Author: Ashley Fleckenstein

Today, for my Living Abroad series, I’m chatting with Claire, an American freelance writer who lives in beautiful Strasbourg, France (a city I visited when I worked as an au pair!). Here, Claire shares the reasons she loves living in Strasbourg so much, including the romantic architecture and laid-back pace of life. She also shares the best way to make friends as a new expat.

Claire’s background:

Hi! I’m Claire and I grew up in the Chicagoland area. I initially moved from the US to Paris for the 2018-2019 school year to au pair. By the end of that school year, I was ready to move on from Paris. Paris is a gorgeous city but I’ve discovered that I’m more of a midsize city girl. Conveniently enough, my French boyfriend was starting a PhD in Strasbourg and I already knew I liked the city from visiting before, so

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Hey guys! Today we have a Q&A with Jade from Digital Nomad Design about what RVing in Europe is like. Jade has lived out of an RV for two years, traveling all around Europe. I hope you enjoy!

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Jade’s background and why she chose to RV in Europe:

Hi, my name is Jade, and my husband Oli and I are from the UK. After university, we spent a few years living and working in Asia. We loved the expat lifestyle, but we missed being close to friends and family back home. 

We decided to jump on the vanlife bandwagon and buy a campervan (RV). This way, we could satisfy our wanderlust by travelling around Europe and still be a quick flight or a slightly longer drive back to England.  We bought the campervan in January 2018 and we haven’t

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Scotland is a fairly easy place to pack for. The weather is consistently mild all year round, though it can be rainy and windy. When it comes to packing for a trip to Scotland, there are two essentials you’ll want to pack: rain gear and layers.

A note about my packing style — I’m a (sometimes overly) light packer — I packed for Scotland using only a carry-on. Though I like to travel light, I still like to look presentable. I wear a lot of black because it doesn’t stain and looks good with everything. And I have a weakness for red lipstick, as you’ll see in the photos.

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Scotland Packing List

Packing gear 1 carry-on suitcase 1 backpack — for valuables and electronics 1 small crossbody purse — I love this one from Cuyana Packing cubes — the

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Hey guys! Welcome to Living Abroad, a series that shows you what expat life is like in cities around the world. Next up: Erica, an American living in Wanaka, New Zealand.

Here, Erica shares what it’s really like to live in New Zealand, from having access to jaw-dropping natural beauty to how New Zealand compares to the US.

Quick facts about living in New Zealand:

Languages: English, Māori, and New Zealand Sign Language Currency: $ New Zealand dollar (NZD) Level of crime in New Zealand: Low Cost of living in New Zealand: Moderate Quality of life in New Zealand: Very High

Pros and cons of living in New Zealand (as told by Erica):

Pros: Multiple ecosystems within a few hours from each other, laid-back lifestyle, tight-knit communities  Cons: distance from other countries, things take a while to be completed, lots of growing pains at the moment

On Erica’s background:

My name’s Erica

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I don’t know about you, but I’m obsessed with the Enneagram, a personality test that pinpoints your deepest desires and fears.

But what makes the Enneagram different from other personality tests? Personally, I love the Enneagram because it’s so accurate. Honestly, my results were kind of scary; it’s shocking how much a 15-minute test can reveal about you. Secondly, I like the Enneagram because it gets to the heart of why we do things. Rather than assessing how we interact with the world, it assesses why we feel what we feel in the first place. It goes deeper.

The Enneagram divides the population into nine Enneagram types. Each type has a unique set of traits, desires, and fears. Don’t know your Enneagram personality type? Take a free test here.

When it comes to travel, each Enneagram type wants something different. Ones want to make the world a better

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Hey guys! Welcome to Living Abroad, a series that shows you what expat life is like in cities around the world. Our latest interview is with Alana, an American entrepreneur, writer, and blogger who has spent the last nine years living in Chiang Mai. Here, she shares what it’s really like to live in Chiang Mai as an expat, from the incredible food to the transient expat community.

I’ve read Alana’s blog, Paper Planes, since like 2013 so I’m really excited to share this interview!

Quick facts about living in Chiang Mai, Thailand:

Language: Thai Currency: ฿ Thai Baht (THB) Level of crime in Chiang Mai: Very low Cost of living in Chiang Mai: Low Quality of life in Chiang Mai: High

The pros and cons of living in Chiang Mai (as reported by Alana):

Pros: The cost of living compared to the value you get is incredible, it’s big enough to have

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It’s not hard to find cute food in Tokyo; kawaii food (meaning cute or adorable in Japanese), is basically a national obsession.

My sister and I saw kawaii foods, drinks, and desserts all over Tokyo; from Totoro cream puffs to 3-D animal lattes. In fact, almost every dessert we tried had a face, ha.

So I wanted to write a guide on where to find the cutest foods in Tokyo. Because honestly, these foods, desserts, and drinks are too adorable not to share.

Tip – if you’re looking for cute food in Japan, check Instagram! That’s how we found most of these.

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1. Totoro cream puffs @ Shirohige’s Cream Puff Factory

As a huge Miyazaki fan, I was so excited to try the Totoro cream puffs I’d seen all over Instagram. Totoro is a character from My Neighbor Totoro,

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Looking for the best way to spend 4 days in Tokyo? You’re in the right place. Here’s my detailed four-day Tokyo itinerary which included suggestions on what to see, the best neighborhoods, and what to do at night. I hope you enjoy!

In my opinion, Tokyo is one of the coolest cities in the world. Equal parts traditional and modern, this megacity has so much to do, see, and eat it would take a lifetime to explore it all. If you don’t have a lifetime, four days in Tokyo is enough — as long as you plan carefully.

At over 800 square miles, Tokyo is huge; it can take hours to get from neighborhood to neighborhood. Because of this, I recommend splitting up your itinerary by neighborhood and spending a full-day or half-day in the neighborhoods you want to visit. If you have four days in Tokyo, I

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I’ve loved photography since the age of 12 when after much cajoling, my parents gave me a point and shoot camera. Throughout middle and high school, I practiced photography consistently, asking anyone and everyone to model for me. Right from the start, I adored it.

As I advanced, I graduated to increasingly sophisticated cameras: a film SLR in high school, a DSLR in college, and a Canon Rebel in my early twenties. When I started blogging at the age of 22, I quickly became fixated on the most coveted camera of the blogosphere; the Canon Mark II. Every blogger and photographer I admired seemed to have it. No matter that the Mark II was enormous, making it impractical for travel photography. If I’m going to become a real photographer, I thought, I need a Mark II.

Several years later, I finally bought my dream camera — a full-frame

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Planning a trip to Japan can be a doozy; it’s an organized, rule-following country that requires a lot of planning. Booking things in advance goes a long way in Japan — it’s one place I don’t recommend winging it.

Japan also has lots of cultural quirks that you should be aware of. For example, did you know that in Japan, splitting food or drinks is discouraged? If two people are at a cafe or restaurant, you both have to order something.

Before my trip, I did an extensive amount of planning. So I wanted to share my Japan travel planning tips, as well as what I wish I had known before visiting.

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Tips for planning your first trip to Japan: 1. Know what to pack

The weather in Japan is somewhat volatile; it rains, it can get surprisingly hot,

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