I have traveled through 61 countries and have yet to become fluent during the ride from the airport. I have become very good at saying thank you badly, and that has taken me farther than silence.
You do not need a perfect accent or a heroic language-learning streak before every trip. Start with the words that make you a more considerate guest: hello, please, thank you, excuse me, yes, no, how much, where, bathroom and help. Add “I don’t understand” before your confidence creates a more complicated afternoon.
Learn them for the place you are actually visiting. Languages change across borders, and dialects can change within them. A phonetic table copied from the internet cannot hear the difference. Listen to a native speaker, repeat the phrase out loud and accept that your mouth may need several attempts to cooperate.
The goal is not to impress anyone. It is to show that you were willing to enter their world before asking them to operate in yours. Sometimes the response is a smile. Sometimes the person switches immediately to flawless English. Both are fine.
A few words also make travel more participatory. You notice how people greet one another, when formality matters and which sounds you keep getting wrong. Language stops being an obstacle sitting between you and the place. It becomes part of paying attention.
Do not use a memorized phrase as proof that you understand a culture. You do not. Neither do I after a week, a month or several trips. Curiosity should make you humbler, not more certain.
Ten words will not make you fluent. They can make you less of a stranger, which is usually enough to open the first door.