Tips for Learning a Language for Travel (and Why It's Worth It)

Learning different languages is exciting, challenging and rewarding.  But in addition to that, it can help a lot for travel purposes.  Learning the local language can help you immerse yourself in the local culture, ask for help (effectively) and have lots of fun.  It’s also good for the soul and mind. 

My language learning journey began about 10 years ago, when I got my first taste of travel addiction, when I travelled to Montréal for 5 weeks for the Explore Program.  The Explore Program is a French summer course which is free for university students who apply.  A couple years later I returned to Québec City and paid for a 2 week course with the Edu-Inter French School.  With both experiences, I learned some French, but more importantly met lifelong friends (some of who I travelled with) and made tremendous memories. 

Fast forward a couple of years, and I began travelling around Latin America and had to learn Spanish on my own.  In doing so, I made even more friends, some who didn’t speak a lick of English.  A couple of years later, I extended my Spanish learning and travelled to take the Habla Ya Spanish course in Bocas del Toro and Panama City, Panama.  Needless to say, I learned a lot, had a ton of fun making life long memories!

And even this past year we travelled to Japan, and I spent some time learning basic Japanese.  I didn’t become as fluent as I got in Spanish, but I learned enough to greet and start a minor conversation with locals, order food and ask for help.

The thing about learning a language is, no matter how good you are, it opens doors when travelling.  You will meet locals, immerse yourself in the local culture, and the locals will respect you even more, and will go to further lengths to help you when necessary.

Now aside from the benefits of learning a language, here are some tips to help you learn and boost your language skills for and during travelling:

First lets talk about learning before your vacation…

Duolingo

Use Duolingo for quick easy language lessons that you can fit into your schedule whenever convenient.  Duolingo is fun and great for helping to build vocabulary.  The app is free, unless you want the premium version (which isn’t necessary).

Rocket Languages

Rocket Languages is another great language program that you can access via the web or on an app on your phone.  Unlike Duolingo, Rocket Languages has longer and more structured lessons.  Paired with Duolingo, it is great, because Rocket Languages helps with grammar and sentence structure.  Depending how serious you are about learning the language, you can download the trial lessons (I did this for French and Japanese) or pay for different levels of lessons, which is a one-time reasonable price. And look out for their deals, they often have sales on their courses.

Listen to Music

Depending on which language you are learning, this can be a great help.  Spanish has tons of great songs, especially Latin pop and reggaeton.  But there are other languages that listening to their music can help.  When listening to the music, listen for key vocabulary, and repeated phrases; then think about what the artist is saying.  Don’t try to translate the entire song but look for bits and pieces to help decode the bigger picture of the song.

Watch Lyric Videos

When listening to music, either turn on closed captions (not in English but the native language of the song) or watch lyric videos.  Again, look for key words and phrases and pause the video at times to use google translate to translate certain parts.

Speak Out Loud

While learning on Duolingo, Rocket Languages or any other apps you are using, repeat the phrases and vocabulary out loud.  And if you’re studying later on, also repeat the phrases out loud.

Learn Important Phrases

Here are a list of some important phrases and questions to learn:

Hello, how are you?  I’m good and you?

Do you speak English?

I only speak a little bit of…

Can you speak more slowly?

What’s your name?  My name is..

How old are you?

Where are you from?  I’m from….

Can I get a….?  I’d like a…  (learn add ons too, ,like sugar in your coffee)

Thank you very much.

Where  is the….?  (train station, the hotel, etc.)

I need a…. (taxi, water, etc.)

How much?

Good bye.  See you later.

Write Down Important Phrases

Some of these phrases you will learn through the apps you are using; but think about other important phrases that may come in hand and look them up using either google translate or other websites. Make sure you write these down and even include hypothetical conversations with responses you may reply with.  Other key phrases you might want to look up are things you may say when you’ve mustered up enough liquid courage and are our partying.  If you’re going to be out and about, practice these phrases that can help you converse with locals at a local bar or street party.

Practice in the Airport and plane

Pull our your notebook of key vocabulary and phrases and practice while waiting in the airport or on the plane.  There is nothing like the excitement for your trip, and practicing the language before landing.  Practice what you will say to the taxi driver, or once you check in at your hotel, etc.

Now that you’re on your vacation it’s time to put your language skills to the test and nothing helps more than actually using the language you’ve learned.

Talk to Locals

Even if they speak English, practice ordering a beer, a coffee or your meal.  Ask for the bill, thank them when finished, etc.  And go out at night, talk with the locals.  Don’t always stick to tourist hubs, get off the beaten path and immerse yourself in local spots.  Nothing helps boost your language skills than a little liquid courage.  If you speak with the locals in their language (no matter how broken your sentences are), they will respect it and practice with you.

Pay Attention to the Local Music

Listen to the local music, dance to it and shazam songs that you like so you’ll remember them later.

Now that your vacation is over, the learning doesn’t need to stop.  Continue even when you’ve returned home from your trip.

Depending on the language, and how commonly it is spoken, continue to practice.  You’ve already started learning so keep it up, even if you use Duolingo or Rocket Languages sporadically.  Continue listening to your favorite music from your vacation (in the native language) and sing along.

This way if you are going to go back or go to another country that uses the same language, you will speak even better next time, and then repeat the steps all over again and practice before your next vacation!

EXTRA TIP - Consider a Language Exchange

This is an extra tip and is not a main part of my tips, but it is something to consider.  If you need a reason to travel, and if you’re planning to go solo, a language exchange can be the perfect way to travel, learn and meet people all at the same time.  I did it in Montreal, Quebec City and Panama and had a lot of fun all while learning new languages.  There are many programs out there, some subsidized or others with a bit of a price tag.  These can some times count as university credits or you will be given a certificate to include in your portfolio.

When I was younger, I used to be lazy, and I regret dropping out of French in school, but as I got older the more, I realized the benefit of learning new things including languages.  Even learning the basics can be really fulfilling and rewarding, so depending where you are travelling to, use this as fuel to set a goal and learn a new language or even just some phrase. 

Remember keep on learning and keep travelling. Viajar es vivir!