And "L" is for Language and Luggage....

We often read that any attempt at a foreign language in a foreign land is appreciated by the people who live there. And it is so easy NOT to do that! Every guide book has a section with basic phrases in the language of the country as well as how to pronounce them. You could take adult ed courses or hire a tutor before you leave. I've never used Rosetta Stone, but that is very popular. Our library has a system called Mango which you can sign up for to practice many different languages. (I must admit that I took a Spanish course last year before I left and tried Mango without much success.) I do always travel with a dictionary in my backpack to help me when I get stuck. I also think it is fun to meanings of new, foreign words if I am in transit from one place to another!
Often you will meet people who want to practice their English. (I recently got an email from Couchsurfer Silvio, a 31 year old civil worker in Brazil, who wanted to talk with me via Skype, since he saw that my profile said I am a former English teacher. His profile said his English is intermediate.) Many whom I met last summer and fall apologized for their "bad" English. It was always very acceptable; they would always try, and some would be looking for help/correction. (Our verb tenses can be really confusing, especially when to use should, could,  and would!)
My Italian friend Gloria, whom I have mentioned before, as I had wonderful visit with her last August in Nice, also speaks French and English. Last summer she had taken an English course in Nice, on her August holiday. This year she is hoping to come to the US to study English again. (If you have any suggestions, please let me know; it is not easy to find such a program for August only, since she is quite proficient already. She needs more than an ESL program.) She wrote this to me, "In my opinion, "Vacation" doesn't mean that our brain is "vacant"; it is just a certain quantity of days that we can "fill" with interesting experiences out of our job, out of our "routine". Do you agree with me?" I LOVE her attitude!

And when we finally get to packing after all of our time planning our trip, Americans do tend to take too many clothes! We have either one huge suitcase or several smaller ones, and just way too much stuff! The added costs of extra bags makes it worth thinking about taking less clothes, so you will need less luggage. Take clothes you love, so you don't mind wearing the same things frequently! And then you can get by with just one suitcase! Pictured is the smallest of the three suitcase set which accompanied me for my three months away last summer. I'll write more about this when I get to R and Ryanair! But when it comes to packing you will be doing yourself a big favor, if you can think SMALL and LIGHT when you pack! You can always buy things at your destination, if you find you need one more thing!
Next post will look at "M" for medical, museums, and money exchange....Do let me know if you have an "M" topic you would like me to include! Thanks....