I don't think it's realistic to think you can learn a variety of different languages fluently unless you have a great talent and, often, a younger brain. Learn a few courtesy words, have a phrasebook, and just be able to roll with the punches. The greatest difficulty can be understanding what you're told in answer to your questions. And sometimes you just don't get it, and you'll have to find the English speaker to help you out. I couldn't hear any relationship between the German I studied on the BBC website and the German spoken in Bavaria; fortunately, the Germans are a highly educated people and I had little trouble finding English speakers to help me out. Another example would be Japanese -- I had little trouble hearing or speaking the basics such as greetings or where's the bathroom, but I can't read it at all no matter how many times I would look at a basic symbol such as for the ladies' room. I guess if I were Japanese, I'd be a dyslexic. But you figure it out. If a lady emerges from the facilities, it is the ladies' room. You'd be amazed at how little chitchat you need to employ to get around. Don't wait until you speak a language fluently to travel.