Travel
808 Million World Travellers ? True Travellers?
Half of the travellers ? 400 million- arrived to European countries. And Spain, second world?s destination country by number of visitors, received 53 million of them. With an average stay of 9 nights, as the spanish National Statistics Institute (INE) reports, there is a good chance to get to better know the country and people the traveller visits.
What?s the difference between a tourist and a traveller? Marco Polo was a Traveller, a person who did the best to fully understand the foreign traditions and languages. On the opposite, the person who is brought by plane, dropped at a local hotel, who just does whatever the other thousands people who came before and will come after do, the one who fails to learn a few new words, if you meet this person, you are meeting? a Tourist.
A true Traveller gets involved, given the time limitations, in whatever possible daily and cultural activities the locals perform. If the language is not known, struggles with the basics to understand and be understood. Goes to where the ?normal? people -as opposed to ?holidaymakers?- go. Tries to visit some cultural indicators without hurry. Thinks. Compares. Gets an accurate picture of the visited country. And is able to later explain to friends how was the place he travelled to, how the humans were, how the life tasted like.
As the Spanish language is the world?s third spoken one, just after Chinese Mandarin and English, and being Spain the second global destination, why not have a chance to learn the basics before visiting that country? And not only for leisure reasons, but also for job-related. It is not that difficult. And once you are familiar with the structure of the language, go and get immersed in that language.
Considering that nothings beats immersion to improve command and fluency in a foreign language, come to Spain and swim and dive in Spanish. Among many other choices, check a specialised company like www.funtimeinspain.com . There are no lessons, no teachers, just organised activities aimed to speak Spanish and have fun at the same time. Golfing, sailing, adventures and sports or a some more quiet week in Andalusia, always completely immersed in a professionally and friendly guided Spanish-speaking atmosphere, with personal follow-up on the improvements.
Don?t be a lost bag. Don?t forget where you have been. Simply get involved and become a wise Traveller. A completely different way of enjoying your leisure time abroad.
Alberto Losada
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