Talking Tourist

Talking Tourist

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Get confident in speaking Spanish for your next trip abroad.

Move from understanding to speaking through online lessons with local teachers before you go, focused around conversational practise so that you can finally use your Spanish.

Photos from Talking Tourist's post 07/04/2026

5 (very good) reasons to join us in Galicia๐ŸŒฟ
(and why this isnโ€™t just another trip to Spain)

If youโ€™ve been looking for a meaningful way to spend your vacation time, one that blends Spanish language immersion, slow travel and cultural depth - here are five reasons Beyond Words might be exactly what youโ€™re looking for.

1๏ธโƒฃ Soak in the thermal baths of Prexigueiro

Galicia is famous for its natural thermal baths in the Ourense province, and weโ€™ll experience them slowly - letting conversations from the day settle while your Spanish gently integrates. Relaxation isnโ€™t separate from learning. It supports it.

2๏ธโƒฃ Experience the Ribeiro Wine Festival in Ribadavia

The Ribeiro Wine Festival is one of Galiciaโ€™s most vibrant cultural celebrations. Music, community, tradition and wine come together in the streets - and youโ€™ll be right there, practising Spanish in real, spontaneous interactions. This is language immersion at its most alive.

3๏ธโƒฃ Wine tasting at Gandarella Turismo Rural

During our wine tasting in Galicia at Gandarella, youโ€™ll explore the regionโ€™s deep-rooted wine culture through the โ€œPan, Vino y Patrimonioโ€ experience. You wonโ€™t just taste - youโ€™ll learn about terroir, tradition and heritage, all while speaking Spanish in context.

4๏ธโƒฃ Stay in historic accommodation at Pazos de Arenteiro

Our home for the retreat is a family-run, historic countryside stone village in rural Galicia. Pazos de Arenteiro offers more than accommodation - it offers atmosphere, heritage and space to connect. Small group. Shared meals. Slow mornings. Real conversations.

5๏ธโƒฃ Discover Galicia through a food tour in Ourense

Food is culture. On our food tour in Ourense, youโ€™ll practise Spanish while tasting regional dishes, speaking with locals and understanding how gastronomy shapes Galician identity. No classroom can replicate that.

Send us a DM to know more or head over to our bio to save your spot!

17/03/2026

Immersion doesnโ€™t mean being left alone. ๐Ÿซฑ๐Ÿฝโ€๐Ÿซฒ๐Ÿผ

One of the biggest fears people have about language retreats is simple:
โ“๏ธโ€œWhat if I donโ€™t understand?โ€
โ›„๏ธโ€œWhat if I freeze?โ€
๐Ÿซ โ€œWhat if I donโ€™t feel confident enough?โ€

Thatโ€™s exactly why Laura Villar is at the heart of Beyond Words.

Laura is both an accredited local tour guide and a certified Spanish teacher, deeply proud of her Galician roots and culture. She doesnโ€™t just teach the language - she helps you understand the place, the context and the nuances behind it.

Hereโ€™s how she supports you:

โœจ Before the retreat
Youโ€™ll receive 5 online one-to-one Spanish lessons to prepare you for the trip - tailored to your level and focused on real-life situations youโ€™ll experience in Galicia. This ensures you arrive feeling ready, not overwhelmed.

โœจ During the retreat
Each day begins with a short, practical briefing:
โ€“ Useful vocabulary
โ€“ Key phrases
โ€“ Cultural context related to the dayโ€™s activities

Then Laura accompanies us to every experience - from wine tastings to food tours, hikes to thermal baths - ready to clarify, explain, support and gently guide conversations when needed.

Sheโ€™s there to:
โ€“ Answer your questions in the moment
โ€“ Help you express what youโ€™re trying to say
โ€“ Explain cultural and historical context
โ€“ And build your confidence step by step

And because weโ€™re in Galicia, sheโ€™ll even sprinkle in a few Galician words and expressions, helping you feel even more connected as you interact with locals.๐Ÿค๐Ÿ’™

At Beyond Words, immersion doesnโ€™t mean pressure.
It means supported growth.

Youโ€™re not thrown into the deep end.
Youโ€™re guided - with care, structure and encouragement.

If youโ€™re curious about experiencing Spanish this way - grounded, cultural and confidence-building, you can explore more here in the link on our bio.

And if youโ€™d like to know whether this is the right level for you, feel free to send us a DM. Weโ€™re happy to chat. ๐Ÿ’ฌ

11/03/2026

๐Ÿ  Our home during Beyond Words is more than accommodation; itโ€™s part of the learning experience.

Aldea Rural Pazos de Arenteiro is the kind of place where conversations linger, mornings are slow, and Spanish naturally finds its way into daily life.

๐ŸƒThis peaceful setting anchors our Spanish immersion retreat in Galicia, allowing learning to unfold gently and organically.

Beyond Words is an immersive Spanish language retreat in Galicia for people who want to learn through culture, community and real-life connection.

๐Ÿ”— Curious to experience it yourself? Head to the link in our bio to discover the full experience and claim your spot on our next retreat this September, or DM us directly if you have questions before deciding.๐Ÿ“ฉ

24/02/2026

What does language immersion actually look like on Beyond Words Retreats? ๐ŸŒฟ

It doesnโ€™t look like a classroom.

It looks like standing in a lively square during the Wine Festival in Ribadavia, listening, observing, ordering, asking questions - and realising you understood more than you expected.

It looks like walking through Ourense on a guided food tour, reading menus, speaking with local producers, tasting regional dishes and learning the cultural stories behind them - in Spanish.

It looks like sitting at Gandarella Winery, discussing flavours and traditions directly with the people who produce the wine.

It looks like a hands-on cooking class, where language becomes practical, sensory and shared.

It looks like unwinding at Termas de Prexigueiro, letting the conversations of the day settle while Spanish begins to feel more natural.

It looks like group hikes through Galician landscapes, where informal chats, laughter and spontaneous exchanges make vocabulary stick effortlessly.

At Beyond Words, immersion isnโ€™t staged.
It unfolds through culture, community and real-life interaction.

Every experience is intentionally chosen to:
โ€“ Support local businesses
โ€“ Encourage slow, conscious tourism
โ€“ And create natural opportunities to practise Spanish in context

This retreat isnโ€™t about perfection. Itโ€™s about confidence, presence and letting the language click through lived moments.

If youโ€™d like to spend your May holiday doing something meaningful - learning, connecting and travelling differently, comment GALICIA to get information directly to your inbox ๐Ÿ“ฅ or go to my link in bio ๐Ÿ”— to find out more on the retreat and reserve your place today!

And if youโ€™re unsure about the level or whether itโ€™s right for you, send us a DM. Weโ€™re always happy to chat.

17/06/2025

โœˆ๏ธ Do you work in the travel industry as an independent travel designer, small travel company, or travel agent?

๐ŸŒ Do you plan trips for clients visiting Spain, Mexico, Argentina, or other Spanish speaking countries?

If yes - letโ€™s chat! ๐Ÿค

Iโ€™m looking to partner with like-minded travel pros as affiliate partners for Talking Tourist.

Talking Tourist offers online Spanish lessons tailored to each destination - helping your clients speak with confidence, connect with locals, and make the most of their trip.

Youโ€™re already helping people plan amazing journeys. Why not help them arrive ready to talk with locals so that they get even more from their trip and are ready to book again next year?

Not only will you get a slice of the action for each of your clients you send our way who takes a lesson ๐Ÿฐ - Talking Tourist will also promote your services and any promo offers on our website partner perks page, with a direct link to your offering.

๐Ÿ“ฉ DM me or comment โ€œinterestedโ€ and Iโ€™ll reach out with further details.

Letโ€™s help travellers connect more deeply through language! ๐Ÿ’ฌ๐ŸŒŽ

Photos from Talking Tourist's post 23/04/2025

๐—š๐—ผ๐˜ ๐—ฎ ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฌ ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜† ๐——๐˜‚๐—ผ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ผ ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ธ ๐Ÿ”ฅ ๐—ฏ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐˜€๐˜๐—ถ๐—น๐—น ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ปโ€™๐˜ ๐˜€๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ธ ๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ต?

๐Ÿ‘‰ Youโ€™re exactly who Talking Tourist was made for.

Youโ€™ve dabbledโ€”high school classes, free apps, that one podcast you swore youโ€™d stick with.

Your Duolingo streak is ๐Ÿ”ฅ. But real conversations? ๐Ÿ˜… Not so much.

Then you land in Spain. Or Mexico. Or that dream trip youโ€™ve been waiting for.

And suddenlyโ€ฆ

๐Ÿ˜ถ Words disappear

๐Ÿคฏ Your brain blanks

๐Ÿ˜ฌ You nod, smile, and point at the menu (again)

Every time, you tell yourself: โ€œ๐˜•๐˜ฆ๐˜น๐˜ต ๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ, ๐˜โ€™๐˜ญ๐˜ญ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ฅ๐˜บ.โ€

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๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜โ€™๐˜€ ๐˜„๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ง๐—ฎ๐—น๐—ธ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ง๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜ ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ถ๐—ป.

Weโ€™re for the *almost-there* learners.

The rusty returners. The โ€œ๐˜ ๐˜ฌ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ ๐˜ข ๐˜ฃ๐˜ช๐˜ต, ๐˜ฃ๐˜ถ๐˜ต ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏโ€™๐˜ต ๐˜ข๐˜ด๐˜ฌ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜€๐—ฎ๐˜† ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜บ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จโ€ crew.

Youโ€™ve got the piecesโ€”we help you put them together.

So you can finally go from โ€œ๐˜ ๐˜ฌ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ๐˜ข ๐˜ฌ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ดโ€ฆโ€ to โ€œ๐˜ž๐˜ข๐˜ช๐˜ตโ€”๐˜ ๐˜ซ๐˜ถ๐˜ด๐˜ต ๐˜ด๐˜ข๐˜ช๐˜ฅ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ต ๐˜ญ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ฅ!โ€

๐Ÿ’ฌ Perfect for city breakers, travellers, expats, digital nomads, and sabbatical dreamers

๐Ÿ—ฃ๏ธ Itโ€™s about confidence, not perfection

๐Ÿšซ No exams. No grammar lectures. No pressure to be fluent

Weโ€™re not here to steal you from your language appโ€”we ๐˜ด๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ถ๐˜ต๐˜ฆ your Duolingo streak ๐Ÿซก

But if youโ€™re ready to stop ๐˜ซ๐˜ถ๐˜ด๐˜ต ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฏ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ and start ๐˜ข๐˜ค๐˜ต๐˜ถ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜ด๐˜ฑ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ฌ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ, thatโ€™s where we shine.

Youโ€™ll practise with native teachers who ๐˜ข๐˜ค๐˜ต๐˜ถ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜จ๐˜ฆ๐˜ต where youโ€™re goingโ€”so your lessons feel real, relevant, and totally trip-ready.

Take Emmett, who prepped with Talking Tourist before his first time in Mexico City:

โ€œ๐˜ˆ๐˜ง๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐˜ซ๐˜ถ๐˜ด๐˜ต ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ด๐˜ช๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ, ๐˜ ๐˜ง๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜ต ๐˜ค๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ง๐˜ช๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ต ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ต๐˜ข๐˜ค๐˜ฐ๐˜ด ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜จ๐˜ฆ๐˜ต๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ข ๐˜ต๐˜ข๐˜น๐˜ช.โ€

๐—–๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—น๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—น๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐—ธ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ.

This is about real conversations.

Itโ€™s about connection, not perfection.

And itโ€™s about making your next trip way more fun

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๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐˜† ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น๐˜† ๐˜€๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ธ ๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ต ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜…๐˜ ๐˜๐—ถ๐—บ๐—ฒ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น?

๐Ÿ‘‰ Head to the link in my bio to get started, find out more and get 15% off your first lesson booking!

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Location

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86-90 Paul Street
London
EC2A4NE