Preparation 'Key' for Travellers

People planning trips to foreign countries have been reminded of the importance of thorough preparation.

Sharron Livingston, editor of thetravelmagazine.net, urged holidaymakers to ensure they are ready for their trip after a survey by TransPerfect found that communication barriers are among the main issues for people heading overseas.

Ms Livingston said that travellers simply 'have to acclimatise', stressing that 'there's no way you can get around it'.

'Preparation is key for when you travel,' she said. 'If you're going to a country where they don't speak your language, you're going to have to make some sort of preparation.

'Taking a list of key words is a very good idea.'

The travel expert pointed out that learning simple phrases such as 'thank you' and 'hello' can make the transition to a foreign culture much easier, while 'how much is that' and 'I want' can come in handy when making purchases.

Ms Livingston also encouraged people to be open-minded when going overseas and to accept that all countries and cultures are different.