I take in-person language classes before trips. Here’s why. 

In my experience, taking language classes is one of the best things you can do to level up your travels.

I’ve taken a few language classes so far. In particular, I took six months of weekly in-person Spanish classes before solo backpacking Colombia. It was one of the best travel investments I’ve ever made. I was able to have rudimentary conversations with locals and get around the country with ease. 

I honestly don’t think I would have had such a smooth experience in Colombia had I not learned some Spanish first. I’d add it to my personal list of essentials that help me travel hassle-free.

I’ve also taken years of French classes. I started when I was a kid in school and took it all the way into my first year of University. This helped a lot when I was traveling around France, but it wasn’t all peaches and cream. It was on this trip I learned just how thick my Canadian accent really is – so thick, in fact, that the locals had a tough time understanding me.

Truth be told, I’m not fluent in any language other than English. 

Being an international traveler who jets all over the world, I’ve found it hard to deep dive into learning just one. Still, I think taking at least a few in-person language learning classes is one of the best things you can do for your travel experiences.

I think in-person classes are better than language-learning apps.

Okay, so I’m not here to knock language learning apps. I’ve used a few of the very popular ones and have definitely learned from them. They’re great for learning basic words and pronunciations in almost any language on the planet.

Still, I didn’t learn nearly as much from the apps as I did during in-person classes, nor as quickly. Having a teacher from which I could get real-time feedback, learn regional differences and slang, and perfect my pronunciation has been invaluable.

Here’s everything you’ll gain from in-person language classes for travel:

You’ll become more confident talking to locals

Besides learning the words themselves, the biggest advantage I found in taking in-person classes was gaining confidence. I spoke directly with my teachers and they gave me real-time feedback and corrections.

Then, when I took off on my travels, I knew I could immediately hop into a cab and converse with the cab driver. I knew I could check into my hotel without opening my translation app. I could handle basic travel tasks and not be worried about communication.

You’ll avoid linguistic and cultural faux pas

One of the biggest benefits I find in taking in-person language classes is avoiding regional-specific faux pas. 

In real-time learning, my teachers always point out regional slang, differences in word meaning, and even various pronunciations depending on where our travels were taking us.

For example, in North America, we call it an elevator, while in the UK, it’s called a lift. That kind of thing, but with varying degrees of gravity.

This has been invaluable. Being able to avoid making faux-pas for the regions I’m visiting has made basic communication a lot less stressful.

You get used to making mistakes

Overall, I think making mistakes is one of the key ways to gain confidence in a skill. And learning a new language means you’ll be making mistakes constantly. This is encouraged; this means you’re learning.

If you make mistakes in class, you’ll also make mistakes when you’re traveling abroad. But you’ll be so used to them that they won’t mean as much, and you’ll find that locals appreciate you trying anyway.

You’ll be able to handle travel emergencies or foibles

One of the biggest reasons I decided to learn Spanish is because I knew I’d be traveling around Spanish-speaking countries fairly regularly. Plus, I’d largely be traveling alone. 

This meant that if something went wrong, I wouldn’t have someone who knew Spanish to turn to for help. It meant that I’d have to figure it out myself, in real time.

I’m not fluent in Spanish by any means, but knowing as much as I do means I can travel to any Spanish-speaking country and not worry about communication if anything goes wrong. Knowing the language means I can rely on my travel skills and just enjoy myself. 

Knowing a local language shows respect for the culture you’re traveling to

Obviously, I’m an English speaker. And English speakers know that they can pretty much go anywhere around the world and find someone who speaks their language. Our Travel Lemming founder Nate wrote a great piece about English language privilege and imperialism that’s worth a read for more context.

Being able to rely on English while traveling is handy, but it definitely results in complacency. Plus, I find it creates barriers with locals who don’t speak English as their first language. Lea Rose also wrote about this in her article about habits & behaviors that make Americans stand out abroad.

You probably wouldn’t appreciate it if you had a guest in your home country who made zero effort to speak your language and demanded that you speak theirs. You might tolerate it, but that doesn’t mean it would be celebrated (unless you were learning that language or something). So, why would the reverse be any different?

In effect, relying on English when interacting with locals or people working in the travel industry makes interactions feel transactional. On the flip side, speaking their language, even if you fumble through the words and make a ton of mistakes, makes the interaction feel more human. 

And isn’t interacting with other humans one of the key things travel is all about?

You’ll make new friends by taking classes

It probably goes without saying, but if you learn a second language, then the world opens up a bit more in the friend department. I’ve made more friends while traveling since learning languages than I ever have before.

Plus, taking in-person language classes is a great way to make friends in your home city, too. I found this when I took Spanish classes in Winnipeg. I got to know my fellow classmates and we would carpool or get drinks after class together. 

Of course, traveling abroad and taking language classes when you’re in your destination is a step above this. If you don’t know anyone where you’re traveling to, chances are you’ll meet a ton of other travelers in language classes.

Plus, I find that making mistakes and being vulnerable is one of the best ways to make friends. It lowers everyone’s guard and you can all laugh about your mistakes together. 

I recommend these things for starting language classes:

#1 – Start taking language classes early

If you want to learn a language before traveling, I recommend starting classes early and really leaning into the experience. 

I started taking Spanish classes about six months before I traveled to Colombia and was able to squeeze in two full levels of classes. It was just enough time to start to feel confident while speaking.

#2 – Support a small local business

When choosing the company that I wanted to take Spanish classes with, I decided to support a local small business. 

When I was learning French, I did so through traditional school and University and didn’t like the experience as much. I found the classes were much more structured and less forgiving of mistakes.

Honestly, I learned more in six months of my locally-run Spanish classes than I did in years of traditional school French classes. 

You probably don’t want a class that’s going to grade you at the end of it (unless you’re applying for work or something), so just stick to small businesses.

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Thanks for reading! Have you ever learned a language before traveling? Let me know in the comments. Up next, check out mistakes Betty made while solo traveling Europe.