When I moved to Portugal, I did almost everything wrong. No proper planning. No language skills to ease my transition. And, worst of all, no friends. Without mincing words, I can tell you that the first few months were ROUGH.

Luckily, it’s me, so I quickly made a gameplan and jumped into action with uh… mild success (friends? Yes. Portuguese? hahaha.)

So when I moved to Hamburg, I vowed to make my second international move a bit more successful. Then the universe threw in a pandemic, but hey, at least I tried. But all jokes aside, I did better than try! I nailed this move abroad so much more than my first one, and it’s something I’m really proud of.

It wasn’t just luck and mediocre German skills that led to my successful move to Germany though. There are a few key groups, lessons, and organizational hacks that led to my almost immediate happiness when I moved to Hamburg, and considering that the world was shutting down and social activities were severely restricted, that’s saying something.

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!

Without further ado, here are the 5 things that everyone should know before moving to Hamburg, Germany.

Hamburg Welcome Center

Despite the name, this is not exactly a warm and friendly place with cookies and enthusiastic tour guides. But it is a place that can expedite your paperwork, file complicated forms on your behalf, and answer all of your German bureaucracy questions in English! I had to figure this one out on my own, but I so wish someone would have told me about the Hamburg Welcome Center before I moved to Germany because there are some weird loopholes. You can’t just waltz into the Welcome Center and ask for help. You have to meet a certain salary requirement or be eligible for the EU Blue Card in order to snag an appointment with the English-speaking folks at the Welcome Center.

If you are in a position to do so, negotiate a salary that meets this threshold, because it is entirely worth skipping endless appointments at the Ausländerbehörde and focusing on things that really matter like…

German Classes

Something I really like about my blossoming community of friends in Hamburg is that everyone either knows or is learning German (or they’re German and make me constantly feel inadequate with the number of languages I know). It’s accepted that if you move to Germany, you need to learn German. You definitely don’t have to be fluent and almost everyone in the major cities speaks English, but 9 times out of 10, you’ll fare much better in a situation if you throw in a few words “auf Deutsch” to show that you’re making an effort.

And while there are tons of expensive German language schools and intensive courses that resemble a full-time job, there is also a secret German school hack that is the biggest blessing for those of us that have to work during the day and don’t want to spend one million dollars to exasperatingly stare at sentences that have the composition of a pretzel.

The Volkshochschule.

Offering several levels of German courses that meet twice a week, after work, I seriously cannot recommend the Volkshochschule enough. Why? Because my teacher is great, the other students are rad (awesome way to make friends, by the way), and wait for it…

IT’S SO CHEAP.

Up until level B1, most classes at VHS (the much easier way to refer to this difficult-to-pronounce school) will run you about 60€ ($70 USD) for a comprehensive, months-long course. Sign up. Yesterday.

Expats in Hamburg Facebook Group

Maybe this one is a no-brainer, but as a person who uses Facebook as often as I floss (make of that what you will), I was completely surprised by how valuable Facebook groups can be; Specifically, the well-monitored and curated Expats in Hamburg group. Here you can find everything from jobs to flats to friends to advice on English-speaking doctors. You name it and someone in this group has asked it, and better yet, gotten a string of helpful responses.

I’ve found running buddies, travel advice, and even restaurant recommendations from this bustling international group with over 15,000 members! And the takeaway here, is that this is not only a “Hamburg thing.” Moving somewhere new? Dust off the Facebook app.

Fitness Groups

This is a broad term, because the options here are endless. One thing I have found to be a 100%-guaranteed connector when moving to a new place is fitness groups or classes. In Portugal, it was yoga or surfing (I chose the first option). In Germany, I found my sweet spot with running and yoga, but there are tons of other options like handball teams, biking groups, or hiking meetups. (Gyms with a good vibe, like Kaifu Lodge, are another sweaty and social option.)

It took me a few months to find the perfect fit, but when I found outdoor summer yoga classes in the park I not only grew stronger and got sweatier, but I made incredible friends! And a few months after that, I was introduced via Instagram to the founder of a brand new Hamburg run club. If you were to have told me three years ago that I would

Like running and
Be in a run club

I would have laughed in your face. But apparently, miracles happen and here we are. Starting my Saturday mornings and finishing my Tuesday evenings sprinting with a downright lovely group of people has been a gamechanger for me. We’ve got Germans and foreigners alike, and the camaraderie, advice, and overall good vibes of this group is something I would wish for everyone to have in their move abroad.

Full disclosure, these are mostly activities you’ll have to pay for, but there are cheaper and even free options out there too (like hiking groups or local running meetups).

Health Insurance

I know this is boring, but one of the things I appreciate most about living in Europe is the comprehensive health insurance. That being said, figuring out how to navigate your health insurance options, not to mention finding a doctor, in a language where, yes, you can order a coffee, but no you cannot put your finger on the word for “ligament,” can be a challenge.

Enter TK.

I won’t go on and on about health insurance because I think this page deserves slightly more interesting content, but if German is not your first language and you need health insurance, I cannot recommend TK enough. They have super friendly, English-speaking staff (who can even make appointments for you when you’re in a bind!) and signing up was easy-breezy.

Boring stuff over.

Just so you don’t think I’m too preachy, there are still things I have done completely incorrectly in Germany. (Mainly breaking bike laws I didn’t know existed and my current lack of a “Hausarzt” or GP.) And as I mentioned to a recently-relocated friend the other day, there were definitely some rough days when I first moved here and a few tears shed as I struggled to find a flat in Hamburg. But all-in-all, a combination of the things above plus an incredibly supportive network of friends and family helped me go from a struggling nomadic freelancer in Europe to a fully-employed, official resident of Germany with a full heart and an inspired mind.

Oh, and a few too many feelings for the average German person ;)

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5 Things Everyone Should Know Before Moving to Germany