Learn Spanish for Travel

Learning Spanish for travel is a great idea! It’s easy enough to do and will improve your travel experience dramatically, from getting around in a Spanish speaking country to gaining a deeper understanding of the local culture to making connections with the people you meet.

But where do you even start when you want to learn a new language with traveling in mind? In this guide, we’ll look at how, where, and why to learn Spanish for travel – and teach you a few key words and phrases to get you started!

How to learn Spanish for travel

Whether you’re traveling soon or still dreaming and planning, the best thing you can do to start learning Spanish as you prepare for your next trip is choose a structured course that can help make sure you cover all the most necessary Spanish phrases for travel.

While self-guided study can work, choosing a learning platform like Busuu can give you access to audio recordings of real Spanish speakers, opportunities to practice speaking out loud, Spanish grammar lessons, and a targeted travel curriculum, all at once. And when it comes to learning quickly and efficiently, a course designed by language-learning experts will make your life a lot easier.

What are the benefits of learning a foreign language for travel?

Learning a whole language can be challenging. You might be wondering if you should even bother learning Spanish before traveling, or what the benefits are. Well, there are many! Here are our top 5:

1. Have a smoother trip

The reality is, if you can’t say please and thank you, ask how much something costs, find out what time they stop serving breakfast, or tell someone when you need help, you’re more likely to hit some bumps along the road in your travels. Even if you don’t have time to master advanced Spanish grammar, a few basic phrases can definitely come in handy in a pinch.

2. Go off the beaten track

Whether you’re off to Mexico or Madrid, if you can only do things that cater to English speakers, you’ll likely have to stick to the most well-traveled tourist areas and attractions. But one of the best parts of traveling is exploring and finding something totally surprising and new! With a little Spanish under your belt, you can learn where the locals eat and what you should see – away from what you’ll find in a guidebook.

3. Make connections

Traveling can be lonely when you don’t understand what’s happening around you. From little interactions like ordering a coffee to long conversations over tapas, it’s easier to speak with the locals when you understand the language. While workers in the tourism industry often speak some English, there are many Spanish speakers who don’t. If you want to make new connections, learning some Spanish for travel makes perfect sense.

4. Understand more

It’s not just other people that learning some Spanish can help you with – it’s the world around you. From street signs to table manners, learning the local language before you arrive can help you gain more cultural insight and navigate museums, public parks, restaurants and more with confidence when you get there.

5. Feel accomplished

It might sound silly, but it’s the truth – checking into your hotel or ordering food in a new language can be exhilarating! Who doesn’t need a win now and then? Plus, locals will appreciate that you put in the effort to try to learn, even if you stumble a little.

In short? The benefits of learning a foreign language for travel are many and varied, but this much you can be sure of: learning to speak Spanish before visiting a Spanish speaking country will improve your experience abroad! And the good news is, with Busuu, you can focus on learning the Spanish you’ll need most for your travels, right from day one.

Basic Spanish travel vocabulary

That all sounds well, but what will you actually be learning? Let’s take a look at some of the vocabulary and phrases you’ll learn in your first few lessons with Busuu’s Travel Course!

Of course, you’ll need to learn a lot more Spanish before you can hold a conversation in a bar or order a coffee – but don’t worry, you’ll learn all that and more in Busuu’s Spanish Travel Course.