Immersing yourself in a language is by-far the best way to learn it. However, the process itself is difficult, frustrating, and exhausting. The following tips are things I have learned through experience to make the process as manageable as possible, while also giving yourself as many opportunities to practice and learn the language as possible.

1. Relax: Learning a language is a long, pain-staking process. You are guaranteed to have a number of highs and lows along the way, including days or even weeks when you feel you haven’t made any progress at all. This is completely normal, so DO NOT let it discourage you. As long as you keep your spirits up and keep practicing the language, your abilities WILL improve.

It is when you get discouraged and shut yourself off of the language that true progress stalls. This is actually a pretty common phenomenon. People get very frustrated by not being able to communicate, and instead of taking a short-break and putting things into perspective, they sub-consciously give up. Therefore the most important advice is to simply relax, give it time, and enjoy the journey.

2. Remember your goal: You aren’t trying to learn a new language so you can hit the best-seller list, write poetry, or even compete with other language learners. You are learning a new language so you can communicate with speakers of that language. Nothing else!

This means there is no reason to fear mistakes or worry about sounding silly, just try to get your point across. If nobody understands you, or you can’t understand anyone else, just keep trying. Your grammar doesn’t have to be correct, and the words don’t have to sound pretty, just get the point across.

3. Make it all a game: Learning a new language abroad is a great opportunity because it forces you to speak the language. Where classroom language students usually only practice the language for an hour or two a day, abroad you have the opportunity to practice 24 hours/day. However, that’s only if you have people to talk to. What do you do if nobody wants to talk to you, or you aren’t the type of personality that likes going up to random strangers as a way to practice the language.

A great way to find people that literally have to talk to you and to put your language abilities to practical use, is to give yourself mini-challenges. These mini-challenges are nothing more than trying to accomplish simple everyday tasks. Tasks like opening a library account, a bank account, buying something, or finding your way across town. You don’t have to actually open accounts or make purchases, but see if you can figure out how the process is accomplished. Salesmen will talk to you no matter what language you speak, and it’s great a good opportunity to practice the language under new but practical conditions.

4. Go out, have a drink: A significant factor in learning a new language is who you practice the language with. Some people can literally talk to anyone for hours, and for them practicing the language is not difficult. However, others, myself included, prefer to talk to people with similar interests.

I have lived with families abroad while learning both Spanish and Portuguese. However, in both experiences I really didn’t spend much time practicing the language with my family. Both families were very nice, genuine people, but we just didn’t have very much in common. As a result we pretty much only ever talked about how dangerous everything was, or the weather. The conversations were often quite boring, and as a result didn’t put much effort into them. For me, a more effective strategy has always been to go out, have a couple drinks, and meet native speakers that have interests similar to my own. I find that I am a lot more interested in fumbling my way through the language for hours at a time, because the topics and conversations are MUCH more interesting to me.

5. Write it all down: Learning a language isn’t about memorizing as many words or grammar rules as possible. It’s about developing an arsenal of phrases and strategies to get your point across in given situations. When out among the people you will encounter hundreds of situations where you don’t know how to communicate what you want, or when you learn the workings of a new phrase to add to your arsenal. This is great, but only if you can remember them. Everyday your brain will be overloaded with new words, rules, and phrases, that’s why it’s important to write it all down.

Seoul, South Korea: Stuck in Customs (Flickr)

Last week I wrote a post on the weakened state of the US Dollar, and made a list of international destinations where the dollar is still relatively strong.

In general, however, the dollar just isn’t worth as much as it used to be across the globe. While this makes spending dollars more costly internationally, it’s important not to forget the flip side of the equation. It also makes dollars easier to earn internationally.

1996 South Korea:

Take teaching English in South Korea for example. The first half of the 1990’s are often considered the “Golden Age” for teaching English in Asia (ESL). Asian tiger economies like South Korea were emerging as global contenders, the general population (like today) was very interested in learning English, and they had money to burn. Recent graduates from the US, Canada, UK, and Australia routinely made their way to countries like South Korea to teach English for a couple of years, and were rewarded with an international work experience and significant savings from solid wages and a low cost of living. Unfortunately, however, the party did not last and in the Fall of 1997, the Asian economies crashed.

Even after the crash there was still significant demand for ESL teachers in Asia, the problem was that Asian currencies were weakened considerably, making the previously solid wages much less valuable when converted back into USD, Pounds, Euros, etc.

2007 South Korea:

Ten years later, the global economic map has again changed. Most Asian currencies and economies are still struggling through a period of economic stagnation. However, many have regained considerable ground, and have done so as the US Dollar has steadily weakened.

This means that the relative strength of some Asian currencies (including South Korea’s Won) when compared to the US Dollar, now closely resemble the “Golden Age” of the early 1990’s. Coupled with the fact that ESL salaries have risen as Asian currencies weakened, means that for US Dollar holders/users, teaching English in some Asian countries is again becoming quite lucrative.

Let’s say the average ESL instructor’s salary in South Korea from 1996-2002 was 1.8 million won/month (a high estimate) and from 2003-2007 is 2.0 million won/month (a low estimate). This would mean that from 1996-2002 the monthly salary in USD decreased by 36%! It would also mean that from 2003-2007, the average monthly salary in USD has increased by 27%.

Obviously I’m not considering factors such as inflation and increased cost of living, but a 27% increase in 5 years is very significant, and something to pay attention to. In general, I don’t believe that the conditions are as favorable as they were in the 1990’s, but it’s getting close.

The Bad News:

Unfortunately the increased earning potential for ESL instructors in Asia is largely dependent on the the weakened US Dollar. This means that if your local currency is NOT the US Dollar, but rather the Pound, Euro, Australian Dollar, or even the Canadian Dollar, you will not see significant wage increases after conversion.

The other piece of bad news is that not all Asian currencies have strengthened relative to the US Dollar. While you can now find increased earnings after conversion in South Korea, Thailand, China, Malaysia, and the Philippines, you will find that post-conversion earnings have stayed roughly the same in many other Asian countries such as Japan, Vietnam, Laos, and Indonesia.

Ballachulish, Scotland: Shanewarne_60000 (Flickr)

• The general consensus among people these days is airlines and airports suck. The big question is which ones suck the most? The Telegraph UK reports on the the worst airport delays in Europe, and the New York Times published an interesting graphic on the most delayed flights in the US.
• More and more backpackers are carrying their laptops with them these day, I know I do. However, carrying a laptop with you on the road can be somewhat stressful as you are constantly concerned with your machine breaking or getting stolen. Kevin Allgood has written a helpful post for Brave New Traveler on How to Pick the Perfect Laptop for Travel.
• Biofuels are getting more and more attention these days as we search for alternative energy sources. The technology has been picked up by several big businesses who are literally pouring money into it to transform it into a viable alternative energy option. As a result, political entities like the EU have also become more involved. Personally, I think the technology has a bright and clean future, but there are still a number of bugs to work out. Check out Worldchanging’s post entitled Nothing Simple, Not Even Biofuels for more information on the technology and the obstacles it must overcome.
• Need some travel inspiration? Watch Rolf Pott’s Google talk on long-term travel and vagabonding. It’s sure to have you packing your bags in no time.
• Jen Leo, the hippest and coolest newspaper travel-writer around, recently published an interview with me for the LA Times Daily Travel Deal Blog.

Have a Great Weekend!

Last week Forbes Magazine released a list of “Ten Travel Trends You Can’t Ignore” which they put together with the help of some “travel industry experts”.

As I looked over the list, I was delighted to see that the first trend they report is eco-awareness. However, my boyish glee was quickly replaced by solemn dismay, as I read on and found that almost all the other trends are completely contradictory to environmentally sustainable travel.

Below is a reproduction of Forbes’ “Ten Travel Trends You Can’t Ignore” accompanied by my personal commentary.

#1 Eco-Awareness

The hero of our story. Read on to see the villainous trends she’s up against in her ongoing struggle to make people give a damn.

#2 Hotel-Owned Villas

You didn’t think the Hilton’s would allow simple, rural families to continue to rent out their quaint villas in an attempt to supplement their modest, low-impact lifestyles, did you?

Hell no! They were a little late into the game, but luxury hotels are now on a mission to ensure locally run villas plague our travels no more! They will soon be replaced with overpriced, impersonal, and unnecessarily luxurious hotel villas. Thank God.

#3 Private Jet Travel

Sure the carbon emissions per passenger are 4-10 times higher than those on a commercial jet, but you don’t really want to travel with the peasants, do you?

#4 Multi-Generational Travel

Time with the kids, grandma, grandpa, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

This one we like. Puts a smile on my face every time!

“It’s a Sunshine Day”, sigh…

#5 Yacht Charters

The only good thing about these gas-guzzling behemoths is they used to spend 364 days a year docked, because their workaholic CEO owners were too busy to actually use them.

Not so any longer! Devoted tour agencies are now making sure these giant wastes of space and natural resources hit the seas every day of the year!

#6 Adults Only Travel

Why can’t the little brats just live at school…

Geez…

#7 Traveling with an Entourage

As if our individual environmental footprints weren’t enough, wealthy travelers now want to bring their butlers, nannies, chefs, and yoga instructors along for the fun as well.

As a bonus, this trend also ensures that we invest as little as possible into local service economies.

#8 Vacation on the Decline

While folks are gallivanting around the globe in private jets and yachts, it’s good to know somebody’s hard at work trying to get us out of the global shit storm we’ve created for ourselves.

#9 Human Contact Returns

It’s no secret that wealthy travelers don’t even want to scratch their own ass while on vacation. Unfortunately, however, this means they have to go to the trouble of finding someone else to scratch it for them.

Luxury travel consultants are here to save the day. For the per capita annual income of just 2,500 Ethiopians, they’ll make sure you have someone waiting at your door every morning to scratch your ass for you!

#10 A New Definition of Camping

Camping used to be so lame. You’d live off the land, consume little, and leave nothing behind.

Now, thanks to resourceful companies like KOA Kampgrounds, this antiquated idea of ecological harmony is successfully being replaced by Jacuzzis, movie theaters, and restaurants. This should ensure we leave our environmental mark even while camping, hooray!

Map template: Wikipedia.org

Everyone seems to be talking about how expensive it is to travel overseas on the newly weak dollar. It is true that the majority of international travel destinations are significantly more expensive for Americans than they were just 5 years ago, due largely to the weakening of the American Dollar. For example, if you are planning a big trip to Europe in the coming months, you’ll be disappointed to find that your dollars are now worth 28.4% less than they were 5 years ago when compared to the Euro.

However, not all international currencies have strengthened relative to the dollar. The dollar is still the most influential currency in the world today, and when it weakens many other currencies weaken as well, keeping the relative buying power of the dollar roughly the same.

Just look at Southeast Asia for example, aside from Thailand, most currencies in the region have weakened right alongside the dollar, and sometimes even more. This means that the dollars buying power has stayed roughly the same, or even increased in countries like Laos, where your dollars will actually buy 23.3% more foreign currency (Lao Kips) than they did 5 years ago.

Mexico and Central America are another good example of a region that has largely followed along with the weakening of the dollar. Many currencies in this region are already pegged to the dollar, and those that are not still rely heavily on the US market for trade, and consequentially have experienced a weakening in their currencies as well.

The Middle East, a region Americans often overlook when contemplating world travel, is largely pegged to the US dollar (for now). When the US dollar weakens, their currencies are automatically adjusted to keep relative buying power unchanged.

Obviously, there are many other factors that effect prices and buying power abroad. However, aside from extreme growth economies like China, India, Russia (energy boom), and perhaps Brazil, most countries have not experienced extreme increases in cost of living. So, if you can find a foreign destination where your dollars are still relatively strong, international travel doesn’t have to be any more expensive than it was 5 years ago.

The map above, and the chart below show how much your US Dollars will buy in foreign currencies today (Aug. 2007) compared to 5 years ago (Aug. 2002). A negative percentage means that your US dollars will buy that percent LESS than they did 5 years ago. A positive percentage means your US dollars will buy that percent MORE than they did 5 years ago.

For example, the USD has a % Change value of -23.1% for Britain. This means that your US dollars today will buy 23.1% LESS foreign currency (British Pounds) than they did 5 years ago.

• f - Local currency is fixed or pegged to the US Dollar
• re - Readjustment of exchange rate has accounted for weakening of currency relative to the dollar. Does not mean dollars the relative buying power of the dollar has significantly increased.

Traveling on a budget is great, but no matter how frugal you are with your money, eventually it runs out. That’s why short term work on the road is a great way to pick up a little cash to further extend your travels, and is a lot easier than we are often led to believe.

The type of work I am talking about here is basic, hourly wage labor, in fields such as teaching English, or work in the tourism industry (tour operators, restaurants, bars, hostels, etc.) It’s NOT an opportunity to make or save a lot of money, but it IS an opportunity to supplement your travel bankroll and spend some more time on the road before the money runs out and you have to go home.

The following tips apply to travelers looking for short term work anywhere in the world, with or without a valid work permit or visa.

A Note on Working “Illegally” Abroad

Now before I get into the tips on how to find short term work abroad, I need to discuss the nature of this work. Unless your government has reciprocal work swap agreements in the country you are seeking short term employment (Canada’s SWAP Program, EU work exchange policies), working abroad “legally” will mean obtaining a work permit or work visa for your host country. Work visas generally require your prospective employer sponsor you for the visa, which for short term wage work is close to impossible. Basically, what I’m saying here is that in most countries you will have to simply ignore the legal requirements, and find someone willing to pay you “under the table”. This may sound scary or risky, but in reality is very common practice among long-term travelers, and something that rarely becomes a “legal” issue.

1. Know where to look: Your comparative advantage as a foreign employee is that you speak English and you’re a tourist. Use these skills and qualities to your advantage. Teaching English is a quality, well-paying job almost anywhere on the planet. So, if you are interesting in doing that for a couple of months, hit the English schools looking for positions or even post flyers around town advertising your services privately. As a tourist you also have an advantage in the fact that you know what other travelers want and how to relate to them. This can be very valuable to any business that targets foreign tourists as their clientele (tour operators, touristy restaurants, bars, hostels). A lifetime traveling friend always says, “Wherever there are tourists, there are jobs for tourists”, and it really is true.

2. Hit the pavement: The most important ingredient to finding a job abroad is consistent, unfaltering persistence. Get ready to hit the pavement from sun-up to sun-down, have doors shut in your face, and hear a hell of a lot more “no’s” than you do “yes’s”. It’s really a numbers game, the more businesses and people you approach, the more likely one of them will hire you. Just maintain a positive attitude, be professional (dress professionally, and be ready for an interview and hire “on the spot”), and eventually you WILL find something.

3. Network: Abroad, just like at home, who you know if often much more important than what you know. When you aren’t out job-hunting, spend your time in local restaurants and bars trying to meet other locals or foreigner who are in the “industry”. Ask them where they work, if they know anyone who is hiring, tell them your situation and you’ll likely find a lot of people willing to help you out. It is a lot harder for a prospective employer to turn down a “friend of friend”, than someone they have never met and have no allegiance to. I have found a number of great jobs teaching English, just through casual conversations at the bar.

4. Learn the language: While it is possible to find work abroad only speaking a few words of the local language (mainly teaching English in Asia), you’ll find the job-hunting process much more manageable if you can at least communicate in the local language. You don’t need to be fluent, but you do need to know how to get by. If your language abilities are still shaky, take a week or two of intensive language classes (well worth the investment). Above all, do not be timid or afraid to use the language abilities you do have. A beginner’s knowledge can take you a long way, but only if you are bold enough to use it.

5. Take what you can get: As I said above, 99% of the work you find abroad will be relatively unglamorous, and for lower wages than you may be accustomed to back home. Just accept it for what it is, an opportunity to make a few bucks to continue your travels, a chance to get more involved in everyday local life, and a time to make some new friends. Approach the prospect of work abroad with a good attitude and you’ll be rewarded, otherwise don’t waste your time.

I realize this is a broad topic, and may generate a number of questions, so please feel free to leave any questions or thoughts in comments section below.

Further Reading

• Brave New Traveler’s The Secret to Looking for Work Abroad

A little over two years ago I had the opportunity to talk with a traveling security analyst for the US Foreign Services, Rick. Rick’s job is a pretty cool one, he travels around the world, and analyzes various foreign service establishments (like embassies) for overall security. He also spends a little time in each country training embassy personnel in personal safety abroad (mainly in developing countries). It was under this context, personal safety abroad, that I had an opportunity to talk with Rick, and I’d like to share some of the less “common-sense” points he made.

Please note, the following travel safety tips are meant to compliment the standard list of “common-sense” safety tips most travelers are familiar with. Tips such as staying in groups, take taxis at night, don’t carry valuables, stay in well lit areas, etc. If you need a refresher on any of these “common-sense” tips, please scroll down to the “further reading” links after this post.

1. Look behind you: Most people try NOT to deliberately look over their shoulder to detect danger. They feel it makes them look scared or nervous. However, if you do have someone lurking in the shadows behind you contemplating attack, a direct “look” can be very effective in scaring him off. Basically, thieves and attackers are looking for easy targets. Even if you are scared out of your wits, a good look behind shows the thief/attacker that you are ready for him. It makes him think twice about what tricks you might have up your sleeve, and will usually forget about you and move on to an easier target that isn’t as aware or ready as you are.

2. Fight dirty: I feel like most females are taught this from a young age, but it’s something males don’t always consider. If attacked, there is absolutely no reason to treat the situation like a boxing match. Whatever you need to do to get away, do it. We all know that a kick to the groin is very effective, but the groin isn’t always accessible. Other weak spots are the eyes (don’t be afraid to poke your attacker HARD in the eye), and feet (a hard heel-stomp on the attackers feet should free you up enough to get away).

*Violence should ONLY be used when no other options are available. Remember, your attacker does this for a living.

3. Be Ready: In any physical confrontation the worst thing you can be is surprised. We all know the feeling, when you are surprised and your body just stops working (deer in headlights) for half a second. That half a second is all your attacker needs to put himself in a dominant position. Rick described this as being in “green”. When traveling in unknown and potentially dangerous areas, you don’t ever want to be in “green”. That’s not to say you should be ready to drop-kick every person that says hello, but you do need keep safety on your mind, so that you don’t find yourself surprised and “green” if something does happen.

This is a much harder thing to do than it is to say, but you can start by just considering potentially danger situations and what you would do if “X” were to happen. The idea here is definitely NOT to live in fear, let me reiterate, DO NOT LIVE IN FEAR. Rather be aware of your surroundings, and equip yourself to make the best possible decisions if something does happen.

4. Purpose and Attitude: You can see it everyday, travelers wandering around town, fumbling with maps, not moving with any kind of purpose, and just plain looking lost and confused. For a thief, these are the easy targets. As a traveler in a new land, you have to remember that people are always watching you. Move with purpose and a little bit of attitude. Act like you know exactly what you are doing, where you are going, and that you are not the person to f*ck with. If you do need help or directions, go into a store and ask the clerk for help, be somewhat discreet. DO NOT approach every random Joe on the street, and stir up a lot of attention on how to help the foreigner. Most people have the best of intentions, and simply want to help, but the attention raises green flags for any thief within a 100 meter radius - Here is a foreigner that doesn’t know where he is or what he’s doing.

Further Reading:

• Police detective Kevin Coffee on travel safety
• Travel Myth: Travel in foreign countries is too dangerous

Great White Shark: Wikipedia.org

Anyone who’s done a bit of world travel can tell you, there’s a lot of stuff out there just waiting to attack you, eat you, or make you sick. Or at least it seems that way…

Just last week a surfer was attacked by a shark in Monterey Bay, California. However, California isn’t the only place you hear about shark attacks. Most travelers know to be aware of sharks from Brazil, to South Africa, down to Australia, and the South Pacific. But just how real is the shark attack threat?

Shark Attacks Worldwide:

I did a little research to find out just how common shark attacks really are around the world. I was surprised to find that the most shark attack incidents over the past 400+ years have not occurred in South Africa (212) or Australia (312), but rather in the United States (937). Even excluding Hawaii, the continental US still has 870 documented shark attacks, by far the world leader.

Map template: Wikipedia.org

Shark Attack Capital of the World:

So the United States has the most documented cases of shark attacks over the past 400+ years. But the US is a big country, so how are attacks spread out across the country? Surprisingly, most shark attacks have not occurred in Hawaii (107) or California (92). Rather the title of “Shark Attack Capital of the World” is held by Florida, by far the leader in shark attacks worldwide with 544 over the past 400+ years. Remarkably, however, only 13 of the 544 attacks reported in Florida have been fatal (just 2.4%).

Map template: 50States.com

Put in Perspective:

Now 937 shark attacks in the United States may sound like a lot, but if you remember that 937 is the total number of shark attack incidents recorded in the past 400 years, you’ll see that shark attacks are quite UNCOMMON. The following statistics should help highlight how uncommon shark attacks are:

• Number of fatal lightning strikes in the United States (1959-2006, only includes coastal states): 1,916
• Number of shark attacks in US waters (1959-2006): 852
• Number of fatal shark attacks in US waters (1959-2006): 23
• Number of fatal dog attacks in the United States (2001-2006): 144
• Number of fatal shark attacks in US waters (2001-2006): 11
• Number of “human bites human” related injuries in New York City (1984-1987): 6,339
• Number of “shark bite” related injuries in the entire United States (1984-1987): 45

Statistics taken from the Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida

While shark attacks aren’t nearly as common as many of us may have been led to believe, it is still important to take caution as a traveler. Countries like South Africa and Australia have fewer shark attack incidents than the United States, but that can be largely attributed to the respect locals give to the sharks in their waters. As long as you follow the locals’ lead, the past 400 years shows us you should be fine. Take their advice, only swim where and when they swim, and you will find it is much more likely you will be bit by a fellow human being in New York City than by a shark in foreign waters!