Study Travel Magazine - July 2011

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This article, by Alex Wolfson at Cactus, describes a typical week in the life of a language travel consultant: “Monday: The week starts afresh to hopefully lots of new bookings taken over the weekend and hopefully no phone messages from clients who have arrived at their course destination over the weekend and are unable to find their transfer/host family street/the language school! June/July is our busiest season so at this time of year Monday is mostly taken up with processing new orders, collecting information on host family accommodation etc for existing ones and following up new enquiries. Monday is always the busiest day for any kind of client activity (new bookings, enquiries, chasing information) so today I’m at my desk drinking lots of tea.

Tuesday: This is usually my “School Groups day”. We have a few teenage groups accompanied by their school teachers going on language trips in July, though most go in October or at Easter. Tuesday is my day to focus on them. I could be preparing information packs, putting together a proposal, negotiating with a group leader on price, discussing a proposal with one of our partner schools. Last Tuesday I was visiting a potential school group client close to Southampton armed with sample quotes, Powerpoint presentation and dressed in a sharp suit in contrast to our usual Cactus dress-down style! That’s the advantage of being an online company – as clients don’t tend to come to our office, we can wear what we like!

Wednesday: Today a colleague in our marketing department approaches me for advice about where she might go abroad to take a Spanish course at one of our partner schools. She wants to go somewhere in September where there will be nice weather, a beach and a great school. I recommend our partners in Nerja, Malaga, Denia or Valencia. One of the main perks we get as employees of Cactus, whether we work in sales, marketing, finance or on our UK courses is that we can take a week’s language course at any of our partner schools in Cactus! This is great for keeping us in touch with language learning, and in keeping up our product knowledge.

Thursday: It’s getting to the end of the week so I run a report to check all the clients leaving to start their courses at the weekend have the information they need. I also take time to look at what destinations to put on our flash banners on our website. I take a look through what destinations have sold well in the past at this time of year and contact our partner schools in these destinations to see if we can get a special promotion or offer for our clients.

Friday: Manic day as we round off the week and send out any unsent information, have a team meeting, field calls from clients who have decided they want to start a course on Monday! With accommodation! I finalise my colleague’s course and follow up on School Groups proposals. An impromptu meeting with the Product Manager for our UK courses to discuss how we can cross market our courses takes me almost to the end of the day, so I run a final departure report, field one more call and dash off to the Wagon and Horses for a pint of cider, a laugh and a chat with my fantastic colleagues.”

Wanderlust - June 2011

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This double-page spread in Wanderlust, the UK’s leading adventure travel magazine, takes a look at holidays where you can learn a skill.  Jessica Macias, one of Cactus’ recent Portuguese students, talks about her experiences of visiting Brazil and learning the language on location.  She gives an in-depth account of her experiences and her love of the country and culture: “I found Cactus Language online. I talked to them on the phone and tried out a weekend course. I was happy with the way it was organised so decided to go with them. In Rio I was welcomed by the family I would be staying with.  I expected the stereotype of ‘very warm Brazilians’ and I wasn’t let down!  the lady of the house was charming; she talked with me every morning and evening, and took me out at the weekends – to the local restaurant and to the beach on Sundays, which is what the whole of Rio seems to do.  I really felt part of the life there, it was wonderful.

“The classes started at 8.30am so I had to face rush-hour traffic, which felt very Brazilian. On the first day of school we took an exam, which placed us at the right level.  The next day, the lessons got serious!  At first, there were only two of us in our class so it was very intensive.  We’d be chatting in Portuguese the whole time – complete immersion.  We changed teachers every day to experience different accents and different methods, If you signed up for an extra lesson, you’d come back after lunch for two hours of teaching or and excursions – to the American football stadium, to museums, to the Corcovado.  Because the people in our group were quite good at the grammar, we were able to do more interesting stuff such as reading articles from magazines and talking about current events; in one lesson we talked about literature, music and film.  It was really good fun and tailored to your needs.  Everybody in that class really wanted to learn Portuguese, especially because people don’t speak English in Brazil so it’s really the only way to communicate with the locals…. The language is just so beautiful.  I feel richer culturally – it was such a wonderful experience.”

Study Travel Magazine - June 2011

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This article in Study Travel Magazine covers the most desirable destinations in the UK for foreign students.  Stephanie Bon, English Product Manager at Cactus, comments: “For Cactus, London is definitely the most popular, followed by Nottingham and Liverpool.  Nottingham is a very unique destination that you rarely see in agents’ portfolios, so students like the idea that it is different as well as inexpensive.  Liverpool’s obvious pull is everything Beatles-related, and it also offers very good value for money both in terms of tuition fees and cost of life.  Brighton is also very popular for our students, especially in the summer, and its cosmopolitan vibe makes it an exciting place.”

The Ledger.com - June 2011

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The study of foreign languages is so associated with travel that I’m amazed I had not earlier heard of Cactus Language Training (https://www.cactuslanguagetraining.com).

The website collects dozens upon dozens of language-learning courses—from one-on-one lessons to groups to schools all across the world—30 languages in 500 destinations spread throughout 60 countries. And the price for instruction is entirely reasonable, although costs vary sharply according to the language, place and school or course you choose.

Money Observer - 13 May 2011

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The Money Observer is a highly-respected business and finance magazine with a strong social media presence.  Cactus teamed-up with the magazine to run a competition to win two evening courses through its Freebie Friday Twitter pages.  The giveaway was a big success with great interest from the Twitter community and potential to revisit in the future. “With summer just around the corner, holidaymakers up and down the country will be packing swimsuits and dusting-off language phrase books before jetting-off overseas.  We’d like to offer tw, free 10-week evening courses to Twittter followers who want to be able to say “Hola!” and “Ciao!” like a native this summer.”

Discover the World of Languages with Cactus Language Training

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As all seasoned travelers know, the only way to truly get under the skin of a place is to learn the language.  Being able to say even a few words and phrases helps to open doors, build local relationships and lend an authenticity to your travel experiences and writing.

Cactus is one of the world’s leading language training companies, and every year we help over 15,000 people learn a language, with courses for everyone from complete beginners to advanced learners.  We have a global network of approved schools and highly experienced teachers. Our aim is to make language learning fun and accessible for all.

With that in mind, we would like to offer all SATW members a massive 50% off all our international language courses (including accommodation).  And since we run courses in up to 30 languages, in 60 countries and at 500 destinations worldwide, there’s sure to be a destination that appeals. 

Many of our courses combine languages and a range of exciting activities, from French and Surfing in Biarritz, to Mandarin and Calligraphy classes in Xian.  We are also always open to discuss suggestions for funding full press trips, so let us know if you have a specific commission in mind.

For all enquiries and to claim your discount, please email or call +1-212-601-9343, quoting “SATW Discount”.  We’ll look forward to hearing from you.

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New York Metro - 21 April 2011

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As the NY PR campaign begins to gain momentum, Cactus has been included in NY Metro’s MyMetro section with details of its summer camp courses: “Cactus Language Training:

Cactus arranges a wide range of language courses aimed at students under 18. 115 W. 29th St. (888-577-8451) Cost $801-$900 per week. Ages 8-18.”

Chicago Tribune - 17 April 2011

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Cactus was included in the well-read “News to Use” section of The Chicago Tribune, penned by Phil Marty.  The news snip reads: “Want to learn a language overseas? Check out cactuslanguagetraining.com/us.” See the full page at: https://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/ct-trav-0417-news-to-use-20110416,0,7835476.story

Focus on Travel News - 6 April 2011

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In the same way that authors such as Colin Thurbron, Peter Mayle and Elizabeth Gilbert have won legions of fans by capturing the true spirit of culturally authentic travel experiences, the most passionate travelers long to immerse themselves fully in their chosen destinations.

This is the core of Cactus Language Training’s philosophy. One of the world’s leading language training companies, Cactus teaches more than 30 languages in 60 countries at 500 destinations worldwide, each year adding new destinations, immersive cultural opportunities and enticing incentives that enhance the process of learning a new language through culturally enriching vacation experiences.  With an emphasis on affordability and authenticity, Cactus’s new vacation programs in 2011 include learning Spanish and Latin Dance in Leticia, Colombia at a school on the banks of the Amazon; studying German in the low-key, less touristy Bavarian town of Lindau overlooking the Swiss Alps; and mastering Russian in culturally diverse Kiev, Ukraine near Belarus.

The new Colombia location is one of 70 destinations in which Cactus offers Spanish language instruction; others include Argentina, Costa Rica, and two in Spain. Likewise, those who seek to speak French fluently can choose among 26 destinations, including coastal Biarritz, Bordeaux, and Monaco in France; or Montreal, Canada. If ease with Italian is the goal, Cactus offers 22 locations across Italy. Thai, Turkish and Brazilian Portuguese (the current passion of Cactus founder Rich Ambler) are among the 30 languages offered by Cactus.

Incentives and Special Offers – all prices for all Cactus programs are guaranteed in US dollars.

A variety of appealing incentives are available for aspiring linguists, including:

A free week with the purchase of a two-week French language program in Nice (for programs through May 30), starting at $682 for a 3-week course;

Five free cultural lessons with the purchase of a Spanish language program in Madrid (plus a discounted rate for programs over 12 weeks in length), starting at $284 for a course-only.

A free excursion to the glass-blowing island of Murano with the purchase of an Italian language program in Venice, starting at $312 for a course-only. Available throughout the year.

Cactus believes that “one size does not fit all” and tailors its broad range of programs to fit the individual needs of the learner.  Adding a further dimension to its in situ programs, Cactus incorporates cultural experiences, ranging from wine tasting and cooking to dance and diving, to strengthen and reinforce the day’s language lessons.  Cactus also offers courses for children, teenagers, families and mature travelers, as well as executives.

Study Travel Magazine - April 2011

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This article from Study Travel Magazine takes a look at learning Chinese.  Alex Wolfson from Cactus, comments: “With a language as complex as Mandarin, there really is no substitute for learning on location.  Our clients understand that spending time in one of the big cities like Shanghai or Xi’an offers an unrivalled insight into Chinese customers, traditions and daily life.  In the last couple of years, a large number of our students have wanted to visit Beijing and experience the hustle and bustle of the capital city.  We also find that Xi’an is popular and this is because it offers an alternative to the modern cities.”