I'm sure a lot of people like myself will be relocating to London after new year to embark on a graduate programme as an analyst in consulting.Has anyone got any practical advice for what to take and what to leave behind when moving? Do most people travel light when moving down south and take the bare minimum?A few things I'd picked up on reading around the site here is plenty of shirts and an iPod (for all the travel!).Should you take a laptop bearing in mind you get provided with one or is it strictly for business use?Sorry for all the questions but you've probably all been here at one stage!

I'd recommend bringing everything you think you might need. Your first 6 months in the job are going to be pretty hectic - jetting off for the induction training courses, socialising with your graduate intake, finding yourself travelling off somewhere for your first project. You're not going to have lots of weekends free and you're certainly not going to want to use this precious free time to trek back home and collect all the things you left behind that you now realise you need.Re. laptops in particular, I would definitely have your own at home too. Most businesses will be pretty unhappy about you installing any of your own programs onto a work machine (could be a sackable offence) - so it's good to have your own PC for these purposes.Asides from that, my main advice would be to stock up on things to do whilst travelling. A pocket PC / iPaq is pretty useful so you can get things done whenever you're stuck at an airport, in a taxi, waiting for a train that's running late because of the leaves on the track, etc.Hope that helps - and good luck with your consulting careerTony RestellTop-Consultant.com

I would advise in investing in top notch travel gear - ie. suitcases. You'll prob need a small one for short trips, a suit carrier, and a larger one for lengthy projects. Buy the best you can afford - you wont regrett it later and they will last a life time.

Thanks for the advice guys and yeah a suit carrier is on the list for sure. Just wondering how I'm going to cart all my stuff from sunny Scotland down south!Currently reading the 10-day MBA recommended by someone on here which is proving wuite useful if anyone else is about to start their job.

Tony,Are those ipaq's really an essential for a new consultant? Are they quite expensive to use (line rent etc.)?

I bought a suit carrier when I started a few years back. Never used it since. I fly out on Monday with my suit on, and back on a Friday with my suit on. I would recommend a good quality wheely suitcase that is small enough to carry on into the cabin. Save you having to wait around for luggage.I also have had no use for a PDA. I always have my laptop with me for e-mails, calendar, addresses, etc. But that is personal preference. Carry a paper diary if you want to. If you're moving down to London for your first job in consulting, I would recommend travelling very light (i.e. 1 suitcase). It makes you mobile: easier to move form 1 rented flat to another (if you don't like your flatmates). Easier to move out of your girlfriend's place when you break up. Easier to take all your stuff with you when sent out of town, and save paying rent in London (NB. not strictly legal for tax reasons).And why buy your own laptop? You can e-mail and surf from work. And on the odd occasion you need access on the weekends, use an internet cafe.My best-buy would be some non-iron shirts (try Charles Tyrwhitt). Saves you having to iron and to carry an iron around with you).

Excuse me, you mean to tell me that you wear the same suit - 5 days in a row??Please tell me i have misunderstood. Who do you work for?

If you're buying a suit - get two pairs of trousers. This way, you only need one suit a week and if you get a mark on one set, the others are there. Also stops them getting creased to hell, if you rotate daily. Little hints that help!

b - on your question re. line rental for "iPaqs", I'm not recommending using one to send and receive emails real-time unless your company is paying for the data transfer charges. But these things synchronise with your computer such that you can write emails on the train and then they'll send the minute you get to work and plug the iPaq in; and you can synchronise spreadsheets, presentations, etc. so that you can look at other stuff on the move.Laptops are great but you don't always have them and in some circumstances (take-off on a plane, standing in a train or tube, waiting for a client who is late) it is useful to have something that can be turned on and off in an instant rather than waiting for it to boot up (though I believe the new Apples work in this way too).I remember I bought one of the first pocket PCs when I started in consulting and it was brilliant being able to make use of all the time that would otherwise be lost...Tony

George wrote:"I would advise in investing in top notch travel gear - ie. suitcases. You'll prob need a small one for short trips, a suit carrier, and a larger one for lengthy projects. Buy the best you can afford - you wont regrett it later and they will last a life time.:I have a large Samsonite case which will be fine for longer projects. See the smaller one, would that be a cabin size one that doesn't need to be checked in? Would that be enough for the Moon-Thur jaunts?

I haven't flown since the draconian new rules came in for cabin baggage, in fact I'd been about a week back from an engagement in San Diego when they happened, so I don't know if this is still valid.I have a 20 inch Samsonite wheeled case which was fine for cabin baggage, unless you're talking UK domestic in which case my daily backpack is all I can take onboard.The Samsonite is good for a week (Monday to Friday) including my running shoes and kit.

I think the max dimensions now are 56x45x25.Not sure how much to spend on this though as I'll be in FS so may not be away as much. I had seen a smart Briggs & Riley one but at 200 quid it might be a bit overkill.

I wouldn't be surprised if the people talking about "top notch luggage" are the same ones who recently reached 48 responses (surely a record!) in a thread discussing designer watches.I don't mean to sound patronising but please take some sensible advice and don't waste your money! I promise you, you are about to discover that 28.5k is not the fortune it seemed when you were at uni and really doesn't go very far in london.Here is my two pennies worth anyway:Laptop - No need to get one for private use - Accenture don't care what you install on it. The one very worthwhile investment would be an external USB hard drive - you can use this to store all your personal stuff (iTunes, photos etc) to avoid filling up the disk on the laptop. The new ones are fairly inexpensive and getting smaller all the time.Luggage - The suitcase I use cost me about £20 and has already lasted for a year. No-one will notice what luggage you have! (unless your boss happens to be the "watches" guy - in which case you have my sympathy)Clothing - Remember you are working for Accenture, not some top-flight strategy house. Chances are you won't even be wearing a suit most of the time, so you only need one to begin with. If you end up on a project with a very formal dress code then you can buy more later. Just make sure you've got some decent shirts and a few pairs of dark trousers.PDA - complete waste of time and money. You will be chained to your laptop most of the time anyway. Do you really think you are going to compose emails while commuting to work? I guess this might be useful for someone in a more senior position but for an analyst it is just a pointless gadget.I understand that I have contradicted some much older, wiser people with these comments, but I have a feeling that Tony Restell et al are looking at this from the point of view of a strat consultant jetting all over europe, rather than someone working on extended projects in the same place, which is more likely to be the case with BSI work.You probably feel like that 6k bonus is burning a hole in your pocket before you've even spent it, but the best favour you could do yourself is to stick it in a savings account!