Travel to English-Speaking Countries Around the World

Sure, there's Canada, the U.K., and Ireland, but what if these aren't your ideal vacation spots? What if you really want to visit Africa or South America, but you don't have the language known-how to make it a doable option? You might be surprised to find that there are countries on every continent where English is a widely spoken language.

In South America, you can speak all the English you want to in Guyana, and you will more than likely be understood by anyone with whom you are dealing. Of course, you will also have to contend with that whole Jonestown Massacre thing, but if you want to speak English in South America, Guyana is your only on-the-continent destination. The only other English-speaking area of South America is the Falkland Islands, way down south at the tip of Argentina. If you are planning to visit the more populous and popular lands of Argentina, Colombia, or Ecuador, take the time to learn some rudimentary Spanish. If you are going to Brazil, a few words of Portuguese will take you a long way.

There are more countries that count English amongst their spoken languages on the continent of Africa than you might expect. Botswana, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and more all have a surprising number of English-speaking citizens. When it isn't English though, the sheer number of different languages and dialects are intimidating. With over one thousand languages spoken on the continent, it is nearly impossible to traverse Africa with only a few key phrases and a lot of gusto.

Travelers should use the same caution when traveling to Europe. Europe is a pre-eminent destination for tourists from both the United States and Canada. Cities like Paris, Madrid, and Rome call to citizens of the world, but American explorers especially have a tendency to assume that English will be spoken in every major city. While it usually is the case in chief tourist destinations, it shouldn't be expected, and, in many countries of the European Union, jumping into English without at least a greeting in a country's native language will earn you a cold shoulder. Try going in with just the basics for every country you will be visiting on a trip. Hello, please, and thank you in every language you'll be dealing in will be enough to get you friendly service. If you are curious as to just how inaccurate Americans' perception that English is widely spoken in Europe is, here's the tally. Besides England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, the only two countries that consider English a major language is Gibraltar and Malta. While both are perfectly placed to give you awesome views of the Mediterranean, they are both also rather small and not where a tourist is likely to be headed in Europe.

As you probably know, the continental constituents of Australia, often referred to as Oceania, are very high in the English-speaking ranks. Australia, New Zealand, Fiji. Almost any country a traveler might want to visit in the region considers English the first language of the country. The dialect can be thick, so a crash course with Crocodile Dundee couldn't hurt.

The same can be said for the Caribbean and Central America. Also widely-vacationed by nearby Americans, the Caribbean is made up of mostly English-speaking countries. If you are planning a trip to Puerto Rico, Belize, Barbados, The Bahamas, or Jamaica, you are likely to run into English-speaking people for most of your journey.

As for Asia and the Middle East, there are a number of English-speaking countries, but the most important thing to keep in mind is the size of these countries where English is spoken to the size of Asia itself. As a percentage, English is spoken in very small measure. Unless it's India you are planning to visit, you should really do some brushing up on your languages before paying a visit. The following countries have a fairly large number of English-speaking people: India, Jordan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, the Philippines, Pakistan, and Thailand. Keep in mind, though, that English is only extensively used in India. In other countries, English is a secondary language, spoken mostly in larger cities and by only a portion of the population.

As for Antarctica, there are no permanent residents on the continent to do any speaking. However, if you are really into extreme vacationing, ice caps, or love seals enough to want to make the trip, you can find English-speaking cruises that travel down that way. One such program is listed on this site.

While learning a country's language can be one of the most rewarding elements of traveling overseas, many people are turned off by the time investment, or feel helpless to grasp a language which differs so greatly from their native tongue. Put forth the effort to learn another language and you will likely be surprised what you can pick up, but if it feels as if you will never comprehend the vernacular of another culture, don't let a language barrier keep you from seeing the world.