Learning English by traveling

Nowadays it is important for all travelers around the world to learn foreign language. As we know many countries in the world at least they speak English.

There are many great reasons to learn English and the advantages that come from speaking English when you travel are many, varied and valuable. In so many parts of the world, English is the ‘international language’ — although it may not be the language that is native to, or most commonly spoken in a particular country, English is most often the language that travelers share and local people use when communicating with visitors. Here we take a look at six of the greatest advantages of speaking English when you travel:

• 1.    Ease of making bookings. As so many travelers will testify, being able to quickly and easily make reservations and other bookings is critical to the success of your adventures. Needing to spend time, effort and possibly money on translations and explanations can be stressful and is simply not effective.

• 2.    Express what you want. When you are a proficient speaker of the English language, it is much simpler to ask for what you want and explain your preferences. For example, expressing yourself through the English language can make it far easier to ask for food to be cooked the way that you desire, an air conditioned room or recommendations for sights and adventures most closely aligned with your interests.

• 3.    Meeting local people. Having the opportunity to meet and eat with local people and getting to know something of their lifestyle is a completely precious opportunity that is unique to travel. Even if you are in a country where English is not the dominant language, chances are that English will be used as the basis for communication between speakers of different native languages.[3]

• 4.    Interacting with other travelers. No matter where travelers call home, English is, overwhelmingly, the international language of communication for travelers. Although you may be thousands of kilometers from home and initially perceive little advantage in hanging out with people that live close to or in a similar way to you, it can often be very comforting to mix with people with whom you can share experiences and communicate using a language with which you are confident.

• 5.    Pleasantries and important phrases. Even a very basic level of English can assist you with important phrases and key pleasantries that will be frequently used when travelling. It goes without saying that being able to use these phrases appropriately and confidently can make your time and experiences in different places all the more enjoyable.

Having studied English at an English language school ( Australia is home to many excellent schools and colleges), you will have a fabulous foundation from which to perform critical tasks when travelling, including ordering food and booking accommodation, as well as finding and checking in to your lodgings.[1]

When you travel and are able to speak English well, it is more than likely that you will experience greater ease and confidence when interacting with local people and simultaneously gaining fascinating insight into their lives.

Why Should Travelers Learn English?

English is used all around the world. Since English is used in so many different countries, you’ll probably use English to communicate in many travel situations. While the staff at your hotel might not speak your native language, they will probably speak some English. Many signs in airports and at popular tourist sites will be in the local language and English, so it’s helpful if you don’t speak the local language.

Knowing English can help in an emergency. English could save your life if you happen to be in an emergency situation. A friend of mine who is Sri Lankan was traveling in Nepal when the April 2015 Nepal earthquake hit. He had trouble finding his wife after the earthquake, so he used English to communicate with others to look for her. After several days, he finally found her, and wrote a very thankful letter to all of the people who had helped him.

In moments like that, knowing how to speak English can be very important to communicating the right details in an international travel situation. Hopefully nothing like this ever happens to you, but it is best to be prepared.

Learning English will also make you more confident. When checking into your hotel or attending an international conference, knowing English will make you less shy and not worried. It will be easier to make friends, share your ideas or have a stress-free vacation. Learning English for traveling will only improve the way you understand the world, and help open new opportunities for you.[2]

How Travelers Can Practice English Before the Trip?

Here are some useful tips and fun ways to practice the English you’ll need in your travels.

Tips for Learning New English Words

You might try to learn as many new words as quickly as possible, but take your time. Start with 5-10 new words a day, and learn them well.

• 1 .Use vocabulary lists that will be most helpful for travel, like this one.

• 2 .Write down your 5-10 daily words on flashcards, with the definition (or image) on the back side.

• 3 .Review the flashcards throughout the day. Take them with you to work, and put them around your house in places where you can see them.

• 4 .When you see a flashcard, make up a sentence using that word, but make sure it’s something you might actually say while traveling. Say it aloud. For example, for the term “queen bed,” you might say “I’d like to book a queen bed for three nights, please.” (Note: A queen bed can comfortably fit two people.) The verbal (speaking) practice is very useful.

• 5 .If you’re traveling with others, role play. Act out situations (checking into a hotel, at the airport, asking directions) and use your new words as you act out common travel scenarios.

In this article, we discussed the issues of travelling abroad, methods to enhance communicative skills and other ways of overcoming language divide. So, the aim of this article: “to find the best way of enhancing communicative skills in English and prove that travelling abroad can be considered one of the means of speaking skills development” was achieved as we showed that travelling abroad can give positive results and lead to the improvement of communicative competence and speaking skills development. Learning English through using new trends and travelling and working abroad makes people willing to learn the language, develop their ability to speak fluently and help them overcome language divide.

So learning a language while travelling the world is an amazing way to gain new experiences and quickly turn your language skills up a notch. The biggest benefit about practicing language while in a country where it’s the native language is the immersion you experience. Everywhere you go you are greeted with an opportunity to listen and speak in your chosen language. It is these opportunities that you must cherish and avoid falling back to using English or your own native tongue. Whether you learn with the help of a course or on your own, ensure you let go of your inhibitions and just explore the country and its language to the fullest!