{"id":11227,"date":"2016-08-30T23:35:30","date_gmt":"2016-08-31T06:35:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.german-way.com\/?p=11227"},"modified":"2020-05-02T15:07:13","modified_gmt":"2020-05-02T22:07:13","slug":"prep-home-for-long-term-vacation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.german-way.com\/prep-home-for-long-term-vacation\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Prep Your German Home for Long-Term Vacation"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Lon-term<\/a>

Day 1 of parental leave Photo: Erin Porter<\/p><\/div>\n

I am nearing 30-days away on my latest vacation. Well, Elternzeit<\/b> <\/em><\/a>(<\/span>parental leave) is more accurate. We have almost 2 full months re-connecting with family<\/a> in the big ‘ole US of A.<\/p>\n

My American counterparts are in awe that people in Germany can take so much time off for simply having a child<\/a>. Elternzeit<\/em> can be taken by both parents for a total of 3 years up until the child\u2019s 8th birthday for 64% of your regular pay (for the 1st year). It is a luxury and I am taking full advantage by spending time in my hometown, admiring the fabulous Americana. From the many, many old-school burger joints to the cheerfully advertised conceal and carry fanny packs I saw at the county fair tonight (Oh, America), I am enjoying.<\/p>\n

But it is not just squeezing every precious ounce of time we have in America I needed to worry about. I also had a lot of prep on the Berlin home front<\/a> to ensure we were able to enjoy our time away. Here are a few of the steps you should take to prep your German home for long-term vacation.
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\nCheck the Dates on your Visa and Passport<\/strong><\/p>\n

That’s right – before you board that plane you might need to plan a visit to the friendly Ausl\u00e4nderbeh\u00f6rde<\/em><\/a> (Foreigner’s Office)<\/span>. Or even renew your passport as it should be valid for at least 6 months after your planned return.<\/p>\n

We were on the paperwork trail in the lead-up to our trip and got my husband’s passport renewed just in time, but we were not able to schedule a visa visit by the time we left (booked up for AGES). Like the current Anmeldung<\/em> (registration) debacle<\/a>, it can be ridiculously hard to snag an appointment and our visas expired while we were away.<\/p>\n

We have explained the issue at length with our caseworker and made an appointment after our return but this means we will be re-entering the country on expired visas. This has us sweating. I have faith that proof of our upcoming appointment and general law abiding-ness we will be able to re-enter, but don’t be like us. Start the process at least six months in advance.<\/p>\n

Rent Your Place…or Not<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the things that has been common for us in Europe that we would never do in USA is that we have rented our place out for even short trips away. For long trips like this, we have successfully sublet the place for enough money to cover the rent and give us a little spending money.<\/p>\n

This time went a little different. In the city of Berlin there is a hard-core crackdown on short-term rentals<\/a> that has explicitly outlawed this type of subletting. The issue is complicated and the goal is admirable – maintain affordable housing for residents – but this was a bummer for us.<\/p>\n

Prepare your Pets<\/strong><\/section>\n
Our cat<\/a> and bunny are super low-key, but they still require food on occasion. This is definitely one of the more complicated issues for us and we contemplated several options:<\/section>\n