There are a lot of Arabic-speaking countries each with its own variety of an Arabic dialect with a *Modern Standard Arabic* (MSA or "fusha") being the language of the media and official speech, and *Classical Arabic* being the language of the Quran. 

Would I be understood and is it normal to speak Modern Standard Arabic in the Arabic-speaking countries or do I need to study the dialect of the country where I am traveling to? Is the situation different for North African countries vs countries of the Gulf?