English is the most spoken language in the world. Being able to speak English will open you up to a whole host of new opportunities and means you can converse with any one of the 1.4 billion speakers. What’s more, English speakers span the globe, whether it’s their native tongue or second language, so if you go traveling, you’d be hard-pressed not to meet at least one or two people that speak the language. If you’re planning a trip soon, you might consider adding English to your linguistic repertoire. And there are lots of great reasons you should do this! Plus, a bunch of unusual ways to learn English too!
Knowing a second language can help you to become a more confident traveler, make new friends and learn more about different cultures and cuisines. But the good news is this doesn’t have to be a tedious or labor-intensive task. It doesn’t mean you have to hire a tutor or spend hours pouring over grammar books.
Instead, there are plenty of fun and unusual ways you can learn English while you travel, and we’ve highlighted some of these below so you can enjoy the journey!
The (Best) Unusual Ways to Learn English
1. Watch Movies or TV Shows
Watching TV is a popular pastime and can be a great way to learn a new language. And when you’re traveling, you’ll likely be presented with many opportunities to use this technique.
Whether you’ve got a 12-hour plane or bus journey to get through or you’ve simply got some downtime at the airport or in your hotel, why not switch up your Netflix settings or download some popular English movies to see you through?
You should put the subtitles on to help you where possible. But using this technique, you can relax and entertain yourself while also expanding your language skills.
2. Go to See a Play or Local Performance
In a similar fashion to movies and TV shows, going to see play at the theatre or a local performance of any kind can be a great way to boost your grasp of the English language. Not to mention it’s a fun day/evening out and an engaging cultural experience at the same time.
There are so many wonderful shows you can see. These don’t have to be complex or confusing. If you’re still new to the language, you can always get involved with shows aimed at families and younger audiences to avoid complicated themes or the use of language. For example, it’s best to avoid the older language used in Shakespeare.
3. Listen to Podcasts
There are so many incredible podcasts that English speakers have created, and this can be a fun way to learn the language. First of all, these cover a vast range of topics, so you can find something that matches your passions and interests.
For example, you can listen to podcasts about TV shows, music, well-being, history, crime, comedy, and everything in between. This can be a great way to get to grips with spoken language, in particular, colloquialisms and slang that the hosts might use.
Plus, podcasts can be extremely educational, so not only will you be strengthening your language skills, but you might also learn something new along the way.
4. Play Word Games
Although this one might seem particularly unusual, given that you’re still learning the language, playing word games can be an extremely fun and unique way to practice your newfound skills.
Whether you play with native English speakers, friends who are also learning the language, or solo (perhaps online), this will give you a great sense of achievement and can really help you to fine-tune some of the basic language skills. Plus, you can watch your progress as you improve over time.
Some great games you could play include Scrabble, Boggle, Wordle, or Wordscapes. Some games you can buy in a travel edition to take with you, and others you can download an app so they don’t take up any extra space in your luggage.
5. Find Yourself a Pen Pal
One of the greatest parts of traveling is meeting lots of new people as you go. These people could be from every corner of the world. So each time you have to bid a fond farewell to a fellow traveler, ask if they’ll be your pen pal.
Pen pals have been around for years and have always been an excellent way for people of different nations to connect and learn about each other’s cultures. Of course, this can be a little tricky when you’re traveling, and your address keeps changing, but you and your new friends can keep each other informed on where you’ll be staying next.
This can be an excellent way to practice not just your language but also your writing skills. It could even lead to lifelong friendships.
6. Listen to English Music
If you don’t already, listening to English music can be a fantastic way to support you on your journey, and you’ll likely have plenty of opportunities to listen to music during your travels. For example, if you are on a bus, plane, train, or whatever it may be or when you’re chilling in your hotel room or sitting by the pool.
Better still, if you can get the lyrics or a translation up on the screen, YouTube and Spotify are the best places for this. This will help you to read as you learn and can be a great help when practicing the language.
Just make sure you invest in some good headphones, preferably noise canceling, as these are much more beneficial for both you and those around you.
7. Get Cooking
Believe it or not, reading recipes can be another great and unusual way for you to interpret and learn the English language. So the last suggestion on our list is reading and following instructions in your own time. Not to mention you’ll have a delicious meal or treat that you can eat at the end of it!
You can practice making traditional local dishes or perhaps something from home if you’re missing your usual favorites. Of course, this will depend on the type of accommodation you have while traveling as you’re going to need access to a kitchen and the right utensils.
Wrapping Up
As you can see, there are a bunch of unusual ways to learn English while you’re on the go, and this doesn’t have to be a tedious or mundane experience.
The tips we’ve shared on our blog here today come from the experiences of seasoned traveler and writer, Stuart Cooke, the digital marketing manager of My Baggage. For more fun insights like these, feel free to head over to their website, www.mybaggage.com