Adventure Traveling Guide

Vietnam     – 16,950 Vietnamese dong to the dollar If capital city Hanoi is too overwhelming, use it as a jumping-off point for exploring the rest of this scenic country. Try the town of Sapa, easily accessible by the Victoria Express train. The Sapa REsort offers the area’s most luxurious accomodations, where rooms with a garden [...]

Mexico – 13.25 Mexican pesos to the dollar Who isn’t looking for a little respite from the cold weather this winter? For U.S. earners looking to stay close to home, head south where you can find a room at even an upscale, exquisitely designed boutique hotel like Playa del Carmen’s Basico for less than $200. [...]

  In our final installment of language immersion, you can learn Chinese in China. The Global Exchange Center offers a traditional Mandarin language program in Beijing that combines class instruction, post-class tutoring and conversation. Students looking for something a little less conventional can elect to stay with a host family in one of a dozen [...]

Where better to learn Russian than in the enchanting city of St. Petersburg? Students of the Derzhavin Institute begin by taking entrance exams that help instructors place them in skill-appropriate classes. Both long- and short-term programs are available, and all immersion students are given an intensely Russian experience. Guests stay in the homes of families [...]

Students of Languages Abroad can choose between five exciting German cities as the site of their immersive language education. All courses combine oral comprehension, writing, reading and speaking with ample opportunity to explore the sights and attractions of the host city. The truly ambitious can enroll in an intensive three-month, three-city program that allows travelers [...]

Want to make pasta along with learning to speak Italian? Cactus Languages offers a number of courses throughout the country that combine foreign-language instruction with cultural enlightenment. In Verona, music fans will learn the correct pronunciation and intonation of operatic lyrics. Mornings of language classes in Florence are followed by afternoons if Italian cooking classes. [...]

For students seeking to experience French language and culture firsthand, the Language Exchange offers immersion programs in both Provence and the French-speaking island of Martinique. Caribbean-bound students can look forward to poolside classes, delicious French cuisine and exciting nightlife. Choose the south of France locale to combine language instruction with trips to local wineries, olive [...]

  Don Quijote operates schools in numerous cities throughout Spain, plus others in 10 Latin American countries. The program’s intensive courses range from one week to a full academic year and features small class sizes and immersive environments. Lessons including reading and analysis of newspaper articles, Spanish telephone conversations and watching Spanish-language films. Classroom time [...]