The best countries to travel without language barriers
The world is becoming an ever-smaller place. Advances in technology, such as the internet, have brought us all together, allowing us to communicate instantly with someone on the other side of the globe.
This has left many of us with an appetite to get out and explore. And with cheap travel and websites that do all the hard work of booking your trip for you, there’s nothing to stop you, save the language barrier.
But with the people of the world shifting closer together, language has become less of an obstacle. And in many countries around the world, English is widely spoken.
In this guide, we’ll take a look at some of the countries and regions around the globe with the lowest language barriers and obstacles. In particular, we’ll look at New Zealand, the United States, Scandinavia and Belgium.
New Zealand
For a stay-at-home option, exploring new areas of your own country is always overlooked. New Zealand is regarded as one of the most beautiful and unspoiled nations on earth. This beauty was perhaps most appreciated when the Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings trilogy hit cinemas. Such was the impact of those films that an entire tourist industry sprouted up around them.
This place in popular culture has resulted in huge numbers of people travelling to New Zealand every year.
And of course, there are few language barriers – it’s our country after all! New Zealand has, in fact, three official languages, with the other two being Māori and New Zealand Sign Language. In practice, English is overwhelmingly the most used.
This makes getting around the country very easy, especially when exploring the more remote parts – which is where a lot of Lord of the Rings was filmed, with many popular tourist spots.
You’ll also have little difficulty interacting with locals, ordering food at restaurants or getting directions. So easy is it to integrate into New Zealand society that many people decide to migrate there.
Belgium
Belgium is a country with a curious collection of languages. Historically, it’s had three official languages – French, Flemish and German. Flemish is a dialect of Dutch. Words are spelt mostly the same but are pronounced differently – a little like the difference between UK and US English.
Around 60% of the population of Belgium speak Dutch, and the majority of them reside in the north of the country. Around 1% of the country speaks German, off to the east of the nation. The remainder, mostly in the south, speak French.
This collection of languages isn’t too harmonious, and it mostly comes down to political divisions. It’s now reached the extent that a few Flemish and French-speaking Belgians won’t communicate in the other language, even if they can speak it. So instead, many Belgians speak English, and have one of the highest second-language English proficiencies of any country in the world.
This need to bridge the gap has benefitted tourists greatly. If you can speak Dutch or French, then you’ll likely get by fine in Belgium (just don’t speak French in the north or Dutch in the south). But nowadays many people speak English very well – it’s taught in schools. So in big cities like Antwerp, Brussels and Bruges, you’ll have no issues at all ordering Belgian beer or getting directions.
United States
The United States (US) is a melting pot of cultures. It’s a vast area that throughout history has been populated by people from all over the world. You can therefore find pretty much every type of language, from Spanish to Mandarin.
As a traveler, this is a terrific perk. Even if English isn’t your first language, you’re guaranteed to find someone else who understands you.
In a number of the main cities, such as New York, Las Vegas and San Francisco, the locals are very used to tourists and can speak a range of languages. Around 41 million people in the US can speak Spanish. So, if you speak Spanish well, you won’t struggle in the US.
The US is also very accessible to people from China. Around 3.5 million people speak Mandarin, with populations spread all across the country.
In all, the US perhaps has the lowest language barrier of all countries.
Scandinavia
If you’re looking to explore a new and unique part of the globe where English is widely spoken, then Scandinavia is a great destination too. This region in Europe is home to a number of countries: Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway and Iceland, as well as Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and Åland.
Around 86% of the population of Scandinavia speaks English and usually to a good standard, making it an ideal destination for travelers.
