Thursday, May 31, 2007

Places to go, People to See, Things to Do

Now you're there, now what? Well for one, if you're in a foreign country, you may need to be able to communicate. The best way to learn a language is by being totally immersed while you're there, but you get even more out of it if you study some before you go. Here are my favorite resources for foreign language study:

LanguageGuide.org - This site has 11 languages you can learn, and the great part is the audio clips that help you learn the correct pronunciation. Of course, this is all free.

FSI Language Courses - Developed by the US government to train those in foreign service positions, these courses from the Foreign Service Institute are top notch. Although the resources may vary depending on the language, they have an impressive collection of resources for 22 languages.

Open Culture
- This site has a list of podcasts that help you learn a language from the convenience of your very own iPod. I have only looked at the Spanish ones, and they were hit or miss, but it's a nice site if you like the idea of learning from your iPod.

Once you're there, you can take classes for whatever language you need. If you're looking to learn Spanish, a good place to start is 123teachme. They have an extensive list of schools in many Latin American countries, and people review ones they have been to, so you get a good idea of which are the better schools.

Now you're gotten there, found a place to stay, and may even speak the language a little. Congratulations. From here one out, just use resources provided previously - such as Lonely Planet and Bootsnall. Here are a list of some other resources you may find to be useful:

Art of Travel - A world traveler who has trekked the globe on the cheap shares how his advice on how to travel cheaply.

GoodtimeBob
- You know who to call for a good time. Similar to the above but more emphasis on Latin America.

EGlobalHealth - Even though it may cost you a few bucks to buy medical insurance, it'll save your butt in the long run in case anything ever happens. Find the plan that's right for you.

This concludes this series of travel. I hope you found it informative and find a way to travel without spending as much money as the average tourist.

Previous entries:
Oh, the places you'll go
Flying and Driving
Free lodging

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2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great list of links, I've been reading for a while and I really enjoy your site, keep it up!

October 9, 2007 at 8:06 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You mention online Spanish learning resources. I really like www.studyspanish.com. Tons of free tutorials and lessons.

October 22, 2008 at 12:21 AM  

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