EARWORMS
Want to learn a little Spanish, Russian or Japanese for your next trip? Then Earworms Learning Musical Brain Training might be just what you need.
The courses come on CDs or as MP3s and are broken down into short lessons so that you need only devote 20 minutes a day to learning common phrases that a traveler is likely to need. Their system uses instrumental music in the background, a technique that has been proven to aid in retention, just as if you were remembering an advertising jingle.

So in no time at all you’ll be able to order dinner in French or hail a cab in Greek – courses for 10 languages are currently available. Order or just try the demo at www.earwormslearning.com.

LANGUAGES ABROAD
Want to study a language in the country where it’s spoken? Languages Abroad offers programs of various lengths in 50 countries, and besides learning the lingo you can also rack up academic credit for your study.

For example, if you want to learn Arabic, you can journey to Rabat, Morocco. You’ll study for 20 hours a week and stay in a school apartment or with a host family. That allows for plenty of time to hone your language skills with the locals while you’re sightseeing and enjoying their culture.

You can pretty much head to your chosen destination whenever you desire since most of the classes have start dates weekly or twice a month. For a list of countries, prices and other details visit www.languagesabroad.com.

INTERNATIONAL WILDERNESS LEADERSHIP SCHOOL
IWLS for short, this company offers training in leadership, decision making, risk management and client management as well as in a ton of fun “hard skills” like mountaineering, ice and rock climbing, avalanche awareness, backcountry skiing, river rafting, wilderness first aid, high and low angle rescue and a lot more.

College credit can be earned with IWLS courses, ranging in duration from 12 days to full semesters. And if you’re looking for a career in this area, IWLS ends up hiring about 40 percent of the people they train.

Classes take place in Alaska, Canada, Kenya, Tanzania, Nepal, Ecuador, Mexico and Argentina. www.iwls.com.

AFRICA ADVENTURE CONSULTANTS GO GREEN
Leading safari organizers Africa Adventure Consultants have been honored by Conde Nast Traveler with an inclusion on their 8th Annual Top Travel Specialists list. Many of the company’s safaris are personally led by AAC owners Kent and Kelly Redding to off-the-beaten-path destinations in Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania and South Africa.

The Reddings lived in Africa for many years and have always been involved in environmentally and culturally responsible travel and are now “greening” up their tours even more. So if you’re planning on visiting the elephants and the other members of “the big five” and don’t want to leave behind so much as a carbon footprint, check out the safaris available at www.adventuresinafrica.com.