First off just go! Lots of trips are ruined by people taking to much time, dragging their feet and life just happens.
Traveling abroad It is not nearly as difficult as you think.
I wrote this as an easy starter.
http://thoughtsoftheages.blogspot.co...ow-to-get.html
You will be surprised how many people speak English abroad or will know someone who does. Easy places to visits to get your feet wet are of course Scandinavia, pretty much everyone speaks English there, older people being the exception, Most of northern Europe will, now if they want to is another question.
Greece, very easy and it seems like everyone speaks english.
Philippines the majority will as it is required in school and they were a US territory at one time.

Any nice hotel should have someone who speaks English.

Anyhow do not let any of it scare ya, part of the fun is eating things you never would have had the translation not been wrong pointing and generally acting like an ape while trying to figure out something simple with someone who does not at all.

With that said sometimes someone may talk to you in what seems fluent English and as it turns out their comprension is only 50 percent and you find everything you thought you had worked out was wrong.
It is getting boring easy now with all these translators on phones etc, sigh international travel will never be the same

As noted if All else fails always speak louder and slower, that works