Erin McGann

Erin McGann is a Canadian freelance writer focusing on travel, living abroad, parenting, history, and culture. After nearly a decade living in the UK, Erin settled in Heidelberg, Germany with her husband and son. Dragging her family to every castle and open-air museum is a favourite activity, along with sewing, archery, and historical reenactment. You can check out her travel blog, and follow her obsession with half-timbered houses on her Instagram account.

Latest posts by Erin McGann

Aug 07, 2020

German payslips explained

So you’ve been paid by your new German job – hooray! But the payslip is full of confusing acronyms and...

Jul 30, 2020

Learn English with these top online games

We’re all about other ways to practice your language skills outside your Lingoda classes – whether it’s watching movies, singing...

German timbered houses representing the average cost of living in Germany

Jul 30, 2020

What is the average cost of living in Germany?

Whenever the subject of moving abroad comes up, people ask about average costs of living. It makes sense, you want...

Two smiling students discussing if they need to peak Germany to work in Germany

Jul 30, 2020

Here’s how to work in Germany without speaking German

Do you dream of working in Germany without German language skills? It will be a bit of a challenge, but...

Jul 27, 2020

How to save money in Germany

Germany is not the most expensive country in Europe to move to, depending on where you choose to live, but...

Jun 04, 2020

What does Verein mean?

A Verein is a club or association. What does it mean in German-speaking culture? It’s the official word for one...

Bare legs at a park, a banner over the image saying

Jun 02, 2020

What is FKK in Germany?

FKK, or Freikörperkultur in German, is a movement celebrating the naked body as a comfortable state of being. It started...

Garden utensils in a German Schrebergarten

Jun 02, 2020

How to get your own German allotment (Schrebergarten)

If you’ve ever taken a train journey in Germany, you will be familiar with the sight of groups of small...

May 29, 2020

What are Freibäder?

Biergarten visits, grill evenings, and visits to the Freibad. A free bath? Well, not really. These German institutions are a...

May 27, 2020

German slang from natives

Boah, that’s some good German slang Even when you’re just starting out learning a language, getting a few slang words...

May 07, 2020

How to Convert Your Driver’s Licence in Germany

So you want to try out the fabled Autobahn for yourself? Fair enough. However getting a German driver’s licence can...

May 01, 2020

Don’t make these five mistakes in London

You would think, as an English native speaker, and resident of a Commonwealth country (Canada still sports The Queen on...