I’ve tried it all: short trips, long trips, try-to-do-nothing trips, do-absolutely-everything trips, 48-hour trips, squeeze-it-in-with-a-business-trip trips. Whew! Visiting home comes in all shapes and sizes, and I can confirm that waking up to a “your flight is ready for check-in” email when you've barely got home from the airport is the-absolute-worst trip. So how do... Continue Reading →
Alisa: An extrovert with many long-standing friendships from different paths of life, including school, travels and work. Strong interpersonal skills, good at keeping in touch with people, and always, always socialising.Yep, that was me before I moved abroad. To be more accurate, you could even add a third 'always' before 'socialising.' I loved being surrounded... Continue Reading →
Moving abroad is challenging, but moving abroad during a pandemic adds a whole new level to the experience! I have often thought about how different things would be if I had moved abroad within the last year; how I met new people then and how I would go about meeting new people now. After collecting... Continue Reading →
I was so excited when I found out that my friend, Emily, who I’ve known since I was a teenager in London, was about to relocate to Rome. She was about to have a life-changing experience, and I couldn’t wait for her to start the journey. Almost one year later, I booked a flight to... Continue Reading →
Can you believe it's been four years already!? On 11th August 2016, I boarded a one-way flight to Frankfurt, and the time has gone so quickly. My fourth year came with a lot of change; some expected, and as for all of us - some unexpected. The Expected I started a new job. This might... Continue Reading →
There's something special about friends coming to visit you abroad. Catching up in 'real life', rather than through a screen, becomes ever-more appreciated and I love being able to share snippets of my (not so new) life in another city. As well as the hours on end of talking, when my visitor first arrives, and... Continue Reading →
Two of my friends in London (who don't know each other) were recently offered the opportunity to move abroad as part of their career. My friend Jay* was offered a job in her dream country, Taiwan**, a place that she had actually lived before and that she knew she would thoroughly enjoy. My other friend... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
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.... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
How often do you rely on other people? When at work, playing sports, or for some friendly advice? I reckon it’s more than we realise but for those times when we do actually need someone, whatever it may be for, we generally know exactly who to go to and why they’d be the best person... Continue Reading →
Spending some time back home after living abroad for nearly two years (and hardly visiting London) has made me realise that life abroad doesn't always feel foreign. At some point the tables start to turn... It wasn't Christmas, it wasn't my birthday, it was just the first 'normal' week I'd spent working in London since... Continue Reading →
Time flies when you're having fun and whilst being abroad, I feel like it goes even quicker. Here's how to make the most of living in another country so you don't to look back on what you wish you had done whilst you were out there: Make a bucket list Whether you do it before... Continue Reading →
When I last went back to London (home-home), I realised I wasn't checking my phone half as much as I do when I'm at my home abroad. The reason is obvious: I have 25 years of solid friendships to maintain in the UK compared to 18 months of developing friendships in Frankfurt. I am lucky there's... Continue Reading →
Alisa Jordan Writes 