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This guide is about the size of "Lonely Planet: Denmark," but presents
a completely different point of view: This is not your standard tourist
handbook for those "passing through," but rather a quick, comprehensive
reference for those planning to work and *live* in Denmark.
While the first part of the guide gives an overview of the country,
the people, and the history, the second hand-holds you through getting
settled in. Everything from applying for a visa and looking for work, to
finding an apartment and getting health care. Just have a look at the
table of contents to see how truly comprehensive this guide is:
http://worktrotter.dk/images/toc.pdf
Here are some examples of how the guide helped me:
- Cycling is a very popular and convenient way to get around here, but
what are the rules? I would naively have assumed my rules from home
(where a bike is considered a vehicle, just like a car, so you
follow the same rules of the road), but that's NOT how you ride a
bike in Denmark. Now I suppose I would have figured it out in time
(after a few near collisions or 500kr traffic tickets!), but it was
so much easier to flip to section 15.2 and start reading. Besides
getting an overview of the rules (and fines for violating said rules!)
I found links for buying used bikes, and tips about what kind of
bike locks to use (you have to use particular locks for insurance to
cover theft).
- Did you know that the ground floor is called "stue" (abbr ST) and that
the next floor up is referred to as the 1st floor? Are you prepared to
pay a huge security deposit plus a couple months of rent up front when
you move into your flat? Could you spot a scammer pretending to rent
you a flat just to get ahold of that large up-front sum? Have a read
of the guide and you'll be surprised how much there is to know about
renting/buying here.
- The Money Matters section was also quite handy when it came time to
open bank account and get myself a Dankort. There is also a lot of
handy information about how to read a bill and find the numbers you
need to make online electronic payments
There is so much more to say, but this post is getting rather lengthy.
The bottom line is that this guide has helped me out alot and I'm sure
it can do the same for you. It's handy to carry around, contains
colour photographs and maps, and is very easy to read. You wouldn't
backpack without your Lonely Planet, so don't relocate to Denmark
without your Worktrotter's Guide! |
