You are on a Europe tour, and you walk into a restaurant in Belgrade and try placing an order for a double espresso with milk and a sandwich, in English. But the person taking your order looks a tad bewildered. You resort to hand gestures to make yourself understood, and end up with the wrong dish somehow. Sounds familiar? This is fairly common, as some of Europe's most popular tourist destinations have the least proficient English speakers. Language barriers are becoming a major travel obstacle.
Studies have shown that language limitations influence travellers' choices regarding where to go. If you're planning a trip to Europe, it's a good idea to know where you'll be most understood, and which countries require basic local language proficiency and a translation app. So you can move around and communicate effortlessly. Here's some help.