Do you want to learn a language while traveling? These seven tips will help unlock fun and exciting ways to expand your language skills.
Learning a language is one of the most fulfilling things you can do in your downtime. Not only does it unlock a new culture and exercise your brain, but you’ll also add unique skills to your repertoire at work.
Not many people realize that one of the best times to learn a language is when you’re traveling. Traveling presents an opportunity to immerse yourself in a new language and actively trying to learn it can help keep your mind active and allow you to practice your new vocabulary in a fun, engaging way.
This article will guide you through some of the best ways to learn a language while traveling, including expanding your vocabulary, learning about a new culture, and mixing with the locals!
How to Learn a Language While You’re Traveling
Below are several different ways to learn a language while traveling. Applying each can be simple and effective and help bring your trip to the next level.
1. Mix With the Locals
When we’re abroad, we are often so focused on spending time with our friends and family that we forget all the local people in our new host country. One of the best ways of improving your language skills is by meeting local people and spending time with them in a natural environment.
This doesn’t just mean asking for directions or ordering food. Try to start genuine conversations with people during everyday activities. This could be with someone on public transport or another restaurant diner. Don’t worry about making mistakes, people will only be happy to respond to you and pleased that you’re making an effort.
Getting a tour in your target language can also be a great way of learning about your destination if your proficiency level is high enough.
2. Do Your Hobbies Abroad
One of the best ways to learn a language while traveling is to do things you’re interested in and use and practice your vocabulary. This way, you’ll be able to enjoy your hobby while learning a useful, relevant language.
For example, if you’re keen to work out during your holidays, attending a fitness class can be great exposure to instructional language.
If you enjoy movies or TV, visiting a cinema or watching a local channel can fully immerse yourself in a language. Research has shown that it’s best to listen and read simultaneously to maximize comprehension, so if you can watch with subtitles it can be even more effective.
By partaking in things you know and love, you can use your passions to bridge the language gap and learn brand-new vocabulary you otherwise might never have encountered.
3. Use Language Learning Apps
When you’re traveling you’ll often be spending plenty of time on different types of transport or relaxing in the hotel. If you’ve got your headphones with you, you can use some of this spare time using language learning apps to practice language exercises. Two of the best apps for learning a language while anywhere in the world include:
- Duolingo: the app offers over 45 languages and features bite-sized lessons and adaptive learning modules.
- Busuu: the app offers over 14 languages and features interactive vocabulary lessons and personalized language goals.
However, if you do this it’s important to keep your cybersecurity in mind. When you’re abroad or traveling, you will most likely connect to public WiFi networks at airports, hotels, and tourist attractions. These are typically unsecured and can be a hotbed for people looking to steal your information.
If you want to safeguard yourself against online threats, try using a virtual private network (VPN). Using a VPN like NordVPN will encrypt your internet connection, serving as a cybersecurity tool that shields your online activity from prying eyes.
4. Create a Language Learning Routine
Learning a new language can take real motivation and commitment, especially if you’re traveling. After all, there will be so many activities and experiences that demand your attention. This means that building vocabulary and practicing can often take a backseat.
By creating routines around your language learning it will become a habit and this will motivate you to keep it going after travel. Maximizing your time engaged with your target language while traveling can be as simple as listening to an audiobook.
5. Pack Learning Materials
Whether you’re waiting around for a delayed flight or trying to keep yourself busy on a long train journey, traveling can have a lot of stoppages. Language learners should see this time as a golden opportunity to learn new words, revise grammar, and more.
For example, you can bring books and magazines in the target language, helping you to flex your vocabulary while keeping busy. Use reading material slightly below your ability so that reading is fun and immersive and gives you a degree of success as you unwind.
As well as books, travelers can bring fun teaching tools, such as crosswords, word searches, and writing activities. You might also have a podcast or audiobook pre-downloaded, exposing you to even more language as you wait.
All of these resources provide new ways to learn languages. Consider writing down new words and phrases in a travel journal to track and refer back to your progress while traveling.
6. Take a Workation
Struggling to find the time to travel in the first place? In this day and age of remote working, more and more people want to travel to new places while fulfilling their work duties.
These ‘workations’ blend business and leisure and are fast becoming a popular way of boosting productivity, reducing burnout, and allowing employees to learn a new language in a fun way.
Especially for workers who might not have a lot of free time during the year, or where businesses might have several sites around the world, a workation gives you the freedom to immerse yourself in a new language. All the while, you’ll save money by continuing to work and learn a language at the same time!
7. Don’t Be Afraid to Go off the Beaten Track
Quite often, the best experiences occur when you go somewhere unique where other tourists don’t usually go.
These lesser-known locations are known as “destination dupes.” They tend to be more authentic and you’ll have a much greater chance of interacting with the locals.
Not only can this help you develop helpful vocabulary, including knowledge of local dialects, but it’s sure to make your trip all the more memorable. Destination dupes promise amazing sights and scenery and exciting attractions that tourists in populated places will miss out on. So, why not give them a try?!
Remember that language learning should be an exciting process filled with new experiences. Don’t believe us? Try out these tips yourself.
- How to Write a TOEFL Essay - April 22, 2024
- What Can You Do with a TEFL Certificate? - April 5, 2024
- 19 Best Learning Management System Examples for 2024 - April 4, 2024