If you want to learn to speak Spanish, consider combining learning methods to keep the process interesting and fun. You might choose to combine classes, language study abroad, audio CDs and Spanish-language DVDs to help you accomplish your goal.

Spanish Language Classes

You can take classes in person at your local community college or university. In some areas, you might find other institutions that offer language courses such as organizations that promote that culture or language. If you prefer to learn from the comfort of your own home, you can even find an online Spanish tutor to teach you as part of a group or one-on-one.

Spanish Language Study Abroad

One of the best ways to have a cheap vacation and learn to speak Spanish is by particpating in a language study program in a developing country. Costa Rica is geographically diverse country in Central America is a developing country with an organized government. The diverse geography includes beaches, rain forests, a volcano, and urban city life.

The exchange rate is often favorable to the dollar and allows you to see and do a lot during your visit. We wanted to participate in a language-study program and selected a school in La Fortuna near the Arenal Volcano.

We signed up for a half-day Spanish course and stayed with a Costa Rican family who did our laundry and fed us. The tuition, room and board cost about $400 per person for an entire week. The language school offered a guide who took us on two trips included in the price above. Our trips included a visit to hot springs at a beautiful spa and a night nature walk, which we all elected to have completely in Spanish.

Compare that $400 for a week's stay and two tours to some places where a hotel alone is $150-250 per night, and you see it's a good deal. We chose to spend an extra $250 on additional trips we wanted to take to a cloud forest. With airfare, the total cost for the trip came to $1000-$1500 for two people.

Travel Budget

• $400 tuition, room and board for two adults

• $250 for extra trips (optional) for two adults

• $700 roundtrip airfare for two adults

• $1350 total

By the way, some of the language instruction schools in Costa Rica offer plans for young children. While at the hot springs near the Arenal Volcano one night, we met a family who were also taking language study. One little girl attended the Costa Rican preschool while her parents were in the Spanish class. The parents were able to focus on their own instruction while their little girl had a great time with other kids.

Audio CDs

The Pimsleur Approach suggests you can learn any language in 10 days. While I'm not sure I believe that claim, I can attest that they do offer an exceptionally good language learning method that has helped me get much further in less time than I thought, and the FBI and CIA use their approach.

Spanish-Language DVDs

Whether you decide to watch a Spanish-language move in Spanish, cartoons with your child, or a video made especially for learning Spanish, you'll probably find DVDs a nice change of pace from the classroom or tutoring. You can listen in Spanish while the English subtitles play or vice versa. I watched two whole seasons of the television show, Bones, and learned so much from having the Spanish subtitles on while I watched.

You can also read newspapers and subscribe to magazines that are in Spanish to help you learn. Whatever method you take, remember to enjoy yourself and not get too concerned with perfection.