Don’t want to bother learning any of the language from a country you’re visiting? After all, it doesn’t sound productive having to spend a couple of weeks memorizing phrases for a one-week holiday. Unfortunately, it doesn’t change the fact that you’ll occasionally need to ask directions from people who speak no English. Fortunately, the Traveler’s Phrasebook Shirt makes that part easy.
Created by Art Lebedev, the shirt offers a simple yet elegant solution to the communication barrier. All you need to do is grab a local, point at a corresponding picture in your shirt and have them send you in the right direction. Easy.
The Traveler’s Phrasebook Shirt has a set of international pictograms depicting critical services that tourists need. Looking for food or lodging? Just point at the shirt. Want a cab driver to take you to the airport or the nearest post office? Just stick your finger at the corresponding image and you’ll be good to go. A large question mark sits in the center of the pictograms, which you can also point at, in case they didn’t quite understand that you’re asking a question.
It’s not all roses and peaches, though. Enjoying this convenience kinda leaves you having to wear the same shirt throughout your stay in the country, which is pretty crappy. Still, I don’t think there’s a quicker, lazier, more idiot-proof way to communicate with people from any part of the world.
You can get a Traveler’s Phrasebook Shirt from Art Lebedev’s online store for $20. It’s available in white, black and red, so you can, at least, vary the color you’re wearing.
[Art Lebedev]