Traveling abroad should be a passport to new food, new friends and new perspectives. But for many Americans, traveling abroad is not in the cards. A new survey from human-led language learning platform Preply of over 1,500 U.S. adults found that 42-percent of Americans have never been abroad before, and over half of those (25-percent) say they don’t ever plan to.
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Nearly four in ten (39-percent) Americans plan to travel abroad this year, but a significant number will only go so far. The reason? Language anxiety. Almost a third of those surveyed (32-percent) deliberately pick destinations where English is widely spoken, limiting themselves to more familiar experiences (and consequently missing out on deeper cultural connections).
Eight in ten of the survey respondents agreed that it’s important to learn a few words before traveling, but only 58-percent actually do. Many wait until the last minute, as 40-percent admit to cramming phrases at the airport or on the plane, while just a quarter take the time to prepare months in advance.
That hesitation shows up in other ways too. One in six travelers (17-percent) admit to eating American-style fast food abroad to dodge the awkwardness of ordering in another language. And when it comes to the most intimidating destinations, Asia dominates: China tops the list (37-percent), followed by Japan (34-percent), South Korea (23-percent) and Thailand (13-percent). For English speakers, tonal languages and non-Latin scripts can feel like steep hurdles.
Still, the Americans who do try to learn the language see clear benefits. Over half (54-percent) say it helps with navigation, while nearly half (49-percent) credit it with smoother logistics—from ordering food to handling emergencies. Just as importantly, 49-percent say it leads to richer experiences, from chatting with locals at markets to catching cultural nuances tourists might otherwise miss.
While fear of stumbling over foreign words keeps many Americans close to the comfort of English, the rewards of pushing past that barrier are clear. A little prep—whether it’s practicing greetings, ordering food or simply embracing mistakes—can turn a trip from sightseeing into something much more memorable.