Hello and Happy who come to the Katerina and Katerina the podcast hello. Hello. We're two girls traveling Europe and our names are Madame Katerina and Alice Ekaterina So today we're going to talk about planning and bureaucracy because freelancing from all over the world sounds like the most amazing thing and it's not that easy though. I mean it is kind of cool, but still you have to look into a couple of bureaucracy things.And let me tell you something. I love to be a German citizen German bureaucracy. Not fun at all. So I think this is quite important. It's not going to be a really fun episode, but I think it's an important episode and if you're interested in German bureaucracy, keep listening and if you are German and you and if you're interested in doing the same thing, yeah, I think it's necessary and that's why we recall that is and Martin will start with the fun things, which we also did a had of heading out of Germany. Knee and after that it's going to be German insurance is so fun part. So yeah, what most of those first thing we did had of leaving Germany. So of course, how do we want to travel to Stockholm which was our first city. So we booked a flight Eliza was the one booking the flight. I think it was in March or April this year. So a couple of month before we left Germany on the first of September 10, because I think she wanted to make something sure for the photo. Also something serious fixed prove that we did we are leaving so and yeah, then she booked a flight and then in the last episode we said we are not flying but to be honest this was the only flight it will be the only flight afterwards we stick to the train and buses but yeah industry and the fairy sure we are not like avoiding costs Beach. Yeah, we want to avoid the flight because of our Roman reasons. So yeah and the next Thing was like the moment. We we set the stage. Okay, the first of September reliving we could tell the people so that was the next step. We did. We told our friends and families or hood that we are leaving and happening. This is happening. Yeah, and we were pretty open for any kind of recommendations. So we just asked our friends if they know someone and like you maybe know sometimes it's really cool to get some recommendations. Sometimes the advice is are not there. Money waiting but that's another topic. We gonna talk about this and another episode. But yeah above all we are here we got started and it's fun and yeah ahead of that the planning and yeah, this is just an act like a did. Yeah. What I was going to say about the flight still is then we realized that not flying is not only for environmental issues. We it takes longer. I mean sure we took the ferry from Um Stockholm to Riga and we were 17 hours on that Ferry and it gives you time to sort of adjust to the New Student Union City. And yeah sure and so that's a that's a good thing about that as well. And we're going to take the bus to Berlin next Tuesday. And this is gonna be like 21 hours in the bottom of my goodness. Yeah, we gonna just get ready to leave Riga and just be ready for whatever comes after. Yeah, and so I was actually coming to the next point. Which is texting lovely people on Instagram and working not looking first of all, we have five Instagram accounts. Wow, that's a lot and that's just because yeah, both of us have a private account. Then I have a photography account because I'm a wedding photographer as well. And Marren has her designer count and then and then we have our couple account which Which we will talk about in a social media episode as well because that changed a lot if you stick around you'll see that there was more some changes into two stories and feed and stuff. Anyways, I used my photography account to get in touch with photographers from Stockholm. I thought it's a super important to sort of have a network where where wherever we travel. Yeah, and not just friends. No, like people we do not know yet or before going to the city so maybe Wise or however you want to call it. But yeah, exactly. So I was thinking what am I supposed to write them? What's a good text message and overall I decided to do a voice message. Yes, you can do that on Instagram. I didn't know that as well. But once I figured it out, I felt like wise messages are more my personality. And so I just voice message - A couple of people and actually everybody got back to me off the course. Of course, there were a couple of no we can't help ourselves. Or no, we won't be sticking around or you can't work for us and that kind of stuff but people getting back to us was quite important at that moment and felt pretty good. And in the end actually we met two people I texted or voice message on Instagram in Stockholm both were amazing. We'll talk about this once we get to the Stockholm application. And even the first job came over Instagram. Yeah, we have to admit this so it's Quite a tool and I think once you just admit that Instagram in this world at the moment can be such an amazing tool just use it. So the thing was that the wedding photography conference way up North happened in Stockholm. I always wanted to go mmm. So at least I freaked out when she realized me you're gonna be in Stockholm. Here's the beginning of October and she was like almost yeah crying. I wasn't really intense moment and they're really nice moment. And coincidence sometimes for us. It's not about the money. It's not about game earning money or anything. It's about experiencing things and the ticket where the tickets were quite expensive and I wasn't sure if I can like pay the ticket. So I texted them voice message them that I might cry if they don't let me volunteer and I got the proof and Dad happened like Dad worked and they actually I thought I'm going to be behind a bar. Just working and handing out, you know proseccos and stuff. I have no clue but they actually wanted us or me at that point to do some design work which was even better. But we'll talk about this in the job section. Otherwise, it's going to take ages to Soapy Suds. Exactly. Let's focus on the things we want to talk about today. So how did we survive and so calm that is the next question like before like yeah, like Eliza said now we had some It's but what was missing was an accommodation so I thought okay, maybe it's cool to to extend this give and take thing and just ask hostels if it's possible to volunteer in the hospitals so that we worked there but you can sleep dead and for free and that's why I detected some some hostels in Stockholm. I think it was like eight or ten. And yeah, I think it was a nice email, but we did not get any response. No, not a single one. So we were pretty upset with this is like we didn't really know what's happening. Then once we go to Stockholm, but yeah, there was the first impression so no response is not as well. So we actually live hostels are quite expensive as well if you stay there for a month or yeah, he stayed in Stockholm for six weeks six weeks. We had to figure it out and that's how we came across work away. So I don't know if you ever heard about work away. It's a platform where you can sign up and offer your Helping Hands for any kind of job. If it's volunteering at the farm if it's babysitting for family or even cat-sitting doc seeking sitting house-sitting whatever so you can just apply not apply your signup you create an account and that's what we did Eliza. I created that the couple account or working with our Capital account another couple account. We really introduced couple of counts. And yeah, my we can can say that we got our first experience with work away and Stockholm and it was awesome. It's so cool to be surrounded by lovely people who offered a place to stay and we can give them something back and just helping them whatever comes to their mind. And yeah, we got to talk about this as well. And once we reach our accommodation and be Soto my goodness and And what else did we do of the overall plan was because we're graphic designers that we can actually write some agencies and maybe freelance for them. I mean, that's the dream it's still thing is if you approach an agency, you actually need a portfolio or a website or anything to send to them. So they know what you're capable of and of course we both had like a little things lined up and stuff, but it's just not ready yet. So I texted one agency they like they replied as well. But it just didn't work out which is fine and it's still on the to-do list and we're on it right now and it's going to happen. Yeah, anyways back to our fun part insurances at this is going to be really really intense because it's just hard to talk about insurances German insurances in English. So, yeah, so now we have to concentrate and focus so that you don't get lost and we don't get lost. We won't talk about what we need. We rather talk about what we have because it could be that we still miss something. So if you're listening and you have like the amazing clue about what we need and we miss something just you know, tells us let us know Martin will start with the most complicated one, which is health insurance. Yes. It's a big topic and yeah the status quo before we left was that Lisa was still a student. She is 25 still and she paid for her health. Insurance 90 Euros per month because she was studying my status quo was that I was also a student I was under 25 and I was Family Health insured with my mom. So I paid nothing for my insurance with the start of our travels because our Student Life expired on the 31st of August and we headed out on the first of September. So it was right in the moment when our German in German really accurate So that was the end of our student life and we knew before that the minimum cost for a half insurance will be 190 Euros per month. So our question then was how can we maybe avoid this amount of money? So the first idea was to re-register in a university in Germany. So that was the first thought. Yeah, of course. Definitely because there's so many advantages in being a student. So for example, we are going to city we want to see a museum as a student. Normally you do not pay so we had a like a pro list with all the advantages. And yeah, the thing was that the insurance for at least at this point could have been the 90 Euros per month still for me. It wasn't that sure because I am turning 25 next week and like I said, I'm I'm still in the insurance with my mom. So my question was how what's happening for me? And can I be like injured injured injured? It's correct on my goodness without paying anything and being older than 25 or 25 and the answer is no because you have to be student and and the 25. Be in the family insurance. So that's a really important topic because maybe now I have to pay for I have to admit but let's see what's happening. But that's a really important thing. So studying and being on the transit fee because Martin is still under 25. Yeah, but she's not studying anymore, which makes her not able to stay in the Family Insurance ruined that's it, which is a cool place not paying anything always a cool place to be but you're not in the into Family Insurance bubble. Anymore if you're not studying and if you're not in your first education way, so keep that in mind if you're under 25 and not studying you still have to pay. Yeah, so you thought was then too. Oh, yeah metrical age Eureka. I mean same University you've been before and I studied my Master's Degree not together with Martin, but in another University actually fish Fabric and You have a bachelor's degree for internet of things iot and I thought it's a cool thing to just re-register myself. There thing is I'm from Baton button back, which is the state of Germany. And if you I mean you already know that probably in Germany, we don't pay a lot for for our studies almost none. I don't to other countries compared to other countries, but if you study again, so I studied all the way and if I would restore yeah just want my second studies I'd have To pay an amount of money, which is 600 euros per semester still not a lot of money compared to other countries, but for me, it's a lot of money then Martin came to me. I have a better idea. There's the University of würzburg and we can matriculate ourselves there. It's you won't have to pay because it's not a button button back. And yeah, she would have signed up for edge of Technology. Yeah, and you for all worlds amazing things and we would reduce the costs from the 600 euros per semester to round about a hundred and fifty Euros per semester. So that's a good thing. But the thing also of this studies is that you need to do not need to hand in your notes or something. There's no what's NC in German? It's like there's no it was close. So you just can just can sign up your chest can register and pay defeat and then that's it. So yeah, probably a little illegal. So maybe we shouldn't I don't know. It's not that we say do it. It's just we want to let you know what we thought and that was I thought at one point. So we're just going to be completely honest about this. Yeah, that's true. So yeah, this is regarding this is after. Thing regarding our student of still being a student life, but the decision in the end was no we do not register we won't do it because they are some more it's in the end. Maybe just a troublemaker to be a student. So we said no to this. So the new thought was okay is it may be enough just to have the foreign have insurance and not the one in Germany. So that was our next topic. We were like looking at Yup, and searching for information. And the thing is that if you have a German health insurance, you need a German address. So it's connected. Yeah, and exception is when you're a freelancer so that includes us. So as a freelancer you are you can decide if you want to have a health insurance in Germany or not. So we we were kind of confused what we gonna do next or If it's necessary to have to have insurance in Germany or not, because with the foreign health insurance, we need German Insurance. That's the next thing we came across so it's not possible just to be injured with the other interns. I don't know company. So yeah, this is intense. Seriously. It cost me a lot of this moment. Pretty much. I mean to sum it all up. No, it's not enough to have a foreign health insurance. You need the health insurance in Germany. If you have an address in Germany, and that's it and a fun fact besides that is as a student. You need to German address and you need a German health insurance. So another bad point about being a student while traveling we did being a student. Yes student. No student time didn't I my goodness? Check your matriculating ourselves no sense because it's just so many things which we already mentioned. Then we want to keep our German addresses pretty much the addresses of our parents. Yeah Adam to to write and voices because that's what we're doing. We're working for people with writing invoices. So yeah, we need those addresses and the key finding is we need to be Health insured in Germany still question from the beginning. Is there a possibility to be insured in Germany, but pay less So not 290 euros per month because we don't need German Health insurers will never be in Germany. I mean we're traveling. So what's going to happen like I don't need to be in a hospital in Germany because I'm not there and yes, there is something like that and it's called a reversionary insurance and Germans unbought shafts physician and why does the crazy word is that that pretty much means that? Both of us pay 60 Euros per month and 990 Euros for being still in insured in Germany for some some sort of it's not really insurance though. Because if we yeah, whatever and this allows us to get back into the state health insurance once we're back because that's the important thing the most important thing because if we wouldn't have the re Vision free version Airy Insurance, it might happen that the state insurance does not let us anymore. As Freelancers and we would need to be privately insured which is super super expensive. Yeah above all as freelancer. Exactly. That's that's I mean, that's the life we chose at the moment and that's the life. I'm definitely gonna live like I decided that Martin still in a fight, but so it's really important to to try to understand what's happening in the insurance world of Germany. So yeah, we consider ourselves as candidates. For reinsurance at Bush Baker and EM huh blows, if you want to know a bit more about reversionary insurances look it up. It's interesting. Yeah next topic. So the next thing has really it's hard to talk about all this and hopefully you're not losing track why we are talking a lot about this intense topics. So the next thing I get back now to the foreign health insurance, so we came across the hands of Merkel. Has insurance and we chose two different insurances. So I Lisa chose the like the premium one or little hired and the basic and I chose to cheaper one the basic one. So Eliza is paying 60 Euros per month now and I'm paying around 30 Euros per month and it's pretty good because you can start the insurance from the day. You're leaving Germany until the day you're coming back. It's not Connected to like a certain time. You have to be a broader. And yeah, it's not like it for one year. It's yeah you pay for day. I think what was it 265 whatever. Yeah and something for day for per day. Yeah. So yeah, and in the more premium insurance, at least it shows there's also an emergency my goodness emergency insurance. And there is a foreign liability in terms of travel accident a travel luggage incident. So there's a lot cover I got it all cut. Yeah. Yeah you did it. So if you have questions regarding that the difference is we can send you the file. The file thing is I mean you also have we talked about differences and similarities about Martin and me regarding insurance as it's pretty much the way that I'm insured for pretty much everything. Is the basic way there's not a better way. It's just it's different and it's a thing because you're sure that you're going to be freelancing after our travels and I'm not sure if I'm going to be a student again. So I'm not that covered with all the entrances at the moment because I have to figure out how my life is going to be next year. We got it - yeah, I have to so yeah, that's that's the reason. Yeah third third thing. It's my turn again, right? Yeah. It's liability insurance. Yeah. so in German Yeah, yeah have fleshed. Is it? Yeah. I like Marin already said I got it covered because it's in my premium foreign health insurance and she is privately liability ensure back home in Germany. So actually that's what she has more than me in that part. Anyways easy insurance will boob. Let's just kill it. That's it. We have liability insurance point you need liability insurance when you travel abroad I did an insurance for legal expenses just because we're working with new clients and with loads of people and you never know who your end up with and maybe I do something wrong and I need legal expert I have legal expenses and I want them to be covered good thing about this insurances. I can ensure a colleague which I have right here. So more initially insured as well because she's my colleague on this troubles and we're hashtag team insured. That's the way to go and we pay 24 Euros per month for this insurance. And now Martin's got again a really hard part. Yeah. It's a like like you said a tough cookie. We have to have to eat. It's the occupational disability insurance. So it's a big boobs When Faith guides physical room in German and yeah, once again at least has covered I'm not I will do it. Definitely I talked to some friends at the weekend. That's necessary. So I gonna do it in the next month. So what is it all about? I think you heard it before so if there's one like something happening in your life, so you can't work anymore. You need to coverage for that so an insurance and that's what it's all about. So the thing is you have to sign up or yeah to sign up for this insurance pretty early because there's some problems to get into this insurance if If you ever went to a therapist or if you have some mental issues or something, so because all the different professions like graphic designers or other jobs, like roofers, for example, of course, it's different word, but they are rated in some sort of list in the insurance. So for example, the Rufus, of course because they were working outside. They're risking their life. Sometimes maybe they're hot or for them. It's hard to get. To insurance and for us as graphic designers as well because we tend to have those mental issues sometimes and back issues and back issues. That's it. And of course the insurance that it does not want to cover everything when we are older and so it's good to to be covered from from the beginning on so that's why I decided to do it like I have to look up where I want to injure myself. But yeah, that's that's pretty much it. So it's a necessary thing so you can think about what it is. So I pay 60 Euros per month now to be occupational disability insurance and a roofer which is the guy who works on the deck. Yeah, he pays over a hundred per month and then there are other jobs which are easier and then they pay only 20. Yeah, so it's just the range is crazy. So whatever you do, you might get lucky but just do it from the beginning on if you To get the F employed. I think it's a good thing true to start with this one. So yeah, the next Insurance Eliza has because she is carrying a lot of equipment with her. She's a photographer as well. We mentioned that before and she has her cameras with her and her lenses and so on and it's a lot of money so being on travels. Yeah, it's necessary for her to know. She's explaining what she's covered. But what she covered equipment insurance is really important for me. Because I knew from the start that will start that our travels with a wedding in Zurich. She was a friend of ours and I was taking the photos on the wedding day. So I needed all my equipment there and over the last couple of years my equipment got really expensive and I just I wanted to make sure that this that it's covered and if I lose it if it gets stolen whatever so yeah, I've equipment insurance and I was actually knowing the company who Choose me now, which is p and p in Hamburg from a podcast. I've been listening to so that's exactly what this is all about that we hope that someone is may be listening to this podcast and knows a little bit more about insurances because of us like I knew a little bit more about equipment insurance Because of You Leah and Jill wedding photography podcast. Yeah. I pay about 18 Euros per month to to know that my two cameras and my lenses. And everything under 50 Euros, which happens to be in my camera back is injured and I'm super happy about that because I don't need to worry you feel safe. No, I think I'm walking around with their cameras and carrying them all the way. Yeah, we tried to write everything we did down and make it more understandable and easier thing is what we add to this podcast now we talked about it a lot. So the next thing is to write it down to make a pose in Instagram just to to mention all the different things again. And don't hesitate to ask questions if we can help you in some some point. Hopefully we are help now. Sometimes it it still feels that we are losing overwhelmed overwhelmed and sometimes a little bit confused about all the different things because they're all linked together. It's not one single thing. You can think about there's always like a role in like a snake we say in German I think behind so That's that's a hard hat a topic, but got it all the way to here. Thank you so much for listening to us and almost half an hour. We promise that the next podcast is again a little bit more, you know, the easier fun fun fun fun easier to listen to and so we just hope you're having a great day and diet and maybe no more Insurance talk today. Yeah. Thanks for listening. Thank you.
This episode is about planning and bureaucracy. We'll talk about what we did to get ready for our digital nomad adventure and what german bureaucracy obstacles we needed to overcome to make it happen. Book a ticket to the first destination  Tell everyone what the plan is   Start networking with locals (friends, clients and agencies)   Contact possible sleeping locations   Create accounts (workaway, instagram, splitwise)  The biggest part tough will be about german insurances. Here's a quick overview what we cover and our expenses to be covered. health insurance – Krankenversicherung (Maren + Alissa: reversionary insured)   reversionary insurance –Anwartschaftsversicherung (Maren: ~60€/month + Alissa: ~60€/month)   foreign health insurance – Auslandskrankenversicherung (Maren: ~30€/month + Alissa: ~60€/month)   emergency insurance – Notfallversicherung (Alissa: part of foreign health insurance)   foreign liability insurance – Auslandshaftspflichtversicherung (Alissa: part of foreign health insurance)   travel accident insurance – Reiseunfallversicherung (Alissa: part of foreign health insurance)   travel luggage insurance – Reisegepäckversicherung (Alissa: part of foreign health insurance)   liability insurance – Haftpflichtversicherung (Maren: ~6€/month)   legal expenses insurance – Rechtsschutzversicherung (Maren + Alissa: ~24€/month #teaminsured)   occupational disability insurance – Berufsunfähigkeitsversicherung (Alissa: ~60€/month)   equipment insurance – Equipmentversicherung (Alissa: ~18€/month) 