This is an All Ears English podcast, episode 127.
Want to make friends when you travel to the US?
Four English phrases to use.
Welcome to the All Ears English podcast where you'll finally get real native English conversation and fluency for business and life.
We believe in connection, not perfection, when it comes to learning English.
Now here are your hosts Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer, and Michelle Kaplan, the New York radio girl, coming to you from Boston and New York City USA, can you start a conversation with a local, plus get great travel tips?
Today, get four questions that you can use to strike up that conversation with a native speaking local.
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Lindsay, how are you?
Hey, Michelle.
I am good.
I am itching to travel.
I'm planning some trips.
What about you?
I am also, well, I am not really planning trips, but I am, but I would like to very much.
Yeah.
I love traveling.
It's just such a feeling you get, especially talking to people when you travel.
Do you ever, have you ever made like vacation friends?
Oh, yeah, all the time when I was traveling in South America.
That was what my whole friendship network was more people that I met in hostels and I would travel like to the next city with one person and then we would part ways because they were going somewhere.
I was going somewhere else.
I definitely had vacation friends.
Have you ever kept in touch with anybody?
Like some of them kind of, sort of, but it's been a long time.
So now I think we're falling off.
We did for a few years, but they're in like Australia, India.
I mean, you know, South America.
So it's hard.
Yeah, it is definitely hard.
Yeah.
Guys, I'm sure that you want to make friends when you travel to the US, right?
Who doesn't want to?
So I mean, if you want to, you have to be able to start, you know, conversations with people.
We don't want you to be lonely in the US when you're traveling.
Exactly.
So in today's episode, it's going to be very straightforward.
We're going to give you the vocab you need to start conversations in three, four different situations, right?
Michelle, it's all about context, right?
Your comment or your way of starting the conversation has to be relevant to what's around you and the other person at that moment.
Right, right, right.
Exactly.
Exactly.
So let's say we're at a cafe, Lindsay.
And you want to be friends with me.
Yeah.
All right.
Perfect.
I can ask you.
I could lean over.
Let's say we're both on our own.
Let's say sometimes people are solo at cafes reading a paper, maybe you're studying, whatever.
I look over to you and I say, hey, have you tried the chocolate croissants?
Oh, I love.
Do you like chocolate croissant?
I do.
Oh, my gosh.
So good.
I do.
I do.
I do.
And yeah, I don't know who doesn't like a chocolate croissant.
It's true, Michelle.
A good coffee, a good, nice, strong coffee and a chocolate croissant.
I'm in heaven.
So if you ask me that, I'll probably.
If I said no, I haven't, I'd probably go up to the bar and get one at that point and share.
And I would share with you how it tastes, right?
That would start a nice connection.
Yeah, exactly.
It definitely would.
Have you tried their chocolate croissant?
Okay, what's the second situation?
All right.
So we're at a party.
And let's say that I want to talk to you.
And I know that you're a local in Boston.
I know you love Boston, Michelle.
So I could come up to you and I could say, hey, I'm new to Boston.
What should I see while I'm here?
Mm hmm.
That's good.
Yeah.
So asking people for recommendations.
Very good.
And again, guys, this is going to open a great conversation.
Maybe Michelle would say back to me, well, what do you like?
How do you like to spend your time?
And then you could talk for hours.
Hopefully the person, you know, not hours, but, you know, you could start a great conversation.
Yeah, it can lead to a lot of other a lot of other discussions.
A hundred percent.
OK, what's another context, Michelle?
All right.
So let's say we're on a day tour.
Lindsay, do you like to take day tours when you're traveling?
These days, I like them more and more.
Not when I was a kid.
I used to get so bored on tours, but now I really like them.
Yeah.
Oh, my gosh.
Same, same, same.
Same, same.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's like, oh, I wish I had paid attention on those tours with my family.
I know, I know, I know.
It's so true.
It's so true.
So what could we say here?
Let's say that you and I are on a duck tour in Boston.
Boston is famous for the duck tours, right?
They're the amphibious boats.
You know what I'm talking about?
I do.
When I was just there, I really wanted to take one because I thought My son would like it, but then yeah, we didn't end up having time.
But, yeah, I could say, oh, what brings you to Boston?
Exactly.
So we could be on the top, top level of that duck tour and you could reach over and say hey, what brings you to Boston?
Maybe we're both tourists here right now, right?
Right, right, right.
Exactly.
And that would definitely start something.
Yeah, people.
And then, oh my gosh, have you ever like been traveling and you ask someone, oh, where are you from?
And then they're from like... the same place you are from or maybe from your hometown or state.
Yeah, it happens more than you think, right?
Yeah, or I love when, like, I mean, I went to a big school.
I don't know, Lindsay, if this happens to you as much, but if I see anybody, because I went to University of Maryland, if I see anybody wearing, like, Terrapins gear, I'll just, like, shout out, go Terps, you know?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
That's awesome.
No, that I don't have that connection.
But I know what you're talking about.
I know people here in Colorado who went to Boulder and they say go buffs, right?
They do that.
That's the thing.
That's a big school thing.
That's a big school thing.
Yeah, that's cool.
It is.
So, all right.
And the last situation is a bed and breakfast.
So like, let's say, sometimes maybe you're eating breakfast in the same room or you run into somebody like you know checking in or you know anything like that.
Or sometimes we went to a really great little in slash bed and breakfast in Lake Tahoe a couple summers ago and they had a happy hour where they would serve this corn like a latte I think is what it's called the corn with the cheese, and then free wine and beer, and then all the guests would sit out on the patio, the terrace, and chat with each other.
It was really cool actually.
So sometimes at a nice bed and breakfast, you'll get a free evening drink or something like that.
This would be a great way to do that.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
You could just say like, what or where have you been exploring?
Or do you have any suggestions?
Like, Yeah.
What I like about these questions is that they're very honest and very earnest, and they're very.
They're like information seeking.
You're kind of taking the pressure off you to perform and you're just asking for information.
Right, Michelle?
Right, right, right.
Do you ever, when you've been traveling and you meet somebody at like, Then you think like wow, I'm like, I've traveled a lot.
Like I'm a pretty well-traveled person.
And then you meet that person who's like totally on their own, like for two years traveling.
And you're like, wow, I've done nothing.
Yeah.
Of course.
There's always someone who's traveled more, right?
Of course.
Yeah.
And then you're like, oh, man, like I should do more, you know, and it's like... I know.
I know.
I remember when I was traveling in...
Asia, I ended up traveling together with this woman from Australia who had around the world ticket.
So I thought I was doing great just doing two months in Southeast Asia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos.
But she was around the world for a whole year.
And I was just, I just thinking of her continuing after we hung out was just amazing.
I don't know.
It's crazy.
Yeah.
Oh my gosh.
Yeah.
People are amazing.
The traveling they do.
It really, I think in Australia they travel a ton.
Yes.
By the way.
That's what I heard too.
They are big travelers.
I love that.
So admirable.
So good.
Um, All right, Michelle, this has been great, guys.
Today, you've gotten four very solid ways to start a conversation.
And remember, go after the information.
Don't be self-conscious.
It's not about you.
It's about Boston.
It's about the city you're exploring and you need the information from the people.
Right, right.
So let that take the pressure off of you.
Exactly.
I love it.
Guys, go ahead and follow Allers English to not miss a single episode.
Michelle, how often do we publish this podcast?
Guys, we are here four days a week.
So don't miss anything.
Oh my gosh.
Trust me, we will be here four days a week.
You got it.
You got it, Michelle.
All right.
Thanks for hanging out.
Always fun to record with you and I'll see you in the next one.
All right, Lindsay.
Have a good one.
Bye.
Bye.
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