I was very curious to see how a night out in Winterhude would compare with a night out in New York. I knew they’d be different (duh). But I was not prepared for where this night took us.

bars, deutschland, germany, HamburgEmily HughesJuly 18, 2021Best Hamburg Bars, winterhude, life in hamburg, social lifeComment

5 Things Everyone Should Know Before Moving to Germany

So if you’re looking to ease the transitional pain of your upcoming move to Germany, want to broaden your social circle anywhere in the world, or are just curious about what it’s like to move to a country that still believes in a thing called the fax machine, then this post is for you!

deutschland, Expat Life, germany, MovingEmily HughesJune 27, 2021Hamburg, Moving Abroad, Germany, Living in germany, Life in GermanyComment

25 Things I Learned Living and Working on a German Cruise Ship

Spending months living at sea is a weird way to spend your mid-20s, but the experience of waking up in a new country every day, performing on a high-tech stage for an audience of thousands, and planning off-the-beaten-path adventures over a Starbucks coffee on the ship, taught me so much about the world, and about the independent, traveled, confident person I wanted to be.

The Express Guide to Living in Germany: 5 Things That Are Uniquely German

Even after 1.5 years in Germany, no matter how many times I run into them, they make me chuckle, bristle, or just stand there asking “WHY?!”

5 Confessions of a Travel Blogging Dropout (And why I unpacked for good… or did I?)

But life as a travel blogger wasn’t all drinks on the beach and morning coffee in fluffy robes (but it was sometimes ;) ). Want to know what it was really like? Well, keep reading…

Emily HughesMay 16, 2021 Comment

3 Lifestyle (and Financial) Differences Between Living in Portugal and Germany

I left a seaside paradise to put down roots in a grey and rainy city with a weird language and wonderful bread.

5 Little Victories of Expat Life in Germany

These are the things that, going into lockdown, make me chuckle, bow down, or stand up and applaud this complex society

Emily HughesNovember 1, 2020Comment

Have You Been to California? No, THIS California...

To this day, I’m still convinced that California is the best that the United States has to offer, and I’m forever grateful to the Junie B. Jones tour for paying me to explore it for an entire month. But you know what’s even better?

How to Rent an Apartment Abroad

Needless to say, my screen time for the past few weeks has been off the charts, refreshing my apps and websites every 30 minutes. But then something miraculous happened, as I sat in a call box at WeWork on Monday, butchering the German language while arranging a viewing of my 8th apartment in Hamburg.

Expat Life, germany, Hamburg, EriceiraEmily HughesAugust 23, 2020Moving, Moving AbroadComment

5 Weird, Ridiculous Facts About Finding an Apartment in Hamburg, Germany

one thing I can say for certain is that this entire apartment hunt abroad has been one comical learning experience, filled with things I never dreamed I’d encounter.

germany, Moving, Expat LifeEmily HughesAugust 9, 2020hamburg, living abroad, Germany, Expat LifeComment

Life in Germany Versus Life in Portugal

I thought I had a decent understanding of general life in Europe. And while I may have been right about a few tiny things, boy was I wrong about SO MANY OTHERS.

10 Weird Things About the United States of America

And now that I’ve made the trip back to the US a few times, after settling in Europe, I’ve started to notice a few quirks about America that the average American never even thinks about; Facts of everyday life, that just don’t translate when you enter foreign soil.

365 Days As a Digital Nomad: The Good, the Bad, and the Bali

I want to take a peek back at my journey from on-stage singer to behind-the-screen remote worker and share my unfiltered thoughts on working online. Beyond the screen time, here are a few of the lessons I’ve learned thus far on my 365-day digital nomad journey:

Expat Life, Digital NomadEmily HughesJune 14, 2020digital nomad, remote work, online job, Expat LifeComment

The German Dishes You Have to Try and Have to Avoid

Let’s go for a virtual dinner date, and let me introduce you to a few of the dishes that are keeping my belly and heart happy, in these quarantine days in Deutschland.

Europe, European Vacation, Food, Food and Drink, germany, HamburgEmily HughesMay 24, 2020Food Blogger, food, travel foodieComment

The Beginner’s Abbreviated Guide to Thailand

two weeks ago, I did something pretty different. I went to a fancy resort in Thailand, spent a few days in Bangkok, and came back with a pretty shallow understanding of Thailand.

I Went to Thailand! And What Did I learn?

If you know me by now, you know that I’m a planner. I like to nail down dates, times, and schedules, and I start to twitch when things are disorganized. So to suddenly depart for Thailand without much more than a (very large) suitcase and a bottle of SPF 50 was completely out of character for yours truly.

Thailand, Travel Tips, Hotels, germanyEmily HughesJanuary 24, 2020Southeast Asia, Thailand, travel tips, travel hacksComment

The Ultimate Bali Packing Guide

Now that airlines are getting pretty strict with their luggage weight limits, and traveling to countries where wheeled bags don’t stand a chance is becoming more popular by the minute, every piece of clothing in your suitcase matters. I’m on board to get all of the packing tips and luggage wisdom the world has to offer. But I’m also here to give it.

Bali, Packing Guide, Travel Tips, travel, Surf Camp, adventure, IndonesiaEmily HughesJanuary 11, 2020Travel Blog, Indonesia, Bali, travel tips, Packing Guide, beach, Southeast Asia, VacationComment

The Mad Men Inspired Hotel You Need to See in Germany

Besides the impeccable acting, I immediately fell for the fashion, furniture, and too-cool-for-school style that oozed from my screen in every single episode. And when the credits started to roll, I sighed with the familiar octogenarian thought, “They don’t make ‘em like this anymore.” Well, it turns out they do…