Prague expats get together for an IKEA swapmeet

Expats newly arrived in a strange land are often afraid of losing touch with their home country, its foodstuffs, its fashions and even its favourite home design stores.

Becoming an expat isn’t just about career advancement, salary increases or even getting away from the negatives in the country of birth, it’s also about how each new arrival reacts to the unfamiliar cultural environment. Fortunately, advice, help and friendship is almost always available from members of the established expat community, all of whom have literally been there and done that at least once!

As well as help and advice, expat groups hold events ranging from general meetups to fun events put together via social media on a regular basis. Prague expats are no exception to the rule, with a regular favourite organised by the huge Facebook group Swap Prague. Their meetups are in association with partners and like-minded communities and focus on recycling unwanted household items rather than creating still more rubbish dumps by throwing them away.

Their latest swap-meet is a huge second-hand IKEA exchange of smaller houseware essentials with the iconic IKEA brand name and style, during which expats and locals can bring unwanted items and exchange them for anything they fancy or simply take what they need. Good condition is essential, and swapping no longer needed items for those more suitable is how it works. Pre-registration online is necessary and, for those to whom IKEA is a style disaster, there’s another swapmeet featuring houseplants, general housewares, clothes and jewellery later this month. The events are fun, attract large crowds and are a great way for newcomers to integrate into Prague’s lively expat scene.