In previous blogs, we have gone over the many benefits of learning a foreign language. One that may not have occurred to you is that knowing a foreign language can actually save you on international travel costs. If one of the reasons you are interested in learning a new language is the ability to seamlessly travel to different countries, gain more motivation for your studies through our blog here.
Buying flights online
Despite the fact that native English speakers only make up 27 percent of internet users, roughly 50 percent of content on the internet is written in English. This mostly works in our favor. However, knowing another language gives you access to a whole different part of the internet. While flights sold to English speakers may have elevated prices, if you are able to search for your flight to Spain in Spanish, you may be able to locate deals your fellow Americans never could. If you want to travel internationally, you may save on airfare simply by knowing another language.
Save money during tours
So you arrive at your destination, and some of the tours you researched on the internet look interesting, but everything’s different now that you are actually there. It is suddenly way more intimidating to not be native in the language that surrounds you, and you may end up paying way more money simply because you are so overwhelmed. If you already know the language of the country where you are traveling, however, everything is much more manageable. You no longer have to worry about being lost in translation or guide books; you can speak directly to locals and find out the best deals from them. In fact, if you know the language, you may find that you don’t need a tour guide; you can find your own way around!
Save money on food
Unfortunately, there are many tourist trap restaurants in the most popular places to travel. They place these restaurants strategically near major tourist destinations, and charge an arm and a leg because non-native speakers don’t know any better. If you speak the language, however, you can ask locals for recommendations, and have a better idea of what a reasonable price would be to pay for a meal in your destination. Not only are you going to save money this way, you are going to get a better meal as well!
Convinced yet? When you are reading to learn a foreign language to aid your travel, trust Crossing Borders to teach you. We offer adult language classes in Houston. Contact us today!