One of the great things about getting out of town….well, is “getting out of town”.
Travel is the most educational experience one can have. All the classes, all the “YouTube” videos, all the books, all the talking. None of them add up to going outside one’s home, remaining open while observing the actions and attitudes of those foreign to you.
One of the joys of being “retired” is having the time to take
“The Great Courses” classes so I can learn other languages in order to better communicate with people in the places I hope to travel to. Through The Great Courses, I can also improve my cooking, my photographic skills and my personal relationships.
If you don’t want to pay for and download these many classes offered by The Great Courses, (and they have sales constantly) there is The Great Courses Plus. 
This is a subscription site and gives most of the same class access that purchasing the classes offers. The main difference is no download capability. It is exclusively streaming. But you can download the course guide for the classes which helps you to work your way through the classes.
SIDE NOTE: I want to add that there is no gratuity offered to me for writing about this – no freebies, no special access. I am just sharing something I am very excited about and learning from. If, at sometime in the future, I write about something I benefit from, I will make the disclaimer at the end of each entry.
So check out The Great Courses and The Great Courses Plus and enjoy!