It’s important to have dreams and to have a vision. This vision can subconsciously guide a person to do the things that are important to them in their life. A person wrote into a newspaper column describing their desire to take to the road, to travel and see things, and to learn French. Chuckling, I could understand this desire. I feel it every day and I desire to learn many languages to try to have an idea how other people might see the world. For some reason I return to the French language with its strange verb tenses, unusual expressions, words used in one context but not in others. A traveler should always keep a journal and always learn a few useful expressions. Here is a short list and there are more expressions. Perhaps it will lead to learning more which is always the goal. ( I provide a phonetic breakdown that I have devised and find helpful when first starting out.)

Hello - Bonjour - bohngzhoor

Goodbye - Au revoir - aw rhe vwahr

How are you? - Comment allez-vous? ko mohng tah lay voo

I’m fine. - Bien, merci. — byeng mair see

Please - S’il vous plaît. — See voo play

Excuse me — Excusez-moi. — Ek skew say mwah

Sorry — Pardon — pahr dohng

A coffee — un café — uhng kah fay

A table — une table — ewn tah bleh

For two — pour deux — poohr deuh

That was delicious! — C’était délicieux. — Saytay day lee see yeeeuh

The bill please. — L’addition, s’il vous plaît. — Lah dee seeohng seel voo play.

This is a good start. Practice these expressions. There are more to come!