If you are planning on retiring in the near future, you should think about learning Spanish. You might be surprised to know how many people in your situation are doing exactly that.

Learning Spanish, or any other second language for that matter, is a way to broaden one's horizons. That's why you'll find many retirees filling the Spanish classes offered at their local community college or through enrichment programs such as Elderhostel.

There's a more practical reason that so many of the retired and soon-to-be retired are studying Spanish, though. It's because of the swelling numbers of people who are planning to live abroad once they quit working. Americans and Canadians are buying second and retirement homes in such countries as Mexico, Costa Rica, and Panama. British citizens are gravitating to sunny Spain for their retirement years.

It is possible to live in many of these popular retirement destinations in English-speaking enclaves where you will almost never need to speak Spanish. But what's the fun in that? To get the most out of living in a new place, you should explore the local culture, including making an effort to speak the language.

There's also a diplomatic reason to learn to speak the language. The native people of your adopted country can too easily come to view you and your fellow expatriate retirees as aloof interlopers. Showing genuine interest in the local folks, making friendships with them, and perhaps most of all, learning enough Spanish to carry on conversations with them, will go far toward dispelling such a negative view.

You can take language classes ahead of your move to your new country. Just make it a part of your relocation planning, along with packing, selling the old house, getting your papers in order, etc. As an alternative to live classes, you can study at home using one of the excellent instructional courses available on CDs and DVDs, or as a download from the Web.

You can also seek out Spanish schools in your new home to continue your study there. Almost all of the popular retirement destinations have an abundance of such schools. Your fellow retirees can give you suggestions as to the ones that will meet your particular needs.