Checklist for your first week in a new city

Start with the things that get you through the first night and the next morning. Keys, a working phone, food and a way to reach someone who can help should be in place early. Most other tasks in the first week can wait a day or two without much cost.

The checklist below groups the tasks into three parts, with a short explanation for each. Treat it as a guide rather than a test. Local rules and the layout of your home will change the details, and you may finish some items on the first day while others take the full week.

Secure your keys and your basic safety

• Confirm how many keys you have and make sure you can open the door without help.
• Find out how to get into the building or home after hours, including any buzzer, intercom or concierge arrangement.
• Save the local emergency number, your full address and your host or landlord's contact details, both in your phone and on paper.
• Locate the main water shutoff, the electrical panel and, if the home uses gas, the gas shutoff. Ask how to recognize a gas smell. If you ever notice one, do not switch lights or appliances on or off, do not use a flame, and leave the building. Do not make calls from inside. From outside, call the emergency number or the gas utility's emergency line.
• Check that the smoke alarms work, and check for a carbon monoxide alarm if the home has fuel-burning appliances. In a shared building, find out where the nearest exit and any fire extinguisher are.

Start with access, because many first-week problems come from unclear entry arrangements rather than broken locks. Keys sometimes exist in more than one copy, and a building manager may hold a spare. If the arrangement is not clear, confirm it in writing so that you are not relying on memory when you arrive late or tired.

Arrival timing is another practical point. If you will reach the home after dark, or on a weekend when offices are closed, confirm in advance who will meet you or how you will collect the keys. Ask the host what to do if an access code fails, and save a number that reaches a real person rather than only an automated line. A few minutes of planning here avoids a stressful wait outside a locked door.

Safety habits are simple. Lock the door and windows at night, and let someone you trust know your address and your arrival time. Learn the route between your home and the nearest main road in daylight before you need to take it after dark.

Get connected and keep access to your money

• Test your phone's connection in the new location and check whether it is unlocked if you plan to use a local mobile plan.
• Confirm the date your internet service will be installed, since setup can take days or weeks in some places. Keep mobile data as a backup.
• Test your bank card on a small local purchase, and check whether your bank's app and two-step verification still work from the new country.
• Carry some local cash in small amounts, because some shops and transit machines accept only cash or only certain cards.
• Keep your important documents in a safe place, with digital copies stored separately.

Connectivity affects everything else. Without a working phone you cannot receive verification codes, reach your host or follow directions. If your usual payment method is blocked or limited when used abroad, contact your bank for advice on your own account rather than changing settings in a hurry.

Stock essentials and make first contacts

• Buy a few days of food that does not need much cooking, along with water, toilet paper, soap, basic cleaning supplies and trash bags.
• Assemble a simple first-aid kit and bring enough of any regular medication, keeping it in its labeled packaging. Ask a pharmacist or doctor if you have questions about a medicine.
• Find the nearest grocery store, pharmacy and an open clinic or urgent care service, and note their opening hours.
• Introduce yourself to a neighbor, your host or a building manager, and exchange phone numbers.
• Tell one person at home your plan for the first week and agree on a time to check in with them.

Supplies deserve a little planning too. Shops in some areas close early, close for a midday break or stay shut on certain days, so the first food purchase may need to happen sooner than you expect. If you plan to cook, check that the kitchen has the basic tools you need, such as a pan, a knife, a cutting board and containers for leftovers, and buy anything missing early in the week rather than the evening before you need it.

First contacts give you a human safety net. A neighbor who knows you have just moved can tell you which day trash is collected, where the laundry is and whom to call if the building has a problem. A short introduction is a small step that often pays off within days.

Finish the week by reviewing what is still open. Write down anything you have not yet done and assign it to a day in the second week. The aim is not to finish everything in seven days but to know what remains and to feel confident that the essentials are in place.