You might have already encountered the problem of deciding what you should and should not bring to Esslingen, and this decision can be especially important because it can make your stay away from home more comfortable. Also, carrying extra luggage aboard airplanes can be expensive, but what you may need to buy here can also be expensive.

• Before you purchasing your plane ticket, it might be a good idea to think about potential rewards for flying with specific airlines from home. If you are not member of any flight programs, it might be a good idea to sign up for the frequent-flyer program of the cheapest airline ticket you find. On the other hand, if you are already member of an airline, then perhaps you will want to plan your flight not only based on the price but also on the possibility of acquiring more miles for your favorite frequent-flyer program. Do not wait until the last moment make your ticket purchase, and don't pass up the chance to earn some frequent-flyer miles because flights from the American continents or Asia might acquire enough miles for you to earn a free domestic flight in your home country.
• If you live in a country where laptops are relatively inexpensive, do not hesitate to get it there because here in Germany laptops can start from around 900€. For this price you cannot expect too much, and also it might be uncomfortable to have a keyboard in a language different from your own native language. Desktop computers are also available and for much less money, or you can also find secondhand desktops. It's easier to find secondhand machines because departing students typically are willing to sell for a good price rather than take the desktop computers with them. If you are bringing a laptop from your own country, do not forget to equip it with a wireless network card. You will find out that it has some advantages, since the university is well prepared for receiving wireless computers, and in the dorms, you can get together with your neighbors to share a wireless internet connection. PAY ATTENTION if you are getting your laptop in your home country, and make sure your laptop has a valid world wide warranty. It is very important if you want to avoid uncomfortable situations if problems arise with your laptop. If you want to save money with phone calls, consider also equiping your laptop with a headphone and a microphone, so that you talk with your family or friends with certain free internet phone services such as messenger, or skype. For your information webcams can be found here for around 20€.
• If your home country does not lie in Europe, then bring outlet adapters for the electronic devices, and also you may a voltage converter if your devices do not use 220V. It might be the case that adapters and converters are cheaper in your home country, and believe it or not, those adapters may run out of stock in stores around here when semester starts.
• Do not forget your digital camera and its necessary components and accessories.
• Do NOT bring books from home because you will find the textbooks that you need in the university library. Traveling with books makes your luggage much heavier and more cumbersome, and in the end, you may not even open the books you brought from home. If you have a favorite book, then feel free to bring it, but otherwise, it's not wise to bring too many books.
• Do not forget your computer software from home because it is useful here, especially if it's necessary for the maintenance of your computer. And also if you still have space in your CD case, bring some of your favorite DVDs.

• Bring winter clothing - thermal underwear, sweaters, at least one light jacket, and one really warm jacket, and a pair of gloves. For people that do not have winter clothing, include in your budget a certain amount of money to purchase winter clothes and waterproof boots/shoes for cold weather or other warm garments.
• Bring a suit; it is especially useful for interviews.
• There is a ping-pong table here in the dormitories, and close to the building, there are tennis courts, so you may be interested in bringing rackets from home.
• Bring a bottle of your favorite alcoholic beverage because even if you do not drink, you can share it with everybody.
• Bring postcards or some traditional souvenirs from your home country so that you can share them with people here.
• For Asian people, including the Middle East, it's easy to get that type of food and ingredients here, but it is likely to be a little more expensive. For Latin Americans, bring enough salsa and tortillas for a couple of months if you really like those because it's not easy to find salsa and tortillas or the quality of what is available is quite distant from the quality from your home country. For all it is recommended to bring dried traditional foods.
• If it's possible to get an international driver's license in your home country, get it there, because once you are registered in Germany, your regular license is valid for only for 6 months more in Germany, even if your license not due to expire for some time.
• If you do not have a credit card, you may want to consider getting one now. A credit card can help you with some unforeseen events. Visa cards and Mastercards are the most commonly accepted creditcards, but American Express is also accepted. You will need a creditcard especially for making airline reservations and sometimes for hostel reservations, too. The most important thing is that if you ever have a serious problem accessing cash, you can fall back to using your credit card(s). The supermarket next to the dormitory, Marktkauf, accepts creditcards and American Express, most major department stores also accept creditcards. One of the advantages of American Express is that you can make your payments in the local American Express travel agency in Stuttgart, even if your American Express card was issued in your home country. Visa cards and Mastercards typically need to be paid monthly in the country where the card was issued.
• Bring a small first aid kit from home including aspirins and common pills, and also bring a pair of spare glasses or contact glasses if you need corrective eyewear.
• Bring a watch or alarm clock.
• Bring a German dictionary or ,even better, an electronic translator. Here in Germany those devices are quite expensive and hard to come by.
• Bring a portable calculator.
• Bring comfortable shoes for excursions.