Learning New Languages as a Tourist, Is It Possible?
There is more to tourism than simply exploring what meets the eye. The world is packed with different cultures, people, different ways of living, speaking, and even drinking tea. Getting to visit a new country widens your vision in ways you never thought of before. Understanding another country's language is an experience on its own, it helps you dwell deeper into the culture, history, and the character of a community.
Whether you are travelling to Germany, Spain, France, Italy, or even Portugal or Japan, it is always possible to use your time abroad to learn their language. It is always simpler when native speakers are around. Most would agree that the more languages one speaks, the broader their horizons - and this is, after all, the greatest advantage of learning a new language.
How to Explore and Learn a Language Simultaneously
Being a tourist in a country you have never been before while being surrounded by things and places you have never experienced in the past can be a daunting task. The feeling of wanting to explore everything all at once can become overwhelming, as can the fear of not being able to explore enough. But the excitement of being exposed to different cultures, customs, and languages surpasses all other feelings. You will get to learn so much.Without further ado, read on to find how to explore a new country and learn its language at the same time:
1. Set Goals
Goals are the most important part of an achievement. Everyone who has ever been successful has begun by setting small goals and further proceeding to larger ones. As a tourist wishing to do both, explore the country and learn the language, your goals should be the perfect balance of the two. It is pretty possible to do both at the same time as well.
As an excited tourist, your smaller language learning goals should look something like this:
- This week, I am going to learn 20 new (useful) everyday phrases.
- Every evening, I am going to spend at least one hour on language learning.
- Every day, I will learn at least 10 new vocabulary words.
2. Use Every Opportunity to Practice the Language
Finding a balance between two things can be challenging but it isn’t something that can’t be done. The key is to use every opportunity you can to practice the new language you’re trying to learn. It won’t be difficult to practice, for example, the German language in Germany. Find someone who speaks the language and put to use what you have learned. If not, buy bread in German, order your meal in German, ask for directions in German. Learning opportunities are all around you.
In order to use every opportunity as a tourist, you can set creative goals like this:
- I'm going to book the hotel room by communicating entirely in German/French/Spanish.
- I'm going to learn two different phrases in each new place I visit today.
- I'm going to caption my Instagram/Facebook travel photographs entirely in, e.g, Italian.
3. Facilitate the Process (Pack Smart)
If you want to learn a new language while also exploring a new country, you will have to stay committed to your goals. This is why you should always have your language learning app or dictionary at hand to make the process easier. You never know when the opportunity to learn a new phrase knocks and, well, each new phrase is important in its own way. Make sure to always keep notes of the things you learn. It is always helpful to keep track of the process.Being a tourist in a foreign country means you will have plenty of essential things to carry around. In most countries, like Germany for example, having a health insurance policy is absolutely mandatory, whether you are an international student or a tourist. So, packed alongside your health insurance policy, passport, and travel tickets, you should also keep your German dictionary and German language learning app quite close to you. Best thing? Everything fits inside your handbag/backpack.
4. Spend Some Time Learning the Culture
Once you become familiar with a country’s culture and customs and understand why they do the things they do, you will most likely find it easier to learn and make use of their vocabulary and phrases. Having a bit of context before learning new things is often helpful, not only when it comes to languages. You may spend some time becoming familiar with the culture before starting your journey in a new country or even after you arrive, just make sure to plan your schedule accordingly.
Read on the plane or train, watch videos, get a little cultural insight. You will find it pretty useful, both in the process of learning the language as well as during your travels.
5. Plan, Plan, Plan
Last but not least, planning! Planning is the single most important part of the whole process. It saves you from giving up, getting overwhelmed, missing out on travels, and it makes the whole process fun and stress-free. Plan your time according to the duration of your trip. If you will only be staying for a few weeks, your schedule will be tighter. If you’re on a lengthy study abroad program as an international student, you will find you have a lot more time.Plan the day before or the week before, the sooner the better. Keep note of your plans and make sure you stay committed.
Conclusion
The good thing about our modern world is that learning new things, and especially a new language, has become way easier than it used to be in the past. Technology is allowing us to pack our lessons, books, and classes in a backpack, this way everything is accessible at all times, even while being a tourist in a country stuffed with exploration opportunities. Travelling means easy access to real-life language practice, so why not make use of it? Besides, a new language will open up a whole new world for you.