Learning a new language has proven to have various benefits time and again. More so than it has any disadvantage. From the biological part of training your brain and improving memory, to helping in landing a job abroad, being multilingual opens many doors to many far stretched opportunities. Aside from this, learning a new language also has its benefits when it comes to travelling. In fact, knowing the language of the country you’ll be visiting can positively impact the trip as a whole!
Here are a few points to back up how learning a language improves travel experience:
1. Makes Getting Around Easier
Learning the basics of the local language will help you get around places and make travel so much easier, turning it into a fun and memorable experience. It can be of great help, whether it’s for reading signs or asking directions – it saves you from the likelihood of getting lost in a foreign country. Apart from that, knowing phrases and words in the local language enables you to confidently order food in a restaurant, check into a hotel and better yet negotiate a cheaper price at the market!
.. And remember that you don’t have to be fluent, you just need enough to get by.
2. Understanding A Different Culture
No amount of research or watching documentaries or reading travel diaries will give the raw knowledge of a culture that would be gained from seeing it with one’s own eyes. Isn’t that one of the obvious underlying reasons for travelling in the first place? To see, hear, experience and create memories that bring happiness upon reminiscence, which will provide a sense of learning and self-growth that no amount of books can give.
Knowing the native language is probably the best way to have a richer, more personal experience with the native cultures. Why? Because the heart of a culture lies in the hands of the locals and the events and beliefs they maintain. The most effective way to communicate with a local person in their own country is in their native language. They’ll surely appreciate the effort you’re putting in to talk to them.
3. Avoiding Cultural Faux Pas
This goes back to learning about the local culture. With learning culture comes learning behaviors and a level of appropriateness in that culture. This helps in not making any big mistakes that might potentially bring in trouble, or doing something that is considered disrespectful. Knowing the language means you have taken the time to learn a place’s traditions and culture, and a language reflects a lot about the societal colors of its native speakers. Ultimately, it could just save you from an ever itching memory of embarrassment.
4. Creates New Connections
First and foremost, travelling introduces a lot of diversity. The experiences of such diversity lie within the people and their actions more than the place itself. Getting to know the native people that you might never again come across holds an excitement that just can’t be missed. Making friends from a foreign land, isn’t that a pride for a traveller? Having connections with a variety of people from a land that’s not your own. What better way to have a genuine understanding of a person than by talking to them in their own language?
5. Exploring Local Spots
Your new language skills will allow you to have a local knowledge of the country you’ll be visiting. This will give you the best holiday if you want an authentic local experience. You’ll be using your new language to discover all the finest hidden places and attractions of your holiday destination (besides the touristy spots and landmarks, of course). There’s nothing like discovering a country’s national uniqueness and feeling the local traditions.
Have your skills in hand! Learn the language of your holiday destination by choosing from over 160+ languages offered.