Practical tips for moving to Denmark

Practical tips for moving to Denmark

Author: Kay Xander Mellish February 21, 2021 Duration: 6:19

While I'm not an authority on the Danish visa or immigration systems, I'm often asked for practical tips about moving to Denmark. So here are a few things to think about when you're packing your suitcases or, if you're doing a corporate move, packing your shipping container.

Number one, make sure you bring money. Denmark is an expensive place to live where you will own less stuff, but better stuff.

That said, there's no need to bring much furniture, even mores if your furniture is nothing special.

You can often buy Danish design furniture cheap at local second-hand stores and flea markets, and for everything else, there's always IKEA - in Denmark, or across the water in IKEA's homeland of Sweden. 


For anyone curious about or currently navigating Danish life from the outside, How to Live in Denmark serves as an essential, on-the-ground guide. Hosted by Kay Xander Mellish, an American writer who has made Denmark her home for over ten years, this conversation cuts straight to the heart of the everyday realities in one of the world's most homogenous-and often puzzling-societies. Rather than lengthy lectures, you'll find concise, ten-minute episodes packed with practical advice and cultural translation. This isn't just about travel tips; it's a deep dive into the unspoken rules of Danish social etiquette, the nuances of the local workplace, and the sometimes surprising path to feeling at home in a country frequently labeled the world's happiest. Mellish draws from her own long-term experience to explain everything from navigating the infamous Jantelov to understanding the Danish approach to business meetings and casual Friday night hygge. As Denmark's longest-running English-language podcast, it has become a trusted resource for internationals, whether they are planning a move, newly arrived, or have been settled for years but still occasionally find themselves wondering, "Why do Danes do it that way?" Each episode feels like a chat with a well-informed friend who helps decode the complexities of a fascinating culture, making your time there richer and a lot less confusing.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 151

How to Live in Denmark
Podcast Episodes
Two-Wheeled Vikings and why I own three bikes: Danes and Cycling [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:07
For Danes, bicycle lanes are the Vikings' last stand. These gentle blond people - these people who will wait two minutes at a 'Don't Walk' sign instead of crossing an empty street - armed with a bike, turn vicious and br…
No food, only stuff to make food: My culture shock in Denmark [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:47
At every Danish dinner party, I'm asked a standard set of questions: How did you come to Denmark? Why did you come to Denmark? What type of culture shock did you experience once you got here? In part 1 of what is sure to…
Danish, Dutch, Deutschland: Confusing Denmark with its neighbors [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:31
It's a common mistake to confuse the Danish and the Dutch - all those healthy blond people on bicycles! - but if you really want to understand Denmark, look at Germany instead. This is the fifth episode of the "How to Li…
Danish sports: Big handballs and lonely ping-pong players [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:08
Denmark is a small country. It needs sports it can win. Team handball, team badminton, and team ping-pong are where Danish sports men and women shine. This is the fourth episode of the "How to Live in Denmark podcast", a…
White Socks and the Danish Tax Burden [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:06
The price of white cotton socks in Denmark is about five times as high as in the USA. I explain how the price of socks has a lot to say about the Danish economic system. This is the third episode of the "How to Live in D…
The Deeper Meaning of Pigs [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:42
Hear about the role of significant cultural role of pigs - and we mean real pigs, not just people with bad manners - in Danish public life. This is the second episode of the "How to Live in Denmark podcast", and original…
Summer in Denmark [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:30
Hear about summer in Denmark (or what there is of it) and why 'summer herring' sometimes wears a bikini, and sometimes nothing at all. This is the first episode of the "How to Live in Denmark podcast", and originally ran…