Day Trip to Tallinn, Estonia from Stockholm
Learn why Tallinn, Estonia should be your next day trip from Stockholm.
adventure
Monday Morning Emails May be a Future Preview of Our Lives
Every parent is afraid they are making a mistake when raising their children—abroad or domestically—and Jo Parfitt and Terry Anne Wilson are no different. In their book, Monday Morning Emails, they often question if their decision to move their families frequently throughout their children’s childhood results in their children’s inability to cope with difficulty. Monday Morning Emails […]
The Differences Between Then and Now: Reflections on Integration
Over the past six years, we have become a murky blend of less-American-but-not-quite-Swedish. We’ve kept some of the old but mostly, we have embraced the new. The differences between January 2012 (back then) and January 2018 (now) are stark. Stark also conveniently translates into “strong” in Swedish. The changes in us are noticeable only when […]
Why You Should Give Some Cities a Second Chance
Have you ever met someone who raved about visiting a particular city and you wrinkled your nose and shook your head, “Gah, no. That was not our experience at all!” How can people have such different impressions of the same place? Maybe the weather was bad, your kids were whiny, or you were tired from […]
Family Travel Guide to Öland, Sweden
Ice cream, go-karts, beaches, and alpacas? Explore this tiny island to find some hidden gems off the east coast of Sweden in this family travel guide. In European countries, it is common for the entire country to shut down in August as people head off to various resorts and tourist destinations. In Sweden, that […]
Lådbilslandet—Heaven on earth for kids
Imagine an amusement park where only kids are allowed to ride and they receive endless rides on the tea cups, carousel, and trains. Where kids drive cars, motorcycles, and tractors. All. By. Themselves. The 1980s are alive and well at Lådbilslandet—or Soap Box Car Land—an amusement park in Sweden with soap box cars, “motorcycles” (they […]
Life in the 1800s, I mean, in a Swedish stuga
“Where’s the chamber pot?” I asked my husband at 2 am. “You’re kidding me,” he mumbled. Wish I was, my dear, wish that I was. If you ever wanted to know what life was like before modern conveniences, then look no further than your nearest Swedish stuga. Stuga is Swedish for “cabin or cottage, ” […]
Pushing the Limits—The Role of the Firstborn Child
My approach to parenting involves a lot of shrugged shoulders and raised eyebrows to indicate that, “I have no idea what I’m doing, but I’m hoping for the best.” Based on my conversations with other parents, we’re all in the same boat. A few months ago, I was asking a fellow American-in-Sweden parent at what […]
The Perfect Relocation in an Ideal World
In an ideal world, there would be only perfect relocations. A world in which everything goes according to plan, nobody is running around at the last minute all sweaty with stress, and the children are well behaved on every flight and breeze through connecting airports. In this ideal world, here’s what a perfect relocation might […]
The Moments That Surprise You
The post below contains affiliate links to help support Knocked Up Abroad at no extra cost to you. Ever since starting this book publishing collaborative journey, I’ve reached out to a lot of writers, illustrators, marketers, and people in the business. During the Kickstarter campaign for Knocked Up Abroad Again, my “Why not? Meter” was at […]