American novelist Jack London once said, “The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.” Living life is doing what truly makes you feel alive and for me that has been the thrill of seeing the world and learning all about its wonderful people and cultures. I have used my time to visit the well-worn something that has been used or done many times tourist trails like Paris and Rome, as well as get off the beaten path to visit a place that is not well-known as other more famous locations in places like East Timor and Brunei. Anywhere I go, I never take for granted to not appreciate the fact that I am lucky to have been born in an English speaking country. As the lingua franca of the world, whenever I travel and wherever I go, I usually find someone who speaks my language. This also includes East Asia.

The reason I bring up Asia is because I absolutely love this part of the world. In my opinion, nowhere else in the world will you be able to find so many colors, sounds and smells in one corner of the world. Your senses are constantly being bombarded to hit you continuously without stopping and navigating through any city in one of the many fascinating countries there truly does make you feel alive. When I’m asked which country is my favorite, it is an impossible question to answer because in my opinion, they’re all equally amazing. Whenever I’m asked for a holiday recommendation, without hesitation, my mind instantly goes east.

Unfortunately, many people tell me that the reason they are afraid to go, or the reason why they haven’t visited Asia before is because they’re afraid they wouldn’t be able to communicate with the locals. Well, I’m here to tell you that this fear is totally unjustified. Sure, you won’t be able to communicate with everyone, but the same holds true for everywhere else, sometimes even in the US. Not only does the average person in Asia spend countless hours learning English from a young age, but places you may have heard of such as India, the Philippines, Guam, Pakistan, Nepal, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Myanmar and Singapore all have a history of British or American occupation. When you take a simple stroll in a given city of one of these places, English can often still be heard on the street.

Now, I know that Thailand gets its fair share of Polish vacationers, many backpackers and aspiring yogis from Warsaw to Wroclaw find their way to Bali at some point, and Japan is on everyone’s bucket listthe goals that you want to accomplish before you die. However, rather than talk about the same places you’ve heard about ad nauseam in a way that happens so much and so often that you become annoyed, I’m here to get you excited for some lesser known places where you’ll be able to use your English. So without further ado, make sure to read next parts of Jimmy’s Adventures and learn Key English Phrases for Travel.

Vocabulary Words: Well-worn, Get off the beaten path, Take for granted, Bombarded, Bucket list, Ad nauseam