Spanish is one of the languages with the most native speakers in the world - it's spoken not only in Spain but in Mexico and over most of Central and South America. That's already a good enough reason to learn it. But if you also consider that by learning Spanish you're enriching your knowledge of the world and the Hispanic culture both in Europe and in America, then you've hit the jackpot.

On the other hand, learning Spanish, like any foreign language, requires patience, perseverance and hard work. It's no easy job, and lots of would-be Spanish speakers fall by the wayside after making the initial effort and then running out of motivation.

One sure way of keeping up that motivation after the initial learning phase is by going abroad to study the language. One of the great advantages of traveling to Spanish-speaking countries to continue with your language studies is that so many of them offer such great vacation opportunities to mix in with your studies.

Why Travel?

So why do I think traveling and studying abroad is such a good way to improve your Spanish language skills? The first reason is that traveling is a great relaxer - you can get away from your everyday stresses and enjoy your free time discovering new places, new sights and new people. And a relaxed person learns better and can focus more easily on his or her classes. It also provides a spur to your motivation at a time when it might otherwise be flagging.

Traveling and studying abroad also gives you the opportunity to practice all the vocabulary and structures you have learned in a class setting. You can go to see a film, watch TV, or simply chat with some of the locals. In this way you're practicing your listening and speaking skills. And at the same time you're getting to know the way of life and culture of a different people, whether you're in Spain, Mexico, Chile, Argentina or any other Spanish-speaking country.

But this is only beneficial if you've reached a certain level - it's definitely not for beginners. Because in order to benefit from the language being spoken around you, you need to be able to understand at least a little of it. If you understand nothing, and cannot make yourself understood, then you can't take advantage of the immersion learning setting and you'd probably learn just as much at home. In fact, it could even discourage you to such an extent that you lose your motivation to continue studying.

Where to Enroll

But, if you've reached a post-elementary level in Spanish , and you're looking for a great vacation idea, just check out the schools offering Spanish classes abroad. I would recommend thinking first about where you would like to go (country and city) and then make a search on Google by typing in "Spanish school in ...". But one word of advice - try to avoid the absolute tourist cities and towns, for example Cancun. If you go to a place like that you'll find more people speaking English than Spanish!

You'll have no trouble finding great schools in Spain or in any of the Spanish-American countries. When you've narrowed down your choice to one or two schools, just run another search on Google, using the name of the school, and see what people are saying about the school. There, how about that for a great way to have a fantastic holiday, maintain your motivation for learning the language - and improving your Spanish, all at the same time?