How to Travel Abroad if You Don't Speak the Local Language

A big worry for many people who wish to travel is not knowing how to speak other languages. This isn’t a problem at all, so don’t worry!  I am only fluent in English and Spanish but I have been to countries that speak all types of languages foreign to me.  I don’t speak any Asian, Indian, Middle Eastern, or other European languages but, I have always managed to get around just fine.  I used my notebook that I always had with me to write down the name of where I was trying to go or what I was trying to find.  Although the person didn’t speak English, they may be able to identify the name.  I noticed that in many countries, the locals weren’t able to verbally understand the name of what I was trying to find but they were able to recognize the name when they saw it written down.  This technique definitely came in handy in Japan, one of the toughest places for communication and navigation for me because of their unique dialect, use of symbols, confusing street system, and tall buildings causing a lack of landmarks to use as reference points. I had a free local map that I got from my hostel that had a picture of the Osaka Castle that I wanted to go to.  I have a pretty good sense of direction when I walk around a city so I don’t do much preparation or planning beforehand.  As I was walking in the direction that the map showed, I wanted to be reassured that I was heading in the correct direction so I would stop people and ask if the “Osaka Castle” was “that way?” and they would look at me like they had no clue what I was saying.  After this happened a few times along the way, I thought maybe they didn’t refer to it as the “Osaka Castle”.  Then, when I asked another person for the “Osaka Castle”, he too looked at me in confusion but when I pointed to the castle on the map that was labeled “Osaka Castle”, he said with a smile on his face “OOOOhhhh, Osaka Castle!” and nodded his head yes and pointed in the correct direction.  I was very confused.  What did they think I was saying when I said “Osaka Castle”?  Regardless, writing the name down and pointing to it has helped me communicate with locals.  A lot of times, things are name with English names but the locals still won’t understand what you are trying to say but if they see the words written down, they may recognize what you are trying to find.  This also came in handy when I was trying to get back to my hostel in Kyoto.  I couldn’t communicate with the Japanese man verbally but we were able to draw maps to one another with landmarks like a river and he was able to point me in the right direction. 

Another reason not to worry about not being able to communicate in foreign countries is because no matter where you go, you will be able to find someone that speaks English.  Many countries that I have traveled to are developing countries.  These developing countries use tourism as the key source of revenue and since English is the most commonly used language and the majority of tourist are English-speakers of some sort, whether being from Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, or the U.S, they will have locals who are able to communicate in English to help with tourists.  All hostels, hotels, and other accommodations will have someone who speaks English.  The same is for airports and banks as well. Many places will also have other English-speaking tourists around, younger locals who learned English in schools, or English-speakers who are working, studying, or volunteering in the country. You will always be able to find someone to help you communicate with the locals with.  I have had to use others to translate for me as well translator apps on my phone that helped with communicating too. 

Something else to keep in mind is that many countries with military time.  This may seem a bit intimidating or confusing but it’s pretty easy and you will get use to it quickly.  Just subtract 12 from the time.  The chart below is a helpful tool.  It may be a good idea to print it and tape it into your notebook.  It’s important to be able to know the correct time because all busses, flights, check-in/out times, and more in most countries are all given in military time and you wouldn’t want to make a mistake.