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Travel Cultures Language

What’s Underfoot on the Camino de Santiago?

by Eva Boynton on April 28, 2015

Feet in sandals standing over a sign of the Camino de Santiago, showing the different routes that cause travel inspiration. (image

Carried by their feet, pilgrims from around the world follow the signs of the Way of St. James.
© StockPhotoAstur / iStock

Every Kind of Travel Inspiration

Not because I’m religious,

Not because I believe in spirits,

Not because I love Spanish cuisine,

And not because I needed to be punished.

I just wanted a long walk.

—B.C. Tørrissen

This is one pilgrim’s reason to walk the Camino de Santiago. More than 100,000 people every year walk the International Heritage Trails. They come from all over the world, taking different routes to reach the same destination: the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain.

A Taste of French Sayings

by Meredith Mullins on April 20, 2015

Triptych of mustard, beans, and bread, showing the food focus of French sayings. (Image © Meredith Mullins)

Inspiration for tasty French idioms—mustard, beans, and bread
© Meredith Mullins

French Idioms—A Focus on Food

You may never have had the pleasure of mustard up your nose.

You may never have felt the desperation of having no beans in the house.

You may not know the boredom of a long dreary day, which, in French lore, is “a day without bread.”

But, if you’re living in the world of French sayings, these expressions are common—and mean more than their literal translations. 

Five Sure-Fire Ways to Break the Language Barrier

by Eva Boynton on April 13, 2015

A circle of people's hands holding coffee on a table with an image of the world in the middle, showing the connections formed by breaking the language barrier. (Image © Wavebreak Media/Thinkstock )

Dive into cross-cultural connections by bringing a bridge language to the table.
© Wavebreak Media/Thinkstock

Find Your Own Lingua Franca

My best travel connections have had little to do with making a flight and everything to do with making friends.

Like many, I was intimidated by the idea of traveling in a country where my language is not spoken. But I took off anyway and found ways to communicate with local citizens, establishing a kind of lingua franca, or bridge language, that neither of us spoke.

Soon I was breaking the language barrier and making the kind of personal connections that become the best souvenirs. Here are my top five strategies.

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