Barbara Woolsey

Barbara Woolsey is a freelance journalist based in Berlin. She is a Reuters TV producer, guidebook author for Lonely Planet and Fodor's, and has been published by The Guardian, USA Today and others.

Latest Works

BBC • 6th January 2021

The German 'Quereinsteiger' ending career-changing stigma

A once-shunned German concept is helping people find their place in the world of work – and may even be the key to revitalising the country’s workforce.

The Local • 18th December 2020

'Less solidarity, more stress': How Germany's new lockdown feels different to the first

Coronavirus fatigue has hit many in Germany, and it's lead to less solidarity more of stress as the country entered a stricter lockdown this week, writes Barbara Woolsey.

Thrillist • 13th December 2020

Step Into Seoul’s Coolest Hidden Cocktail Dens

Seoul takes concept bars and speakeasies to a whole new level.

October • 4th December 2020

Why I Got My PhD in Beer

An interview with Dr. Jennifer Schneiderbanger who is one of a small number of people in the world with a doctorate in brewing science.

Sunday Times Travel Magazine • 15th November 2020

Berlin Shopping Guide

As Europe’s bullseye for artsy types, Berlin does a fine line in independent design — often inspired by sustainability and club culture.

Thrillist • 31st October 2020

Berlin Is a Magnet for Artistic Expats. Here’s How to Make It Your New Home.

Moving Party: A guide to moving to Berlin.

The Local • 27th October 2020

Why not all Germans will embrace working from home post-pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic has pushed a record number of Germans into Home Office. But many are eager to get back into their productivity swing in a traditional workplace.

Atlas Obscura • 11th May 2020

How 'Taco Friday' Became a Swedish Tradition

Fredagsmys, or Cozy Friday, is a beloved Swedish tradition. Across the Scandinavian country, families stay home on Friday night, watch TV, and eat Tex-Mex-style tacos.

Fodors Travel Guide • 6th May 2020

What Is It Like to Be Stuck With a Michelin Chef Right Now?

A travel writer and a chef walk into a bar. They fall in love and move in together. The chef gets a Michelin star, then two Michelin stars, and they live happily ever after nearby the restaurant. Then comes coronavirus.

thrillist • 14th April 2020

These Finnish Artists Thrive in Total Isolation. Here’s How You Can Too.

Adjusting to life at home, Americans are taking a cue from snowy, secluded Finland.

The Guardian • 3rd April 2020

A new form of house music: Berlin clubs livestream DJ sets

With bars, nightclubs and restaurants closed to slow the spread of Covid-19, nightlife in Berlin was expected to come to a halt. But no, the beats are still thumping. The city’s premier “virtual club” is now in session.

Reuters • 27th March 2020

'Cooking for heroes': Michelin-starred restaurant helps Berlin medics fight coronavirus

A Michelin-starred restaurant in Berlin forced to close its doors by the coronavirus lockdown has turned its culinary skills to helping to feed doctors, nurses, policemen and firefighters who cannot work from home.

Featured Works

Lonely Planet • 1st May 2020

Lonely Planet Amsterdam

Golden Age canals lined by tilting gabled buildings are the backdrop for Amsterdam’s treasure-packed museums, vintage shops and creative design, drinking and dining scenes. I wrote the Southern Canal Ring chapter.

Matador Network • 20th February 2020

In St. Petersburg, a chef is embracing Soviet cuisine and taking it to new, delicious levels

Igor Grishechkin’s cooking is controversial. It not only highlights the opulence of tsars and Catherine the Great, but also the Soviet era.

thrillist • 21st May 2019

Amsterdam's Red Light District is About to Change. Here's How Sex Workers Feel About It

Window prostitution has been practiced throughout the Netherlands since the end of the 19th century, but the city's recent ban on red-light tours is the first of its kind.

The Guardian • 9th May 2019

Berlin anti-gentrification activists fight to keep ... the local Aldi

The residents of Berlin’s Kreuzberg district have become renowned for their impassioned clashes against capitalism. Now, they’ve stepped up to defend an unexpected establishment: the local branch of Aldi, a supermarket with a €50bn annual turnover.

Reuters • 5th April 2019

Germany's new Bauhaus museum set for interactive opening

The new Bauhaus museum opens its doors to the public for the first time in the east German city of Weimar on Saturday after three years of construction, giving admirers of the world-famous “form follows function” aesthetic a new place of pilgrimage.

Scoot • 1st February 2019

Mic's the Word

A dynamic spoken word scene is boldly reverberating in Malaysia's capital. Barbara Woolsey takes a seat in the audience and tunes in to the melodic strains of Kuala Lumpur's poetic underground.

thrillist • 18th October 2017

Why Young American Expats Flock to This Cheap Beach Paradise

There’s a village in Bali where American expats cavort on scooters, surf swells, and beach verandas all year round. No, this isn’t the Eat, Pray, Love crowd -- these are Silicon Valley exiters, social media influencers, artists, and miscellaneous “woke” folk living their best lives, as seen on Instagram.

The Guardian • 17th October 2017

Berlin’s popular Thai Park faces threat of closure

The iconic but illegal Preussenpark food market could become a victim of its own success as officials clamp down over hygiene and safety regulations.

Tasting Table • 11th May 2017

Why Bangkok is One of the World's Best Food Cities

In Bangkok, a city with gleaming postmodern kitchens and good ol' greasy spoons alike, one of my favorite food secrets isn't a restaurant at all, but a ramshackle shophouse selling nothing but curry pastes.

Reuters • 20th April 2016

Germany marks 500 years of beer purity law

The sound of clinking glass fills the room as a monk inspects one of hundreds of beer bottles passing along the production line at Andechs monastery in Bavaria.

Vice Munchies • 2nd December 2016

The Rise of India’s Coffee Revolution

Indians have never been big coffee drinkers. Sure, the West's irreplaceable daily perk has existed in the South Asian country for centuries—as the story goes, those first prodigious beans were smuggled out of Yemen by an Indian Muslim saint around 600 years ago.

Bangkok Post • 21st October 2010

Burma's healthcare reaches crisis point

The health of people living in eastern Burma is among the worst in the world.

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