March 26, 2026, 9:26 am | Read time: 9 minutes
Three years ago, Nina Hamer, a native of the Rhineland, made a decision that completely turned her life upside down: She emigrated to Denmark with her husband and daughter and now lives in a thatched-roof house in the south of the country. Nina Hamer and TRAVELBOOK editor Angelika Pickardt have known each other for many years and are close friends—in the TRAVELBOOK interview, she shares how her emigration came about, the hurdles she faced, and what Germany could learn from Denmark.
TRAVELBOOK: Let’s get straight to the point: What works better in Denmark than in Germany?
Nina Hamer: “Actually, everything here is simply better than in Germany. The work-life balance, the integration and migration policies, the affordability of real estate, the greater appreciation for family and friends, and the social interaction. There’s no rat race. And generally, the nature. You just have more room to breathe. We’re now in a country between the seas, which makes it naturally beautiful. And yes, many things run better than in Germany.”
What were your reasons for emigrating to Denmark, and why there specifically?
“Honestly, it wasn’t my goal to emigrate to Denmark. It resulted from several reasons. For one, my husband Eike is a native of Flensburg, and his parents moved from Flensburg to Denmark. We visited them there and simply liked it very much. And above all, we realized that we could still afford a detached house here, and quickly decided to buy the house and thus emigrate, because you can only buy a house if you also immigrate to Denmark. This whole emigration, from decisions to moving, took six months. However, the job situation was somewhat difficult for me. I was supposed to continue working remotely for my former employer in Germany, but was then laid off, and we lacked a second income for a long time. I now work part-time in North Frisia and am building an online business in network marketing, which is increasingly successful.”
Is it easy for a German to emigrate to Denmark?
“Yes, it’s super easy. We actually bought the house, went to the immigration office, registered there, and had to show both employment contracts. If you don’t have an employment contract, you need to have 12,000 euros per adult in your account and 6,000 euros for the children to support yourself in the first year. Otherwise, if you have no criminal record or don’t get into trouble here, you can move to Denmark relatively quickly.”
“Learning the Language Is Essential”
How were you received in Denmark?
“I must say that we were very warmly received here. But I must also say that we made a great effort to integrate. That means we immediately booked a language course, which the country pays for for five years. Otherwise, we also integrated very well through our animals. For example, while walking the dog, we quickly came into contact with the Danish neighbors. We also have a horse, and ring riding is a national sport here, and we participated in that, too. We also participated in the town festival and helped with the cleanup. So it went quite quickly.”
Do you have Danish friends, and was it difficult to build these relationships?
“Yes, we now have Danish friends because we made a great effort to integrate. But there are also Germans who move here and don’t integrate at all, and don’t find local friends. The Danes themselves have the mentality of being very much to themselves, very much within their own family and close circle of friends. And rarely does someone new come along. It takes a lot of sensitivity. And sometimes it takes years to really find true friendships here.”
Do you now speak Danish, and is that important to you?
“I must admit that I find Danish very difficult. I’m now in my third year at language school and can read and understand it relatively well. However, we still face the challenge that Sønderjysk is spoken here in southern Denmark, a special dialect that is very demanding. Additionally, we live in the border area, so many still speak German with us. I actually have to force people to speak Danish with me so I can learn it properly. It’s important to me to be able to do that. It annoys me that I still don’t speak it fluently. But as I said, it’s not an easy language for me. Just because of the pronunciation, but also because of the sentence structure. Sometimes a word has up to six or seven meanings, depending on the tone. And you can really make mistakes in pronunciation and sometimes step into a faux pas.”
Do you sometimes still feel foreign, and if so, in what situations?
“I don’t really feel foreign here; I felt very comfortable and at home relatively quickly. I think you feel foreign when you enter a conversation where you’re not very proficient in the language, and the Danes make jokes, laugh, and speak very quickly. You sometimes feel excluded, but that’s simply due to the language barrier. And that’s something where I realistically have to say: I’ll probably never learn it to a native level.”
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“Integration Works Much Better Here”
You’ve been living in Denmark for three years now. What could/should Germany learn from Denmark?
“Several things come to mind. What works much better here is the integration of immigrants. For all foreigners—including us Germans who move here—there’s a strong emphasis on learning the language quickly. The Danes manage to offer language courses for everyone, and integration only works through language, as access to work, community, and truly arriving. The care for political refugees is also very close-knit. The goal is for them to find a job quickly. And if someone misbehaves and becomes a criminal, deportation happens very quickly.
Denmark is also completely digital, which makes many things much easier. If you want to start a business, you can do it all online. You don’t have to go anywhere, to any office, or print and fill out certificates and send them by mail. Everything comes to my digital mailbox, from weather warnings to cancer screening reminders to tax returns.
Another point is the work ethic. A four-day workweek is totally normal here; 40-hour jobs are rare, maybe in Copenhagen, in international companies. But otherwise, no one works 40 hours here. The work-life balance in Denmark is much, much better. There’s also a strong emphasis on hygge, this coziness, and truly coming to rest at home, spending time with family and friends. The Danes simply don’t let themselves be stressed.”
And conversely: What could be improved in Denmark?
“What I don’t like: You have to pay for your dentist completely yourself in Denmark, except for children up to 18 years old. They also get braces from the state. But after that, you have to take care of it yourself. Many Danes have gaps in their teeth because they can’t afford dental replacements. Otherwise, the healthcare system is well-organized in my eyes. You’re automatically insured by the state here. There are no private health insurance companies.”
What might Danes find odd about Germans?
“Great question. I think they find it odd that we’re such workaholics, that we stress ourselves out with everything, and are so fond of order. The Danes are also orderly and value having beautiful gardens. You rarely see unkempt houses or gardens in Denmark. But I think we Germans are actually the absolute perfectionists in the eyes of the Danes, and they sometimes find that quite amusing. Another point: We Germans are sometimes very direct and get straight to the point. The Danes don’t like that at all, and you should never come over unannounced. You don’t just go over for coffee; you are consciously invited.”
What do you sometimes find strange about the behavior of the Danes? Or certain regulations?
“What I notice: In Denmark, people don’t compare themselves to others. They also don’t talk much about money. Criticism is not publicly expressed, and people don’t speak badly about things or others. Interestingly, cars are incredibly expensive in Denmark and an absolute luxury item. Many cars here are falling apart. We ourselves bought two old cars here and left our newer ones in Germany—also because the import tax is so extremely high.
A huge topic here is waste separation. If you think a lot of waste is separated in Germany, it’s even more absurd here. There are seemingly seven bins for everything, and then a small bin for deodorant cans and batteries. Everything is completely dismantled. That’s quite strange.”
“I Miss the Scenic Variety”
What do you miss about Germany?
“Actually, not much. I think what I miss most as a Rhinelander is the Rhineland mentality, the humor, the carnival. And often the weather, because it rains significantly more here in Denmark, and the winters are darker. And I miss the scenic variety, that there are hills or mountains or river valleys. Denmark is a very flat country, and to the left and right we have the dunes and beaches and a few fjords—it’s a country by the sea.”
Can you imagine staying in Denmark forever, or do you have new plans?
“We dream of growing old here. But it also depends on how everything develops politically worldwide. I think if I were to emigrate again, it would be to warmer climes, because the rainy weather and long winters take some getting used to.”
What is your most important tip for anyone considering emigrating to Denmark?
“What I most recommend is not just spending two weeks in a vacation home here in the summer, but maybe also taking a three-week vacation in the winter to test the darkness and the weather. To test whether you can endure it long-term, essentially, live with the downsides of emigration as a trial. From today’s perspective, I would always learn Danish from home, either at the community college or in an online course, and engage with the language. I would also always try not to have the mindset of leaving Germany, but rather moving toward something new. You should never flee from something, because then you’re often disappointed. And I would especially deal with the topic of work, like what job will I do here, is it secure, and does at least one of us have a good enough income to afford everything?
Otherwise, I would say: Go for it, because it’s a great country. If someone really wants to find peace, then this is the right place.”