You probably never thought a language app could be the best app for train travel in Europe. We may not be able to book your tickets, but the Drops app can help you navigate the language of international travel by giving you the words you need in 45+ languages.
See for yourself! Check out our shiny new topics in the app: Train Travel, Road tripping, and At The Airport.
Planning on traveling Europe by train this summer? Keep on reading for some insider knowledge on train travel myths and tips in three major European countries.
Hold onto your seat, we’re about to break one big German train myth: German trains are not always on time. In fact, both the regional and national train systems often suffer unplanned delays which are announced through a hazy speaker system. Luckily, Drops has the words you need to ask about your train and destination. Just save these keywords to your in-app collection, and you’ll be able to access them anytime, with or without cell service.
Despite the occasional schedule changes, train traveling in Germany is still a great way to see a lot of the country in a limited amount of time.
PRO TIP: Make sure you book a seat if you’re traveling with the ICE - (that’s I-C-E not ice like frozen water) the long distance, high-speed train in Germany. Seats are first come, first serve, and if you don’t book you could be standing throughout the entire train trip or playing musical chairs!
The Spanish equivalent to the German high-speed ICE train is called the Ave, which happens to mean “bird” in Spanish. While the ICE has to share its train tracks with other less speedy trains, the Ave has its own tracks, allowing it to move at uninterrupted speeds of 310 kilometers per hour (or 192 miles per hour).
Many international flights fly into the capital city of Madrid, but the Ave is a great way to get to know the rest of the country, cutting driving times in half, and giving you speedy views of the beautiful Spanish countryside.
PRO TIP: The Spanish spoken in Spain (Castilian) can often vary from the one spoken in Central and South America. Download Drops to save all the travel terms you need in Castilian Spanish, and be able to access them on-the-go, even when your phone is on flight mode.
If you’re 16-27 years old then you’re in luck! The SNCF, France’s national railway service, offers several deals on unlimited national train travel. Get your ticket in advance to explore the country by train. Have your Drops language app handy for all the French words you need to treat your taste buds to new culinary experiences, to always be able to find the bathroom, and maybe to even experience romance in the city of light.
No matter where your travels take you this summer, Drops is a trusty travel companion that will never leave you without the words you need to get back out there and make memories.
Elissa Gonzalez is a Venezuelan American Writer currently based in Germany. She’s also lived in (and committed language faux pas in) Madrid, Paris, and Montpellier, and is happy to show you how Drops can help make you a travel genius this summer.
"Love my fun language learning and practice with daily Drops sessions, and monthly Challenges to participate in, and quiz mode to test contextual learning - brilliant! So much thought, consideration and inclusivity has gone into the design and function of this app, I can't praise it highly enough."
"Great little learning app! I've learned at least 5-10 new words in Spanish in my first 5 minutes. Easy to pick up and thorough."
"Great language learning app! It helps you get daily words done in a short amount of time. I would highly recommend using drops to learn whatever language you want to learn."
"What an amazing app! I’ve tried several apps for language learning and I cannot recommend Drops enough. I don’t know how a short Drops session can teach me as much as 1 hour+ of focused use of other apps, it’s like magic."
"Amazing language learning tool. Excellent app for increasing vocabulary in your foreign language of choice. Useful for beginner, intermediate, and advanced learners. The repetition of the words makes them much easier to remember, and without the hassle of making your own flash cards. I have used Drops for two years now and have seen great results."
"Very engaging way of learning Yoruba in a stimulating way. Will be using to learn myself and to teach my child!"
"Less than a week in but using this alone with the popular one babbel working on German. When using just one app I got bored, babbel is not as fun. So using both at once actually let's my adhd do its thing but I still focused since I can switch easily between both apps and work in different areas. Also I like the quick little sessions makes me feel like I actually did something."
"So engaging. I speak Spanish well, but often forget words in conversation that I know I should know. This game is fun and quickly brings back vocabulary I may have put in the back of my brain after not using it for awhile. Case in point: I spent 11 years in construction, then went back to teaching in English and/or Spanish depending on the teacher/student"
"Amazing app"
"I have been desperate to find an app that really helps me learn Japanese and this is the best by far"
"I like that you can switch between different subjects and topics constantly and it’s really easy to learn a lot of vocabulary very quickly! This works perfect for me because I can learn a lot of words but then practice sentence structure with my grandmother whose from Croatia"
"Fantastic app great opportunity to learn languages on your spare time. Drops makes it easy to learn and retain words to formulate sentences."
"Best of the best. Awesome app in every sense"
"This app us the best and how I am doing Learning Ukraine is Helping me alot tnx"
"Definitely recommend! I'm using this to learn mandarin 10/10"
"Fun and interactive. Great for repetition!"
"Very engaging way of learning Yoruba in a stimulating way. Will be using to learn myself and to teach my child!"
"Amazing language learning tool. Excellent app for increasing vocabulary in your foreign language of choice. Useful for beginner, intermediate, and advanced learners. The repetition of the words makes them much easier to remember, and without the hassle of making your own flash cards. I have used Drops for two years now and have seen great results."
"Great little learning app! I've learned at least 5-10 new words in Spanish in my first 5 minutes. Easy to pick up and thorough."
"I have been desperate to find an app that really helps me learn Japanese and this is the best by far"
"I like that you can switch between different subjects and topics constantly and it’s really easy to learn a lot of vocabulary very quickly! This works perfect for me because I can learn a lot of words but then practice sentence structure with my grandmother whose from Croatia"
"Fantastic app great opportunity to learn languages on your spare time. Drops makes it easy to learn and retain words to formulate sentences."
"What an amazing app! I’ve tried several apps for language learning and I cannot recommend Drops enough. I don’t know how a short Drops session can teach me as much as 1 hour+ of focused use of other apps, it’s like magic."
"Love my fun language learning and practice with daily Drops sessions, and monthly Challenges to participate in, and quiz mode to test contextual learning - brilliant! So much thought, consideration and inclusivity has gone into the design and function of this app, I can't praise it highly enough."
"Definitely recommend! I'm using this to learn mandarin 10/10"
"This app us the best and how I am doing Learning Ukraine is Helping me alot tnx"
