My brother was already blowing through Spanish, so I went with that. In retrospect, this was way too late to start.

I had about three months of German, French, and Spanish in 8th grade to determine what I’d want to focus on. My background in language was minimal as recent as a few years ago. I’ll update as I find new apps that interest me.Īdmittedly, I might not be the best person to be giving advice.

First, I’ll give you some background on my language learning background (feel free to scroll on if that sounds terribly boring) and then we’ll cover MindSnacks, Coffee Break with Radio Lingua, iTalki, DuoLingo, Babbel, and Memrise. To help get you started, I’m sharing some of the best language learning apps I’ve been able to find. After all, what makes a trip special is meeting fellow travelers, locals, and sharing stories. Wherever you’re going, spending just 20 to 60 minutes a day learning some basics of your host country’s language will go a long way in enriching your experience.

Studying abroad, moving abroad, traveling abroad - doesn’t matter. If there’s anything I can encourage someone traveling to do, it’s to start learning a new language.

Is babbel better than duolingo