What’s the best way to learn a language? Foreign language teachers know: The best language learning happens through immersion. And nothing compares to an incredible immersion experience abroad.
That’s why Explorica is excited to offer our language immersion collection. In each tour, students will spend five mornings taking three-hour language courses on different topics: food, history, art, etc. Then, they will apply their learning on activities that match the topic, while they converse with the locals and tour the sites.
It’s an incredible opportunity for any teacher with intermediate foreign language students. And if you teach Spanish, you’re in luck: we have not one, but two Spanish language immersion tours to choose from. Take a flight to Madrid for an authentic Spanish experience, or head south to Central America for a tropical adventure in Costa Rica.
Either way, your students’ Spanish will never be the same. Read on to learn more about Language Immersion: Madrid.
Language Immersion: Madrid (9-11 days)
The land of tapas, bullfighting, and the Real Madrid Club de Fútbol welcomes you: touch down in Madrid before embarking on a tour of some of Madrid’s biggest sites. Students will dive straight into immersion when they meet and interact with the locals, complementing their five themed Spanish-language lessons.
History: Start your language course with vocabulary concerning Spain’s rich history. Apply the lesson as you tour Toledo, the spiritual capital of Spain, and visit its beautiful churches. Your Toledo tour director, a native Spanish speaker, will place emphasis on Spanish vocabulary and will encourage your students to speak in Spanish. Top off the day with a traditional tapas dinner, where your students can relax and practice amongst themselves.
Gastronomy: Your students will hone their cuisine vocabulary in class, and will then get to use it at the Mercado San Anton, Madrid’s trendiest food market. At the market, they will participate in an interactive activity that will encourage them to use their Spanish. Then, they’ll join a professional chef to create and enjoy traditional Spanish foods, using their language skills to the best of their ability. ¡Buen provecho!
Heritage: Spanish heritage takes center stage: after your morning Spanish lesson, visit Las Ventas Bullring for an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour with a local tour guide. Later, your students will take a Flamenco lesson with local Spanish-speaking instructors before sitting back and watching the professionals with the local audience.
Art: Start off with an art-filled vocabulary lesson. Then, spend the day admiring Spanish art at the Royal Palace, home to over 3,000 rooms filled with priceless pieces, and the Museo del Prado, the premier museum housing art by Spain’s masters. Your students will see the artwork they’ve studied, and use their new vocabulary to discuss it with your local guide.
Culture: Finish your five-day course with a focus on Spain’s vibrant culture. You will then tour Santiago Bernabéu Stadium — home of the Real Madrid Club de Fútbol, and have dinner with a local family. Your students will get to step out of their comfort zone when they converse with the local family in Spanish.
Of course, no tour would be complete without visits to Madrid’s famous plazas and parks, and the tour also includes an incredible day trip to El Escorial and Segovia. Once your students have finished their course, they’ll get to put all of their knowledge to work when they travel to El Escorial, the historical residence of the King of Spain, as well as the beautiful medieval Segovia, home to the massive Roman aqueduct and the imposing castle, and rub shoulders with local Spaniards along the way.
And if you can’t get enough of Spain, you have the option to tack on an additional two days in beautiful Barcelona.
View the full itinerary for our Language Immersion: Madrid tour, and check the blog next week for an in-depth look at our Spanish language immersion trip to Costa Rica!