Travel ranks among the top three reasons Americans want to learn another language, according to a recent survey from KAYAK, the world's leading travel search engine. One quarter (almost 24%) said they simply feel more comfortable visiting a country where they can speak the local language, while nearly the same (23%) want to avoid the embarrassment of mispronouncing a word.
To help Americans travel like a local while speaking like one too, KAYAK and Babbel are teaming up to launch linGO - a one-stop-shop for travel planning and language learning. Focused on where to go, when to book, and top phrases to consider as restrictions ease (like how to ask for directions or for the check at dinner), linGO pulls together both travel and language hacks to make the most of your next trip.
As more countries open up their borders to travelers, KAYAK data reveals the best time to book an international trip for a good price is five months in advance - more than enough time to get conversational in a new language. And, with international travel searches over the last two months continuing to increase weekly, now is the best time to get that trip on the books.
To help get you started, KAYAK curated travel hacks for its top trending destinations, based on Babbel's most popular languages (Spanish, French and Italian), to provide data-driven pricing insights for flights, stays and rental cars so you can easily plan and budget for your next trip.
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Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, is seeing a 170% increase in search share compared to 2019; the best time to l book your flight is three months in advance
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Consider traveling to Nice, France, in January when median flight prices hover around $472 - a 36% decrease from flight prices in December - and average rental car prices are around only $36 per day!
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Celebrate the holidays in Florence, Italy, where you can snag a stay in December for as little as $133 per night - the cheapest stay of KAYAK's top- trending italian destinations
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Budget conscious travelers looking for an international getaway should consider Cancun, Mexico, where flight prices come in under $500 roundtrip
"KAYAK's survey revealed nearly half of Gen Z (46%) have attempted to learn a language in preparation for an upcoming trip,By teaming up with Babbel, KAYAK is giving travelers access to even more tools to personalize and uplevel their travel experience with language content tailored for transit, dining and connecting with locals."
- Matt Clarke, VP of NA Marketing at KAYAK
When traveling wasn't an option, we still saw that one of the biggest reasons for Americans to learn a new language was preparing to travel," said Julie Hansen, US CEO, Babbel. "This shows that being able to communicate when visiting another country plays a big role in planning a trip. This is why we're partnering up with KAYAK to give travelers the best experience possible, from the time they decide on a destination to the adventures they have in their new language while away.
Nearly half of Americans (46%) revealed that learning a language would positively impact their travel experience by making them more confident when traveling. So, KAYAK and Babbel are giving travelers the extra confidence boost they need by giving away 15 lifetime language subscriptions to Babbel via a holiday sweepstakes. And, three of those lucky few winners will receive the ultimate vacation experience which includes one lifetime subscription to Babbel and a $2,800 gift card to be used for a 7-night vacation to one of KAYAK's top trending destinations.
About KAYAK
KAYAK, part of Booking Holdings (NASDAQ: BKNG), is the world's leading travel search engine. With billions of queries across our platforms, we help people find their perfect flight, stay, rental car, cruise, vacation package. We also support business travelers with KAYAK for Business, our free corporate travel solution and are transforming the in-travel experience with our app and new hotel and accommodation software. For more information, visit www.KAYAK.com.
About Babbel Boilerplate
Babbel is driven by a purpose: Creating mutual understanding through language. This means building an ecosystem of language learning offerings that helps people connect across cultures. Babbel, Babbel Live and Babbel for Business provide users with the most effective solution to be able to communicate with real people, in real situations. The key is a blend of humanity and technology. More than 60,000 lessons across 15 languages are hand-crafted by 180+ linguists, with user behaviours continuously analysed to shape and tweak the learner experience. And it works: Studies with Yale University, City University of New York and Michigan State University prove its effectiveness. From headquarters in Berlin and New York, 750 people from more than 65 nationalities represent all the differences that make humans unique. Babbel is the most profitable language learning app worldwide, with more than 10 million subscriptions sold. For more information, visit www.babbel.com or download the apps in the App Store or Play Store.
About YouGov Methodology
This survey has been conducted using an online interview administered to members of the YouGov Plc panel of individuals who have agreed to take part in surveys. All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1190 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 27th - 28th October 2021. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all US adults (aged 18+).