10 Conversations to Rehearse Before Your Next Trip

Memorizing a phrasebook and actually saying the words are two different things. Before your next trip, practice speaking the conversations you’ll really have — out loud — so they come out when it counts. Here are ten worth rehearsing.

The 10 to drill

1. Ordering at a café or restaurant (and asking what’s good).
2. Checking into your hotel (and fixing a problem with the room).
3. Asking for directions — and understanding the answer.
4. Buying a ticket for the train, bus, or museum.
5. Shopping — prices, sizes, “do you have this in…?”
6. Small talk with a local — where you’re from, what you’re doing here.
7. At the pharmacy — describing a simple symptom.
8. Handling a problem — a wrong order, a missed connection.
9. Making a reservation by phone.
10. Saying thank you and goodbye — naturally, not stiffly.

Why rehearsing out loud beats flashcards

Recognizing a phrase isn’t the same as producing it under pressure. Rehearse each scenario as a real back-and-forth — with a partner or an AI tutor that plays the waiter, the receptionist, the local — and you’ll have said it once before you ever land. No travel buddy? Here’s how to practice speaking alone, and a roundup of free ways to practice speaking before you go.

Rehearse your trip out loud — free first conversation, no signup. Start talking →