Parlez-vous Français?

When Erica Miller and her husband, David Miller, traveled to France last year, they could proudly answer “un peu,” a little bit, when asked if they spoke French.

The Overland Park couple took the French for Travelers class through Johnson County Community College before they went on their trip.

“I wanted to learn the basics of the language,” Miller said.

French for Travelers is one of several language courses JCCC offers to prepare people for travels abroad.

The eight-week courses cost $109. The classes teach participants the basic phrases they will need for their trips, such as how to ask for directions, how to read menus and how to ask where the bathroom is.

“It’s not an intensive, learn-the-language course,” said Tim Frenzel, JCCC’s continuing education program director. “It is completely survival training.”

JCCC offers classes in Spanish, French, Italian and German for travelers. Frenzel said these classes are among the most popular continuing education courses that the college offers. He said the travel classes are very popular for couples in their 20s that do not have children yet and for people in their 50s through 70s who are taking advantage of travel opportunities after retirement.

The French for Travelers class gave the Millers the confidence they needed to communicate in a foreign country.

“We felt very comfortable when we got to France,” Miller said. “We didn’t feel so nervous going into a store or ordering food.”

The Millers traveled to France with a tour group, but for those couples who want to plan their own trip to Europe, JCCC has travel planning courses. The college offers European travel planning courses for Italy, Paris and London, and Vienna, Budapest and Prague.

Each course lasts two and half hours and costs $29.

The travel planning courses identify attractions that participants will want to see on their trip and offer inside information about each location. Instructors also give tips how to save money while traveling.

“We have a couple of different instructors who have been everywhere and just enjoy talking about it,” Frenzel said. “It’s the conversational piece that brings people to these classes.”

Miller said she appreciated the insights she and her husband received from their French for Travelers instructor.

“It was very helpful and I think anyone would find it helpful,” she said. “For what we got I think the price was great.”

This fall JCCC will offer language for travelers classes in Italian, French, German and Spanish. For a complete listing of course offerings visit jccc.edu/personalenrichment.