Give your first day one job
Get to your accommodation and confirm you can get back in after dark. Save the exact address, the entrance instructions, your host’s number, and an offline map. Buy food for the next morning and check when the nearest shop opens. Move optional errands off your arrival day.
Use your first full day to map three journeys
Walk to your nearest grocery shop and transport stop. Try your commute in the direction and time window you will really use. Then identify one backup route in case you miss a connection. If you are choosing between flats, compare the door-to-door trip instead of the number of stops.
Put paperwork in order of dependency
List the steps that depend on your immigration status, a signed lease, or an appointment. Ask the relevant office which items you need before you travel there. Keep originals together and note which copies you have already sent, to whom, and why.
Leave the end of the week for follow-up
Check which payments are due, which messages need a reply, and which appointments are still provisional. Put the next action next to each open item. A landlord’s promise to send a document becomes useful when you have a date to check back.
