I always try to learn a few basic words in the languages of any country to which I'm travelling. But on my upcoming trip to Berlin and Paris, I thought I'd like to dive a little deeper. In Berlin, I'll be attending workshops, and while they will be conducted in English, most of the participants will be German-speakers. In Paris, I'd like to try to conduct myself primarily in French. As a Canadian, I learned some French in school and from the backs of cereal boxes. ;) And it was my minor in university. However, that was a long, long time ago, and, because I rarely use it, I can read and write it better than I can converse in it. I did find that the last time I was in Paris, after a few days, I was understanding quite a bit. I thought I'd get a bit of a jump on it by doing some refresher lessons.
So, I tried Duolingo, because I know a lot of people who use it. I was not impressed. I found it childish and too simple. I searched to find out what other sites/apps people recommended and came across a few, such as Rosetta Stone and Mango, as well as others. The best part is, I found out that public libraries often give members free access to one or more of these resources. It turns out, I can use Rosetta Stone with my library membership. I tried it and liked it a lot better than Duolingo.
So, if anyone else is looking to learn a new language, or even just some basics for travelling, check what's available through your library.