THE SPANISH INSTITUTE
IMMERSE YOURSELF

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Cultural immersion tours give travelers experiences only locals normally have access to. Unlike other trips, where guests stay in resorts and visit sites, cultural immersion tours facilitate direct contact with the culture of the host country. While salsa dancing in San Diego, travelers and locals find commonalities through shared experiences. These are the meaningful travel moments that promote understanding and, eventually, a better world.

On cultural immersion trips, stay with families and glimpse daily life in the host country. Practice your language skills and be able to communicate with a café owner in Carlsbad. Cultural immersion tours typically run between $2,000-3,000 depending on length and are suitable for people of all ages and fitness levels.

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Language immersion tours are a wonderful way to gain in-depth knowledge of a language, a country, and a culture. Taking classes each day, participating in cultural activities and excursions each evening, chatting with locals during every free moment…it's a linguistic and cultural dream come true! Every time you buy a cup of coffee, every time you haggle with a street vendor, every time you visit a museum or a festival, you'll be learning. You may be surprised how quickly your language skills progress!

Whether you’re a beginning language student looking to jump-start your speaking ability, or you’re a more advanced student looking to develop linguistic and cultural fluency, there’s a program somewhere in the world that’s perfect for you. Choose a language and a region and get started finding it today!

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What to Look For in a Cultural Immersion Tour

Great cultural immersion trips will provide you with ample opportunity to meet and interact with locals and learn culture and tradition directly from those that practice it. Be sure to read what’s included in the cost and past reviews to be sure your money will go towards meaningful education of the host country. Pay attention to who is running the cultural immersion tour and giving the information. Is it a local? Is it an educational guide? Is it a foreigner? If so, does the foreigner have a deep knowledge of the host country? These characteristics will tell you if the cultural immersion tour will be life-changing or simply touching the surface of the culture.

Other things to keep in mind are reading how many meals are covered in the cost, if there’s free time, and what is the maximum number of people allowed per group. Too big a travel group can mean less personalized learning experiences, and not enough free time might give travelers fatigue. How many meals are covered and where they are provided? Locally-owned eatery and homestay meals will likely teach you more about the host country than a large-scale commercial restaurant.

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Average Cultural Immersion Tour Cost & Length

The cost of cultural immersion tours vary significantly depending on activities, accommodation, food and how much level of detailed planning the tour does for guests. Average costs range from $150 up to $450 per day, with tours ranging from one week to up to 23 days. Typically, cultural immersion tours will run you between $2,000-$3,000.

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Packing Tips & Gear Rental

It’s best to pack light for a cultural immersion tour, but be sure to still take culturally and climate-appropriate clothing. Depending on the activities during your tour, you will probably need to pack fitness attire, neat and clean street clothes and professional or semi-formal clothing for dinner or special events. Cultural immersion tours will typically provide any special gear necessary for activities. Comfortable walking shoes are a must.

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Other Tips

The cultural immersion tour company will give specific guidelines for things like visas and money, as these highly depend on the destination. Bring some of your favorite non-perishable snacks from home to eat in between meals, especially in tours where meals are included. If you’re hoping to befriend other participants of the cultural immersion trip, bring a deck of cards or other games for easy icebreakers.

Unless it's a specifically language-focused cultural immersion trip, the tour will most likely not provide dictionaries and books on language and culture. Take these with you for reference and read about the culture as you learn firsthand. This will help you ask questions and engage with activities.

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Qualifications & Training

If you’re planning on taking a language immersion trip, it’s a good idea to have a basic foundation in that language before your departure. Different programs cater to students at different levels of proficiency, so if you’re unsure of whether a specific program is right for you, it’s always a good idea to ask! Program staff should be able to guide you to the level that’s appropriate for your level of experience with the language.

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Activity Risks

There are no particular risks associated with language immersion programs (beyond the occasional headache from studying!). That said, for an immersion trip you’ll want to take the same health and safety precautions that you would for any international trip -- check on your visa and immunization requirements before your departure, and utilize the same street smarts that you would use in any large city in your home country.

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Safety Tips

Language immersion travel is pretty safe! Following the instructions of your program staff, practicing basic etiquette, and being mindful of your surroundings are pretty much the only safety tips you’ll need.

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