[Jane Long]

We used Pimsler, before our trip to France/Italy....several years ago.

Very helpful.

[EEGator]

It’s my understanding that is what our Federal agencies use.

[Myrddin]

My wife and I drilled on Italian using Pimsleur for 3 weeks before we flow to Rome. I was presenting a paper at the 10th International CAN Conference. We had American Airlines flight miles to cover my wife's fare. My employer covered my fare. Per diem was generous enough to feed both of us.

It was my wife's first trip to a non-English speaking country. She was confident enough to take the trains, visit some museums and grab lunch while I was actively presenting my paper and listening to others.

In the evening, we took the train downtown. 15 miles from our hotel. As the train reached our destination, the operator announced they rail workers were on strike. Oh joy! We found a nice Thai restaurant for dinner, then the adventure to get back to the hotel started. The buses were striking too. We located a bus station and the cabbies were having a field day with all the opportunities. We were able to hire a cab to get us back to the hotel and did it all in Italian. I'm back to Italian again in Duolingo and making fine progress.