Yes agree. I lived in Colombia for 4 years. But hitchhiking is learning on overdrive. Not just language, but what they like to call "agency".
I slightly disagree that you don't need to learn the language beforehand. You don't NEED to, but I would actually recommend getting a 4 week crash course beforehand.
Because I've seen so many expats that don't even know where to start so they just hang out with other expats and that's how you end up living in a foreign country for 10 years and you can't speak the language.
The most minimal thing is you need to learn how to point at a thing and say "How do you say?" and refuse to revert to your native language.
I slightly disagree that you don't need to learn the language beforehand. You don't NEED to, but I would actually recommend getting a 4 week crash course beforehand.
Because I've seen so many expats that don't even know where to start so they just hang out with other expats and that's how you end up living in a foreign country for 10 years and you can't speak the language.
The most minimal thing is you need to learn how to point at a thing and say "How do you say?" and refuse to revert to your native language.