The Best Places to Study English

Owen Lam
Apr 5, 2017
4 min read

Now, I know what you’re thinking: I don’t want to study during the holidays, I travel for fun not to study!

Before you click away from this article, I’m here to tell you that learning while travelling doesn’t mean reading a textbook while you’re travelling, but rather to understand the culture and history of these places to truly understand English as a language. Learning can actually be fun and enjoyable!

So what are you waiting for? Book your tickets, pack your luggage, get your passport now and immerse yourself in these incredible cities!

United Kingdom:

Recommended cities: London, Brighton, York, Oxford, Cambridge, Cardiff, Glasgow, Edinburgh

What better place to start your travel plans than the country that invented the language? Famous for it’s history and culture, UK is a popular destination for exchange students around the world, with each year the estimated number of exchange students to be around 300,000. Even in the UK itself, there’s around 14 distinct accents, each with it’s unique slang and historical backgrounds, reflecting the rich culture of the area.

If you have never been to the UK, visit the heart of England, London, and visit the various landmarks representing the capital with breath-taking sites like many of the Museums located in greater London, Westminster area and the London Bridge and Tower.

Don’t enjoy visiting such a busy city? Feel free to visit Brighton, York, Oxford or Cambridge where these are more traditional towns and cities of the UK full of historical sites and experience the traditional british culture. Visit Brighton to escape from the gloomy side of Britain to experience beaches and sunshine. Want to feel more enlightened? Visit the traditional towns of Oxford and Cambridge where the two of the most famous British and world renowned universities are located. Sick of England? Try Scotland’s Glasgow and Edinburgh to get a taste of the Scottish traditions and food. Experience the Scottish traditions, from bagpipes to Highland games, while tasting their amazing cuisine like scones, haggis or shortbreads. Trust me, it’s definitely an eye-opener!

United States

Recommended cities: Philadelphia, Boston, New York / New Orleans, Tennessee, Memphis / Bay Area, Los Angeles

Another popular destination comes naturally as the States. The land of the free provides a whole new experience completely unique from the UK.

If you want to learn more about the States’ history, visit the Atlantic region including cities like Philadelphia, Boston and New York. Philly is best known for it’s historical importance in the US history, where the declaration of Independence was signed, and you can still see the independence hall and liberty bell now. Visit one of the most famous Ivy League Schools, University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) and understand more about states traditional colleges. Visit Boston for it’s famous seaport and MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), where if you aspire to do IT.

Who can forget the city that never sleeps, New York? Stroll along in Manhattan to visit places like Central park and Wall Street to get a glimpse of daily life of this bustling city. If you want more and less of the same, try the Pacific region with famous coastline cities like Bay Area, including San Francisco and Oakland or one of the most populous state in the US, California and it’s biggest city Los Angeles. Experience the sunshine and heat of California while visiting some of the most famous universities around, from Stanford to all the UCs (University of California). Prefer a slower and more traditional visit? Then go for the Southern states and visit New Orleans, where this coastal port is famous for its cuisine and being the birthplace of Jazz. Music is also crucial part of the culture and witness how one of the most famous genre of music was invented which is still considered contemporary music up until today! Prefer country music or Elvis Presley? Visit Memphis to visit Presley’s home and one of the places where R&B and rock and roll came about! Visit Tennessee to listen to some of the good old fashion country folks!

Canada

Or maybe you want to visit their always friendly neighbour up north, Canada? Just across the border is the country known for a lot of things, but a thing a lot people didn’t know (except for the fact that their capital is Ottawa not Vancouver or Toronto), is that they are a bilingual country providing you the chance to not only learn English, but French too! Of course there are the traditional cities of Vancouver, Toronto, Edmonton and Ottawa you must visit to see the multiculturalism and friendliness of local citizens and tourists, but if you have time visit Quebec and Montreal to experience the french side of Canada!

Bon Voyage!

Scandinavia

Recommended cities: Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Finland

Or maybe you want to visit some place so extraordinary (and cold) but still learn English? Well don’t worry we got it covered!

Visit these five countries in Northern Europe where they are considered really good at English with the English Speaking Skills at rank number 2, 3, 4 and 5 in terms of English Proficiency in non-English speaking countries. Considering Hong Kong is ranked number 30, this is considered very good worldwide.

Not only that but the Scandinavian countries will be such an shocker. Believe it or not, you will be shocked at how exceptionally cold it is, but how you still get to experience ice hotels, skating in lakes, and learn more about the history of vikings, which in historical context has a huge influence on English as a language!

Australia/New Zealand

Finally, maybe you’re tired of travelling to places taking up to ten or twenty hours to reach, then allow us to recommend you Australia and New Zealand where you will experience winter in June and summer in January.

Being on the other hemisphere of the globe, Australia and New Zealand are both amazing countries to visit if you like the mix between slow-pace, chill and relaxed atmosphere and contemporary cities. Of Course you can learn English by immersing yourself into the two nation famous cities like Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland and Wellington, but you can also experience aboriginal culture and it’s natives if you’re willing to stay longer in the country and visit the non-tourist spots!

Don't forget to say hello to their Koala babies!