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How Long Does It REALLY Take to Learn French?

by admin July 5, 2021
How long does it take to learn French? A guide to how I learned basic French

When I first began learning French as a second language, I had one burning question on my mind. How long does it really take to learn French?

It seems this is a common question. After all, it’s totally normal to wonder how long it’ll take before you start seeing returns on your time investment. It’s difficult to dedicate many hours of learning a new language, especially when we all want to see quick results as a reward for our hard work.

Honestly, humans aren’t so great with uncertainty, and it’d be nice if we could predict with certainty how long it would take to learn French.

However, as with most skills, it’s difficult to answer how long it’ll take for you. After all, what does “learning French” really mean to you? Would you like to know the core basics so that you can get around France while knowing how to ask where the toilets are en français? Are you looking to be conversational, so that you can easily have conversations in French with friends? Do you need to converse in French for business meetings or business trips? Perhaps fluency is your eventual goal, either because you’re looking to emigrate or simply because you have a passion for linguistics.

The most important thing to first define is your level of “done.” When will you know if you’ve “learned French”? Only you can say, based upon the goal that you’ve set for yourself.

Pour moi, my goal was to learn the absolute basics, so that I could take a trip to France with confidence in my ability to speak the language as a beginner. Here in this post, I’ll share with you how long it took to learn beginner French.

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July 5, 2021 0 comment
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How to Use Google Maps to Plan Your Vacation

by admin September 22, 2019September 21, 2019
How to Use Google Maps to Plan Your Vacation

Picture this. You’re walking around in a new city for hours upon hours. Feet tired and stomach grumbling, you wonder where you can grab a bite to eat. You browse online for a few moments, before tiring from decision fatigue and end up stumbling into a fast-casual place with mediocre food.

I’m sure that in some cities, you can wander into any ‘ol restaurant and get the best food of your life. But the point is, it doesn’t need to be this way. There is a better way. There is a less risky way.

Now imagine: you’re walking around in a new city for hours upon hours. Your stomach lets out a soft rumble, and you pull out your phone to a conveniently mapped out application, filled with pin-drops of places you’d like to eat. Magically, you can also use this application to give you directions towards this saved location, at your command.

Ahhhhh. Now that’s more like it.

This, too, can be your reality if you use Google Maps to plan your vacations. Read along, and I’ll show you how it’s done.

 

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September 22, 2019September 21, 2019 0 comment
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Lost the Excitement for Your Travel Goal? 5 Q’s to Re-Ignite the Spark

by admin March 22, 2019September 29, 2019
Lost the Excitement for Your Travel Goal? 5 Q’s to Re-Ignite the Spark

Staying focused on a goal: it’s a struggle.

Anyone who has formed a goal will know that the carefully crafted plan doesn’t always go “according to plan.” With any goal, it becomes more and more difficult to stay focused when the initial rush of creating the goal has faded.

But let’s face it: when it comes to travel goals – particularly goals that will require a lot of time & savings – it’s important to remain consistent with your daily efforts.

One of the best ways to stay focused? Get excited. After all, when we’re excited by the potential of achieving something, putting in the work towards the goal doesn’t feel as much like a miserable slog.

If you’re not feeling excited about your goal, or the initial motivation has faded, it’s time to re-ignite that spark. Here are five questions to ask yourself if you feel like you’ve lost that lovin’ feelin’ towards your goal.

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March 22, 2019September 29, 2019 0 comment
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9 Tips for Cutting Back on Impulse Purchases

by admin March 1, 2019February 22, 2019
Woman hiking

… so you can actually start saving for your dream vacation!

As I mentioned in a previous post, saving money for travel doesn’t need to be hard. Don’t get me wrong, though. Just because it’s simple, doesn’t mean it’s easy.

When you’re constantly tempted by the call of impulse purchasing, your well-meaning plan can go off the rails in a heartbeat. Goodbye, vacation to Japan. Try again next month…

Since I know first-hand how difficult it can be to avoid impulse buys, I’m sharing 9 tips to help you make future purchases more mindfully. With these things in mind, I’ve found it easier to save money for travel and avoid unnecessary purchases.

 

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March 1, 2019February 22, 2019 0 comment
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The Do’s and Don’ts of Saving Money to Travel

by admin February 22, 2019March 24, 2019
Silhouette of girl enjoying Hawaiian sunset in Honolulu
“Saving money to travel is hard.”
“I’ll never be able to save enough to take that dream vacation…”

Does this sound familiar to you? It definitely does for me.

I’ve spent the last couple of years learning the in’s and out’s of personal finance, and how to save money while covering all the financial responsibilities that come with adulthood.

Somewhere along the way, I’ve learned that it doesn’t need to be hard. It can be simple to save money towards your travel goal, with a few shifts in thinking and a solid game plan. If you’re currently struggling to save for your travel goals, here is my ultimate list of Do’s and Don’ts for saving money. I hope these tips will be as helpful to you as they have been to me.

 

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February 22, 2019March 24, 2019 0 comment
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When the Trip is Over… AKA How to Return to “Real Life”

by admin February 12, 2019July 3, 2021
When the Vacation is Over... How to Cope with the Post-Travel Blues

I have a bad habit of crying on airplanes. Not the hysterical kind of crying that you’d see from someone who’s convinced the plane is about to crash. These tears are more like the silent type – you know, the type that dramatically rolls down your cheek in slow-motion. If my life was a movie, this is a scene that would be filmed in contrasty black and white, accompanied by a lilting violin instrumental to really punctuate the dramaticism.

Alas, my life is not a movie and the only background noise is the plane’s engine roaring at take-off. As the plane lifts higher and higher into the sky, I get hit more and more by the realization that inspired the tears in the first place…

 

“Crap, I have to go back to real life now.”

 

Who else knows that feeling? I think we all get hit with a case of post-vacation blues, whether it’s only a subtle feeling of, “Sucks that it’s over” or absolute dread of returning to routine.

Here are the ways I cope with the post-vacation blues. I hope this post helps anyone else who is currently experiencing that unmistakable “back to reality” sadness.

 

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February 12, 2019July 3, 2021 2 comments
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Hey there - I'm Liz!

A blogger and photographer obsessed with wandering, soaking up new experiences, and capturing memories. Thanks for stopping by!

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  • Where to Find the Best Lunch in Downtown LA

  • How Long Does It REALLY Take to Learn French?

  • The 9 Best Weekend Trips from Los Angeles

  • One Day in Brooklyn: Where to Eat and What To Do

  • Foodie Tested, Foodie Approved: Old San Luis BBQ Company

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