Why take a language holiday course?

Native English speakers are not exactly known for their linguistic skills – everyone speaks English right? Throw away your visions of stuffy classrooms and verb tables; language holidays are fun and leave plenty of time to relax and will inspire you to discover more about the country you are holidaying in. You can even combine your language lessons with learning to cook, surf, scuba dive, wine taste, horse ride, yoga, dancing or photography for an activity holiday to remember.

Learning a new language in the country where the language is spoken takes you beyond the tourist trail to help you discover more on holiday.

A tried and tested method of teaching languages is to only teach in the language you are learning. This can be quite daunting on your first and sometimes your second day but you will find that after a few hours, you start to ‘tune in’ and somehow – (don’t ask me how, it just does) you’ll grasp what is going on.

You’ll be amazed at how much you pick up as you’ll use the language outside of the classroom each day in practical situations. I found that if I asked if I could practice my French in bars, cafes and shops, the assistants were only too happy to oblige. You’ll also read signs and will be surrounded by the language which really helps the vocab to stick. It’s empowering to go into a cafe and order even just the basics of coffee and sandwich without having to resort to speaking English and once you’ve tried this for the first time, your confidence will soar and you’ll quickly drop the ‘i’m a tourist’ feeling.

Most language courses offer either 3 or 4 lessons each day from Monday to Friday leaving plenty of free time to either kick back on the beach, wander around beautiful cities or take part in an exciting new activity like cooking, photography or surfing.

An added bonus is that all language schools also offer a rich social and cultural programme to help their students socialise and immerse themselves in the culture. Activities vary but might include city tours, art tours, beach parties, cooking lessons, dance classes, films, lectures, historical walks and more.  Many activities are free and others carry just a small charge, you are completely free to join in as much or as little as you like – it’s your holiday after all!

A language holiday is perfect for the independent traveller, most people taking language courses are single travellers. A group language course is a fantastic way to meet new people, share a common interest and discover things beyond the tourist routes with your fellow language learners.  Language schools attract people of all ages so regardless of whether you are 17 or 70, you’ll all share a passion for language and travel.

Get more from your holiday and learn a new language on your next holiday. With language courses on offer in over 30 countries from Arabic to Spanish starting at less than £60 for a 1 week language course, we are sure to have a course that suits you.