Alisa Jordan Writes

Why German bathrooms are more practical than English bathrooms

An odd topic to write about, I know. But Germany really wins when it comes to practicality on this one and to be honest, it would be great if the UK would adopt a few of Germany’s bathroom norms. The separate taps In Britain, we turn on the taps and quickly move our hands from left…

Choosing to stay with family or move abroad

When given the choice to move abroad, one of the first things we often ask ourselves is “What about my family?” For many of us, family is one of our top priorities in life. Especially when they begin to extend and there are engagements, weddings, pregnancies, and unfortunately sometimes funerals too. We often feel as though…

Spending time alone vs socialising as an expat

An issue I’ve had as I’ve become more independent during my time abroad (and probably with age) is that enjoying my own company and happily making plans with myself can sometimes mean that I don’t socialise as much as I feel I could. I guess this isn’t the worst problem in the world as I…

Vegetarian restaurants in Frankfurt

I love eating out in Frankfurt because, despite the typical meat-heavy German cuisine, there are some delicious vegetarian options for those of us who prefer to eat meat free. After trying out quite a few places, here are my favourite vegetarian & vegan breakfast, lunch and dinner spots for the next time you’re feeling hungry….

How to travel Europe from Frankfurt

Frankfurt is the perfect location to travel from. It’s located in the centre of Europe and is home to Germany’s largest airport, making travel to other European countries extremely easy and accessible. I’ve put together a few tips to help you out when exploring. Here’s how to get around: Aeroplane There are two airports in…

A summer weekend in Frankfurt- Things to do

Whether you are new to Frankfurt, looking for something to do or are having guests for the weekend, it’s always good to get recommendations from a local. Here are my top suggestions for a summer weekend in Frankfurt. Enjoy! Friday Morning: Breakfast @ Elaine’s deli A scenic walk along the River Main – Start at Willy…

How to decide where to move abroad

When travelling, I often consider if I would ever want to live in the place I’m holidaying in, and it got me thinking about what makes me answer with either ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ I already had a personal connection to Germany before moving here from the UK, but if I wanted to relocate again, then…

The 5 hardest things about living abroad

I love living abroad and it’s one of the best choices I’ve ever made but every now and again I get this ‘ugh’ feeling. This frustration with the abnormalities of living abroad. I asked a few international friends what they sometimes find difficult about living abroad and we pretty much agreed on the same points….

The four phases of culture shock

It creeps up on you when you least expect it and pushes you out of your depth as you try to comprehend these abnormalities that are actually now normalities. In fact, you’re the abnormal one now. Culture shock. Two and half years into my expat journey and as much as I have embraced the German…

Things to do in Frankfurt in the winter

The second half of winter is usually pretty quiet and if you’re anything like me you’ll almost hibernate until it finally begins to get warm again. But as much as I love being at home, I just can’t stay indoors all the time. So here’s 5 things to do in Frankfurt in the winter: 1….

How to make the most of your weekend visit home

Visiting home for a weekend when you live abroad can be described perfectly in just one word: Busy. Or in my mum’s words “friend-speed-dating”, which I think is a pretty good explanation. It’s go go go and the anxiety is real when I am sitting there trying to work out how I am possibly going…

Living away from your family

Living away from your family can be hard. Whether it’s a different city, a different country or a different continent, the thousands of kilometres between us and our families can make them feel very unreachable. Being able to get to your siblings’, parents’ and grandparents’ homes in less than an hour really does seem like…

Expat New Year Resolutions

As most of us do at this time of year, I have been looking back on the last 12 months. I’ve been wondering where the time has gone, how the changes have happened so quickly and what’s to come for the new year. We plan, think about how far we’ve come and how much further…

Using annual leave when you live abroad

Request annual leave. Book flights. Book accommodation. Go. This is the usual order in which I plan my holidays. I prefer to use my annual leave for travelling and the odd productive day for when the 48 hour weekend just doesn’t suffice. No matter how much you love your 9- 5, it’s always nice to…

Furnishing your home in Germany

I hadn’t thought twice about the fact that I didn’t even know of any German furniture stores before I moved into my unfurnished apartment. I’d assumed I would buy everything from Ikea however, it turned out that Ikea is great for some items but not so good for others. I found myself having to look…

Celebrating your birthday in Germany

I love spoiling my friends on their birthdays: making them feel extra special as they celebrate one more year of life. I love giving thoughtful gifts, writing nice messages in cards and making sure the person who’s birthday it is gets spoilt. So yes, I was very surprised to find my friends buying me drinks…