National Geographic Traveler Review

I just finished reading the Jan/Feb 2010 edition of National Geographic Traveler and found two articles to pass along.

First was an interesting piece comparing different methods for learning a foreign language, a skill I have never quite mastered. Oh, I can stumble along with the typical pleasantries in one or two foreign tongues, but stumble is the best I can do. You don’t have to be out of the country for long to figure out that speaking the local language would come in handy when you travel to a foreign land. According to the article, only nine percent of Americans are bilingual but more than half of Europeans speak two or more languages.

Next was a short piece on surviving an airplane accident. The article, which claims “nearly 96 percent of passengers in U.S. plane crashes survive,” has several tips that can help readers avoid that fatal four percent.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find links to these articles on NatGeo’s website, so you’ll have to grab a copy of the magazine for yourself