What is the Best Language Learning App for Travelers?

If you are planning on traveling to another country and want to be able to communicate with locals, Babbel is the best language learning app on the market. Bonus tip: Babbel isn’t just an app! You can also learn a new language on your computer!

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About Babbel

Babbel’s goal is to have you speaking a new language as quickly as possible. This stands out from other apps who have goals of teaching a language that you can read but may not be able to speak or listen to. As travelers, we know how important communicating is in other countries, so why not use a language learning app specifically for that?

They are able to accomplish this with their three goals:

1. Learn through conversation

Babbel encourages learning phrases over words. These phrases can be used in different scenarios and help you learn how to actually converse much quicker than trying to piece together words that you’ve learned independently of each other.

2. Long-term retention

Part of the app is a Review section with six different stages. As you learn phrases in your lessons, you’ll gradually review them until they enter stage six – long-term memory. You are able to view which phrases are in which stage to keep you up to date!

3. Designed with you in mind

As you progress through your lessons, Babbel picks up on your language learning style and will personalize your learning path.

Why is Babbel’s Language Learning App the Best for Travelers?

You Set Your Weekly Goal

Every week you have the chance to set your new goal. Do you want to do 15 minutes of Babbel each day? 30 minutes? Maybe even an hour? It’s all up to you.

Rather than setting your language learning goal at the very beginning of your journey, Babbel repeatedly makes you set it. Which is genius! It’s an extra accountability step to remind you of your intention.

Lessons are Simple but Repetitive for Retention

Take a look at the following phrase, “En junio trabajé.” You will go through a minimum of 3 different steps in one lesson to help you remember it.

Each Lesson Contains a Dialogue Section

You’re learning a language to be able to speak with others so take advantage of the dialogue part! Genuinely listen to how the native speakers are pronouncing words and interacting with each other. More often than not, you may learn a phrase or word you haven’t heard before through context alone.

Pro Tip: When you complete the dialogue, always press “Listen to dialogue” before “Continue.” The more you listen, the faster you learn.

Conjugate, Conjugate, Conjugate

Just like in English, every verb is going to conjugate based on who is doing the action and when they are doing it. And learning which ending to use based on the situation is incredibly important.

Babbel does a great job of covering conjugations to make sure you can recall the correct form no matter which verb you are using in your sentence.

They also offer hints (as seen below in the pictures) if you are struggling. You won’t be left on your own to just figure it out.

How to get the most out of using the Babbel App

Learning a new language is difficult and can be frustrating at times. However, here are a few helpful tips when using Babbel to help smooth out the process.

ALWAYS listen.

Don’t do your lessons without sound. Listening is how you learned your first language and is arguably the most important part of learning your second. Keep the volume up and listen to the pronunciations and flow of the language.

ALWAYS speak.

Don’t turn your microphone off unless absolutely necessary. If you want to communicate with others, you have to be able to speak. Don’t be afraid of messing up or not nailing the accent, it’s part of the process and people will appreciate you trying.

Shift your brain from English to the language you are learning.

This tip sounds weird but can skyrocket your language learning process. Rather than trying to automatically translate everything you hear into English, just listen to the new language and imagine doing/seeing the action.

When you learned English as a child you learned by hearing a word that you didn’t understand and then someone showing you that object or acting out the verb. Try to imitate this with your new language. Take the phrase you hear as it is and identify it with an object/action rather than identifying it with words in your native language.

A prime example that most people already do and may not realize is a simple greeting. When someone says “Hola,” you most likely don’t translate that to “Hello” and then respond. You know without thought that the word is a greeting.

Practice conjugating verbs.

Babbel will walk you through conjugating a few verbs but you need to take it a step further. Think of a few other verbs you learned and try to conjugate them on your own. This helps you recall conjugations easily when speaking instead of struggling with a conjugation in the middle of your sentence.

Ready to get started with Babbel?

There’s More Than Just Lessons in the App

While the lessons are important, Babbel offers so many other ways to learn that you should take advantage of.

PODCASTS/AUDIO

Thesen are great for learning on the go. As travelers, you probably spend lots of time in cars and on airplanes. This is the perfect time to listen to a story or podcast Babel has created just for you!

Pro Tip: Download these before starting your travels!

BABBEL LIVE SESSIONS

Babbel’s live sessions are, without a doubt, the scariest thing you can do. But you need to do them as a traveler. And trust me, they’re not as scary as you think.

No matter which level you are at on this language learning app, there will be lots of live options throughout the week for you. You can choose which topic(s) interest you the most; such as food, social media, movies, and so much more!

The live sessions are all immersive – meaning they will be 100% in the language you are learning – and on Zoom. Your instructor will have a slideshow she teaches from and will speak a lot. Remember, it is okay to not understand everything! Just listen for the phrases you know and gather as much as you can from context.

Your instructor will call on you to answer questions or read the slides. Most likely, you’ll be nervous, and that’s okay! Do your best and know that the instructors are there to help you through it all. (Plus, everyone has been in your shoes in that class and they get it.)

Pro Tip: If you are nervous, take a live session at a level you have already completed. As you get more comfortable you can begin taking live sessions at your current level.

GAMES

As of July 2023, Babbel offers three games that aid in your language journey. Try them out and see if any help!

– Phrase Maze

Phrase Maze is an old-fashioned arcade-style game where you go through a maze putting together sentences in the language you’re studying to save someone.

– Word Trax

Word Trax is a spelling game in which you have to repair the train tracks by spelling words correctly before the train runs off course. You can choose your difficulty level in this game which is nice.

– Sink or Spell

Another spelling game is Sink or Spell. You have to spell words correctly before the boat runs of out gas. This one has multiple layers because it involves listening to the word you need to spell. This just makes it even better in my opinion.

You also get to choose which topic you want to cover, such as animals or the body.

BABBEL MAGAZINE

Lastly, if you love learning and want to learn more about the language you are studying, check out Babbel Magazine. All the articles appear to be in your native language and cover a broad range of topics – even which TikTok accounts to follow if you’re learning Spanish!

Babbel Pricing

With all of this value, you’d think Babbel will cost you a fortune. But in reality, it is incredibly affordable! Plus you can get 60% OFF on your subscription here!

Below are the prices WITH the discount applied.

1 month: $14.95/mo
3 months: $12.65/mo
12 months: $6.65/mo
Lifetime (all languages): $239 total

Is Babbel Worth it?

I used Babbel everyday for one month and can already recall phrases and speak confidently with the subjects I’ve learned about. As a traveler, being able to converse with natives in their home country is very important and this app has been a huge help.

My husband and I love Latin and South America and being able to speak Spanish there has enhanced our traveling experience. People are kinder when you speak their language and will tell you about hidden gems that most tourists won’t know about (MY FAVORITE PERK!)

If you want to learn a language, Babbel is 100% worth it! Take advantage of everything that comes with the app and stay consistent. You’ll get there.