TripHip - Travel Tips and Advice for Traveling on a Budget

When you travel abroad to a country where you don't speak the language, you need to prepare yourself for the sudden shock of not being able to communicate easily with others.

You can prepare yourself beforehand by listening to some language-learning CDs or mp3s and by flipping through a language guide. However, nothing will prepare you for the real thing - suddenly finding yourself in a country where you can't understand them, and they can't understand you!

There's no reason to get overwhelmed though. You can turn it into a fun learning experience. When people realize you can't speak their language, most often than not they will bend over backwards to try to help you out. Remember that you are just as exotic and interesting to them as they are to you!

For those who like gadgets, there are some talking translators available that allow you to type in a word or phrase, and it will actually "speak" that sentence for you in the other language. These translators tend to cost anywhere from $50 - $550. Are they worth it? For most travelers, probably not. You might want to get a cheaper one and program it to say some emergency phrases, just in case. Other than that, you're pretty safe just carrying a guidebook, using sign language and hoping for the best.

If you are going to any country where English is not the primary language, you really should take a little time to learn a few words and phrases in whatever language is spoken at your destination.

Even if you expect all hotel, attraction and restaurant staff to speak English, give it a try. Locals usually see it as a sign of respect that you took the time to learn, even just the words for "hello" or "thank you".

Check online, or buy a basic phrasebook.

Anyone with food allergies knows that they need to be careful when ordering meals in a restaurant. It can be even more risky if you are eating away from home, and possibly in a restaurant where no one speaks English.

If your allergies are more annoying than life threatening, you could get by with learning some words in the local language so you can ask if your trigger foods are in any dish.

For a more severe allergy that you can't risk, you will have to stick to major restaurants where the menus are in English and the staff speak it as well.

When you don't know the language, you can be tempted to use hand gestures to get your meaning across to someone while on vacation. Be careful if you do.

Even the most innocent hand gestures can be misunderstood when traveling to new countries. What may seem common to you, doesn't necessarily have the same universal meaning.

The "thumbs up" gesture that is seen so often in North America, as a positive sign is quite rude in the Middle East, parts of South America and Asia. It has a similar meaning to the "middle finger" here in North America.