I think we (or at least I) take it for granted, but the overwhelming majority of places to travel have English as the default "travel language" that is spoken, however basically, by locals who you'll need to interact with for things like hotels, transportation, etc.
This really hits home when you're somewhere like Laos and see tourists from Japan, Brazil, Germany, Russia, and China (yes China, Northern neighbor of Laos) struggling thru English in any tourist related activity with a local.
Granted the Chinese have an advantage in larger Asian cities including Vientiane as there is always a Chinese population and Chinese part of town, but from Panama City to Dubai to Bangkok when if you've got any chance at trying to explain to a taxi driver where you want to go using a foreign language English your best bet.
How convenient.
This really hits home when you're somewhere like Laos and see tourists from Japan, Brazil, Germany, Russia, and China (yes China, Northern neighbor of Laos) struggling thru English in any tourist related activity with a local.
Granted the Chinese have an advantage in larger Asian cities including Vientiane as there is always a Chinese population and Chinese part of town, but from Panama City to Dubai to Bangkok when if you've got any chance at trying to explain to a taxi driver where you want to go using a foreign language English your best bet.
How convenient.