Words To Learn Before Traveling Abroad

Have you ever been sitting in a coffee house (Tim Hortons or wherever) and the other table is speaking another language. You start listening in and determine that you have no idea what they're saying? Now imaging having a whole week, two weeks, month or longer surrounded by that same feeling.

My first experience in a non-native English speaking country was in Switzerland. Luckily I speak French and was able to get by in the Western part of the country. Unfortunately I wanted to visit Zurich (Switzerland), Austria and Germany so I was going to be surrounded by a different language. I was not prepared for this experience at all and didn't have any German language skills before leaving Canada. In fact, I bought a German translation book while in Austria killing time before my train left.

The point of this story is that learning some key words prior to leaving will really help you communicate and make a way more enjoyable experience.  This also helps you not to look like such a "Grunt and Point Monkey" when ordering...

One other key point to remember is that you probably won't understand the answer to a question if you ask it.  Therefore, it's REALLY important to ask questions where you'll understand the answer.  You can usually get people to point you in the correct direction so try gesturing so that they know you want them to point.

Below is a list of useful phrases that I think you should try to learn before arriving. Because we're headed to Japan I've put the Japanese Translation in the brackets (excuse the spelling!). I already know all these words and phrases and am starting to 'branch' out to

• Yes / No (Hai / I e)
• Please (O Kudasai)
• Thank You (Arrigato)
• Your Welcome (Do Ishite Mashite)
• Hello (Konnichiwa)
• Goodbye (Sayannora)
• Excuse Me (Sumimasen)
• Help (tasukete)
  
• Where is the bathroom? (Toire wa doko desu ka)
• Where is .... (wa doko desu ka)
• How much ... (ikura desu ka)
• I don't understand (Watashi Wa Wakarimasen)
• Do you speak/understand English? (eego ga wakarimas ka?)
• Counting to 10 (at least)! (Ichi, ni, san, shi, go, roku, nana, hatchi, ku, ju, ...)

One last thing that would be important to know prior to leaving is the bathroom signs.  It's important to know what the custom symbol is for male and female in the country you are going.  This is especially important in Asian countries where they're will be a symbol rather then a word.

As always there are probably another 100 words and phrases you could learn before leaving. However, you need to make sure that you have some words down correctly. Like I mentioned in my last language post using YouTube to learn what the language sounds like is a very key to helping you understand better.

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Watching Your Money Correctly When Abroad

In my last post I discussed things that you need to consider money-wise before leaving on your trip. This included having enough cash for the first few days, looking into credit cards and NOT taking travelers checks.

Today I'll discuss other things that you should consider money-wise prior to leaving on your trip. These are things that although don't seem important can actually save you hassle, stress and even money!

Study the Currency Before Leaving

Obviously before leaving on your trip you'll have a bit of the other countries currency. A great tip is to study that money before leaving. Determine what the 5, 10 and 20 dollar (or other currency) bills look like. This will ensure that when you think you should get 25 back you actually get 25 and not 15. It's very easy for someone in another country to try and give you the improper change because you don't know the language.

Pay where you can see numbers to ensure correct change

Another great tip to ensure you get the correct change is to try and see the cashier when paying. Seeing the numbers usually make a lot more sense to people then some foreign language numbers where you might not even know how to count to 25.

Converting to your currency correctly

When paying for things like souvenirs most people like to compare these prices to the price that they'd pay at home. A good thing to get used to is converting to your home currency easily. When traveling to Japan I know that 100 yen is approximately 1 dollar Canadian. Do I care that it's actually less then a dollar? NO! I just want an approximate number. Same goes for going to Europe. The EU dollar is approximately 1 to every $2 Canadian. It's not perfect but it's easy to convert and that's the key because you don't want to be trying to figure out some complex math that you'll need a calculator!

Exchange / Withdrawal larger sums of money

When going to the bank or bank machine take out larger amounts of money. You'll often be charged a bank access fee when taking out money. Therefore, it's much wiser to take out a larger sum of money to avoid having to get charged the bank access fee multiple times. Simple tip but can save you a bit of money.

Get A Money Belt

Finally, get yourself a money belt and wear it around. This is very important in places where tourist are preyed upon for money. You can simply place your passport, valuables and cash in the money belt and have it under your pants hidden from everyone. Once in public NEVER go inside it for any reason as this will alert everyone that you're wearing a belt that contains a good amount of money.
So what have I missed in terms of traveling to a different country (abroad) with money? Are there anythings that you do prior to traveling to prepare yourself? Let us know if you do and leave a comment!

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Preparations For Money in Different Countries

Before traveling abroad you must prepare to use a different currency. Although, this doesn't sound like a complicated task consider that you'll be in a different location with different customs, language and money. All these things combined can really throw you off. Here are some different money options that you should consider prior to leaving on your trip. In my next article I'll discuss ways to ensure you're not overpaying, getting ripped off and getting by better.

Cash

Make sure before leaving that you get enough cash for the first 2-3 days minimum. You should have a rough idea of the costs because of the books you've taken out from the library. It is HIGHLY recommended you change your money at a bank as you won't get dinged (as bad) from the conversion fees.

If you're Canadian and have AMA then you can get any currency at your local AMA office free of charge. This means you won't have to pay any conversion fees! This can save you a bit of money before your trip!

Visa / Mastercard / American Express

Credit Cards are taken in most countries and places (according to the credit card commercials). However, be aware that although places accept credit cards they often don't like taking them. When I was in Switzerland trying to pay at a restaurant I saw the Credit Card machine on the counter. However, they wouldn't accept my credit card (Visa or Mastercard). Upon speaking to some Swiss friends they mentioned that most business don't like taking them because of the fees that the Credit Card companies charge the business.

Travelers Checks

Travelers checks use to be a great way to travel. However, because of scam artists travelers checks are starting to go away. Travelers checks are great because if you ever lose or have a check stolen you can simply call and get it replaced.

Travelers checks are still taken in most major tourist destinations and usually at the hotel you're staying at. However, be aware that these might not be taken. It's always good to be prepared for this situation.

Banks / Bank Machine

The final source of money is through a bank or bank machine. Be sure to contact your local bank branch to confirm that your debit card will actually work while you're abroad.

In my next post I'll give you some tips and tricks to make sure you are watching your money correctly.

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Learning A New Language

Obviously one of the concerns before traveling anywhere is knowing the language. Here's a great tip and how we're learning how to speak a little, emphasis on little, prior to leaving.

YouTube.com

YouTube is an amazing resource for learning almost any language. Before leaving on your trip you can simply go to YouTube and type in "Learn YYY" or "Beginner Learn YYY". You will probably get a ton of different video options. For example "Learn Japanese" results in 5350 videos and "beginner learn Japenese" gets 106 videos.

The other great thing about this is you can get an 'ear' for the langauge prior to leaving. If you've never heard the language spoken correctly this is a great way to get your ear to adapt to the sound quicker.

Here are a couple videos that we've been using. The first is how to say "Good Morning" in Japanese and the second is a conversation in Japanese.

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Prepare For Your Trip Like a Pro!

Although, traveling to Japan for 20 days isn't considered an extended period of time. I thought I'd share

some tips, thoughts and recommendations on traveling when you are leaving for an extended period of time. These tips are based on experiences that we've had from traveling for extended periods of time (more then 2 weeks).

Hopefully these tips will ensure that you have a stress free and more relaxing trip not worrying about things 'at home'.

House

• Have someone check in or live in your house. Make sure they know to check around the house looking for anything strange. As well, they should always check on the hot water tank and furnace.
• Have someone bring in the mail and newspapers. Nothing alerts people your gone faster then a build up of papers.
• Many house insurance companies have a clause that someone must enter your house every 4 days (or something like that). Check your insurance forms to ensure that you'll be compliant with the insurance policies.

Electrical in the House

• Make sure that you unplug everything unnecessary and electrical in your house. I'm an electrical engineer and I know the chances of an electrical fire are low and maybe call me paranoid. However, I always unplug everything! The only thing I leave plugged in is a lamp that would turn off and on (and/or a radio). Comptuers, toasters, coffee maker, vhs, tv, etc.... Reduce the risk of anything happening.

Bills

Are all your bills going to be paid while you're gone? Make sure you either have a pre-paid bill payment or automatic bill payment setup. This includes car payments, insurance payments, utility, internet, phone, etc....

Money

Do you have enough money in the bank or room on your credit card? Make sure that you have a source of cash available to you if you need to get out of a bind.

Email List or Blog

Many people like to email or blog while on their trip. Make sure you have your email list setup so that you can access it easily and you don't have to add names one by one. Similarly, make sure you have your blog setup so that you can post to it easily (or email to it). In the next post I'll discuss how to setup a blog for travel.

Contact Information

Remember that you should always leave your contact information with a few close friends or family. You should leave the places you are traveling (or planning on traveling), the places your staying, the dates, health information, insurance information and passport numbers. These things are all necessary in case anything is stolen or lost (which hopefully doesn't happen).

Remember the more prepared you are before you leave the less likely you'll have any sort of problems while your gone.

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Resources For Travel - Using The Local Library?

Libraries are a great way to get ton of books on a single subject quickly. The local library in Calgary allows us to take out 99 books at a time. 99 books! Obviously we don't need that many books but you can take out a large selection to learn a bit before traveling

If your trip is only for a short amount of time then you can often take the library book with you to the country. This saves you money by not having to purchase a book but still having the handy reference with you.

Tour Book

This is the most obvious choice to take out at your local library. The tour book is a great way to find out information about your destination of travel. You're looking for a tour book with a map, places to stay, places to eat, safety concerns, etc... Some recommended brands of tour books are the Fodor's and Lonely Planet. You should ensure that you're getting a rather up-to-date copy of the book though (depending on your destination).

Cultural Book

Depending on your destination of travel learning some basics about the culture is important. This is often found in your tour book, however, this is often not adequate. You'll find a book about the culture quite handy to ensure that you're not offending anyone or creating a fool out of yourself.
Translation Book

If you're traveling somewhere with a different language get a language book. Something that is very basic is a great way to start. I just got the book, "Japanese Made Easy" by Tazuko Ajiro Monane. It's a very basic guide to learning Japanese and actually surviving while over there.

Audio Tapes

Again, this is great for foreign countries with different languages. The local library will have tapes, CD's or DVD's that you can listen and learn the local language. The advantage of this method is that you'll hear the correct prounciation and get a feel for the language before arriving.

Check out your local library today and get prepared for your trip. Do you use the library when you're going on a trip? Or where do you get your travel books from? Leave a comment and let us know.