8 almost necessary phrases to learn when travelling abroad

You’re probably thinking “come on, surely you don’t think this is an original blog post idea” and it’s not, really, but there are certain phrases that don’t appear on these lists that I think you really need to know when you’re in a foreign country. Obviously ‘hello’ and ‘thank you’ and ‘can we have the bill’ are all important, but so are these ones…

“Can I have a bag?” / “Do you want a bag?” (the first one is so you can ask, obviously, and the second is in case anyone asks you and you’re not sure what they’re saying and you’re stood in a foreign supermarket having a staring contest with the woman on the checkout until a kind person who speaks decent English intervenes)

“I’ve used up all my data posting outfit photos on The ‘Gram, what’s the wifi password?” (particularly important for my fellow bloggers)

“Does this bus/tram/train go to……” (because I can barely work out an English bus timetable, let alone one in another language)

“Can I have more lemonade than vodka this time?” (other countries drink their drinks sooooo strong)

“Where can I get pizza round here?” (because you might be sick of eating obscure foreign dishes and just really, really wanting a Dominos)

“Before I trustingly get in your taxi because I’m a bit lost, is my hotel/apartment actually within walking distance from this location?” (speaks for itself, really, but when I was in Riga we’d been trying to find our way back for what seemed like hours of walking round in circles, so we got in a taxi, showed the driver our address, and 2 minutes later he dropped us off at the door)

“What’s your city’s equivalent to Peggy Porschen and how do I get there?” (again, a good one for my fellow bloggers/IG lovers)

“I’m utterly skint because I spent all my money on last minute flights to Berlin, do you offer student discount?” (places like museums and exhibitions often do have a really good discount scheme in place for students, families, the elderly, large groups etc etc – so if you’ve got ID with you, it’s worth asking)

What phrases do YOU think someone needs to learn when travelling abroad?

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