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After a trip to Argentina, a client told me: “I’m surprised how much Spanish was spoken there.” What he really meant, of course, was: “I’m surprised how little English was spoken.”
English speakers are spoiled; our mother tongue is the near universal second language. In Latin America, English levels vary wildly. If your travelers expect English to be spoken everywhere, they'll put themselves in a bubble.
We love Latin America because connection comes naturally there. Our most memorable moments have been the unplanned ones: a restaurant owner in Montevideo sat and joined our game of cards, a bus driver shared his yerba mate on a long drive in Patagonia, hikers we chatted with on mountain trails in Peru.
Advisors who prime their clients to be open for these connections will receive happier returns. Travelers don't need to master the language, but they should have cultural awareness.
To help you prepare your clients, we’ve created a white-labeled guide that covers rules of thumb for Spanish-speaking Latin America, like the cultural importance of the "pre-greeting," and phrases they’ll use at a dinner table or in a taxi. This is designed for you to add to your final travel documents, or send as an email attachment.
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