Van Life

[tonyknapp86]

This is my introductory post.
I currently live in Sun Valley Idaho and have recently taken delivery of a 2022 ProMaster 2500 high top 136 wheelbase.
This is a significant improvement on the fabulous 2000 Honda Odyssey in which I have traveled extensively in the United States, Baja and some in mainland Mexico.
I will be building it out myself in a leisurely fashion and head south to Central America in the fall.

 

[frater secessus]

welcome!

 

[user 22017]

Welcome Tony Did you already know Spanish before spending time in Mexico?

 

[tonyknapp86]

No. I learned most of what I know traveling in Mexico.
Do you speak Spanish?

 

[user 22017]

No. I learned most of what I know traveling in Mexico.
Do you speak Spanish?

No. I want to travel Mexico. Curious how difficult it would be not knowing the language.

 

[TooFarGone]

Hi @tonyknapp86! I hope you'll share your van build with us as it progresses.

Happy to hear you had a good time traveling in an Odyssey. I'm hoping my old 2008 Ody will see me through at least a few thousand more miles of highways and byways in the coming months.

 

[tonyknapp86]

No. I learned most of what I know traveling in Mexico.
Do you speak Spanish?

Try watching the videos Spanish with Paul on YouTube. The best teacher I have known in any subject.

 

[kklowell]

I've been married to a Puerto Rican Spanish speaker for 37 years, and have never learned Spanish. Recently, thanks to a post here, I started studying using Duolingo. I've been doing it for 36 days so far, and have learned more than in the aforementioned 37 years. It's free too!

 

[Morgana]

I want to travel Mexico. Curious how difficult it would be not knowing the language

I'm guessing that if you stayed near the border and/or more touristy areas, you'd find a lot of English speakers. But I'd be very curious what more experienced long-term travelers say. And there's a big difference between the Spanish you might need in a best-case scenario and a worst-case scenario.

Near the border (north of and south of), I've had trouble even getting a chance to practice Spanish since so many people speak English.

If you want to learn, there are a ton of online resources, from free to super-expensive.
I'm a big fan of Benny Lewis's "Fluent in 3 Months." His website (https://www.fluentin3months.com/free-online-spanish-language-lessons/) lists a lot of free Spanish lessons; elsewhere on the website there are links to paid resources. His general approach to language learning is really great (he has a book by the same name that I'd recommend a lot).

The major MOOC providers like EdX and Coursera have free Spanish classes.

A couple of modestly priced options that I've enjoyed are
(1)
Bueno Entonces (https://buenoentonces.wordpress.com/our-method/) -- entertaining classes built around a story line that involves a goofy English guy and a hot but very serious Argentinian teacher; some nice easy-to-digest methods for explaining basic grammar.
(2)
Yabla (https://www.yabla.com/) -- takes "real" TV shows and breaks them into short segments with glossaries, transcripts, grammar explanations, etc.

I've used the StudySpanish.com free resources a lot; they have paid classes too.

Transparent Language offers a free email service that will send you one vocabulary word a day in Spanish or any number of other languages
(https://www.transparent.com/language-resources/?link_source=t_footer#wotd)

Some of the paid resources offer a free trial period.

If you have a library card, you may be able to access online resources that way.

If you live near a Spanish-speaking community you might be able to find someone interested in doing an intercambio (you teach them English, they teach you Spanish). I think there are also websites set up to facilitate doing that long-distance.

OK, this is a long way from the point of the original post. I now return you to your previously scheduled programming ... and welcome TonyKnapp86!

 

[WanderingRose]

And, if you are too lazy to try to learn a new language, or your aging brain actively resists steep learning curves, there is always a Translate app, like the one I use on occasion.

Type in one language, it translates to the one of your choice.

And, will even speak it out loud.

 

[AmargosaWayne]

Unless you go way off the beaten path, English will be spoken. They are incentivized to learn American English by your dollars.

One point about learning "Spanish", the language varies from place to place in Latin America.

Back in the nineties, I was learning Spanish for a trip to Colombia from an instructor who was from Mexico. He had some knowledge of local differences, but when I was there, in a place far from Bogota, they used different expressions, and with a different accent. The limited Spanish I had learned was useless, and they were often put off by it, whenever I attempted to use it.

A funny example is the word "mono/mona", in Colombia it is used to indicate someone with light colored hair. I'm in a bank, I was told that "mona" would take care of me. I queried which one of the tellers was Mona. I was asking which person in the group was a blonde. Duh.

Another language example is Quebec, where they speak a dialect of French, as it was spoken in 17th century France. Don't try high school French in Quebec, or Paris.

 

[user 22017]

And, if you are too lazy to try to learn a new language, or your aging brain actively resists steep learning curves, there is always a Translate app, like the one I use on occasion.

Type in one language, it translates to the one of your choice.

And, will even speak it out loud.

What app is that? Have you found it to be pretty accurate?

 

[tonyknapp86]

Hi @tonyknapp86! I hope you'll share your van build with us as it progresses.

Happy to hear you had a good time traveling in an Odyssey. I'm hoping my old 2008 Ody will see me through at least a few thousand more miles of highways and byways in the coming months.

Yes I will post progress.... although at the moment, for a variety of reasons, it's a little slow.
My Odyssey is 2000 and the best vehicle I've ever owned.
The ram ProMaster has big shoes to fill.

 

[tonyknapp86]

Hi @tonyknapp86! I hope you'll share your van build with us as it progresses.

Happy to hear you had a good time traveling in an Odyssey. I'm hoping my old 2008 Ody will see me through at least a few thousand more miles of highways and byways in the coming months.

 

[tonyknapp86]

The day I brought VanTan home.

 

[tonyknapp86]

Oops. Photos didn't load.

 

[WanderingRose]

What app is that? Have you found it to be pretty accurate?

I have one called “Translate”, and have used it a number of times, in conversation and to translate written words.

It hasn’t failed me yet.

Search your App Store for one compatible with your device.

 

[JP-SLC]

This is my introductory post.
I currently live in Sun Valley Idaho and have recently taken delivery of a 2022 ProMaster 2500 high top 136 wheelbase.
This is a significant improvement on the fabulous 2000 Honda Odyssey in which I have traveled extensively in the United States, Baja and some in mainland Mexico.
I will be building it out myself in a leisurely fashion and head south to Central America in the fall.

Welcome and bon voyage!

 

[flaggit]

No. I want to travel Mexico. Curious how difficult it would be not knowing the language.

We do free caravans to Baja every year and I have found that the reception you receive if you TRY to speak Spanish is much warmer!

 

[user 22017]

We do free caravans to Baja every year and I have found that the reception you receive if you TRY to speak Spanish is much warmer!

What month do you leave and where is the "group" located? Sorry for hijacking your thread, Tony.