One of the best ways to immerse yourself in another culture is by learning their language – plus, it provides a great opportunity for meeting new people!
Every traveler has encountered language barriers as an impediment to communication; whether that means getting lost, ordering food or asking directions, communicating effectively can make traveling challenging.
1. It’s a great way to prepare for your trip.
Knowing some basic phrases and words from your host language will go a long way toward making your trip less stressful, while giving you an authentic cultural experience.
Language learning while traveling is one of the best ways to do it, as you become immersed in it completely. Additionally, traveling can allow you to pick up on local dialects that might otherwise go unsaid in class settings. Before embarking on your trip, download some language apps on your phone, such as iTalki or Babbel from FluentU – make sure you download any program or application well in advance so it is available when needed!
Always keep pronunciation top of mind when traveling; focus on learning the most useful words first and don’t expect perfect pronunciation every time. Bring along a good dictionary and translation app (such as Google Translate or Waygo) so you can navigate with no issues!
2. It’s a great way to meet new people.
Traveling and meeting new people are both great opportunities to expand your horizons and experience another culture. Learning the local tongue allows you to interact with locals more freely while making friendships – not only that, it makes getting around easier as you can read signs and ask directions much simpler!
FluentU provides an ideal way to hone the newly learned language you’ll use during your trip and make the experience all the more rewarding and memorable. Being confident when speaking the local language will only enhance your trip’s enjoyment!
Travel can be an emotionally and spiritually enriching journey; thus, travelers have difficulty putting into words exactly how it affects them. Luckily, there are some unique foreign words that may help describe your travel experience more eloquently than English language can.
These creative travel words include the French term l’aventure which means “the adventure” and ristre which refers to restless wandering. There are numerous words like these available to express travel experiences more vividly, so next time you travel abroad be sure to use some of these creative terms!
3. It’s a great way to learn about a new culture.
Experience is the best way to understand a new culture, and traveling is an incredible way to do just that. While studying the language of another place may help, nothing beats actually immersing yourself in its culture! Speaking the local tongue will enable you to engage with locals about things they care about and have conversations about values they hold dear – an invaluable opportunity that makes true travel worth your while!
Language skills can also help you uncover hidden gems in the cities and countries you visit, like restaurants, churches and cultural sites not advertised to tourists online or through tourist guides. Most local establishments only serve native English-speakers so utilizing yours will give an authentic experience without needing an English-speaking guide!
Language can provide opportunities to experience local cultures first-hand and form lasting bonds with those living there. You could, for instance, attend events and festivals celebrating that culture like flamenco shows or visiting small wineries that don’t advertise to English-speaking travelers. By understanding a local language you will also be able to attend events and festivals celebrating that culture directly and attend events that highlight it like festivals. This way you’ll have more chances than ever to discover how people there live their lives while creating lasting memories in each place you visit!
4. It’s a great way to enjoy your trip.
Communicating in their language is one of the best ways to enjoy a trip, as it will allow you to connect more deeply and truly understand their culture – plus make traveling all that more exciting!
Extending your experience by learning a foreign language will also allow you to discover more off-the-beaten-path places and gain more authentic insights into a country, while simultaneously making new friends! For those interested in this process, my language learning book contains numerous practice exercises as well as useful travel advice.
Travel is much like life – full of ups and downs, challenges and surprises. Sometimes you may even find yourself in situations where the language barrier prevents you from understanding what’s going on around you! Don’t let this spoil your trip though; there are still plenty of ways that you can enjoy yourself even without knowing the native tongue!
As an additional resource, I have compiled my top ten tips for traveling without speaking the local language – read them below!