You do not need fluent Spanish to travel well. You need about twenty phrases, delivered with confidence and a smile. Here are the ones that do the heavy lifting.

Greetings and courtesy

Buenos días — good morning. Buenas tardes — good afternoon, used from roughly 1pm until dark. Por favor and gracias will smooth almost any interaction.

Getting around

¿Dónde está...? means "where is...?" — pair it with el baño (the bathroom), la estación (the station) or el hotel.

Eating and drinking

La cuenta, por favor asks for the bill. ¿Qué me recomienda? — what do you recommend? — is the single best phrase for eating well.

When you get stuck

No entiendo (I do not understand) and ¿Puede repetirlo más despacio? (can you repeat that more slowly?) are far more useful than pretending to follow.