What to bring and not to bring?

What I can say is you should be able to buy most, if not all, of what you need here. And things are reasonably priced here. You would be able to save the hassle and cost of of shipping things over. I know this is a generic response but hope it addresses your queries.

Re: kids stuff - I do not know. We should wait for other forum contributors to comment.

If you have a relocation package (eg the cost of moving will be covered by your company), then bring it all here. However if you are going to pay it all yourself, then you can buy them all here for the same price if not cheaper.

Personally I think most things are the same price or more expensive here in comparison with say the UK.  If you have the shipping included in your package bring it with you.

The choice of say bookstores is limited and you will not find good deals as you might at home.  Most people end up buying online and getting stuff shipped in.

Kids clothes are reasonable.

I guess what you have to remember is that this is a tiny island with little or no manufacturing so everything is imported along with the costs that entails.  And with an island full of expats willing to pay top dollar for mostly everything prices stay high.

I have 3 boys and we moved here 18 months ago - there are things I wish I had brought with me and things I wish I hadn't bothered with.  Feel free to pm me if you have specific questions.

Good luck with the move

Hi

We have been here a year now and finding pans like we had back in the UK has been impossible without having to take out a mortgage. Decent pans that don't buckle or scratch are extremely expensive. Bring yours if you can.

Vaccum's here are stupidly cheap and just as useless. I'm on my 4th!!! Bring yours.

Coffee makers are very expensive for a decent one. You can pay top dollar and it will still leak.

Regarding kids stuff etc you can get an Aramex shop and ship account and have stuff sent to your door (very cheaply) from UK, USA, China, Dubai and Turkey. I got all my Christmas presents sent from the states and they were here a week later.

Don't forget to stock up on perfume too. Hard to find decent stuff here at reasonable prices (all arabic) and Aramex can only ship liquids in from USA (very recent new service)

One thing to also bear in mind is the returns policy here. Some of the shops are good but most dire. We bought a vacuum and it set on fire the next day. When we took it back they said no refund, we will send for service as you have used it!!! When hubby went to plug the vacuum in next to a lovely 75" TV they refunded immediately :-)

Thank you Josnuggles and scottrace for such helpful responses!! I would never have known all this had it not been for this wonderful forum! I will definitely be bringing my pots and pans. I've started ordering my son's Pre-K curriculum which I'd rather just bring along to be on the safe side.

Welcome superwoman..... you're going to love it here!  Husband and I are fairly new here as well, but I have been pleased to find just about everything I have wanted here, with few exceptions.... the odd spice or condiment that we're accustomed to and some obscure crafting supplies.  If you've a hobby that pleases you, consider saving a bit of shipping space for those supplies - it'll take a bit for you to learn where to get what you're looking for here.  It's most likely available, will just take some searching.

You have been given great advice on the pots and pans.... I brought none with me, and was disappointed with the first ones that I bought.  As Josnuggles said, they warp, scratch and are generally worthless.  Thank goodness for expat moving sales and facebook pages with local classifieds..... I picked up some excellent Cuisinart pots and pans for a small amount.

About your big stand mixer.... personally, I would not pay to ship it.  If you're here on a long contract, I'd sell it before I came, buy a comparable one here, sell it when I left and buy a brand spanking new one when I returned home.  That's what I've done with most of my kitchen appliances.... but I made a mistake by buying a less-than-adequate "multi-purpose" food processor and blender in one - pretty well worth every fil I paid for it... .

DebbieT11 wrote:

About your big stand mixer.... personally, I would not pay to ship it.  If you're here on a long contract, I'd sell it before I came, buy a comparable one here, sell it when I left and buy a brand spanking new one when I returned home.  That's what I've done with most of my kitchen appliances.... but I made a mistake by buying a less-than-adequate "multi-purpose" food processor and blender in one - pretty well worth every fil I paid for it... .

Did you see any stand mixers comparable to or just those kitchenaid or cuisinart ones?

Also did you happen to see any irons while you were about shopping? Any idea on prices for western brand? Thanks for the help! 

Btw just got news that my husband's employer is going to pay for our shipment! woot woot!

When you arrive here, pay a visit to Carrefour in Bahrain City Centre shopping mall. There are tens of irons in there from the cheapest to the most expensive brands. You would have absolutely no problem regarding finding an iron to suit your needs and your budget.

The same applies to mixers. I would absolutely not bother shipping an old junk. But if what you already have is new, then I would say bring it with you since your husband's company will pay for it.

Let us know if you need anything else.

If your husbands employer is paying for the shipment tell him to contact Crown Relocations either in your home country or here in Bahrain. The service is door to door and amazing!!!!

Sharaf DG, Geant, Carrefour etc all carry electric appliances and you will get them here no problem.

If you are not paying for the shipment then bring everything you want to bring and have a house sale for all the items you don't want to bring.

Good luck with the move.

Personal opinion but, as your shipping is being paid for, I would bring everything you have that is in good condition.

As I said before, I do think things are more expensive here and not necessarily of such good quality.  And if you bring it and then dont want it you can make a small fortune selling it on the classifieds pages where they seem to mostly ask for secondhand what you would pay new for it in the UK