There’s a Pizza Hut near the pyramids…
A McDonalds in Vatican City…
… and tourists throw more than 3,000 euros/day into the Trevi Fountain in Rome—totaling more than $1.5 million in revenue for the city each year.
If you stick to these tourist traps, you need to get used to $12 burgers and $8 coffees… overhyped tours and crowded cafés.
But it doesn’t have to be this way…
It’s tempting to check iconic landmarks like these off your bucket list and then move on. And, of course, when you’re there, familiar stops like Pizza Hut and Burger King make it easy and comfortable to get around.
But there’s another way to see more and pay less that allows you to get steps beyond the big tourist traps and into truly authentic experiences.
When you can speak a second language, you’re free to wander comfortably down side streets where few people speak English… step into tucked-away restaurants where the food is more authentic, tastes better, and is cheaper… and, in some cases, it’s this ability to speak another language that keeps you out of danger.
This ability to speak another language also gets you more smiles when you walk by, better deals when you buy souvenirs, and the same sense of comfort you get from a Starbucks… only without the hordes of tourists in line in front of you.
If you learn at least enough to have a basic conversation, you’ll find that the whole world opens up to you. And, for the most part, it’s friendly and welcoming.
You can explore Mexico beyond Cancun… eat real panzerotti in a piazza… spend the night at a small, family-run ryokan, or B&B, in Japan.
And it’s not as hard as you think.
Picking up a second language can be a lot easier if you embrace this idea that there’s a better way to learn.