The world is a diverse place, filled with countless cultures and languages. Last week, I wrote about the benefits of learning another language. I touched briefly upon the travel angle. Here is where you can go with some of the eight of the most common languages, excluding English.

Mandarin

There are several places that speak "Chinese," but considering how broad that term is, and how many dialects fall under the term, Mandarin is the language I'll be writing about. It earns its place at as the most common language spoken, according to the most recent information. It’s no wonder with almost a billion speakers worldwide. With Mandarin under your belt, you can travel various countries like China, Taiwan, and Singapore.

Spanish

Surprise, surprise! It's Spanish, not English, that is the second most common language in the world. With approximately 400 million speakers, Spanish is mostly spoken in Central and South America, with Spain and Andorra speaking the dialect Catalan Spanish. You can also visit Equatorial Guinea, the only Spanish speaking country in Africa*.

*Pardon the error in the map. It shows Western Sahara as a Spanish speaking country, when in fact, the country's official language is Arabic.

Arabic

Arabic is another common language with nearly 300 million speakers worldwide. Considering the spread of Islam, it is no wonder that this language is one that you want to learn. It has a rich history and is the official language of several countries in the Middle East and northern Africa.

French

When it comes to the number of speakers, French isn't that popular. It has only 76 million speakers and does not even make a top ten with the most common languages. However, what it lacks in population, it makes up for with countries. French is the official language of 29 countries with is the reason that I have chosen to include it. Below, you can see where French can take you. And yes, Canada has both English and French as their official languages.

Portuguese

Portuguese has 215 million speakers across the world, but more than half are in Brazil. However, you can travel to more than just Portugal or Brazil if you know Portuguese. You can also visit countries like Angola and Mozambique in Africa or certain islands in Polynesia.

Of course, there are so many other languages out there and many countries without an official language. Many countries also speak an indigenous language, so it can be difficult to speak some people, regardless of where you travel. However, if you know at least one major language, you can travel to a variety of foreign countries and their different cultures. If you're looking for a reason as to why you should learn another language, check out this article.

Have fun traveling and be safe!