Ready to order coffee without pointing, find the station without panic, and ask for help without freezing? We sat down with language coach David Durham to build a traveler’s toolkit of Spanish you’ll actually use in real life—from warm greetings to confident check requests, from essential directions to emergency phrases that keep you safe.

We start with the why: Spanish connects you across Mexico, Central and South America, Spain, and large parts of the United States. David explains the smartest starting point for most listeners—Latin American Spanish—then unpacks the charming differences you’ll hear in Spain, like gracias vs grathias, so you understand what’s going on without getting lost in rules. You’ll learn how gender shapes adjectives and articles, when to use tú vs usted, and how a single switch from yo quiero to quisiera transforms an order into a kind request that earns better service and more smiles.

From there, we move fast through practical scripts. Introduce yourself with me llamo, keep conversations smooth with lo siento and no entiendo, and navigate confidently with ¿Dónde está…? for the station, market, bank, pharmacy, airport, and, yes, the all-important baño. We cover everyday ordering—un café con leche, agua con gas, helado, pan—plus numbers and time so you can read prices, bargain fairly, and show up on time. Safety gets space too: ayuda and llame a la policía give you clear words when you need them most. Along the way, David shares cultural tips that turn phrases into bridges, reminding us that respect and a simple por favor go a long way.

If you want to go deeper, David’s World to the Wise platform offers video-based French and Spanish courses and curated cultural tours. Come learn the Spanish that opens doors, wins goodwill, and makes travel feel less like guessing and more like belonging. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves to roam, and leave a review telling us the first phrase you’ll try on your next trip.

Please support our show by shopping through Eagle Creek: https://alnk.to/gVNDI6N and/or feel free to donate to:
http://paypal.me/TheROAMies

And it means the world to us when you subscribe, rate and share our podcast.

Alexa and Rory
The ROAMies

Follow us at:
http://www.TheROAMies.com
@The ROAMies: Facebook and Instagram
YouTube and X.