How much Spanish do you actually need for this trip?
Advice
Booked the Colombia Andean Vistas trip for later this year and pretty nervous about the language barrier tbh. My Spanish is basically zero, can say please, thank you, and order a beer.
The itinerary hits Medellin, Guatape and the Caribbean coast. Is the CEO good at translating during activities or are you kind of on your own during free time? And in Cartagena specifically, is English widely spoken enough to get by in restaurants and shops?
Not looking for someone to hold my hand, just want to know if I should be cramming Duolingo for the next 3 months.
Comment by millie_roams
Zero Spanish and got by fine. The CEO handles all the logistics and translates during activities. In free time in Cartagena and Medellin most tourist-facing restaurants and shops have enough English to manage, and Google Translate covers the rest.
That said, even 10 words of Spanish makes a noticeable difference in how locals respond to you. Duolingo for a few weeks before is worth it not for communication but for the goodwill it generates.