Welcome here in Germany! More and more Americans are falling in love with Germany! It's always not easy,but you should live where you feel most most comfortable! I accompanied you on the videos and you already got an impression that you feel better here! All the best for your future here in my homeland☘️☘️☘️🍺🍺

Had a similar situation. A coworker's husband was sick with cancer and the end was coming. Our old boss would have given her all the leave she needed but the company had just been sold to a large company. When she ran out of days off, they came around asking the employees to donate their vacation days. Apparently the huge conglomeration couldn't afford what the family owned business could.

As Americans in Germany, we were shocked by the difference in work-life balance as well. The focus on you having a personal life outside of work and not this deeply entrenched 'rise and grind until you retire culture' has made for much healthier lives overall. We wish people in the US coudl see how this improves so many aspects of life, along with the other points you mentioned! We loved the new style video too! We'll be a few years behind you in the citizenship line, just have to improve our German first...

Das ist wunderbar und willkommen in Deutschland 🇩🇪 Deutschland ist ein wunderschönes Land❤ ich lebe hier über 50 Jahre, und habe auch ein Deutsche Pass und bin dankbar dafür 🙏 Ich wünsche euch alles liebe und gute ❤❤

When we were stationed in Germany, my village had a train station that we could then use to connect to trains everywhere.

Please move to Hamburg. Weekend trips to Berlin, Lübeck, Lüneburg, Flensburg, Bremen, danish Copenhagen, dutch Amsterdam. Please become a nordic guy.

Great video! I was stationed in Germany for 6 years w/ the U.S. Army in Schweinfurt /Wuerzburg and it was a great experience. If you are looking to better your German, I highly recommend the Goethe Institute. I attended language training with them for 3 months at their Rothenburg ob der Tauber location and it really helped me improve from about an A2 level when I started to B2/C1 at the end.

Great to have you here in Germany

Your video about Bad Tölz brought back so many memories. I've been there around 10 years ago for the last time. Before that I visited this town on a regular base, be it for business trips or be it for visiting it with my family - especially to visit the Alpamare, the fun bath area with lots of pools, waterslides and so on. Unfortunately it got run down and finally closed around 2014-1015.

I have lived in Germany since 1983 and since April 2024 I am a Germany. Well Germany is my home sweet home I love the enviroment, people are friendly and so on

Hi Ben and Camille. That was an awesome video. You were spot on for the differences in work-life balance. I wish you the best in getting your German citizenship.

I LIVE IN TEXAS! GET ME TF OUT HERE! I'VE HAD IT!

As an American, you don’t sound American, but British. ?? Love Bad Tölz und München

I'm so delighted for you both! I love the videos you make. They've made many of our trips more informed and fun! Vielen Dank!

Nice to finally find someone sharing positive thoughts about Germany while we are being showered with politicians and co-citizens talking about the upcoming downfall of our country and blaming it on the work life balance, social state and the tolerance you are talking about

This video is right on time I love this. So inspiring 🙌🏾🇩🇪. I’m proud of you man. So many great places to live there

A very well-known German TV series called “Der Bulle von Tölz” also takes place in Bad Tölz. Of course, this is a crime series, like "Die Rosenheimcops", which takes place in Rosenheim (Upper Bavaria). Ottfried Fischer plays the “Bulle von Tölz” who, in addition to solving murder cases, also has to take care of many little things in connection with his mother, the priest and the local construction lion. Every episode has a little bit of humor in it. Highly recommended.👍

Very well thought out video. Thanks for sharing so much.

I think it is a great and long overdue step to allow dual citizenship. Go for it!

I just discovered your channel. Your presentation style and solid informational content are refreshing. You have a new subscriber!

Thank you very much for sharing your personal story and reasons.

I’ve lived in Bavaria for over 30 years, German at C2 level & gainful employment for the whole period. I have begun the process for German citizenship so that I can leave the country for more than 180 days without losing my residency. The S2 to Erding is terribly unreliable, so public transport is only mittelmäßig.

Yes do an episode of all day in Bad Tolz, please.

I am happy for you that you have found Germany as your new home. I am living in Germany for the last decade and I am happy for the things this country is offering. Of course there are things that are not perfect but there is no place that is perfect. If at some point in the future another place is better for my life I will move. But for now I will stay.

I absolutely love Bad Tölz. I discovered it by accident driving to Austria on my first alpine holiday and we drove through it to escape the traffic. Have been back there many times. As an Aussie, I can totally understand your reasons.

welcome to germany! glad to have you here!!

Love Bad Tölz! ❤ Having lived in Munich for 23 years now, I am so excited to be able to apply for a German passport too, and keep my Aussie one. Just looked up when the naturalization tests are at the MVHS - next available in September so get in soon. It is a 12 -18 month wait for passport applications to be processed!

Very interesting

you're making the right move mate

Some companies actually do offer benefits like Stock options, Urlaubs- and or Weihnachts-money, deferred compensation, company pensions, gym (membership or own), special rates on phone-/ internet-plans, sabbaticals,company cars, free coffee, free attendence of sports events (like a firmenlauf), reduced pricing at a company cafeteria, shopping benefits (through internet offers like corporate benefits), some do even have their own private kindergarten and offer vacation programs for children of employees. Sometimes you also can get products cheaper that the company produces or even get Deputate (like breweries who give their employees free beer)

Helpful….how nice if you did a video for retired people and what we need to do. Thanks

Hi near from home team. 😊👍

Thanks for your perspective. I can jump in my car to the mall, beach, stores, errands in just a few minutes (not 20). I also work for the school system so I get 3 months vacation + 14 holidays off, vacation leave, sick leave and personal leave with full medical benefits paid by my employer. So it really depends on where you live and who you work for.

Great videos and presentation! I'm roughly the same time here in Munich - 5 years (from USA). Also thinking about going for citizenship. All truth on work-life balance. I've found some of the same places on your list, but definitely not all. I'm always on the lookout for the best cycling routes. Your take on that topic would make for a cool video!

Congratulations! We hope to move there too soon! Btw, are you planning to make a video about Frankfurt am Main?

Another great video Ben and Camille!!! I have a question that is a bit off topic, but hoping you might be able to help me out. My son and I will be down in the Munich area and are trying to plan a day trip cable car ride up Zugspitze on May 5th. It seems near impossible as tickets aren't available from Ehrwald or Eibsee. There doesn't seem to be maintenance scheduled for that day, but the availability is not there. I have emailed both sites, but have not heard back in the last couple months. Any insight would be helpful and appreciated!!! We will be staying in Munich from the 10th to the 12th also if you would like to catch up for lunch. I've been tuned in to your channel for quite some time now planning my own adventure through Europe and have picked up so many tips. Cheers from Australia!

I have to subscribe to your channel immediately if you are already standing in front of the Plönlein in my hometown Rothenburg ob der Tauber on your channel picture. Freut mich das du deutscher Staatsbürger werden willst.

I also moved to a rural area in germany in Lower saxony but the public transport is not the best here. Decentralized and too late so im making my driver license here. 20-30 minutes drives in Germany for a bigger City are complete normal btw

cool outfit bro

Great video! I had no idea the residency requirement lowered. I retire at 51 next year from the federal government and we plan to move to Europe for the lower cost of living compared to the US. Fortunately federal government employees get 6 weeks of vacation a year, but my wife had to deal with low yearly sick days and only a week vacation per year. We’ll have to put Germany on our radar now. We loved Munich and going back there this May/June for holiday.

There is no way you could live in Bad Tölz without a car ;D. You can do that in Munich or other big cities but not in the countryside. With some exceptions like Lindau where you get good public transportation.

Wondering why have you never been to city of Ulm? It's really close to Munich and i think it's very interesting and beautiful. Would love to see it filmed by you guys ❤

Former American Citizen over here. Are you a dual US/UK citizen? Your thumbnail mentions that you are renouncing your US citizenship, but you don’t mention this in your video. In contrast, you mention the new legal option in Germany to have dual citizenship. As a former American, I would highlight the heavy burden that Americans living in other countries, both with the obligation to report global earnings and file a tax return. This also creates a huge obstacle to investing money here in Germany, building wealth and planning for retirement. Evan Edinger does a great job discussing the tax regulations for American expatriates in a KZfaq video that I highly recommend. Also, there is a little known distinction between renunciation and revocation that few people know about, but can have a significant impact on the fees that the American government assesses when giving up citizenship. Mind you that I’m not qualified to give legal advice, and the laws definitely have changed since I became a German citizen nearly 11 years ago, but I’m happy to share my experiences if you would care to get in touch.

Once again you can see the perversity of the US labor market, when colleagues give up their sick-days just to save their (poor?🤑) employer money. Simply disgusting! 🤮😵‍💫

From the few US citizens living in Germany, I understand that some find doing tax returns for both countries annoying so they consider giving up their US citizenship. Is that something that crossed your mind already?

Halte die Daumen, dass es mit der Staatsbürgerschaft klappt. 🤞 Keeping my fingers crosssed that everything works out well with acquiring German citiitenship. ( And then there are English-speaking people who claim that German is more complicated than English ! Just compare the length of both sentences.😁)

your a lucky man, I work for the USG and believe me the benefits are at least as good as Deutschland's I lived there for 9 years, the health insurance companies are better in GE.

Welcome... Or better said: Servus und Willkommen

Thank you for the amazing videos. We are planning a Fall trip and your videos are so helpful! When you do the short day trips, do you purchase your tickets in advance on the app or do you book from the kiosk at the HBF? Also, you mentioned an Italy series in another video. We would love to see those! Thank you both for all of the hard work and research.

Have lived here in Germany since 2014 and this year on my 10th anniversary I will finally get my German citizenship and German passport! So happy I didn't do this sooner, because I would have had to give up my American citizenship. Now I have the best of both worlds. Good luck to you on getting your citizenship!

blinded by the normalcy of being exploited 😕 the german/european concept is: one for all. all for one. or simply: solidarity

Every now and then there is a „feel good“ story in US media about donated PTO, just like the one you’ve experienced. Always makes me feel so sad. No actually mad! This is humiliating and should not be tolerated.

Genius, congrats!

Love your video. It is so awesome that you are going to get your German citizenship. I wish you the best of luck. 😊

Congratulations! I will do the same towards the end of the year. I can't wait. Are you going for Niederlassungserlaubnis first or straight for Einbürgerung? The system is pretty backed up at the moment. Fortunately, since I'll have two German degrees so I don't need to prove German knowledge but I have registered for the Einbürgerungstest for July.

Every day is cake day!🤣🎂😋

I love the trains in Germany! So handy! Bad Tölz is beautiful but my favourite place is Tegernsee

Für ein Amerikaner haben sie einen sehr starken britischen Akzent.Wenn sie Amerikaner sind wird wohl auch einer der hauptsächlichen Gründe sein das US Bürger die im Ausland leben ihr Einkommen nochmals Steuern an die USA versteuern müssen .Also einfach eine Geldfrage.Deshalb geben viele ihre Staatsbürgerschaft zurück.

Bad Tölz ist schon schön!

"sick days" in a western country are such a horrible thing ... how can afghanistan have better laws for that then the usa ? i sadly got very sick in october, i got covid and i never really recovered, i got 60 days paid off and since i am on "sick days" from the sate for 60% of my wage.

So in comments replies, I see that you're retaining a UK/DE dual citizenship due to tax reasons. From your experience, would just US/DE dual citizenship have any downsides or gotchas to look out for? I'm from the US and am looking at the DE dual citizenship and see the greatest benefit as having one inside-the-EU and one outside-the-EU citizenship.

I wish I could move to Germany 😢

you get a bus once a day here 😅

... wow...young Russell Crowe's got the German Passport!😅

The less sweet, the better the quality of the cake. If it's too sweet, they try to make up for the lack of flavor.

A great decision… I once did something similar from the UK to the US… you may remember it 😂

Dude BMW is Not Bavarian Motor Works! It is Werks 😂

I'm sure you've been asked before, but how come you sound british if you are american!? I'm guessing you left england when you were young, grew up in the USA but kept the answer? Ist es richtig oder nicht?

Amerikanische Arbeitsverträge sind komplizierter als deutsche? Das hätte ich nicht erwartet.

If Germany now allows dual citizenship, are you renouncing your USA citizenship because the USA requires you to do so?

In the KZfaq video "WHY I'm Becoming German!", the speaker shares several reasons for applying for German citizenship, including his appreciation for the country's efficient public transit system, love for German white chocolate cream, commitment to walkable communities, and positive work-life balance. Having lived in Munich for five years, he has experienced the ease of traveling throughout Europe and the convenience of living in a pedestrian-friendly environment. The speaker also discusses the recent legal changes that make it easier to acquire German citizenship, such as the permission of dual citizenship and shortened residency requirement. He expresses his regret for not being able to help a sick friend during his government job in the United States due to insufficient sick and vacation days and his desire to prioritize his health and well-being in the future. The speaker expresses his gratitude to the audience for watching and invites them to leave support in the comments and subscribe to his Near from Home community.

Nice to have you here! ♥ Bad Tölz I've been there because of ice hockey. = D 🏒 Best wishes from Thuringia.

If God intended every man to drive a car, then we should have been born with a parking space -jerry reed

Willkommen!

For an American, your intonation is pretty British

You sound more British that American.

But he said the public transit is what does it for him he loves it but what about when the germans go on strike and you cant get to work jajajajajajajs

I would have guessed the real reason is Brexit

Say hello to the Turks and Arabs for me

Thank you for opening up and sharing your experiences. The way the sick are treated in America is truly vile. I wish all the amazing things for you in Germany. 🖤❤️💛

I can’t believe this. Deutsche Bahn has become the most unreliable mass transportation system in the developed world. Even though in Munich and most major German cities the local transit systems are working well, once you leave the outer perimeters, you’re at the mercy of Deutsche Bahn 👎👎👎 So I’m waiting to find out more … Okay, German cakes 🍰👍 and coffee & cake culture 👍 Walkability of cities 👍 There must be some other reason 🤔🤔🤔

Why German citizenship? Maybe because the new law now makes it easy to keep your old citizenship and get the new one. Because German citizenship opens the doors to many countries to visit. Because life is good in Germany. Maybe because you don't know whether the next government will change its mind and laws for access in future.

you are not afraid of a war in germany ?

Well where do I start, ok, you do not have to have citizenship to live in Germany, you could opt for a residency 'Title', with this you are entitled to practically everything that a German is entitled to except vote. You never stated what the citizenship will cost you, I can tell you that British expats here have paid between €250 and €800 depending on how long they have lived here, what courses they had to take, which tests they had to sit and lastly their age. Dual citizenship is also nothing new here in Germany, I served here in the Forces from '73-''77 and then settled here with just a residency permit. I was offered German nationality after 5years, I declined again after 10years, declined again. I married a German and had two kids in '81 &'85. Both had British and German birth certificates. At the age of 14 they could then choose which nationality the would like , they didn't but had theirown British passports then from 14 on ( no longer on mine) Under Dual Nationality Reg's my Daughter also got her German passport, if my son has one I don't know but both also have German passes, But Both still have Dual nationality, for 43 & 39years respectively. I myself have lived here for 47 years now, I did not take either dual nor German citizenship, I am still a British national with the NEW Residecy permit (Aufenthalts Title) which is similar to and can also be used as an ID card within Germany Total cost for me €39, 95c. For travelling outside of Germany I use my British passport and am like all EU members still allowed to be in other EU countries for up to 90 days. Personally I think all this dual or change of nationality was/is just one big moneymaking scam. But hey at 73 what do I know I paid €39,95. No matter what you do, we all need to renew passports every ten years. Good luck anyway, I would tho' if I were you apply for the British one again, allways good to have a plan B 😉

Just wondering, you are talking about coming from America, yet you got a heavy English accent. Surely, you must be English. Your misses though sounds American. Anyways, enjoy your lives in this beautiful country called Germany.

Owning a Passport does not make you German...

you need a citizenship to eat cake?

Why don’t you just become a citizen in another European country where you don’t have to give up your citizenship? oh I see. You have lived there five years already. What about the 40 percent tax on your income?

American Companies don't fire you for taking a few days off because you are sick. My husband's company offers a 6 month leave before they lay you off. Personally, I always experienced working in Germany as very stressful. I needed more vacation days. In the US working seems to be much more relaxed.

What are you speaking like King Charles? That cannot be your natural voice.

You are funny - traveling in Germany - but the public transportation is constantly on strike. Ich brauche Lingoda nicht, weil ich auch die deutsche Sprache einwandfrei beherrsche. I worked for a private company in the Chicago area and got 4 weeks vacation and unlimited sick-days and I earned 4 times as much as what I earned in Germany. I live much better in America than in Germany.

Yea the trains are great if they turn up. The German rail system is in chaos and closed 28000Km of track last year. What a deluded picture you paint.

You don’t seem to know what is going on in Germany 😂 your video is just exaggerating the positive. It’s a tourist video.

Hi, YOU should NEVER wear tinted, dark sunglasses.. speaking to the audience or to another person in front of you. There is NO bright sunshine.. but it shows a lot of BAD bevoir and dis-respect.. This is Germany.. and WE don't like it..!! You are not in Florida, Arizona or New Mexico... and you risk, that people simply turn their back to you... REMEMBER THAT..b

The most stupid thing you ever could do! I sware, yo'll regret in future!

As a German citizen I am absolutely shocked by your decision, especially as I am looking desperately to get out of Europe and move to the US. But, if you are happy then power to you and the best of luck to you and your loved ones. I’d say though think it maybe over a bit more as Germany might not be so attractive anymore in a decade or two from now.