Learning the language

When travelling abroad it is helpful to learn a little of the local language. This will allow you to communicate with some of the local people easier and may help you should you find yourself in a situation where you require assistance.

You do not really have to learn how to say full sentences but sometimes just knowing the most useful words or phrases will be enough. If you are really struggling then you could even take a phrase book with you to refer to should you need to.

Some languages are quite similar to English making it easier to communicate with people, but if the language is very different and you are staying in an area that is not particular popular with tourists you may find that many of the local business owners / workers, do not understand you.

You can do crash courses in learning a language which will give you a great overview of the main phrases you will need.