How to Learn a Language while Taking a Vacation

Over these years of travel I have developed some repetitive day dreams. When I was in Italy walking the old brick laid streets, I was day dreaming I was conversing in Italian. In Costa Rica, I fantasized about being able to say more than the one or two sentences in Spanish that I knew. And most people if English is not their native language, they hope to learn it better. Travel to foreign lands is enticing enough, but being able to speak the local language, that is really cool.

An up and coming trend is to take a language vacation. Not only can you then travel to new lands, but you can pick up on the local language. Everywhere I have traveled to date, locals appreciate, no matter how bad it might be, when visitors try to speak the local language.

I believe traveling to a country where you don’t speak the local language is one of the most humbling things a person can do. I will always remember standing in a bakery, (somewhere, I don’t remember which country now), but I know there was a green bakery item I wanted. I stood on the other side of the counter to order, opened my mouth to speak and just became frozen. I didn’t know how to say the word “green.” I thought to myself, ‘Come on, kids are three years old when they learn how to say the word ‘green.’ I just remember my face turning red and flubbing around and pointing to every item in the store as the server patiently waited until the conclusion was reached I wanted the green item.

But I always remember the kindness and patience the person gave to me to ensure I got the item I desired. And I will always remember how frustrated, vulnerable and ‘stupid’ I felt for not knowing how to ask for anything I wanted. That experience certainly gives me more empathy when I see people around me whom don’t speak the local language. It’s hard, it’s so hard to learn new words. If you are looking to visit a new country, speak the language and be immersed in the local culture, one organization that can help you do this is Sprachdirekt . They offer language courses in various spots around the world. So if you are looking to learn Italian, Spanish, English or French, check them out.

Costa Rica

Hiking Adventure in Costa Rican Jungle

You want to hike an inactive volcano in the Costa Rican jungles. Good idea to be able to ask for a water break.

reading signs in spanish

You would like to understand what this sign says.

Waiting for the bus in Costa Rica

You want to take local transportation via the bus and need to make sure you are going in the right direction.

Dangerous river crossing in Costa Rica

You decide to hike for two days into a remote research station to camp and hopefully see tapirs. The night before you are supposed to hike out, it rains and the rivers flood. You then have to cross a river that just got a whole lot higher and has been known to have bull sharks and crocodiles swimming in it. If needed, always a good idea to know how to ask for help in the local language.

New Zealand

start-of-Kepler-hike-nz

If you are looking to become an English speaker, go to the land of hobbits and walk in the footsteps of Frodo. New Zealand is lush, green, gorgeous, safe and welcoming to visitors.

Hiking Kepler-Trail-NZ

I mean, look at these mountains. What a place to learn a language.

Argentina

Buenos Aires Argentina

We spent about a month in Argentina and loved it! Buenos Aires has so much life, culture, spunk and good coffee – I would go back in an instant.

Perito Moreno Glacier Argentina

After you get a grounding with your Spanish, you can then take off to amazing places like Perito Moreno Glacier.

Renting a car to go to cool places

Or have the confidence to rent a car to take you away more spectacular places. This shot is from the Valdes Peninsula which is one of the coolest nature reserves we have ever been too. At the initial start of renting a car (in a different language) I was intimidated. I was scared of all the worst case ‘what if’ scenarios. We rented cars on several different occasions and each time the people were kind and patient to make sure we understood the rules. They waited while we used our dictionaries to translate words we didn’t know and it was an uplifting experience and interactions with our fellow human beings.

Waiting for a ride in Argentina

Other times it’s good to know the language when you find yourself waiting for a ride. If locals are picking you up, chances are you might not get someone who knows your language as well. So set yourself up for success and know the lingo. (Interesting side note to this picture, the people that picked us up shared their yerbe mate with us and we got to drink it out of a cow horn!)

South Africa

Cape Town South Africa

Cast your eyes on beautiful Cape Town in South Africa. If you have never been, the city is awesome. This is another place we would go back to live at in the blink of an eye.

tiff and chris traveling

Near the city for easy day trips is the Cape of Good Hope full of interesting history, stunning cliffs and wildlife.

Kudu antelope in South Africa

Once you have your footing in South Africa, rent a car and head to the national parks. We spent a month traveling around South African and the national parks were so outstanding.

Zebra looking at you in South Africa

As we traveled all around the country, we got to gaze into the eyes of so many animals. We found South Africa to be a very easy country to travel around.

Many times when Chris and I tell people of our travels their response is, “Oh I could never do that.” To which we respond, “Well, yes, actually you probably could.” Set yourself up for success. Our first trip abroad was to Europe and we started off in London, an easy country where they spoke English, our native language. Start out your initial travels with countries that excite you. If you are still feeling intimidated, perhaps signing up for a language course may be the perfect way to ease yourself into traveling into an unfamiliar land. No matter what you do, your trip should excite you and it’s ok it scares you a little bit. It is by pushing ourselves through our fears that we are able to attain growth.

There is nothing quite like being in a new country and learning the words to say, ‘thank you, please, bathroom and water.’ Through this simple, yet challenging goal, that is where the magic of travel happens. You will meet people who are different than you and for one reason or another, you will have to communicate with them. You may never see again, but time and again, I have found people to take time out of their day to help me understand what is going on have a good time in their home country. Then when you go back home and see someone struggling to read or comprehend your language, hopefully you can remember just how hard it was for you and help them to understand better too. It is through our languages and kind gestures that the world goes round.

Need a little more planning?

The gear listed in this post is the same exact gear we use to travel the world or our back yard.
These same booking resources are the same exact ones we use to find deals and acquire points for more travel.
I will never recommend to get a credit card unless you are 100% solid to pay it off in full every month. If you will and are going to be making some big purchases, this Chase card is the same exact card we use and it offers great travel points and perks.
Finally, if you have not used AirBnB before, use this special link to sign up and get $40 off your first booking.

Advertisements

9 Responses to “How to Learn a Language while Taking a Vacation

  • I would think it’s always a good idea to be familiar with the language of a country you are visiting. Even if you’re not bilingual there are at least catch phrase words that should be easily learned. Thanks for the suggestions and helpful links.

    • tiffany
      8 years ago

      Oh yeah, you definitely want to have a few key words, even though English is the “go to” common language. I find a lot of times when I try to speak the local language my voice infliction is usually what causes people to not be able to understand me. So I always carry a small notebook and pen, that way I can write what I am trying to say and likewise, locals can write the answer back to me. This method almost always has worked for me and it feels great to be able to communicate in another language.

  • A very upbeat post and the pics are amazing. I’m sure many will find it helpful and encouraging. Nice going, no pun intended!
    mare

    • tiffany
      8 years ago

      Thanks. At first I find languages so intimidating. It took me a whole week just to be able to say “Thank you” in Indonesia consistently. For real. There are just certain sounds, ways I had to move my mouth that we just don’t use in English. So – whenever I see a person trying to speak a language that is not their native language, hats off to them. There are certain sounds and inflections that can be so challenging. I think that is also why it’s so important to learn another language in school. It causes our brains to think in new ways.

  • Nice post. You know my goal: to have every developed country learn a universal sign language. Then we can all speak in our native tongues and sign to each other what we are saying. This would break down so many language barriers and the need to learn multiple languages.

    • tiffany
      8 years ago

      I think any way we can all learn more languages, the better! It is one of the most humbling things we can do. I would look forward to seeing your idea progress! Can’t wait to talk with you more later! 🙂

  • Wow!

    This is really something amazing I found.

    The post is really interesting and so cool.

    One of the best idea to learn language is surround yourself with the language as much as possible. Find blogs, songs & videos in your target language.

    This doesn’t have to be intensive study, in fact it can be equally effective to use authentic media as background noise while you are working at your desk or at the gym.

    The goal is tune your brain to the sounds and rhythms of the language.

    Hope This will help you out .

    God Bless U!

    Keep doing good work.

    • tiffany
      8 years ago

      Hi Helen, thanks for the comment. I think you are so right on training your brain to get used to the sounds and rhythms. When trying to talk in another language that is my biggest challenge. A lot of times I end up having to write down my question or destination as it will be my accent is what makes it so difficult for people to understand me.

  • Wow! this is awesome! great travel and I love the shots!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badge