Adjusting to life in a foreign country can be difficult for everyone - and especially so in Germany where the culture can feel unwelcoming and rigid at first, with language barriers making it difficult to really settle in. What better way, then, to navigate life as a new expat in Germany by following the footsteps of those who have gone before you!
In this guide, we’ve covered the top 20 German expat blogs written by people who have moved from all over the world in favour of life in Germany.
General blogs about moving to Germany
These are our top 5 picks of blogs which provide general information about Deutschland. Each blog offers travel tips and advice for expats on subjects such as currency, culture, cuisine, customs, with some niche German trivia thrown in for good measure.
The German Way | https://www.german-way.com/
The Germany Way website was initially started to supplement the information provided in Hyde Flippo’s book with the same name. Ever since, the website has grown in popularity and provides a useful guide to understanding how German people live out their daily lives, as well as helping expats become accustomed to life in Germany.
All Things German | http://www.allthingsgerman.net/blog/
All Things German does exactly what it suggests: it’s a blog that covers everything related to Germany! From updates on Brexit and Covid-19 to personal essays about life in Germany and tips on moving and living in the country as an expat, this blog is a useful one-stop shop for expats looking for an insight into life in a new country.
Live Work Germany | https://liveworkgermany.com/
Live Work Germany was created by James, originally from the UK, who spent 12 years as an expat in Wiesbaden, Germany, from 2006 - 2018. The website offers job application coaching, online courses for freelancers and self-employed business owners, and has hours worth of free content providing a great resource for expat job seekers looking to work in Germany.
Oddities and Ends | https://oaeblog.com/
Oddities and Ends is run by Jessie, an American now living in Wolfsburg, Germany with her husband. The couple moved to Germany in 2017 from Detroit, and has evolved with Jessie into a travel and expat experience blog. With pages of helpful information on life as an expat in Germany, this is a helpful resource for any expats making the move abroad.
Mrs Alf | https://mrsralf.wordpress.com/
Founded by Kathleen Ralf, who currently teaches at a large International School in Germany, Mrs Alf contains many of her reflections and insights into life as an expat in Germany. While the blog may be of particular interest for other teachers living abroad, anyone interested in life in Germany will find some useful pearls of wisdom within this blog.
Tips to travel in Germany
These expats present their own unique and colour take on life in Germany, providing useful insight for anyone venturing to parts unknown. Ideal for anyone travelling around Germany; whether it be by bus, train, plane or automobile.
Traveling Igloo | https://www.travelingigloo.com/
Traveling Igloo is written by Brea, who moved to Germany with her husband and their yellow Labrador six years ago. As an expat with a full-time job, Brea shares a unique insight into achieving a good work life balance as an expat in a foreign country, as well as packing in as many travels and adventures as you can with a day job!
Cali Globetrotter | https://www.caliglobetrotter.com/
Cali Globetrotter is a blog founded by Lorelei, an American expat who has been living in Germany since 2012. Lorelei, aka Lady Lolo, met her husband in Germany and uses her blog to share their travels throughout Europe as well as provide guides and general advice for other expats looking to make the most of their time in Germany.
Moving to Berlin
Berlin, Germany’s capital, is one of Europe’s most-visited city destinations and once you have visited for yourself, it is not hard to see why. Whether you are travelling through the city to reach your final destination, or setting up camp there on a full time basis, these blogs have everything you need to find all the hotspots and hidden gems scattered around the capital.
Nomaden Berlin | https://www.nomadenberlin.com/
Nomaden Berlin provides accommodation and relocation services for expats looking to move to Berlin, as well as a host of free relocation guides to help expats settle into life in Germany. Anyone moving to Berlin will find a wealth of information on this website, from obtaining the correct visa to navigating Germany’s sometimes complicated property rental processes.
Cheryl Howard | https://cherylhoward.com/
Cheryl Howard founded her blog in 2010, using it to chronicle her travel experiences over the years. As well as more general travel guides and stories from Cheryl’s trips around the world, the blog contains plenty of information about living in Germany. Expats moving to Berlin and interested in knowing more about practical topics such as finding a job, where’s best to meet like minded people etc will find Cheryl’s blog particularly useful.
German food inspiration
Foodies, assemble! This mouth-watering website is packed full of information as well as plenty of amazing photos to salivate over. Readers are given an insight into how German’s eat, where to find the best delicacies and what restaurants and food markets are a must-see.
A Sausage Has Two | https://www.asausagehastwo.com/
This blog centres around the best food and drink Germany has to offer. Created by award-winning travel writer Christie Dietz, Christie moved to Wiesbaden in Germany with her husband in 2010, before relocating to a wine village with her family in 2020. A Sausage Has Two is a great resource for anyone interested in real German cuisine, with food guides and recipes to tantalize your taste buds.
Family expat life
This particular category is made up of blogs which focus on family life in Germany. From studying overseas, to finding the best bank account, to family-friendly itineraries; these writers have aced the expat life. We recommend these blogs to anyone heading overseas who needs practical advice, in addition to the usual travel recommendations.
My Life in Germany |https://www.mylifeingermany.com/
My Life in Germany was started by Sindy, who moved to Germany from Hong Kong in 2010 to start a master’s program. Sindy then found a job, met her husband, and settled down to live in Germany for good with her husband and two children. The blog features a wide range of topics on life in Germany, including studying, working, finances, family life, and food.
Packing my Suitcase | http://www.packingmysuitcase.com/
Packing my Suitcase was founded by Allane Milliane, originally from Brazil, who moved to Germany where she has lived since 2012 with her husband and their daughter. The blog has some great tips for living in Germany, as well as more general travel tips for travelling as a couple, as a family, or with a dog, as well as travel guides, itinerary suggestions, and some fantastic book recommendations for like minded world explorers!
Let the Journey Begin | https://www.letthejourneybegin.eu/
Let the Journey Begin was created in 2012 by Ilze, who moved to Northern Germany from Latvia. After meeting her husband, Ilze extended her trip - and now lives in Germany with her husband and two children permanently. The blog is largely focused around multilingual and multicultural parenting, and is a great resource for other expat parents interested in tips and advice on raising children in a foreign country.
Southern Germany
Bavaria is the state most commonly associated with South German history; but it’s not just Bavarian culture on offer in this part of the country. These blogs will enlighten prospective expats on the more unique areas of Germany’s rich history, culture and tourism, as well as providing tips on great places to check out when in Southern Germany.
Erin at Large | https://erinatlarge.com/
Erin at Large focuses largely on the incredibly historical sites around Germany and Europe in general, with the aim of showcasing lesser-known spots to check out on your travels. The website is run by Erin, a Canadian writer and editor who now lives in southern Germany with her family.
The Sojourn Series | http://www.thesojournseries.com/bavaria/
The Sojourn Series is written by Emma, originally from the UK, who lives in Germany with her husband and three children. The blog largely has a family-friendly focus on topics such as travel and activities to do around Bavaria.
Making the choice to experience life in a foreign country on a long-term basis as an expat is an exciting time and can be an amazing adventure. However, it can also be overwhelming at times and very isolating if you’ve made the move completely alone. Hopefully, the blogs listed above will ease your introduction into life in Germany as a foreigner, and give you some great inspiration and resources for settling into your new life in no time!
More money transfers guides for Germany
Choosing the best German expat blogs
Although it was not easy to pick our favourites, we have carefully curated this list of the best German expat blogs as we believe they provide the most insightful guides to life in Deutschland. In order to select the best blogs, we paid special attention to the following areas:
Authenticity: We made sure each blog that appears in this list, has been written and curated by real people living the expat life. Many of the blogs mentioned above have been set up by travellers who have spent most of their lives roaming around various parts of Germany and other parts of Europe.
Audience: To make sure we provided something for everyone, we wanted to make sure different demographics were considered when compiling this list of the best expat blogs. There is no one-size-fits-all template for expats, and people emigrate for all sorts of reasons, and we wanted our selection of German expat blogs to reflect that.
Insight: Each of these blogs provide unique insight into various areas of German life, in one way or another. We looked closely at presenting both general German travel blogs, and more niche, specialist websites because we feel the bigger the range of insight available, the better!
