Whether you’re a student, in your thirties, or close to retirement, it’s never too late to learn a new language. However, you may not be a fan of going to traditional language schools and filling out worksheets at home. Some people simply want a more engaging and challenging way to learn a language – which is why language trips exist.
You can travel the world and learn a new language through language trips – all you need is some free time to spare. Let’s discuss the benefits of language trips and why you should set out on your first language learning journey today.
What’s a Language Trip All About?
The concept of language trips is deceptively simple – you enroll with a language course or school abroad and travel there for an extended holiday. The idea is that you would have language lessons in-between being able to travel locally and interact with native speakers. This can exponentially improve your language learning experience by exposing you to everyday German, Italian, Spanish, or French instead of relying solely on language books.
All you need to do to set out on a language trip is to visit one of your local travel agencies and enquire about it. Pack your bags, translate your passport and travel insurance for good measure and start learning a new language unlike ever before. So, what are the reasons to go on a language trip instead of learning a language via Duolingo or through a local language school instead?
1. Learn New Languages from First-Hand Experience
Going on a language trip has a major benefit when compared to traditional language learning – practical experience. You can apply the lessons you learn while abroad immediately by going outside with a group of other learners or friends you travel with. By visiting local restaurants, public spots, and shopping malls, you can practice what you learned and gauge how well the knowledge stuck with you. This will instantly let you know how well or unwell you’ve taken to the lesson and allow you to spruce up your language skills afterward. While it’s possible to talk to natives online when learning from home, actually traveling to Mexico, France, Greece, or Russia is another matter entirely.
2. Grow Out of your Comfort Zone Shell
We are all a little guilty of enjoying our social bubbles. By going on a language trip, your instructor and fellow learners will support you in getting out of that comfort zone. Instead of being assigned written homework assignments, your language tutor will instruct you to visit a bar or clothes shop to buy something. While learning, it’s good to write down notes and keep them handy when practicing your language skills outside. You can find translation services here to help you translate notes and papers back and forth from your language to another. Once you’re back from your language trip, you will be much more social and apt to use your new language skills in public.
3. Learn About New Cultures and Ways of Living
A language trip doesn’t have to be exotic or expensive. You can travel to a neighboring country as long as its residents use a different language than yours. By traveling to such an environment to learn a new language, you will also inevitably learn about the people’s culture. People live in drastically different ways no matter where you head abroad. You will find various cultures, religions, and lifestyles if you travel to South America, Asia, and Africa among others. Choose a language you’d like to learn and don’t think twice about how you’ll “fit in”. As a language learner on a language trip, you have all the reasons you need to go someplace new and experience new cultures.
4. Make Friends and Acquaintances Worldwide
Language trips are quite a bit more sociable than your traditional travel programs. There will always be more people interested in the same language trip you are about to partake in. As a result, you will instantly find people to hang out with abroad and learn a new language with. The people you travel with can become your close friends as you share different experiences abroad. You can support each other to learn the language as best as possible and help each other out in practical speaking situations. Likewise, you are likely to meet locals who are fond of travelers who want to learn their language. These people also represent potential friendship opportunities and you may even meet your soulmate while on a language trip.
5. Earn Worthwhile Language Certification
Going on a language trip is a combination of using a travel agency and a language school with approved certification. Meaning, when your trip is done, you can take official exams organized by the agency you traveled with to certify your language skills. These certificates can help you apply for advanced language courses or to seek out work as a tour guide or a customer support representative abroad. Language certification is always a positive regardless of where you are in your professional career at the moment. If anything, you will have proof that you went on a trip that helped you discover yourself – no one can take that away from you.
6. Learn New Skills and Hobbies by Traveling
Lastly, language trips are amazing ways for you to pick up new skills and hobbies abroad. You can pick up on many more skills than you’d be able to if you traveled by traditional means thanks to practical speaking exercises. It’s very easy to visit local merchants, jewelry makers, artists, and other individuals and ask them about their practice. These skills can then be applied when you travel back home to start hobbies or even a business of your own. This is a far cry from simply visiting a country as a tourist and instead, being integrated into its society as an active participant.
Learning by Doing (Conclusion)
The gist of language trips is to “learn by doing”, instead of relying on textbooks and worksheets. In that sense, it is a very effective and engaging way to learn something new and benefit from it in the long run. Don’t let doubt creep in if you are passionate about learning Japanese, Hungarian, or Danish. Look for a language trip program either locally or online and start preparing for your trip abroad as early as today.
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