoid shorts, and tank-tops are a no-go in Korea, but I rarely ever wore slacks to work. If you are over a US size 10 or have a shoe size greater than a US 9 you might want to consider bringing clothing to last you a year, otherwise you should be able to buy clothing with little difficulty. The exception might be bras. Pack plenty of bras. Remember that Korea is blessed with four seasons which means summers are terribly hot, winters are very cold, and it rains the rest of the time. Plan to bring or buy clothes for every season!

Household items:
I would recommend against bringing any household items. You will likely end up with an apartment previously occupied with generations of western teachers. Even if your apartment is bare I can't really think of any standard household item that is not commonly available in Korean stores. The exception might be western style sheets. Koreans tend to use thick, quilt like sheets that can be hot in summer.

Food:
Some westerners go home and bring back suitcases of food. While I found that Korea was able to supply enough imports or Korean equivalents some people are picky about a certain brand. If you cannot live without Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing then bring some. Most of the foods you will find unavailable in Korea are foods that won't travel well, such as cheeses, sour cream, or salt-and-vinegar chips. An exception might be spices. If you love to cook you might find the kinds of spices available in Korea to be limited.

School supplies:
Don't bring any! There is a stationary store on ever corner here. Your school should provide you with all necessary teaching materials.

I suppose my most important advice is to not stress too much and don't over pack. You aren't moving to the middle of the Gobi. Korea is very wealthy and industrialized and it is not lacking for luxuries or amenities. Bring personal items that you need and use every day back home to make the transition easier.