An Au Pair Diary: T’s Week, Plus a Weekend in Munich
Every so often, one of our au pairs checks in with a quick diary of their week — the good, the hard, and the completely unplanned weekend trips. Here’s T’s, written while she was living with her host family and settling into her au pair placement.
What was I grateful for this week?
Warm clothes and an umbrella.
What was the hardest part of the week?
Confrontation. I tend to be the “it’ll all sort itself out in the end” type, so working through a disagreement directly wasn’t easy for me. But it needed to happen, and I think it helped things smooth out in the end.
A “wow” moment
We made lemon squares with lemons my host family had brought back from Sorrento — a small thing, but it made the week feel special.
How the week went
It was a whirlwind of emotions. Confrontation is hard for me, but sometimes it’s exactly what a situation needs in order to work out more smoothly. I think it did, in the end.
Then the Weekend Happened: Munich
Besides the week itself, I got to go somewhere I didn’t expect to visit any time soon: Munich, Germany. The bus ride there was long thanks to traffic, and it was freezing — snow, rain, and wind, all in one weekend.
But I loved it. Munich isn’t the postcard version of Germany people usually picture, since it’s further south, but it still had everything: traditional clock towers, more beer than I could count, snow on the ground, and people in the classic German outfits I’d always imagined.
Even in the cold, I stayed out exploring as much as I could — mostly because every shop in Munich closes on Sundays. I ended up doing a self-guided Rick Steves audio tour of the city instead, and it turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the trip.
Part of me wishes I’d had more time to browse the shops, but wandering the city with headphones in worked out just fine. Until next time, Munich.
FAQ: Weekend Trips as an Au Pair
Do au pairs get weekends free to travel?
Most au pair placements build in regular time off, which is exactly what gave T the chance to take a spontaneous weekend trip to Munich. Exact schedules depend on your individual host family, so it’s worth discussing and agreeing on before you arrive.
Is it easy to travel to nearby countries during a placement?
Yes — one of the perks of an au pair placement in Italy is how central it is in Europe. Cities like Munich are a reasonably short bus or train ride away, which makes weekend trips a realistic option on days off.
What should I pack for a winter weekend trip?
Based on T’s trip, warm layers, a waterproof jacket, and an umbrella go a long way — weather in Central Europe can shift quickly, especially outside of summer.
What if shops or attractions are closed when I visit?
It happens, especially on Sundays in many European cities. A self-guided walking or audio tour is a great backup plan for seeing a city even when storefronts are shuttered.
If spontaneous weekend trips to places like Munich sound like the kind of adventure you want built into your own year abroad, Rome Abroad can help you find the right host family match.
Part of the Rome Abroad team helping young women live and work abroad as au pairs since 2015.
