As I have now been to almost thirty countries I feel assured that I can call myself at least a bit of a traveller without coming across as a wannabe or a newbie, and so there a few things that I have noticed that seem as universal as the rising and the setting of the sun.
Despite what the travel agencies and the embassies may try and convince you, English is { sad to admit } spoken, even if it is badly or broken, in just about every major city and in every major hotel and hostel in the world.
There are possibly almost as many young Australians travelling around the world as there are back in their native homeland, as without except in every hostel and major train station you can find at least one Aussie, and again without exception they have already been to more places than you do, and as most of them don't speak many other language other than their own, I feel that this has certainly helped the advance of the common English language around the globe.
I saw in one televised interview with Alan Wicker, that he said that his advice when travelling is not to try and get by with a phrase book, but instead bluff your way as an important Englishman.
His view was that while in darkest Africa or South America, the natives feared / avoided him more when he blustered and bulldozed forward heedless of their shouts and demands and that is he had tried to politely and respectfully talk his way out he would probably never got out alive and in piece from every scrape he had got himself into.
Now thanfully the world is a more civilised place than it was thirty or forty years ago, but the lesson although updated remains the same, if you try and speak conversationally the local lingo they will respond much quicker and faster than you can comprehend and you will be more confused than before, but if you just act like they should know English then they will often respond.
But my own interpretation is to remain calm, remain smiling and friendly and do not get angry or aggressive as this only makes everything worse.
Bars, restaurants, cafes and nightclubs are another place in which I have seen the overall English Lingo make its presence felt, as no matter which city I am in the music is almost always US/Brit pop from the 80's, 90's or modern day.
I even commented on this to a girl hereabouts who just shook her head and said that Austrian pop is not very good!
Despite what the travel agencies and the embassies may try and convince you, English is { sad to admit } spoken, even if it is badly or broken, in just about every major city and in every major hotel and hostel in the world.
There are possibly almost as many young Australians travelling around the world as there are back in their native homeland, as without except in every hostel and major train station you can find at least one Aussie, and again without exception they have already been to more places than you do, and as most of them don't speak many other language other than their own, I feel that this has certainly helped the advance of the common English language around the globe.
I saw in one televised interview with Alan Wicker, that he said that his advice when travelling is not to try and get by with a phrase book, but instead bluff your way as an important Englishman.
His view was that while in darkest Africa or South America, the natives feared / avoided him more when he blustered and bulldozed forward heedless of their shouts and demands and that is he had tried to politely and respectfully talk his way out he would probably never got out alive and in piece from every scrape he had got himself into.
Now thanfully the world is a more civilised place than it was thirty or forty years ago, but the lesson although updated remains the same, if you try and speak conversationally the local lingo they will respond much quicker and faster than you can comprehend and you will be more confused than before, but if you just act like they should know English then they will often respond.
But my own interpretation is to remain calm, remain smiling and friendly and do not get angry or aggressive as this only makes everything worse.
Bars, restaurants, cafes and nightclubs are another place in which I have seen the overall English Lingo make its presence felt, as no matter which city I am in the music is almost always US/Brit pop from the 80's, 90's or modern day.
I even commented on this to a girl hereabouts who just shook her head and said that Austrian pop is not very good!
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