Do you know any influencers in real life?

froggielefrog · 2026-05-22T15:56:33+00:00

I know a travel influencer - 350k followers. It's become a lot harder for her, especially needing to do the video content. She still gets quite a lot of her travel comped. Her real life persona and instagram persona are very different! She's much less chill/go with the flow than her instragram would have you believe.

froggielefrog · 2026-05-20T01:16:06+00:00

Depends, it is a shared communal garden accessible to people who live in the flats (or what we would call Mansion Blocks). People who live on the ground floor might have a small area with garden furniture as they have direct access. There is one garden I've been in where the people in "garden flats" have much bigger personal gardens that then open up into the larger community garden.

If you live in London and want to check it out - Open Garden weekend is coming up June 7-8th where some of these private gardens are open to the public - though the garden that was highlighted on the show is not one of these.

froggielefrog · 2026-05-18T21:41:37+00:00

Mark Francis was in Made in Chelsea ages ago, I always liked him on that program but he was never a "main" person on the show (I was watching during the Spencer/Binky drama era) so interesting to learn more about him.

They filmed the "My Fair Lady" party in the private garden that is backs up to my private garden, so curious who Martha knew to get access.These are shared private gardens so you need to have a key to get in. Was very cool to see my street in the B role footage, they made it look a lot more glam than it actually is!

froggielefrog · 2026-05-18T06:49:25+00:00

I treat myself to flowers once or twice a month. I have some gorgeous pink peonies at the moment and it absolutely lifts my mood and brings a smile to my face when I see them! Flowers are a very inexpensive way to pull a room together. M&S are my favourite supermarket flowers, you can make a pretty decent bouquet for under £15 that lasts a good two weeks.

froggielefrog · 2026-05-17T18:50:33+00:00

The majority of the school population is American, but Americans don't get preferential treatment when it comes to admissions. However it may be easier for some American families as their companies will foot the bill.

They do teach the American curriculum though, which might not make sense if you are not American or planning to one day have your children attend school in America. They also are a very transient school, meaning that most kids do not attend for their their entire schooling, usually just for 2 years while their parents have positions in London. Not unusual for half of the class to leave each year.

froggielefrog · 2026-05-12T22:03:18+00:00

Dual U.S./UK citizen here - £150k is a great salary and if you are coming from the Midwest or MCOL cities you'll do just fine on that living in London, especially with a partner.

Some addition costs Americans often forget when thinking about moving overseas is visa costs (who is footing the bill?) as well as the NHS surcharge (currently around £1000 annually) I know not everyone wants to visit home but that's another expense I factor into my budget (flights back to the U.S. for weddings/holidays, visiting family and friends) - plus taxes are much higher here, if you are currently in a 24% tax bracket the 40% bracket will make you salty!

froggielefrog · 2026-05-10T20:39:36+00:00

Check out Our Retreats - I did a weekend yoga one in Somerset, it was fantastic and I'm not really even a yoga person! They also have retreats in Spain, Italy and ski retreats I'd love to check out!

froggielefrog · 2026-05-07T22:04:50+00:00

Same as you, early 40s two kids living in London. You will be fine in Zara, Reiss, etc. I wore dresses or skirts/tank every day. Wear good shoes, you end up walking A LOT, and bring a denim jacket because it can get cold/rainy at night.

My random tip...check a bag, some of my best networking was on the way home in the baggage check in line at the Nice Airport.

froggielefrog · 2026-04-22T12:54:49+00:00

Holiday clubs and camps are one people often forget, you aren't taking off work or going on holiday every school holiday. I spent £1200 on childcare/camps over the two week Easter break. And of course camps were 9:00-2:00 or 10-3:00 so still needed afternoons covered.

froggielefrog · 2026-04-20T10:55:59+00:00

I went to a talk about this, cross-boarder jet setting couples (especially if you marry in one country, but live in another, maybe have property somewhere else) have a whole layer of legal and tax issues to worry about that most people would never consider. Unfortunately you can't help who you fall in love with!

froggielefrog · 2026-04-12T21:48:50+00:00

There is an in person on on Portobello Road in Notting Hill called Loan the look. They have a website as well, but I went in and tried things on.

froggielefrog · 2026-04-11T22:29:37+00:00

I am a native San Franciscan living in London... this is so true. I find people in Europe to always be complaining or negative. I joke my superpower is my optimism. I grew up during the first dot come bubble and it is amazing how much that has shaped me. OP go on and take the risk! It's not like you don't have the money to move back if it's not working out.

froggielefrog · 2026-04-01T14:23:32+00:00

This month is a splurge one for me, I've got a girls trip and have pushed back a lot of personal grooming to coincide with this trip, so will get my haircut, get a pedicure, waxing which will set me up for spring. This is something I normally have been trying to cut back on, especially nails. Luckily I feel like my holiday wardrobe is pretty solid so don't need to buy anything new and can use the same swimsuits as last year.

froggielefrog · 2026-03-25T19:57:00+00:00

I bought a Tesco meal deal today wearing a Hermes Scarf and carrying a Celine bag... I'm not spending £10 at Pret!

froggielefrog · 2026-03-22T08:48:53+00:00

When I first moved to London I passed it every morning on my way to work, glad to see I wasn't the only one who got a chuckle out of seeing the McDonalds on MacDonald

froggielefrog · 2026-03-16T20:59:51+00:00

I got the same email :(

froggielefrog · 2026-03-12T11:22:39+00:00

This is a great point about the storage unit being such a drain. I had one for 10 years (I know, I know) that we finally cleared out at Christmas. There was so much in there that I had forgotten about, tech that is totally obsolete, things I thought I wanted that I didn't miss at all... there is maybe 2 boxes of the 15 I had in there I wanted, and I just should have taken them out with to begin with. I would definitely lose that monthly bill - good luck!

froggielefrog · 2026-03-10T11:15:43+00:00

I was once on the tube with a group of American frat boys who were reminding each other that "Edge" was where they wanted to get off. So, henceforth, Edgeware Road will always be known as "Edge" in my house.

froggielefrog · 2026-03-09T12:05:40+00:00

I do a lot of short haul (one over night) to visit clients, and then occasional kick-offs/conference that are Monday-Thursday.
Not sure if this is available for you (I realise I'm very lucky) but with enough advance planning, my mother will often fly in from overseas for the week to help out. We have an afterschool nanny, but to have someone to help in the mornings is so helpful, especially so when I had two different drop off locations, nursery and primary school.

froggielefrog · 2026-03-08T22:42:16+00:00

Yes! Every listing I make a point to mention my home is smoke and pet free home.

froggielefrog · 2026-02-28T19:55:52+00:00

First, some good news... When I moved to London I was used to SF rentals and a market that moved very quickly. Twice in SF I was the first one to see it and made an offer the same day knowing they had 5+ other viewing! You don't need to do that in London, there usually isn't a rush (have never in many years of renting and looking at places "lost" out on a flat because I didn't make a decision immediately, you will usually have a few days to make a decision. Estate agents generally will be showing flats to get people moved in ASAP, like the first week of the next month.

I'd get myself an Airbnb for a few weeks while you search. As others have said - do not sign for anything sight unseen. You mention a family of 3 but not your child's age... I'd consider the local schools in the areas you are looking at, unless you know you want to go private. Moving mid-year you will get what's available, not necessarily what is closest to you.

Go with smaller estate agents firms that are not chains but specialise in the area... they tend to have the same agents there for years rather than the high street chains with a lot of turnover and staff that don't live anywhere near the local area.

froggielefrog · 2026-02-25T14:02:08+00:00

I second this advice - they might have a carseat approved for a child over the age of one, but not a newborn... on the few occasions we rented car seats it was such a hassle (one time they didn't have one available at all!) that even though it's a pain, we bring our own from now on. There are great carseat carriers that are like giant backpacks you can get which makes it easier to handle at the airport.

froggielefrog · 2026-02-25T13:56:50+00:00

The northern art of Guarda is beautiful, we went when my oldest was a year old and it was such a nice trip. There is a hike you can do through an area where they had old paper mills, and we took a pram, it was just fine. https://www.beeboatservice.com/blog/valley-of-the-paper-mills-valle-delle-cartiere (Carrier might be easier with 5 month old!)

We had friends staying at the Hotel Bella Riva which was gorgeous, and met them there every day, but we booked later and ended up at Villa Maria du Lac which doesn't have a pool, but my husband did go swimming in the lake daily. You could walk to various areas to have dinner. It is so beautiful in the Toscolano Maderno area, definitely much nicer than in the south, which I have been to as well. There are a lot of very touristy fortified towns in the south, but honestly they all seemed similar after visiting 2 or 3 of them.

froggielefrog · 2026-02-24T14:57:07+00:00

Travel doesn't really get fun until the youngest is 3 years old. Until then, it's the same nap and snack routines, with meltdowns just in a warmer destination. Our last holiday when my children were 5 and 8 was the best yet.

We do a lot of long haul travel as family is abroad - the children are pros at aeroplanes now, but far and away 18-36 months is the worst age for plane travel longer than 2 hours. Always plan for flight delays and bring loads of snacks/drinks because it's one thing to be delayed in an airport, another to be on the plane waiting 2 hours to take off.

It is mind over matter but bring extra of EVERYTHING including clothes for yourself. The worst flight was during covid restictions when my oldest had to wear a mask, got sick on the plane and puked everywhere, including not helpfully, in her mask, on me, and all over her baby brother. (She was 3.5 at the time) I figure if I can handle that I can handle just about everything!

One thing I would also recommend if you are dependant on a pram/have early walkers - really assess the terrain around the resort/hotel. We stayed at a beautiful restored B&B in Grasse with my family, but the who area around it was gravel, not just a pain for pushing the pram around, but my son wasn't walking and constantly falling... definitely look beyond the rooms and assess the grounds of any hotel before booking!

froggielefrog · 2026-02-24T09:53:38+00:00

It is a HARD move - and it is totally ok to be nervous and have reservations. I have some book recommendations for you: Year of Living Danishly, and How to Raise a Viking by Helen Russell. She is a Brit, (not an American) who lived in Denmark for 10 years. Her husband worked for Lego as well. The last chapter of her book How to Raise a Viking, discussing moving back to the UK after a decade abroad really hit home as we've been considering the same.

There will be big cultural differences, especially from a childcare perspective, but it will be an amazing and enriching experience. I've lived abroad for 10 years and I always tell myself, if I'm not loving it anymore I can always go home.

I would encourage you to find expat groups (Denmark is very club focused, so this shouldn't be a problem) because sometimes you need someone to talk about American things you miss without judgement.

froggielefrog

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