One of the biggest barriers that sometimes puts people off when it comes to traveling abroad is their lack of knowledge of the language that is spoken in the travel destination that they’re considering.
While it isn’t necessary to know a language fluently in order to travel to a place where it’s spoken, just knowing a few words and target phrases can help make your life easier and your travel experience more enjoyable.
No one is expecting you to become Cervantes if you travel to Madrid or to speak like Charles de Gaulle on your next trip to Paris, but while this might be impossible, learning a little goes a long way.
Polite expressions such as please and thank you are a big help and might score you extra points with shopkeepers and restaurant owners. Learning other basic things such as yes, no, and greetings are another great way to help you blend in a bit and endear you to the locals.
It will become apparent eventually that you aren’t a fluent speaker of the language of the place that you are visiting, but that doesn’t matter! Just a little bit of effort can go a long way and help open doors for you in your travels that you might not have had before.
So, consider dedicating just a few hours of study to the language of the place that you want to visit if you want to make the most out of your trip abroad!
