Current Events > Questions for anyone who has traveled in Europe.

(+) Yeah! (+)

Is the language barrier a big issue? I'm planning on traveling as much of Europe as I can for a little over a month, how much of a pain will it be being an English only speaker?

Also how is the railway system? I plan on travelling using a Eurail pass, will it take me to smaller towns and villages or am I looking at sticking to larger cities with it?
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most young people in most countries know english. and there's enough tourists all year round that speaking english for directions/restaurants/etc is doable
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English goes in most places.

Trains are pretty awesome here. At least in Germany, most places are reachable by train.

Whereabouts were you planning on going?
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I had a fairly tough time in parts. Like in Liverpool they speak a language almost like English but with their without moving their tongue and lips pulled out from both corners.

And in galway some of the old people sounded like my grand PA which I can only describe as mumbling, drunken slur.

The problem was when I asked if they could speak English they seemed like they were insisting they were.

In Paris they were a bit better. I tried to say something in French and they would say they spoke English.
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the only place that I went to where only knowing English was an issue was in France.

other places (Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain) had English on their signs that helped out a lot
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They pretty much all speak English. Drop by my house on the way over I have some euros left over you can have
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Fishy posted...

Is the language barrier a big issue?

depends on the country and whether or not you are in a rural vs urban area.

Don't go to north britain
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depends on country.

some countries have high amount of english speakers (not just UK).
others about 33%.

english language skills are growing, and younger people probably know it better.
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Cj_WlLL_VVlN posted...

I had a fairly tough time in parts. Like in Liverpool they speak a language almost like English but with their without moving their tongue and lips pulled out from both corners.

And in galway some of the old people sounded like my grand PA which I can only describe as mumbling, drunken slur.

The problem was when I asked if they could speak English they seemed like they were insisting they were.

In Paris they were a bit better. I tried to say something in French and they would say they spoke English.

I had a similar experience on my travels . I met what I could only describe as a tribal people called Geordies and communication with these folk was quite daunting.

They thought I was a dog or cat because they repeatedly called me pet and the women, in some tribal ritual, flash their breasts or backside at you in a declaration of war it seems.

I also went to Dublin where everything is grand but locals were quite sweary. Again communication was sometimes troublesome as they insisted that I was travelling with someone else, as they told me to tell my man something or other. I told them I don't have a man, he's not mine, but they repeated, "your man" until I stopped caring to explain. Great beer though.
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teepan95 posted...

Whereabouts were you planning on going?

I'm taking a little over a month so as much as I can, I'm planning now but the big ones are Spain, France, Germany, and Switzerland.

Bluharvest posted...

They pretty much all speak English. Drop by my house on the way over I have some euros left over you can have

You're in SoCal right blu? Where at?
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Me english nicht verstedt. Lets speak dance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfjHJneVonE
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BalanceLost posted...

Me english nicht verstedt. Lets speak dance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfjHJneVonE

Europe is such a beautiful place.

CiIantro posted...

Europe is such a beautiful place.

I expect TC to perform this dance on the streets ;)
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Fishy posted...

teepan95 posted...

Whereabouts were you planning on going?

I'm taking a little over a month so as much as I can, I'm planning now but the big ones are Spain, France, Germany, and Switzerland.

Bluharvest posted...

They pretty much all speak English. Drop by my house on the way over I have some euros left over you can have

You're in SoCal right blu? Where at?

Let me know if you're in SW Germany :)
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They speak decent English in the UK. But they have a weird accent.
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Yeah pretty much just depends where. Scandinavia, almost everyone speaks it except for immigrants. I've only been to Berlin in Germany (so far!) but everyone there spoke it except for immigrants and some older people who likely grew up in East Germany.

Also hit up the Netherlands too. Don't miss Amsterdam by any means.
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RebelElite791 posted...

Also hit up the Netherlands too. Don't miss Amsterdam by any means.

Really depends on the time I have. Trains aren't super fast (and apparently I have to pay a reservation fee for high-speed rails still) so I'm starting to realize just how short 35 days really is.
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Not an issue at all if you are sticking to touristy stuff and major cities.

If you travel to some remote quiet villages then you might struggle.

I'm trying to get a healthy mix of both.
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Europe = 1 country where everything is the same everywhere
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boxington posted...

the only place that I went to where only knowing English was an issue was in France.

other places (Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain) had English on their signs that helped out a lot

Where in Belgium did you see English signs? Maybe a few in Brussels or Antwerp, but I can tell you 99% of signs here are either in Dutch or French
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Sativa_Rose posted...

Europe = 1 country where everything is the same everywhere

TC neither said nor implied that?
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All the Nordic countries speak English, you should be good for Berlin and Amsterdam. I'd personally recommend Ireland (it is really beautiful) and Vienna (Austria in general is wonderful). Europe is a really beautiful place in general, lots of culture and amazing sites/places to visit.
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fusespliff posted...

boxington posted...

the only place that I went to where only knowing English was an issue was in France.

other places (Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain) had English on their signs that helped out a lot

Where in Belgium did you see English signs? Maybe a few in Brussels or Antwerp, but I can tell you 99% of signs here are either in Dutch or French

you're right, I forgot since a lot of my family lives there so it was easy to navigate.

I'd forgotten since we didn't have to rely on any signs.
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Yeah I live next door to noble
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Like literally next door because that would be crazy.
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Yeah we gotta stick together. I go over and we play bridge every thursday
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You know I'm not sure if I believe you. Where at?
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Europeans think they're better than Americans.
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The sunny bit
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Tell me where so I can come trick or treat dammit.
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Any more tips? Generally any information or suggestions is great, not even about the questions in the OP.
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In tourist trap places look out for scammers etc.
Don't talk to people that try to initiate conversation with you, don't ever let them shake you by the hand or put anything into your hands. They'll try to make you pay for it.
Doesn't really happen in normal places though.
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- don't assume every country in europe takes euros. some countries like poland or czech republic have their own currency. but it's good to have a bunch with you

- you'll be absolutely fine speaking english if you stick to cities, but would be cool to learn the very basics (e.g. hello, thank you, goodbye, very good) in the country's language. it's a small thing but they'll appreciate it, especially from an american

- definitely hit up berlin, rome and amsterdam if you had to pick three places in europe. try and stay here for a few days

- railways depend per country (e.g. britain is generally slow, expensive and unreliable) but generally it's easy to get around with interrail. just plan in advance

- there's a saying that the more east in europe you travel, the more angry/stern the people or something >.>

- if you're around london hit me up
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Trust no one. Also, make it known you are an American, and therefore superior to Europeans.
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Yeah don't try to do Berlin for less than like 3 days. It's a sprawling city.
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Might have issues in France. They understand English but most of the natives refuse to speak it from my experience. :/

Italy could prove difficult too, they traditionally only speak and understand Italian.
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Ilishe posted...

Might have issues in France. They understand English but most of the natives refuse to speak it from my experience. :/

yeah thats super annoying. they can speak english but only if you force them into it
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Netherlands is extremely English friendly. They're forced to learn 4 languages in school, and English is one of them. They also are into American media and stuff. And it's one of the top European countries to visit anyway.

Most of former west Germany will be English friendly. Not everybody can speak it, but quite a lot of people can in the big cities.

And obviously, you got the British isles. Though the accents aren't easy if you go into the countryside. And like everyone else said, France can be a bitch. They just don't like the English people/language, or Americans either. Most other countries, even if there are not a ton of English speakers, you'll often be able to find some type of friendly help. Just realize that a lot of Europe thrives on that American tourist dollar - you're kind of a nuisance but it is seen as a fact of life that you're part of their economy at this point.
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If you are going to common tourist areas then you should have no problem.
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I went to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy, and the language barrier was never an issue. Most people speak English well enough to communicate with foreigners.
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Hey posted...

If you are going to common tourist areas then you should have no problem.

I'm definitely hitting a lot of the big cities but I'm also wanting to get away from the big touristy stuff. I'm planning on going to places like Cuena, Spain and Cinque Terre, Italy and hopefully hike a bit in the Alps.
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masticatingman posted...

Netherlands is extremely English friendly. They're forced to learn 4 languages in school, and English is one of them. They also are into American media and stuff. And it's one of the top European countries to visit anyway.

and dutch is a very funny language @NeoBowser
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Parappa09 posted...

- if you're around london hit me up

Only if you're up for a "The World's End" style golden mile pub crawl.
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Parappa09 posted...

masticatingman posted...

Netherlands is extremely English friendly. They're forced to learn 4 languages in school, and English is one of them. They also are into American media and stuff. And it's one of the top European countries to visit anyway.

and dutch is a very funny language @NeoBowser

Klootzak
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