European Travel Skills: Hurdling the Language Barrier

Today's Europe is increasingly bilingual — and lucky for us English is its second language. You can manage just fine by being polite and by speaking clearly and slowly. Starting conversations with "Do you speak English?" in the local language shows you are willing to try and is appreciated. Communicate with curiosity and an appetite for learning local lingo and gestures. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stations, travel information on destinations and more — visit www.ricksteves.com.