Benny's next travel/language project is...

Benny's next travel/language project is...

Author: Fluent in 3 Months December 3, 2025 Duration: 6:52

I’m kicking off this episode by checking in from Ireland, where I’ve been doubling down on my Irish through meet-ups, tech immersion, and plenty of telly. This is the first stage of a longer journey that will involve several trips back and forth, all with the aim of finally becoming truly fluent in the language. After Christmas I’ll make my usual pilgrimage to the Esperanto Youth Week in Germany, brushing up my German just enough to avoid sounding too rusty outside the event. But the real excitement begins straight after that, when I launch into my next major travel and language project for 2026: exploring Malaysia. Since Malay is almost entirely mutually intelligible with Indonesian, which I reached a solid conversational level in earlier this year, I’ll be able to hit the ground running with a huge head start.

My plan is to spend about two months travelling throughout both Western and Eastern Malaysia, revisiting Borneo from a different angle and hopefully making a short stop in Brunei as well. I know I won’t need much Malay in Kuala Lumpur, but the moment I hit the road, the language will unlock all those deeper cultural experiences I value so much. If I make it to Brunei, it will even mark my fiftieth country in more than two decades of nomadic living. I’m excited to return to Asia in mid-January, spend a week or two in Indonesia to warm up, and then dive headfirst into this new adventure. As always, I’ll share tips for anyone planning a fresh language project in the new year, along with plenty of updates from the road. 


If you need one-on-one language guidance, schedule a consultation session with me at languagehacking.com/chat.

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There’s a certain magic that happens when you step off a plane and try to order a meal in a language you’re still fumbling through, or when a simple conversation with a stranger on a train opens up an entirely new perspective. Language & Travel Hacking, from the team behind Fluent in 3 Months, lives in those messy, authentic, and profoundly rewarding moments. Host Benny Lewis, a nomadic polyglot and best-selling author, doesn’t just theorize from a studio; he records from the road, sharing raw, real-time experiences and the practical strategies that actually work when you’re navigating a foreign market or building confidence in a new tongue. Each episode feels like a candid chat with a well-traveled friend who’s made all the mistakes so you don’t have to. You’ll hear the sounds of street markets and train stations in the background as Benny breaks down the psychology of language learning, offers actionable tips for picking up phrases quickly, and discusses how travel itself can be the ultimate classroom. This podcast is built on the idea that fluency and cultural connection aren’t distant goals reserved for the gifted, but accessible skills you can hack through smart, intentional practice. It’s for anyone who believes that the deepest way to explore a place is through its language, and that every journey is an opportunity to reshape how you see the world-and yourself. Tune in for honest stories and tangible advice that will change how you approach your next adventure, whether it’s across the globe or right in your own neighborhood.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 271

Language & Travel Hacking
Podcast Episodes
#74 Stephen Krashen on the Comprehensible Input Method [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:54
Linguist and professional researcher joins Benny Lewis and Shannon Kennedy to discuss comprehensible input, compelling input, and language acquisition.Stephen Krashen is a professor emeritus who is well-known for his wor…
#72 Jeremy Bardo on Going Viral in Another Language [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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Benny Lewis and Shannon Kennedy chat with musician and translator Jeremy Bardo about his experience going viral with a Spanish language music video. We also discuss the myth of the language gene and finding joy in embarr…
#71 Brittany Williams’ 90 Day Japanese Challenge [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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Ask Benny: How Can I Speak Zero English in a Language Lesson? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:25
As a beginner, the idea of having a lesson where you only speak your target language can seem impossible. Benny shares some great ideas and resources that you can use to avoid your native language and start as you mean t…
#70 Herr Professor on How Engineers Approach Language Learning [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:48
In this episode of the Language Hacking Podcast, Benny Lewis and Shannon Kennedy talk to Manuel of “Herr Professor” about growing up multilingual, teaching German, and how engineers approach language learning.Featured Re…
#69 Sara Maria Hasbun on the Psychology of Language Learning [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:02
Sara Maria Hasbun, founder of Meridian Linguistics, shares about psycholinguistics, working in the language industry, and “extreme” language learning.Featured ResourcesMeridian LanguagesGlossikaMentioned in this EpisodeM…
Ask Benny: How Can I Start Reading in My Target Language? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:44
Reading in your new language can be a daunting task, but Benny has some great advice this week for taking it one step at a time. By starting small and building up gradually, you'll make steady progress. There are so many…
#68 Anthony Metivier on Building a Magnetic Memory [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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