Language & Travel Hacking

This week marks 23 years since I first began speaking from day one, and as I celebrate my 44th birthday, I'm reflecting on just how far that simple idea has taken me. Today I can communicate confidently in eight languages, have explored many more, and have travelled to 51 countries, but none of that seemed remotely possible when I was 21. Back then, I spoke only English, struggled through Spanish...

In this episode, I explore the surprising benefits of learning languages in tourist hotspots. While I usually encourage travelers to get off the beaten track, I explain why busy destinations can be great places to find language exchanges, meet fellow language enthusiasts, and practice multiple languages with people from around the world. I also share how events like the World Cup create unique opp...

In this episode, I share why having a terrible memory has never stopped me from learning languages. In fact, I believe it's one of the reasons I've become successful at it. I explain why natural memory isn't the key to fluency and how building the right systems can make all the difference. I talk about the two techniques I rely on most: mnemonics and spaced repetition. I share examples of how I cr...

In this episode, I reflect on conversations at a language exchange event in Guadalajara, where I met learners who were communicating successfully in their target languages but still apologised for their mistakes. One German learner in particular reminded me how often we judge our own abilities far more harshly than others do. I discuss why self-doubt, not mistakes, is usually the biggest barrier t...

In this episode, I share how learning a language can instantly connect you with people wherever you travel. While staying in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, a simple breakfast at a small local café turned into meaningful friendships and conversations that would never have happened without Spanish. I also explain why language is about much more than practical travel skills. Even a basic attempt to speak t...

In this episode, I explain why worrying about learning the “right” dialect is one of the least important problems for language learners. Whether it’s Mexican Spanish, Castilian Spanish, or another regional variation, I argue that beginners should focus far more on building confidence, learning the basics, and actually speaking to people. Drawing on my own experiences with English accents and Spani...

In this episode of the Language and Travel Hacking Podcast, I share a discussion from my language Bootcamp about using AI for language learning while travelling through Mexico. I praise creative uses of AI, such as generating personalised listening exercises and practising vocabulary, but explain why AI chatbots should not replace real conversations with people. While chatbots make speaking feel e...

In this episode, I share a moment I had during a dinner in Monterrey where I suddenly realised I’d stopped consciously thinking about speaking Spanish. Instead of translating or checking my words, I was simply part of the conversation, joking, listening, and reacting naturally. It reminded me that true fluency isn’t about perfection, but about the language becoming an effortless part of you. I als...

In this episode, I talk about my next big travel project as I prepare to head to Mexico for over two months. After recent language missions in Malaysia and Taiwan, I am now focusing on deep travel using Spanish, one of my strongest languages. Rather than chasing new countries, I am continuing my goal of exploring places more thoroughly, aiming to visit around 20 Mexican states by travelling from t...

In this episode, I explore whether it is better to stay in major cities or travel more deeply into lesser-visited places. From my recent time in Taiwan, I reflect on how cities like Taipei make life easier, especially when I do not speak the language fluently, and offer plenty of social events and opportunities to meet people. By contrast, smaller towns can feel more isolating and require much mor...

In this episode, I give an update on my Mandarin progress after spending a month in Taiwan. I explain how I quickly regained enough confidence to handle everyday conversations, although my first social speaking attempt was difficult. After adjusting the situation and speaking with the right people, I began having full evenings of conversation in Mandarin and even made new friends through the langu...

I shared how reactivating my Mandarin has put me in an unusual stage of language learning: I am far beyond beginner level, but still rusty enough that real social situations can feel overwhelming. At one language exchange in Taiwan, I quickly realized the setting itself was working against me. A fast-speaking native speaker with a difficult accent and a highly specific conversation about surfing l...

In this episode, I look back at my first Mandarin project in 2012, which became the most stressful language challenge I had ever faced. I set a public goal of reaching fluency in three months, but the growing attention brought heavy criticism, pressure, and emotional exhaustion. Arriving in Taiwan with no Mandarin also left me isolated, because I could neither rely on English-speaking circles nor...

In this episode, I look back on the final weeks of my journey through Malaysia and Brunei before starting my new adventure in Taipei. Malaysia turned out to be an incredible experience. Thanks to my background in Indonesian, I could quickly adapt to Malay and chat with locals almost everywhere I went. Travelling from Kuala Lumpur through Penang, Ipoh, Malacca and Johor Bahru, and later across Born...

In this episode, I’m announcing a return to one of my core languages: Mandarin. Earlier this year I focused on a short-term project in a brand-new country, but now I’m shifting back to a long-term priority. Mandarin has been on my core list for years, yet it’s the one I’ve neglected most. I first learned it intensively in 2012 when I arrived in Taipei without knowing a single word, eventually reac...

In this episode, I mark my arrival in my 50th country and reflect on what that number really means. After more than two decades of nomadic life, I’ve averaged about two countries per year. Some travellers race through dozens in a short time, while others, like me, move more slowly. I consider whether the goal should be collecting countries or shaping a style of travel that genuinely suits your val...

In this episode of the Language and Travel Hacking podcast, I share how two childhood challenges, hearing issues and speech difficulties, ultimately gave me an advantage as a language learner. Growing up, I rarely understood 100 percent of what I heard, which forced me to get used to guessing, filling in gaps, and tolerating confusion. So when I began learning foreign languages, the beginner stage...

In this episode of the Language and Travel Hacking Podcast, I share how ADHD, something that once made me feel like I was terrible at languages, has actually become one of my greatest strengths as a learner. Although I was only diagnosed as an adult, looking back I can clearly see how distractibility and a constant need for dopamine hits made school language classes a nightmare for me. English, Ir...

In this episode, I’m checking in from Kuala Lumpur to kick off my first language and travel project of the year: using Malay to enrich my experience as I travel through Malaysia. I talk about how closely related Malay and Indonesian are, more like regional varieties than entirely separate languages, which means I can focus on reactivating my Indonesian rather than starting from zero. I share how I...

In this episode, I share an update on my end of year language boost after a very multilingual December. I talk about how I fully reactivated my Irish through local meetups in my hometown, without needing to travel to a major city, and how focused time plus the right books helped refresh the language quickly. I also explain my minimalist approach to language learning materials, including how I keep...

I’m kicking off this episode by checking in from Ireland, where I’ve been doubling down on my Irish through meet-ups, tech immersion, and plenty of telly. This is the first stage of a longer journey that will involve several trips back and forth, all with the aim of finally becoming truly fluent in the language. After Christmas I’ll make my usual pilgrimage to the Esperanto Youth Week in Germany,...

In this episode of the Language and Travel Hacking Podcast , I share how I’m immersing myself in the Irish language even while living in Texas. Since I’ll be heading back to Ireland for a month and a half, I want to rebuild momentum with my Irish studies, and that means using what I call “virtual immersion.” I fill my daily life with Irish as much as possible, no matter where I am. I listen to Iri...

In this episode of the Language and Travel Hacking Podcast , I share my story with the Irish language, from struggling through boring school lessons to finally reconnecting with it as an adult. In the 90s, Irish was taught in a very academic and grammar-heavy way, so despite ten years of “learning,” I could barely say a few phrases after school. Years later, after learning Spanish, Italian, and Fr...

In this episode of the Language and Travel Hacking Podcast , I share a deeply personal and reflective look at my life in the United States and my journey to visiting all 48 contiguous states. I talk about how my fascination with America began through films and TV shows, and how, as a young Irish student, I first arrived in the States on a J-1 visa to work in upstate New York. Over the years, I ret...

In this episode of the Language and Travel Hacking Podcast , I share an update on my current language projects. After wrapping up a major travel project in the U.S., I’ve been refreshing my American Sign Language (ASL). I’ve attended events and meetups across several states, and for the next six weeks, I’ll be in Austin, Texas—home to the Texas School for the Deaf—where I’ll have plenty of chances...