The 5 best language stays for learning Spanish

Are you seriously considering learning Spanish? What better way than to immerse yourself in a Spanish-speaking country? Discover the 5 best language stays for learning Spanish!

As the second most widely spoken mother tongue in the world, Spanish is one of the most important languages in our society. In addition to Spain, it covers almost the entire South American continent, as well as Central America. It’s an important language for travel in the region, and can also be useful in your professional life.

But what’s the best way to learn Spanish easily? While online language learning has become increasingly popular in recent years, there’s nothing like immersion in a Spanish-speaking country to perfect your Spanish. Generation Voyage has selected the 5 best language stays for you to learn Spanish!

1. Language exchange

Of all the ways to learn Spanish, language exchange is probably the quickest way to make progress. The aim is to find a pen-pal in Spain or another Spanish-speaking country who wants to learn French.

Language exchange offers several advantages. First of all, it’s suitable for everyone (children, teenagers, adults), since the program is adapted to each age group. Secondly, the language exchange can be carried out from home or directly in the country. Of course, we recommend the second option!

If you choose a language exchange in Spain for yourself or your child, a website like Lingoo will help you find a host family or teacher in Spain. You’ll be totally immersed in the country, where Spanish will be your everyday language, from the moment you get up until the moment you go to bed! In just a few weeks, you’ll be able to impress yourself with the progress you’ve made! While we don’t promise you’ll be bilingual in three weeks, you can be sure of achieving a good level.

2. Vacation camps

Summer camps in Spain are an excellent choice for children and teenagers. Although you might not be aware of it, there are many summer camps on offer in neighboring countries. For a few days or weeks, your children will be immersed in a foreign country.

However, you need to be very careful when choosing a summer camp. Just because your children are going to Spain doesn’t mean they’ll be going on a language stay to learn Spanish! In fact, French may remain the only language of communication at the camp.

So how do you choose the right summer camp to learn Spanish? To get the most out of your stay, we recommend that you choose a summer camp with accommodation with a Spanish family. On the one hand, you’ll be closer to a classic language stay, and on the other, you’ll benefit from an organized program – with organized visits and activities – for children and teenagers.

3. The Erasmus program

How do you go about learning Spanish as a student? The Erasmus program is without doubt the best option. First of all, there’s the studious side of the program, with a semester or a whole year at a foreign university. If you can afford it, we advise you to choose a full year to fully enjoy this superb experience.

But the Erasmus program goes far beyond studies. It gives you the chance to meet students from all over the world and discover new countries. To turn your Erasmus year into a language stay to learn Spanish, you need to choose a Spanish-speaking country! Spain is the classic choice, but there’s nothing to stop you going to Mexico or South America.

Classes at the university will be taught in Spanish, enabling you to achieve a good technical and professional level. On a day-to-day basis, you’ll use Spanish to communicate with local and international students, and for your own activities. When you return from this adventure, you’ll be mentally transformed and will have achieved a very good level of Spanish!

4. EF program

Looking for a supervised language stay to learn Spanish? Choose EF! EF is the abbreviation for Education First, a name that fits perfectly with what this company, the most reputed in the field of language stays, has to offer. EF offers programs for children, teenagers and adults. While the programs for each differ, language courses are at the heart of all EF programs.

Before you leave, you choose the country you’d like to visit. Then you define your current level of Spanish and the intensity of the course. On site, you’ll have several hours a day, which isn’t always easy. Nevertheless, it’s one of the best ways to learn Spanish fast.

What’s more, EF is much more than just a language stay! We organize a wide range of activities beyond the classroom, and you stay at an EF center. So you’re immersed in the country as well as at EF! The only downside is the high cost of our programs.

5. European voluntary service

Would you like to take part in a language study trip to learn Spanish and feel useful at the same time? The European Voluntary Service (EVS) is for you! Lasting from 2 weeks to 1 year, EVS is, as its name suggests, an international volunteer program in the non-profit organization of your choice.

In fact, the non-profit aspect is the very essence of EVS: it’s free, and you generally don’t get paid. Nevertheless, EVS includes accommodation, food, health insurance, reimbursement of travel expenses and language support. Like all international volunteering, it is reserved for people between the ages of 17 and 30.

You put yourself at the service of an NGO or association whose aim is to help the population of the host country. You’ll learn Spanish in direct contact with the locals, with a few language lessons thrown in for good measure. The associative nature of EVS means that your Spanish-speaking destination is generally in Central America (Guatemala, Honduras…) or South America, but very rarely in Spain. So it’s both a lifestyle choice and a great experience!