About

Jumping for Joe offers global insights into cities' education, transport, leisure, architecture and more. Urban spaces are more diverse than ever, so explore beyond the stereotypes and see the city through the eyes of its wide range of cultures. 

Jump-start your international lifestyle today.

Born in France to British parents, I spent my childhood jumping between 5 different cities. I have called Paris, Vienna, Brussels, London and Los Angeles home for several years at various stages of my life, but have never felt truly part of any of these places. To this day, when someone asks me where I'm from, I struggle to come up with an answer.

This blog was born out of the idea that having a variety of cultural perspectives should be celebrated. I used to see not belonging to a specific place as a weakness, but now I realise that my diverse background has allowed me to shape everywhere I've lived in a unique way. The mixing of cultures makes cities much more interesting and open-minded places, and that I view as a strength.

So now, after three years at university in the UK spent desperately trying to attribute my identity to a specific city, I'm finally jumping for joy in my hometown of Paris. I don't feel entirely French, but that's fine, because I've now learned to embrace my Franco-Belgian-Viennese-British-American (and counting!) self.

"Following Joe’s humorous, inquisitive mind through his captivating blog posts is a joyful part of my weekend routine. Having lived here and there myself, I find the comparative lens through which Joe’s looking out at his surroundings, a familiar trick — it’s how I inspect each new place I find myself in, too, so the way he picks up on any little things is very dear!" - Maria, Amsterdam enthusiast from Kaliningrad, Russia

"I’ve grown up moving from country to country too and you just can’t help but compared the cities you’ve lived in, so it’s really interesting to read about someone else’s experience with this. I’ve really enjoyed the glimpse into Joe’s own moves, how he dealt with them and what he learned.  His blog is such a refreshing read, I love his voice and quirky recommendations and I can’t wait to read more!" – Camille, globetrotter from Taipei, Taiwan