Get Fluent in Any Language in Just 20 Minutes!
Learn to speak languages without pesky bullshit like comprehension or communication.
Get Fluent in Any Language in Just 20 Minutes! Read More »
fluent in 20 minutes
Flirting in Catalan: Pickup Lines that Are Ridiculously Cliché, Stupid, and Fun
What are the cheesiest things that Catalans say in the pursuit of love/banging?
Flirting in Catalan: Pickup Lines that Are Ridiculously Cliché, Stupid, and Fun Read More »
11 Ways to Fake Fluent American English
Key phrases that can make you sound like an American
11 Ways to Fake Fluent American English Read More »
20 Minutes to Perfect French: The Few Gestures and Noises You Need to Pass as Fluent While Understanding Nothing
Sound just like a perfect French speaker with a few filler words and cultural tidbits.
Learn Just Enough Bosnian Slang to Toast, Gripe, and Propose Marriage
Just enough Bosnian slang to greet people, toast, gripe about life and, why not, propose marriage: a quick, fun guide to everyday informal Bosnian.
Learn Just Enough Bosnian Slang to Toast, Gripe, and Propose Marriage Read More »
Neapolitan in 20 Minutes: Learn Just Enough for Any Conversation in Southern Italy
Learn the basic, funny, and very useful expressions for a bit of partying, complaining, and joking in Neapolitan
Neapolitan in 20 Minutes: Learn Just Enough for Any Conversation in Southern Italy Read More »
Minchia ch’è beddu! 20 Minutes to Feigning Fluent-ish Sicilian
Fake fluent-ish Sicilian in 20 minutes: introduce yourself, order wine (and spleen sandwiches), make a Sicilian toast, and own up to your mistakes.
Minchia ch’è beddu! 20 Minutes to Feigning Fluent-ish Sicilian Read More »
Make Sweet Ljubav in Serbian: Slang for Love Piles, Sex, Consent, and Gossiping About it All
Serbian, Croatian and Bosnian slang for love and sex: sweet nothings, exclamations of pleasure, and phrases for asking about and giving consent.
Fluent Serbian in 20 Minutes — Fake Your Way Through Any Rakija-Soaked Conversation
Effortless, fluent, minimally communicative Serbian with our minimalist language learning method
Fluent Serbian in 20 Minutes — Fake Your Way Through Any Rakija-Soaked Conversation Read More »
The Outstanding Russian Gestures that Should Be Adopted by Everyone
Russian gestures are weird and tell you a lot about the language; don’t attempt to speak it without them!
The Outstanding Russian Gestures that Should Be Adopted by Everyone Read More »
You Can Sound Faux-Fluent in Brazilian Portuguese with Just These 14 Words and Phrases
A minimalist language method for gringões for sounding fluent and aware in Brazil with just a few phrases and gestures
You Can Sound Faux-Fluent in Brazilian Portuguese with Just These 14 Words and Phrases Read More »
What Are the Tackiest French Pickup Lines?
All about the clichéd French equivalents of “Do you come here often?”
What Are the Tackiest French Pickup Lines? Read More »
Brazilians Even Have Their Own Finger Snap: Here’s How to Do it and Why
The Brazilian finger snap (estalo): how to do it, what it means, and why this gesture for ‘hurry up’ or ‘fast’ is never taught in Portuguese class.
Brazilians Even Have Their Own Finger Snap: Here’s How to Do it and Why Read More »
Verlan: French Slang for Sex, Drugs, and, of Course, Complaining
Verlan explained: the French slang that flips words backward, where it came from in the Paris suburbs, and Verlan words for sex, drugs and complaining.
Verlan: French Slang for Sex, Drugs, and, of Course, Complaining Read More »
French Noises: How Do Inanimate Objects Communicate in French?
You can’t speak French without knowing about the sounds that boom, toot, and bop from French stuff.
French Noises: How Do Inanimate Objects Communicate in French? Read More »
“Marry Me, Darling, for I Have Cows!” — Picking Up Girls in a Disappearing Tongue
Galician seems to have a unique obsession with jokey, sex-obsessed pickup lines, somehow involving especially farm stuff.
“Marry Me, Darling, for I Have Cows!” — Picking Up Girls in a Disappearing Tongue Read More »
The 25 Most Important Gestures in Brazilian Portuguese
You can’t speak Portuguese without moving your hands. Brazilians have a grand repertoire of unique gestures; here are the top 25.
The 25 Most Important Gestures in Brazilian Portuguese Read More »
Toasting in Catalan: 7 Key Phrases for Drinking to Wealth, Decorative Catholicism, and Bull Testicles
Catalan is one of the best languages to raise a glass and toast in—here’s what you should say while out drinking in Barcelona and other Catalan lands.
Saying Goodbye in German: Leaving the Party Efficiently
The Germans have an efficient way of leaving the party without making a fuss.
Saying Goodbye in German: Leaving the Party Efficiently Read More »
Our Reviewers’ Picks of Underrated, Useful Travel Gear
Can You Plug All Your Devices into a Single Foreign Socket?
Want enough juice for a USB-C laptop without its charging brick? Want to charge a phone and tablet too? Plus plug in any other electrical device? And use all the weirdly shaped electro-holes in any wall in the world or under a train seat? A universal charger is the answer; we've tried tons and this is our favorite. It can fast-charge phones and laptops with 3 USB-C and 2 USB-A charging ports and it comes with a spare fuse.
Do You Shake, Bump, and Jiggle Everywhere You Roam?
We use our favorite road speaker to animate small parties, indoors or outdoors, anywhere in the world. At just the size of a tall beer can, the Ultimate Ears Boom 4 sounds impressive and has solid bass, especially when placed on a hard surface in the center of the room. We have smaller, even more portable picks (though not as loud) in our review.
Shouldn't You Be Able to Squish Your Water Bottle into a Pocket-Sized Disc?
Having a water bottle that I can fold up flat makes me more motivated to actually use it everywhere I go and to stay hydrated. Hydaway makes the only durable, food-grade silicone (non-BPA, non-plastic) ones we've found.
Can You Roll Your Backpack?
Rolling luggage is great except when you hit trails, metro stairs, or cobblestone streets. Backpacks are fine but who wants to carry them for long? We currently recommend this Osprey model that's a bit pricey but extremely sturdy, full-featured, and has been at my side for years on the road.
Don't Take Up Table Space! Don't Dump Your Stuff on the Floor!
Hang a bag at any café table. Don't take up your hosts' shelf space in the bathroom. Keep your pack off of the floor in a busy hostel. If you have a Heroclip on the strap of a pack, suitcase, carry-on, or purse, you'll use it all the freaking time for all sorts of things.
A Discrete, Portable, Not-at-All-Messy Way to Have Good Lube on Hand?
Good lube can be essential for safer sex, but unfortunately most lube packaging is not road-worthy. One of our sexpert's favorite silicone-based and ultra-body-safe lubes comes in an excellent travel version. In our guide we also detail a few other travel and daily-carry water-based options, as well as how to discuss lube across cultures.
