Traveling to another country is a fascinating experience; Learning about cultures other than ours and speaking a language other than our mother tongue is a challenge that involves some level of mastery of the language spoken in the country we visit. It is true that we can travel to many countries in the world and communicate without problems if we speak English, French, German, Italian or Portuguese, among other languages. But what happens if the country or countries we travel to are Spanish-speaking?

It is true that we can find many people who speak our mother tongue, or who at least communicate well or more or less well in English. We can have interactions and conversations with these people, and be guided or instructed in things we need, receive information and in general get along on our journey.

However, what better way than to be able to speak to local people in their own language, understand what they are saying and be able to express our ideas clearly. And it is precisely this that can make the difference between studying and speaking a language to "survive" or to "live super" during the time of our stay in the different places we visit on our trip. In the case of Spanish, you can survive with the simple expressions and greetings of a foreign traveler or visitor, with the aim of using the basic forms of the language. A different thing is to have a good level of Spanish to be able to communicate with people, share stories, experiences, build experiences and make the trip an unforgettable experience. This is, live those moments super.

This is the case of Suzanne, a Dutch woman who traveled to Colombia in October, and who will be in the country until April 2020. The main reason for her trip has been to visit her parents, who are in Bogota,, and also to get to know the country, the culture, the gastronomy and of course, learn Spanish. It is something that she has experienced and of which she has been aware, that speaking the language of the country where she is traveling is essential to have a better travel experience.

She believes that people in Colombia value the fact that a foreigner study spanish and make the effort to communicate with them in this language. It is something that I would also value if it were your case; that a Colombian or Hispanic study Dutch to speak with her. Really during the time that you have been here you have been able to realize the importance of speaking Spanish in a way in which you can clearly convey your ideas, and be able to understand what other people say.

Suzanne recommends that people who travel to a Spanish-speaking country, prepare for a course, take some classes before leaving their country, or use the resources that are now available on the internet, to learn at least certain expressions that allow them to communicate, at least in a basic way, with the natives of the country or countries to which they travel. This while they know the language better, learning in a school, for example.

The truth is there is no excuse for not having a good level of Spanish. Perhaps you have the idea that a low or regular level of the language is enough to simply travel as a backpacker or spend a few days in a Spanish-American country, but the truth is that nowadays it is necessary to have a good level of the language, whichever one is studied. Times are increasingly demanding, and so are the situations in which we are faced every day, whether in formal or informal contexts.

Let's compare, for example, a series of sentences that show the great difference that learning Spanish makes to survive, or to live super:

Talking one nueva lengua different from our mother tongue it is no longer an option, it is practically a necessity. What better than to do it the right way, using it in the most similar way to how native speakers of that language do. Communicating well is something that will lead us to live a great experience on our trip; Failure to do so can lead to great frustration and the feeling that we could have gotten more out of our experiences in the places we have traveled.

It is always better that you have a good level of Spanish to have the opportunity to speak with local people, learn about their culture and interact with them. Remember that in Nueva Lengua can to learn Spanish at different levels, with classes based on a communicative approach that adjust to your needs, to live your trip through Colombia and other Spanish-speaking countries super.