Expat Life Archives - Runaway Brit

Kayaking on the Danube in Bratislava

Bratislava, City Break, Europe, Expat, Expat Life, Featured, Nature, Tourist Attraction, Travelling, Working Overseas Bratislava, danube, kayaking, lake, Slovakia

Peeping through the trees ahead of me, the iconic shape of the castle reminds me that although I am kayaking in the countryside, I’m actually still in the city. That’s the beauty of Bratislava, one

Lofoten: A Winter’s Dream

Europe, Expat Life, Featured, Nature, Photography, Tourist Attraction, Travelling lofoten, norway, photography

Waking long before daylight, we found our car concealed beneath the icy shroud of the first winter snowfall. Once outside and puffing impatiently into my hands to enjoy a momentary sensation of warmth, I opened

Clothes May Be Optional, but Masks Are Not!

Bratislava, Europe, Expat, Expat Life, Featured, Health & Fitness, Life, safety, Working Overseas coronavirus, face masks, naked bathing, social distancing

Approaching a large metal gate crossing our path, my friend whispered ‘Do you think we can walk here?’ ‘Well, it’s open, and there’s no sign saying we can’t’, I replied, trying to sound more

Lockdown! A Teacher’s Thoughts on the Corona Pandemic

Bratislava, Europe, Expat, Expat Life, Featured, Health & Fitness, Heartbreak, Life, Relationships, School, Teaching, Working Overseas international teaching, teaching, teaching overseas

It’s been 26 days since my world shut down. It’s been far longer for others. It began slowly. Back, in January, news of an unknown virus in China reached us here in Europe. I barely took

The Hidden Dangers of Quarantine

Bratislava, Expat, Expat Life, Featured, Humour, Life, Working Overseas Bratislava, coronavirus, humour

Stay indoors. Stay safe, they said. They're right, of course: if you stay indoors you won't catch Coronavirus, and – more importantly – you can't spread it. But what I didn't know is that being

Love in the Time of Coronavirus

Bratislava, Europe, Expat, Expat Life, Featured, Friends and Family, Health & Fitness, Teaching, Working Overseas Bratislava, coronavirus, europe, international teaching, Slovakia, teaching

With coronavirus currently decimating the travel industry, it’s a good time to write about my life as an international teacher instead. I don’t write frequently, because I can't travel full-time like I'd hoped I would

A Surprise Birthday Trip to Budapest

City Break, Europe, Expat, Expat Life, Featured, Life, Tourist Attraction, Travelling budapest, city break, For Sale Pub, hungary, New York Palace

I left work on Friday with my bag packed for a surprise birthday trip. All I had been told was that the bus departed at 4pm and I would need my passport. Of course, I

Why I Love Working in Europe (And Never Want to Leave)

Advice, Europe, Expat, Expat Life, Featured, Life, Teaching, Working Overseas europe, expat, international teaching, living overseas, teaching overseas

Recently, I've been reflecting on why I love living in Europe out of all the places I could go. And, yes: publishing this post as Britain perches precariously on the brink of Brexit is ironic.

A Snowy Weekend in the Tatra Mountains, Slovakia

Bratislava, City Break, Europe, Expat Life, Featured, Nature, Tourist Attraction, Travelling Bratislava, Slovakia, Tatra mountains, Tatras, Tatrasky

A few weeks ago, I was tired of the rainy, grey, city sky. I desperately wanted blue sky, crisp air, and plenty of snow. I longed to see mountains; and for that, I would have

A Year in the Life of an International Teacher

Bratislava, Europe, Expat, Expat Life, Featured, Travelling, Working Overseas austria, bojnice, Bratislava, castle, cornwall, expat, heviz, hungary, iceland, international teaching, lake, looe, mountain, salzburg, Slovakia

I often get people asking me about life as an international teacher, so to honour 10 years of living overseas I have put this post together to show you what a year in my life

Spring in Bratislava is a great time to visit!

Bratislava, City Break, Europe, Expat Life, Featured, Health & Fitness, Travelling Bratislava, expat, expat life, Slovakia, spring

Readjusting to a European winter after two years of perpetual summer in India has been harder than I thought. I’m not sure why, because I like winter. For the last few months in Mumbai I’d

Boulanger & Patissiere: Bratislava’s Macaron Masterclass

Bratislava, Europe, Expat, Expat Life, Featured, Food and Drink Boulanger & Patissiere, Bratislava, cooking class, macaron, Slovakia

I’ve always liked the look of a dainty, brightly coloured, meringue macaron. You know, the ones that you see piled delicately on silver platters in fancy cake shops? They look exquisite, but as I'm more

Festivals, Food & Fun: Seven Weeks in Bratislava

Bratislava, Europe, Expat, Expat Life, Featured, Food and Drink, Tourist Attraction, Tradition Bratislava, burciak, cabbage festival, festivals, langos, Slovakia, stupava, white night

Having lived in Bratislava for only seven weeks I am still new to Slovak culture, particularly as I knew very little about either Slovakia or the city before I came here. It is true to say,

A Day Trip to Devin Castle from Bratislava

Bratislava, Europe, Expat Life, Featured, History, Tourist Attraction, Travelling Bratislava, castle, Devin, nature, Slovakia, walk

Autumn has arrived in Bratislava. Only last week I wore summer dresses and flip-flops, but this week it’s all scarves, winter coats and boots. When yesterday dawned cold but sunny, I went for a walk

The One Where I Moved to Bratislava

Bratislava, Europe, Expat Life, Featured, Travelling, Working Overseas Bratislava, expat, living overseas, Slovakia

Just like that, two years passed and I was standing with all my bags at Mumbai airport ready to leave India for another new life somewhere else. You can see my last day in India by