Everyone is focused on being fluent. Just be friendly, learn please and thank you in their language. They don't expect you to be fluent, they expect you to spend your money. With kids, it isn't about one-upping each other about how fluent you are, it's about showing your children something different and learning how to appreciate not only their country, but yours, as well. Our teens, while they love to see other countries, always appreciate the USA a little more when they get home. For starters, being served a big class of ice water for free in restaurants, lol. It's about expanding your comfort zone.

Anonymous wrote:Be aware that the Nordic countries are VERY expensive. We just returned from Iceland. Eye popping prices. It's the 8th most expensive country on the planet. Iceland is not on the Euro, it uses the Icelandic Krona. Pretty well set up for tourists who speak English, though. Every sign is in Icelandic. If you go, book a Classic Golden Circle tour. Worth every penny.

Ireland is fun. Common language, well set up for tourists. Cheap to get there, but more expensive because it's an island. But so much to see, and they are used to Americans. I would suggest this as a first choice.

Our teens loved Barcelona and Split, Croatia. Croatia has fantastic beaches.

Portugal is very nice, too. California weather with palm trees. World-class beaches. Affordable. You can get a glass of red wine for $2. I'd say 50/50 on people speaking English vs no English (Portuguese only), but you can get by. The people are sweet.

And in several such surveys where Iceland is 8th the US is classified as the 9th most expensive, so travel between the two shouldn’t be a huge shock

I like the idea of heading to a country that uses a language your children are studying in school. It is very motivating for them to see how useful a second language can be.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread makes me sad. I get that you adults can't speak another language (but obviously try). But why would you want that for your kids? They aren't studying another language in school? You are ensuring that they are just like you.

I'm a European who speaks 2 languages fluently + 2 more less than fluently, but this idea that one should learn the language before travelling to another country something I've only encountered in the US, not in Europe. Which is amusing, considering Americans are much less likely than an average European to speak another language.
Travelling to a foreign country is such a commonplace thing, that it's just not realistic (nor necessary) to take a language course every time.

To answer OP's question, you'll be fine getting by with English pretty much anywhere in Europe, but Scandinavia and Netherlands stand out as places where pretty much everyone speaks English on an impressive level.

This…Whereas to many Americans traveling to a different European country is a rare occurrence to save and prepare for, to 100s millions of others its a random long weekend. The average Brit,Spaniard or German wouldn’t dream of wasting time studying Polish or Hungarian for a one off weekend in Budapest or Gdańsk. Instead they will default to English as the international of travel and get around just fine.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Literally anywhere in Europe is fine. A lot of people speak english, and if not, you have google translate. And if that doesn't work, a big smile, pointing, some charades, etc works. Learning to communicate across languages and cultures is a wonderful experience!

Literally anywhere in the world..

No.

Most Chinese natives do not speak English. It was hard for me in Armenia, since all sign were in Cyrillic alphabet. But capitals in Europe are a breeze (as is using Google Translate —but you do have to download the particular language packet onto your phone).

(Mind you, older people and those in rural areas are less likely to speak English—even in Europe).

Sorry, correction, Armenians have their own alphabet. (Which made street signs very challenging).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Literally anywhere in Europe is fine. A lot of people speak english, and if not, you have google translate. And if that doesn't work, a big smile, pointing, some charades, etc works. Learning to communicate across languages and cultures is a wonderful experience!

Literally anywhere in the world..

No.

Most Chinese natives do not speak English. It was hard for me in Armenia, since all sign were in Cyrillic alphabet. But capitals in Europe are a breeze (as is using Google Translate —but you do have to download the particular language packet onto your phone).

(Mind you, older people and those in rural areas are less likely to speak English—even in Europe).

Be aware that the Nordic countries are VERY expensive. We just returned from Iceland. Eye popping prices. It's the 8th most expensive country on the planet. Iceland is not on the Euro, it uses the Icelandic Krona. Pretty well set up for tourists who speak English, though. Every sign is in Icelandic. If you go, book a Classic Golden Circle tour. Worth every penny.

Ireland is fun. Common language, well set up for tourists. Cheap to get there, but more expensive because it's an island. But so much to see, and they are used to Americans. I would suggest this as a first choice.

Our teens loved Barcelona and Split, Croatia. Croatia has fantastic beaches.

Portugal is very nice, too. California weather with palm trees. World-class beaches. Affordable. You can get a glass of red wine for $2. I'd say 50/50 on people speaking English vs no English (Portuguese only), but you can get by. The people are sweet.

People in any Scandinavian country (such as Norway) speak beautiful English.

If you stick to famous tourist places, you will be fine. If you are nervous, take tours or confirm your hotel staff speak English. Remember, their livelihood depends upon being able to communicate with people like you.

As a courtesy, you and your children should always learn a handful of phrases (like hello, please, thank you, “where is”). That is so easy to do online, via YouTube, etc.

Just choose countries that look amazing to you (Swiss Alps, Eiffel Tower, Tuscany, Italy). It is great that you have opened this door!

I agree with all of the other posters who said that you wont have a problem in any major city in Europe. And you'll also manage just fine as an English speaker in smaller cities, towns, and villages, even if not all of the locals speak English.

With that said, we were in Portugal this spring and we were struck by how fluently most people spoke English. So, if you are looking for specific city recommendations, try Lisbon and Porto.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When people say “use Google translate”, how do you do that exactly? Like type the English into your phone and then hold up the translation for the person to read? Or do you attempt to pronounce it?

You need to download the app from the app store if it's not on your phone already. After doing that, watch some YouTube videos that explain how to use it

You can download the full "language pack" in the app before you go, so if you are out and about without data coverage, it will still work. It's really a pretty incredible app.

Anonymous wrote:When people say “use Google translate”, how do you do that exactly? Like type the English into your phone and then hold up the translation for the person to read? Or do you attempt to pronounce it?

You need to download the app from the app store if it's not on your phone already. After doing that, watch some YouTube videos that explain how to use it

Anonymous wrote:Literally anywhere in Europe is fine. A lot of people speak english, and if not, you have google translate. And if that doesn't work, a big smile, pointing, some charades, etc works. Learning to communicate across languages and cultures is a wonderful experience!

\\

Yes. This. Also, when I tried to use my Spanish in Spain they wouldn't hear of it.

Anonymous wrote:This thread makes me sad. I get that you adults can't speak another language (but obviously try). But why would you want that for your kids? They aren't studying another language in school? You are ensuring that they are just like you.

I'm a European who speaks 2 languages fluently + 2 more less than fluently, but this idea that one should learn the language before travelling to another country something I've only encountered in the US, not in Europe. Which is amusing, considering Americans are much less likely than an average European to speak another language.
Travelling to a foreign country is such a commonplace thing, that it's just not realistic (nor necessary) to take a language course every time.

To answer OP's question, you'll be fine getting by with English pretty much anywhere in Europe, but Scandinavia and Netherlands stand out as places where pretty much everyone speaks English on an impressive level.

Anonymous wrote:This thread makes me sad. I get that you adults can't speak another language (but obviously try). But why would you want that for your kids? They aren't studying another language in school? You are ensuring that they are just like you.

List the languages you speak.

Do you postpone going to Kenya or Thailand or Nepal until you are fluent in local languages?

Even if the OP's kids learn Spanish to a high level, that's not going to be any more help in those countries.