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Living with a host family during your Spanish course
Living with a host family during your Spanish course
Living with a local guest family during your Spanish course in Peru is an amazing experience and an important component of most study abroad programs. AMAUTA Spanish School also offers this home stay experience in Cusco and in Buenos Aires. AMAUTA works with a great group of experienced guest families in both Peru and Argentina, carefully selected and monitored by our staff. We are happy to say that 98% of our students found that the host family experience was great; they mention it was a valuable complement to their Spanish studies.
However, living abroad in a new country with a new culture – especially when you do not speak the Spanish language – can also be daunting and it requires a good deal of flexibility from both you and your host. We think the following list of TIPS will be helpful for you when you plan on living with a host family during your Spanish Course in Cusco . Check it out and let us know! (more…)
How altitude in Cusco will affect your body
How the Altitude in Cusco will affect your body
when learning Spanish in Cusco
It is one of the Frequently Asked Questions for the AMAUTA course counsellors from students that have registered for one of our Spanish courses in Peru: how will the altitude in Cusco affect my body?
Will I get soroche, altitude sickness? Will I be bothered by the altitude? Will I be strong enough to live and learn Spanish in Cusco at 3400 meters above sea level? And what should I do to avoid soroche?
Fortunately, we can always confirm that the altitude is hardly ever a problem for our Spanish students*. We recommend to rest upon arrival, and take it easy during the first days so your body can adjust to the altitude before starting the Spanish classes in Cusco.
Volunteering in Peru: A Complete Guide to Organizing Volunteer Work
Volunteering in Peru: A Complete Guide to Organizing Volunteer Work
One of the joys of traveling abroad is the opportunities it presents to interact with local people, from the women at the market stalls to the families you encounter in a rural community. But sticking around and opting to live in a community for an extended period can be even more rewarding: imagine being welcomed into a town and spending each day interacting with local people.
Volunteering in Peru allows just that. We’ve put together this guide to volunteering programs in Peru that sets out everything you need to know about finding and organizing projects where you lend a hand. (more…)
Learning Spanish for Adults: Four Foolproof Methods
Learning Spanish for Adults: Four Foolproof Methods
Learning Spanish is a rewarding challenge. It opens the doors to communication with 500 million speakers in 21 countries across the globe. Speaking another language is a hugely useful skill if you plan on traveling abroad, but studying Spanish also comes with a wide range of other unexpected benefits.
But if you’re looking at learning Spanish as an adult, you might feel that it’s more than an uphill battle. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, right?
Well, not exactly. Not only is it possible to become fluent in Spanish as an adult, but there is a range of ways of doing so – with some far more effective than others. Let’s find out exactly what they are. (more…)
11 Must-Visit Sites & Things to Do in the Sacred Valley
11 Must-Visit Sites & Things to Do in the Sacred Valley
Just an hour’s drive from Cusco, the Sacred Valley of the Incas in Peru is named after its importance to the Inca, whose ruined citadels and former agricultural terraces are dotted along the valley’s course.
It’s an awe-inspiring place to visit, flanked by serrated mountains and lush with corn that grows beside the Río Urubamba that flows right along the valley floor. For any visitor to Cusco, the Sacred Valley of the Incas is an unmissable spot on your trip to Peru.
Avoid just passing through on the way to the epic Inca fortress of Machu Picchu and instead spend a few days exploring one of Peru’s largest and most dynamic artisan markets, pre-Colombian salt mines and even one-of-a-kind hotels installed high up on the valley sides. Join us as we rundown the eleven Must Visit Sites and best things to do in the Sacred Valley.
Spoiler: yes, AMAUTA Spanish School offers Spanish classes at this amazing location (see #11)!
Spanish for Travelers: 68 Essential Travel Phrases To Know
Spanish for Travelers: 68 Essential Travel Phrases To Know
Heading on a trip to South America this year and want to make sure you don’t make yourself and those around you completely confused? Having a toolkit of invaluable travel sayings at your disposal will ensure your plans don’t go awry and it’s for that purpose we’ve put together this Spanish for travelers guide.
The 68 travel phrases have a particular focus on South America, where expressions sometimes have a distinctly different character than in Spain.
We’ve broken down these Spanish travel phrases into topic areas to ensure that, regardless of the situation, you’ve got a phrase at your disposal. If you want to go even further into learning Spanish ahead of your trip to South America, head over to our study Spanish online guides or consider taking a Spanish language immersion course when you arrive in the continent. (more…)
The Six most unmissable Places to Learn Spanish in South America
The Six Most Unmissable Places to Learn Spanish in South America
One of the easiest ways to pick up a new language is by studying abroad, where you have every opportunity to put your new linguistic skills to the test. Although Spain might seem like the obvious choice, the best place to learn Spanish is actually South America.
Not only are Spanish language classes affordable, local accents are comprehensible and you also get the chance to explore a new continent. But it’s a big place to choose from, so that’s why we’ve put together this run down of the six most unmissable places to learn Spanish in South America.
From the Inca heartland of Cusco to the pampas of Argentina via the beaches of Colombia, there are plenty of places to immerse yourself in Spanish.
Know before you go: where to learn Spanish in South America
Comprising 12 distinct countries and covering 6.89 million square miles, South America has plenty of options when it comes to language study – and maybe even too many options. (more…)
7 Extraordinary Benefits of Learning Spanish
7 Extraordinary Benefits of Learning Spanish
Whether you’re looking to travel to Peru or other parts of South America or you’re just lining up your next challenge, studying a second language is a valuable thing to do. The benefits of learning Spanish, particularly if you have designs on travel, can’t be understated.
If you’re looking for more inspiration for why you should learn Spanish, read on as we take you through the seven main benefits of picking up this beautiful language up. Don’t hesitate any longer and start learning Spanish right away!
Studying Spanish makes travelling abroad a whole lot easier
If you’ve yet to embark upon a journey through South America, you probably don’t quite appreciate the difficulties that you come across as a monolinguist or solo English speaker in these parts.
Want to get to another city? You’ll be needing the colectivo, or possibly the micro. (more…)
The 5 Best Peru Hiking Adventures For Your Bucket List
The 5 Best Peru Hiking Adventures For Your Bucket List
With the ridge of the Andes Mountains slicing the length of the country and 6,000m mountains that make the most adventurous drool, Peru is a trekker’s paradise. Some of the best Peru hiking options are easily accessed either from Cusco or by a bus journey from Lima. So once you’re done with your Spanish classes in Cusco, strap on your hiking boots and get ready to hit the trail!
1. The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, Cusco
Easily the most famous of all trekking in Peru, the Inca Trail that leads you directly to Machu Picchu is a classic hike, combining history and sublime landscapes with the chance to end your journey the exact same way the Inca would: at this former estate for Inca royalty.
There are several Inca trekking routes in Peru that go to Machu Picchu, however, the classic Inca Trail is a four-day 43km hike that winds up into the mountains beyond the Sacred Valley, summiting three high-altitude passes before terminating at the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu for sunrise on the final day.
The Inca Trail definitely ranks among the best hiking in Peru and the experience of travelling in the footsteps of this former civilization is one you won’t forget in a hurry. (more…)
The best way to learn Spanish: 8 scientifically-backed methods
The best way to learn Spanish: 8 scientifically-backed methods
Is Spanish easy to learn? What’s the quickest way to learn Spanish? What is the best way to learn Spanish?
These are just some of the questions that you asked yourself – and the internet – when you first started learning Spanish. There are plenty of ways that you can study Spanish – and plenty of debate around their effectiveness. But which are actually work?
Is it possible to learn Spanish in a month?
Before we begin, let’s put to bed a question that touches the lips of a lot of first-time language learners: is it possible learn Spanish (or any other language) in a month?
In a word, no. (more…)
