When you go abroad, what’s the one thing that stops you from convincing yourself that you could be a local? Other than the slightly questionable tan lines.

Unless you’re fluent in all languages, we’re pretty sure you know what we mean. We’ve come up with a way to tackle the communication barrier when travelling so that wherever you go, you’ll have no trouble with the lingo.

Two words – Emoji Flashcards. If that doesn’t say it all, read on!

You’ve just arrived at your hotel. It’s been a long journey, you’ve had a shower and gone down to the restaurant to enjoy your first evening of relaxation. You’d love a drink, but the bartender can’t speak English.

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The next day, you venture down to the beach and it’s not long before you’re ready for your first ice cream of the holiday. When you ask politely, the cashier stares at you blankly.

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After buying your ice creams, you try to ask about the weather on the other side of the island. After all, you don’t want to make the trip if it’s cloudy.
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The car trip goes smoothly and you decide to stay on this side of the island for dinner. The locals aren’t great at English.
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It’s day 2 and you’re feeling pretty comfortable in the local area. You go for a walk around the town. Wait a minute, did you take the first left or the first right?

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You’ve made a new holiday friend and no matter how hard you try to take the perfect selfie, it’s just not looking great. You’ll just have to ask for help.

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It’s the day before you have to head home and you’ve lost your flight details! You need to borrow someone’s computer to look up the information, but no one seems to understand the urgency.

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You’ve landed back in the UK and it takes you a moment to remember everyone speaks the same language as you. You ask the taxi driver…

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…before hastily putting the cards away, clearing your throat and trying again in English!

Does any of the above sound familiar?

Download our emoji flashcards here and use the universal language to communicate when you next go on holiday!

How to use:

1) Download from the link above

2) Print out double sided

3) Cut along the dotted lines to create your cards

4) Pack them in your suitcase when you next go away!

Header image by PapaPiper via Flickr