Traveling in Iran is not that much of a problem. English is the official second language in that country so most all of the major street signs are in English as well as Farsi (Persian). Iran also honors International Driver’s Licenses.

Many of the people do not speak English, but they are taught to read and write English in grade school or middle school. So if you have a problem, then you can usually write out what you want. A Farsi phrase book won’t help much, but an audio tape of Farsi might.

Iranians love Americans (the American goverment is something else). So when they find out that you come from the U.S., they will treat you very well.

Salesmen are not pressuring like in Turkey or other countries (but they do want your business ;) ). They treat their businesses like their homes. Would you want some pushy man coming at you if you were a guest? They don’t think so either.

If you are honored enough to be invited to someone’s home for dinner, then decline very politely at least once before accepting. The food will be wonderful and plentiful and the company will be warm and entertaining, beyond language barriers.

It is a part of the world that is largely hidden from the U.S. that I have been lucky enough to have experienced (daily in some ways).

Yeah, as Micheal said there’d be no problem to travel in Iran. There are lots of nice places to visit and lots of delicius food to eat and people treat foreigners, specially Americans, quite well.
But about the language unfortunately very few people can actually understand and speak English, so it would be better for you if you travelled by a tour or at least have someone reliable with you who can speak the persian language.

If you wanted any further information don’t hesitate to ask.

Totally agree with Micheal and Goddess.
This is an awesome place to visit, if only to meet the people. They are so happy to see you , and are eager to try to communicate.The locals are famous for their hospitality, and will treat you as an honoured guest. But as Goddess said about the language, unfortunately very few people actually understand and speak English, so it would be better for you if you travelled by a tour or at least have someone reliable with you who can speak the persian language.

I have travelled there 4 times, first as part of a group, then later, on my own, and managed with only a few problems. Even my 14 yr old daughter loves it and cant wait to go back! She says she feels a sense safety there, that she doesnt get in the UK.
I would recommend trying to get there!!

All Doriss, Micheal and Goddess, are right. Few people know English specially outside Tehran, but good rate of youth know English. you can find very very nice places to visit in all over the country, specially in Esfehan and Shiraz, you may also like to visit the west of the country , like Azarbaijan that is mostly hidden from the tourists sight.
If someone invites you to there home just in the case that you “really know them” don’t accept it in fist place wait till they ask you for the 3rd time, It’s really rude to do it in fist time. that what we call it “Taarof” that I cant find an English word for it.
If you have any more question that I can help, just ask, I will be more than happy if I can help. You can find my email address in my website.
beside all of the good things and all the hospitalities, Iranian are good lie rs be careful. (I’m Iranian myself) ;)
you can also find good tips in below links:
http://www.irpedia.com/
http://wikitravel.org/en/Iran
http://www.world66.com/asia/middleeast/iran

Hey Han, I agree with all the comments above, I think a trip to Iran is a unique and unforgettable experience where you will surely meet some of the most hospitable hosts and can enjoy a cultural and culinary feast like no place else. The only thing I would like to express is the inconvenience of traveling as a single woman. When my mother and I were traveling around Iran we had a hard time finding accommodations as single women. Even though we had reservations, the staff at couple of hotels required travel permission documents from our fathers or husbands which were impossible to attain at the time of their request. We finally found hotels which allowed us to stay the night but the whole thing was a bit of an inconvenience. I highly recommend traveling with a tour group, there are many benefits with traveling in a group. If you don’t want to be a part of a tour you can always go to one of the travel agencies in Tehran and make hotels, sightseeing and transportation arrangements prior to hitting the smaller cities. This is what I did and it gave me a lot of freedom to see the cities on my own as well as part of a group. Mind you I was traveling a single Persian woman 7 years ago, I am not sure how things have changed in these past years.
Make sure not to miss Kerman and the Caspian Sea. The small mud-set streets of Kerman will take you back in history while the luscious rice fields and mountains of Mazandaran will leave you breathless. Don’t forget to ask about the special dishes at each region. Almost every region of Iran has its own specific culinary style but if you don’t ask you might end up with Kebab and rice the whole way through….
Let me know if you have any other questions, I would be glad to answer any specific questions you have.
Bon Voyage….