A few years ago, if we wanted to make a foreign friend online, we had to join a complicated pen pal website. The smartphone app Wander is a convenient alternative.
Wander begins from a simple idea: “I am one-man tour guide.” Every week the app introduces me to a new partner. This is the same as being introduced to a new tour guide every week! Consequently, as the name suggests, this app can let me “wander” the whole world.
Completing a mission on Wander with my friend Chika
(SCREENSHOT: Lee Su-hyun)
How does this app work? Every day, users are given a simple but interesting mission. For example, take a photo of a famous local place. Then send it to your partner and explain what it is. I did this yesterday with my new Japanese friend Chika. By completing our missions, we became friends, and I got some good English practice.
Wander currently has one drawback, however. It is not easy to find friends on continents other than Asia. I’ve been using this app for about three months and have met only a few people living in America or Europe. This is a little frustrating for those who want to study English or western culture. Still, I have new friends from Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, and Finland — friends I would not have made without Wander!
So if are looking for a fun and hassle-free way to explore the world and practice your English, you should check out Wander.
Wander is currently on iPhone, but will soon be available for Android.