Gender is another feature that can determine SLA in some specific cultures (Siegal, 1995; Talburt & Stewart,
1999; Isabelli-García, 2006), particularly for female SA sojourners, who sometimes might find it harder to benefit
from interactions with the local community. Gender can be a pre-requisite for taking part in an au-pair programme
with a language learning component.
The language travellers’ educational background can also be significant in shaping the language tourism
experience, whether it is related with formal education -e.g. a cultural exchange with a foreign high school, an
international mobility programme at university level, etc.- or it is not integrated in the educational system. Within
the broad category of education, primary education refers to elementary schooling, secondary education includes
technical and vocational education, and the third level comprises higher education at college and university -
including graduate, postgraduate and PhD programmes-, as well as technical and vocational education beyond the
high school level.
Generally speaking, the popularity of overseas academic study -particularly in higher education- has increased. In
Europe the Erasmus and Leonardo da Vinci exchange programmes and the creation of the European Higher
Education Area have fostered the circulation of students with academic L2 needs. Consequently, the demand for
IELTS (International English Language Testing System) and EAP (English for Academic Purposes) preparation
courses abroad addressed to students who need to fulfil access requirements in English-speaking universities is now
higher. Pathway programmes leading to vocational or higher education with a view on further study or even
permanent residency in Australia or the UK are more in demand, too (Smith, 2011).
On the other hand, since English is a must in career development, business IELTS preparation programmes are
more popular than in the past. There is also a proliferation of complementary language courses abroad aiming at
fostering key competences for life-long learning - in particular, communication in foreign languages. In addition,
more employees now undertake in-company training overseas or receive sponsorship for their studies abroad from
their employers, as this is considered a worthy investment (Smith, 2011).
Occupation is, therefore, an important element to consider. The individuals’ jobs and positions can determine
their needs and financing for their SA stays. For example, those professionals who are temporarily unemployed
might be willing to pursue education and training in a foreign country, but they might also have limited
affordability. Similarly, despite having more availability to travel, the self-employed may have to rely on selffinancing.
In terms of origins, the language tourists’ purchasing power can obviously be seen as a facilitator or an obstacle
leading to the application for scholarships or grants. In countries like Saudi Arabia or Spain students used to receive
full or partial funding for their overseas language programmes -in Spain financial support to learn English derived
from the Ministry of Education and the local administrations. Currently more and more language students look for
programmes that include paid work options in a foreign country, not only to have an additional source of income,
but rather to gain international experience and become more competitive.
The language tourists’ provenance might also be seen as a difficulty not only in economic terms, but also with
respect to legal requirements. Government policies concerning restrictive visa requirements affect some destinations
such as Ireland. The choice of a language tourism destination actually depends on factors like visa constraints and
currency fluctuations (Smith, 2011).
As for linguistic identity, higher aptitude in L2 is considered to foster SLA. Degrees of aptitude vary for each
individual and can be therefore measured through tests or inferred from performance, as it cannot be directly
observed (Robinson, 2012). Whereas aptitude is not necessarily innate, personality traits are inherent to the
individuals and also seem to facilitate SLA provided that they are moderate rather than extreme (Larsen-Freeman,
1991). Nevertheless, the personality factors listed in Larsen-Freeman (1991) are mostly related to states, so global
measurements are not valid predictors of learners’ performance in a given situation.
The last category in Table 3, travel party, must also be regarded as a variable influencing the language travel
experience. Travelling to another country with the whole class in a school trip to practice a foreign language will
probably not provide the same opportunities for socializing meaningfully with the local community as travelling
with a group of friends, or better yet, individually. Likewise, one-to-one tuition for individuals will probably have
different impacts on the language tourism experience from group instruction. At present, family