A Language Immersion Adventure
by Mary Ann Puglisi

How many times have we thought, "I would love to speak another language?" or, "Wouldn’t it be great to combine a fabulous vacation with learning a new language?"
Planning an out of the ordinary family immersion vacation can be a little daunting. Choosing where to go, given your families’ varied interests, language levels, personalities, and ages, requires exploring and asking the right questions.
What language you want to study is a personal choice. Where you want to travel may not be as simple. For example, there are many wonderful options for studying French—not just France, but also the Caribbean or Canada. For Spanish, you have many options, including Spain, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Central and South America. Sometimes, deciding where to go depends on the interests that you would like to combine with language study, or your preference for seaside, countryside, small town, or large city. A wonderful example of combining personal preference with language immersion would be if your teenaged son or daughter would like to learn to surf and be with other teens, and you would like to work on your Spanish--then you might like the northern coast of Spain near the French border.
Other questions to consider when planning where you want to travel are:
Do you want to live in a host family’s home or would you prefer a bed and breakfast or small hotel?
Do you want private lessons with your host family being your tutor, or do you want a more multicultural experience with other foreign visitors?
What language level are you and your family?
The answer to this would affect the type of housing you choose. This would be best discussed with your travel specialist, as there are many wonderful choices available.
What time of year can you travel?
Summertime offers many opportunities. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and winter break are more limited with regard to what is available. Some wonderful choices are to stay with a host family and immerse your family in the culture and language of the area. Another terrific choice is to take a ski vacation in the French alps and take private French lessons, ski, and enroll your children in a ski program where French is spoken. Again, this would be worth discussing with a travel specialist.
How are host family stays arranged?
Language schools work with agents to find a host family that will suit your needs. Expect to be asked questions that will help with the matchmaking process. Usually, if the match is not working, you can request a change. If your independence and personal space is important to you and your family, a charming apartment, hotel, or bed and breakfast may be a better choice for you.
What kind of climate do you prefer?
If traveling in the summer, you can expect it will be warm in most destinations, unless you go to South America. If you prefer Spain, the northern or southern coast will be the most comfortable in the summer. In many places abroad, screens and air conditioners are not "standard fare." Agents will check on these details when booking your trip.

Advantages of using a travel specialist when planning a language immersion vacation:

- Offer expert advice
- Act as liaison between host family and you.
- They know which destinations will best suit your family’s particular needs, interests, and requirements.
- Most schools do not take credit cards or payment in dollars. Via an agent you have the convenience of paying with a credit card in dollars. The bank transfer to the school will be taken care of by the agent.
- An agent can give advice on which routes and airlines to fly to a given destination and how to best find savings.

Mary Ann Puglisi specializes in language learning travel.