Moving to the Netherlands: What Was Worth Bringing and What Wasn’t

A look back at what was worth bringing to the Netherlands, what was not, and what living here for fifteen months taught me.

May 03, 2026

Moving abroad makes you assign value to everything you own. Before a move, every item feels important. After you have lived somewhere for over a year, you realize some things helped you settle in, some things made life feel familiar, and some things were expensive clutter.

If I had known this experience would last around fifteen months, I probably would have made different choices. Honestly, I kind of wish we had stored everything for a year and then decided later what was actually worth shipping. That is hindsight for you, if you wish to use it.

What was worth bringing in our suitcases

We knew whatever we brought in our suitcases had to carry us through those first few months. We packed four checked bags, four carry-ons, and four backpacks, which let each of us bring what we needed for the first stretch after arriving.

We packed mostly spring and summer clothes, but we did not expect the weather in the Netherlands to feel as cool as it did. I wish I had brought a couple of sweatshirts. I also brought shoes I barely wore, which feels like a lesson in itself. If you are trying to decide what shoes to bring, go through your pile and then go through it again. I wore boots, sneakers, and Birkenstocks the entire time.

As for the kids, our oldest used pretty much everything she brought, though we still bought her some new clothes and shoes after we arrived. Our youngest was much harder to predict. She didn’t want to part with any of her clothes before the move, so I packed them, only for her to wear very little of it once we got here. In hindsight, I should have seen that coming. She is such a creature of habit.

We also brought our laptops and tablets, which was absolutely the right call. Those were not just nice to have. They made work, school, and everyday life possible right away.

What was not worth bringing in our suitcases

There are a few things I would leave behind if I had to do this again.

I wish I had left my nail polish at home. At the time, I packed as if we were leaving for much longer, not just fifteen months, so I brought more personal care items than I ended up using. If I could redo that part, I would swap some of those things for more American over-the-counter medicines. If you know, you know.

I also wish I had been more ruthless about what came with us for our youngest. If I am being honest, I probably should have donated most of her wardrobe and started over after we arrived.

What was worth shipping

Some things really were worth sending.

Our winter gear absolutely was. We used it.

Our computers, monitors, and accessories were worth it too. Those things helped us recreate some version of our normal work life, which matters more than you realize when everything else feels new.

And while this may sound silly to some people, our PS5 ended up being worth shipping because it was what we actually used for entertainment on the TV the whole time we were here and at home.

What was not worth shipping

This is where hindsight really kicks in.

If I had known this would be a relatively short stay, I would not have shipped all of our dishes and kitchen things. I do not regret having them because our All-Clad pans and Fiesta dishes were absolutely better than what we could have bought off an Ikea shelf, but knowing what I know now, I am not sure they were worth the cost and effort of moving them.

I also would not have shipped the mountain bikes. Our oldest used mine for a while, but overall both of us hated riding it here. The bikes that made sense in our old life did not really fit the one we built in the Netherlands.

The skis, camping gear, and maybe even some of the hiking gear also fall into this category. These were the kinds of things that made sense on paper, or maybe represented the life we thought we would have here, but in reality they barely got used.

The extra game consoles definitely were not worth shipping. We hardly touched the Xbox or the PS4. Same for the board games.

And then there were the toys. Our youngest shipped two crates worth of toys and stuffed animals, and she barely touched them once we got here. I fought that battle and lost it, but if I had to do it over, I would push harder. The same goes for a lot of the tools. We used a drill here and there, but overall they were not worth the shipping cost.

Books are a maybe for me. Our oldest shipped about fifteen of her favorite books, and I can understand why. Those kinds of things are not always practical, but they can matter in a different way.

What we bought after we arrived

I do not regret most of what we bought once we got here because these were the things that made everyday life work.

Beds, bedding, desks, chairs, a laundry basket, a toaster, a small fan, a coffee machine, little home decor pieces, a Christmas tree. None of it was especially exciting, but all of it helped turn an apartment into a home.

The coffee machine is the one thing I would absolutely bring back with me if I could. I would ship it home in a heartbeat if it made sense with the voltage situation. Instead, I will sell this one and buy another later, which feels a little tragic, honestly.

What this year taught me

More than anything, this process taught me that moving abroad forces you to separate the life you had from the life you are actually going to live.

Some of what we brought helped us feel like ourselves right away. Some of what we shipped belonged more to our old routines than our new ones. And a lot of what ended up mattering most were the small, ordinary things we bought after we arrived, once reality set in.

In the end, the things that mattered most were not always the things I thought would matter before we left. Moving abroad has a way of exposing the difference between what feels important in theory and what actually supports your life day to day. If I had it to do over again, I would bring less, ship more selectively, and trust that we could build a life with fewer things than I thought we needed. Especially given we are headed back after 15 months.