If you’re about to travel or if you’re in the process of planning your next holiday have fun and relax (of course!) but also make your travelling the best kind of language learning experience. Zaskia shares 6 top tips:

1.      Seek out locations where most people do not speak English

Be brave and throw yourself at the deep end! Instead of having pizza and beer in a bar full of English speaking tourists, go to a local restaurant and use the lingo you have learned.  Ask lots of questions and don’t be shy; local people appreciate the effort.  

2.      Talk Talk Talk

It may be a little daunting at first but try to speak to as many local people as you can! Don’t worry about sounding silly or messing up, you’ll find that most locals will be impressed by your efforts.

3.      Watch Local TV

Stay away from Youtube videos and definitely stay away from Netflix. Try to watch the country’s TV programmes, films or news. This will not only allow you to gain extra knowledge about the country you’re in but will help your listening and pronunciation immensely.

4.      Keep a pocket size vocab book/dictionary

This is always very handy just in case you don’t understand something, you can always look it up. Wordreference.com is a handy app and Spanishdict.com can be downloaded to be used offline. 

5.      Wine and dine

Food is an important element in all cultures around the world, it can be on excellent bridge to help you learn a foreign language. Try Order your food in Spanish, ask for the bill and try to engage in a conversation with the waiter/waitress.

6.      Listen and Imitate

To master a Spanish accent you need to listen closely to native speakers and imitate what you hear. Think of yourself as an actor: you aren’t just learning the lines; you are attempting to inhabit your character. 

Get ready to come back from your next trip bigger, better and full of lingo!

You can also try our tips for Learning On the Move to stop you from getting rusty.