FlightHub flies travellers all over the word for a myriad of reasons. Some go to take traditional trips to resorts, major cities, and known countries. But, FlightHub has seen an amazing rise in travellers who are flying to kick off extensive backpacking trips. FlightHub reviews best practices for informing travellers about language issues they may face while taking these types of trips, suggesting different solutions to help customers overcome language barriers. In researching this, FlightHub has determined which languages you can learn that have the most widespread benefit when globetrotting.
English
If you are reading this you probably already have a solid grip on English. English is obviously a very widespread language. Even where it isn’t spoken natively, major tourist areas are often equipped to handle English requests. Likewise, in major cities you should be able to find at least a few people who have a basic handle on the English language. According to FlightHub, the proliferation of Western media across the world has greatly contributed to the rise of English in traditionally non-English speaking countries.
Spanish
Next is Spanish. Spoken throughout Latin-America to varying degrees, it can very often serve as a foundation to speaking with those who speak different Latin-American languages. It is even widely understood in written form.
German
The backup plan for much of Europe, German has largely overtaken Russian as the primary second language of Europeans over the last decade. Beyond Europe, it can also be useful in countries like Turkey and The Balkans.
Mandarin
Mandarin is the most useful language in Eastern Asia. Spoken by more than one billion people, Mandarin is useful in China, Taiwan, Singapore, and many other countries with large Chinese populations like North America, and across Oceania.
While it is extremely difficult to learn multiple languages, even having a base understanding of basic words and phrases can be a lifesaver when travelling abroad. FlightHub recommends you also bring dictionaries, pictographs, and other aides to aid you on your unique backpacking voyage.