For those that traveled alone to foreign countries on vacation and not know the language, how do you do it?

JEDI

Lifer
Sep 25, 2001
29,391
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i always wanted to take a few months off to travel to those countries.

but i'm intimindated about not knowing the language. and worried about accidently wandering into a bad part of town, and getting mugged.

For those of you that traveled alone to a foreign country and not know the language, how did you overcome this fear?
 

meltdown75

Lifer
Nov 17, 2004
37,548
7
81
you won't get mugged! don't be so pessimistic.

you're a tourist, just go there and look dumb like all the other tourists.
 

blahter

Senior member
Oct 11, 2005
215
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in most places, you probably will be able to find someone who "speaks" english, well at least the people at hostels & train stations do. ask them for the best routes etc, what part of town not to go to but the best way is to strike up a conversation with a local(that speaks english) you'd be surprised how friendly and helpful people are
 

Lucky

Lifer
Nov 26, 2000
13,126
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Hire an interpreter. That's what my stepmom and I did when we went to a very non-tourist area of russia a few months back to adopt 2 kids for her.
 

Skyclad1uhm1

Lifer
Aug 10, 2001
11,383
87
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Use your hands and feet. That's what I did when I was in Prague (which is a city btw, not a country ;) ) and I encountered someone in a shop who could not speak English, German, French or Dutch. Took a while to explain that I didn't want one item _or_ the other, but that I wanted both, but we got there in the end.
 

Atomicus

Banned
May 20, 2004
5,192
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If you stick to urban areas (major cities), then you'll be fine.

When I was in Taipei, Taiwan this summer, I was suprised to find out that people who worked in Taipei 101 spoke English as well as a plethora of other languages just to cater to tourists.
 

Lalakai

Golden Member
Nov 30, 1999
1,634
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Do some good research first and locate the hostels with good reputations; these places will be used to working with travelers and will be able to help you alot. The hostels are also good places to meet other travelers, share information, and learn a great deal about where you're going, places to visit, and the best methods of travel. Most of the hostels will also store your luggage and valuables while you do short day trips, and it's also a good place to find someone that might be good traveling companion.

Another major rule: don't look like a tourist!! There's a difference between the travelers and the tourists, and the tourists always get more negative attention.

Good luck and hope you have fun.

ps...good reading while traveling: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Repair :cool:
 

jammur21

Golden Member
Nov 1, 2004
1,629
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You can get by in Japan, many people there speak some English, and lots were eager to help/practice their English skills.
 

hevnsnt

Lifer
Mar 18, 2000
10,868
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Everyone speaks english.. It is very sad in a way.

Trust me, don't worry about such things.. Last time I was out of the states I found myself and my wife absolutely HAMMERED in the red-light district of amsterdam at 4am. Noboby was out there except drug dealers and thugs... We made it home no problem and had plenty of stories to tell.
 

TheGizmo

Diamond Member
Dec 31, 2000
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Originally posted by: meltdown75
you won't get mugged! don't be so pessimistic.

you're a tourist, just go there and look dumb like all the other tourists.

i wouldn't go by that logic :confused: tourits are the one who get mugged
 

CVSiN

Diamond Member
Jul 19, 2004
9,289
0
0
Originally posted by: JEDI
i always wanted to take a few months off to travel to those countries.

but i'm intimindated about not knowing the language. and worried about accidently wandering into a bad part of town, and getting mugged.

For those of you that traveled alone to a foreign country and not know the language, how did you overcome this fear?

most places i went in the Navy they spoke english pretty darn well..
france, Italy, Germany, Isreal, Egypt Spain.. almost every place we went we were able to at least semi communicate with broken english at least.
 

mitmot

Golden Member
Aug 11, 2005
1,852
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Originally posted by: SMOGZINN
From what I can tell all you have to do is talk LOUDER AND SLOWER.

qft

When I went to japan, a lot more people there spoke English than I expected. All they asked was I talked slower so they could understand me.
 

meltdown75

Lifer
Nov 17, 2004
37,548
7
81
Originally posted by: TheGizmo
Originally posted by: meltdown75
you won't get mugged! don't be so pessimistic.

you're a tourist, just go there and look dumb like all the other tourists.

i wouldn't go by that logic :confused: tourits are the one who get mugged
you're right - my bad.

every single tourist gets mugged.

if you leave the cozy confines of the USA, you will die - this is a certainty. after all, look at what the media is telling us! the world is a very bad place!!!!1!1
 

UTmtnbiker

Diamond Member
Nov 17, 2000
4,129
4
81
I've travelled to Germany (Hanover) alone and it wasn't a problem whatsoever. Most young, say 40 and under, can understand rudimentary English. I would also get a phrase book so at least you can try to butcher their language before switching to English. It goes a long way to show people in a country that you're trying to conform to their language before trying yours on them.

Most will just smile when you say Guten Tag. I immediately then went to Sprechen zie English? If yes, then I would switch to English. If not, hand gestures and pointing at what you want while smiling helps break down the communication barrier. The best time I had was in a beer garden. I sat across from 2 elderyly Germans who didn't speak any English. Let's just say in Germany, you don't see many Asians. They smiled at me. I smiled at them. We drank beer. Good times.

Also..I wandered in to the red light district in Hanover. I felt very safe, and a little aroused! :eek:
 
Aug 25, 2004
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1
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if nobody understands english, either use sign language or carry a little translation book (made for tourists) with common words and phrases.

it also helps to carry a card with the address of your hotel written/printed in the local language.
 

HumblePie

Lifer
Oct 30, 2000
14,665
440
126
Pocket dictionary.

while they will make you sound like a complete idiot from lack of proper grammar use, you will get the point across. Just because you won't be able to conjugate the verbs or whatever right people will understand.

The electronic translators aren't bad either. Just type in a sentance in english and get a crude but understandable enough of a translation for the local person to understand.
 

SMOGZINN

Lifer
Jun 17, 2005
14,225
4,460
136
Originally posted by: UTmtnbiker
I've travelled to Germany (Hanover) alone and it wasn't a problem whatsoever.
That is the truth, I think fewer people speak English in Texas then Germany.
 

FoBoT

No Lifer
Apr 30, 2001
63,084
13
81
fobot.com
i visited germany, france, switzerland, austria and some others with no problems. i speak nothing but american

the worst case i ran into was near Basel France, i needed to find a hotel for the night and eat dinner (this was a quick driving tour) , i spotted a McDonalds off the highway and pulled in there. i managed to order something ok, but the kids working there seemed to be amused by me. i don't know how many tourists they get.

so after i polish off my "Royale with cheese", i go back up to the counter to ask them if there is a hotel nearby/close to the highway (driving into the middle of the towns was challenging not knowing how to read the street signs). if they did speak english, they pretended not to, but i got the general idea of which direction i needed to drive to find the hotel and i did mange to find it.

most places that tourists go (hotels/restaraunts) , they have at least one person that knows english, and it is common that some of them speak english very very well. austria was a bit tougher also, but we got by.

just have fun, you will manage
 

Patt

Diamond Member
Jan 30, 2000
5,288
2
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Learn a few words that'll help you get by. People are by and by pretty friendly. Of course, when I was in Prague, I was mugged at knifepoint. The guys demanded my wallet. I pulled it out and gave them the cash, but they kept demanding the wallet. I played dumb, and showed them there was no credit cards, and stalled and stalled. Finally some a group of people came around the corner and the guys ran. I lost about $80 all told, but I also managed to pick up a baseball sized rock and throw it after them, smoking one of them in the shoulder as they ducked into an alley. I assimilated myself into the group and disappeared. Ba$tards.

I spent a few more days in Prague though, as it was a beautiful city, just making sure I had little or no cash on me, nor did I visit the same area again.

Edit: that was my only bad experience in 7 months of solo travel all throughout Europe. I only spoke English & French, but managed to pick up enough of the other stuff to get by.

Double edit: and I hitchhiked about 85% of the time too. People are friendly everywhere if you give them a chance.
 

chcarnage

Golden Member
May 11, 2005
1,751
0
0
I can only speak for Europe west from the former Iron Curtain but English normally is fairly common here. At least in hotels there's always an english speaking person. If you are sceptical about your vacation you can do many things...

[*]Travel with a friend. Well, maybe not an option for you...
[*]Get basic knowledge of the foreign language(s)
[*]Prepare the details of your trip in advance. (Hotel bookings, maybe train tickets. Also, learn some food vocabulary)
[*]Get informations about the places you're going to visit. You will learn if bad zones exist or not. A travel book can teach you the most important "Do's and Don'ts". Also tipping practises and this kind of stuff.
[*]Many infos are burried in this forum (at least for travelling Europe). If you plan to visit my city and if you know it some time in advance, we could even meet if you like (I'm living 30 miles from the German border).

But again, I'd like to underscore, if you're not snobbish most people will help you even if they don't understand you perfectly.
 

puffff

Platinum Member
Jun 25, 2004
2,374
0
0
if you're going as a tourist, you'll likely be in tourist areas and not being able to speak the language wont be a problem.

if you try to get farther off the beaten track, even then, sign language will usually do.

its actually not as big a problem as you'd imagine. i've been traveling for the last 9 months now and there's never been a situation i couldnt manage