English for Independent Travelers Vocabulary 1. lost-and-found office 2. valuable 3. security camera 4. travel insurance 5. Head this way 6. side street 7. bus terminal 8. It s easy to get disoriented! 9. There was a mix-up 10. overbook 11. restaurant vouchers 12. Throw up 13. diarrhea 14. Shellfish 15. on the house (=free) 16. That s a rip-off! 17. This is ridiculous! 18. There s been a misunderstanding. 19. Be reasonable! 20. Continent 21. The ticket is valid for one year 22. This pass allows you 15 stopovers 23. There are no mileage limits 24. long haul flights 25. Hitch a ride 26. hand gestures 27. drug (v.) 28. better safe than sorry 29. a must-see 30. hang out 31. pickpocket 32. island hopping Role play dialogue 1. My bag is missing! It was here just a minute ago! 2. We re lost. We can t find our way back to our hostel. Train platform guard A witness who saw someone take the bag lost-and-found office; valuable; security camera; travel insurance Coffee shop waiter Local person Head this way; side street; bus terminal; It s easy to get disoriented! 1
3. What do you mean you re fully booked? I called last week and booked a room. Hotel receptionist Hotel manager There was a mix-up; overbook; restaurant vouchers 5. A taxi has taken to your destination. Before you got in the taxi, the driver said the fare would be 250 baht, but now you have arrived he says the fare is 500 baht. 4. I m not feeling well. I think I have food poisoning. Bleeuuurrgggghhh! Nurse Restaurant owner Throw up; diarrhea; shellfish; on the house (=free) 6. We d like to book a round-the-world tour, but we re on a tight budget. Travel agent 1 Travel agent 2 Taxi driver Police officer That s a rip-off!; This is ridiculous!; There s been a misunderstanding. Be reasonable! 7. Two young people are traveling on a shoestring. One wants to save money by hitchhiking, but the other thinks it s too risky. A man and his friend offer them a ride. Local driver who offers them a ride Friend of local driver Continent; The ticket is valid for one year; This pass allows you 15 stopovers; This ticket gives you 16 flights and there are no mileage limits; long haul flights 8. Two travelers from Taiwan have just arrived in Thailand. They chat with two backpackers from the US who are staying at their hostel. The two Americans have been traveling around Thailand for the past 3 weeks. Taiwan traveler 1 Taiwan traveler 1 US traveler 1 US traveler 2 Hitch a ride; hand gestures; drug (v.); better safe than sorry a must-see; hang out; pickpocket; island hopping 2
Vocabulary 1. lost-and-found office (n.) the place where items that have been found are kept until they are collected 2. valuable (adj.) worth a lot of money 3. security camera (n.) 4. travel insurance (n.) 5. Head this way (v. phr.) = go this way 6. side street (n.) a smaller and less important street leading off a main street in a town 7. bus terminal (n.) a place, building, or set of buildings where journeys by bus begin or end 8. It s easy to get disoriented! *disorient (v.) : to make someone confused about where they are and where they are going 9. There was a mix-up *mix-up (n.) a mistake that causes confusion 10. Overbook (v.) to sell more tickets on a plane or reserve more rooms in a hotel than there are places available 11. restaurant vouchers *voucher (n.) a printed piece of paper that can be used instead of money to pay for something 12. Throw up (v.) = vomit 13. diarrhea (n.) an illness in which waste matter is emptied from the bowels much more frequently than normal, and in liquid form 14. Shellfish (n.) a creature with a shell, that lives in water, especially one of the types that can be eaten. oysters and crabs are shellfish. 15. on the house (=free) 16. That s a rip-off! *rip-off (n.) something that is not worth what you pay for it 17. This is ridiculous! * ridiculous (adj.)very silly or unreasonable 18. There s been a misunderstanding. 19. Be reasonable! 20. Continent (n.) one of the large land masses of the earth such as Europe, Asia, or Africa 21. The ticket is valid for one year *valid (adj) that is legally or officially acceptable 22. This pass allows you 15 stopovers *stopover (n.) a short stay somewhere between two parts of a trip 23. There are no mileage limits *mileage (n.) the distance that a vehicle has traveled, measured in miles 3
24. long haul flights *haul (n.) the distance covered in a particular journey 25. Hitch a ride (v.) Hitch (v.) to get a free ride in a person's car; to travel around in this way, by standing at the side of the road and trying to get passing cars to stop 26. hand gestures (n.) 27. drug (v.) to give a person or an animal a drug, especially to make them unconscious, or to affect their performance in a race or competition 28. better safe than sorry (idiom): used to say that it is wiser to be too careful than to act too quickly and do something you may later wish you had not 29. a must-see (idiom) used to tell people that something is so good or interesting that they should see, read, get it, etc. 30. hang out (v. phr) to spend a lot of time in a place 31. pickpocket (n.) a person who steals money, etc. from other people's pockets, especially in crowded places 32. island hopping (n.) the activity of traveling from one island to another in an area that has lots of islands, especially as a tourist 4
Checking-In Hotel: Good afternoon. Welcome to the Grand Woodward Hotel. How may I help you? Guest: I have a reservation for today. It's under the name of Hannighan. Hotel: Can you please spell that for me, sir? Guest: Sure. H-A-N-N-I-G-H-A-N. Hotel: Yes, Mr. Hannighan, we've reserved a double room for you with a view of the ocean for two nights. Is that correct? Guest: Yes, it is. Hotel: Excellent. We already have your credit card information on file. If you'll just sign the receipt along the bottom, please. Guest: Whoa! Five hundred and ninety dollars a night! Hotel: Yes, sir. We are a five star hotel after all. Guest: Well, fine. I'm here on business anyway, so at least I'm staying on the company's dime. What's included in this cost anyway? Hotel: A full Continental buffet every morning, free airport shuttle service, and use of the hotel's safe are all included. Guest: So what's not included in the price? Hotel: Well, you will find a mini-bar in your room. Use of it will be charged to your account. Also, the hotel provides room service, at an additional charge of course. Guest: Hmm. Ok, so what room am I in? Hotel: Room 487. Here is your key. To get to your room, take the elevator on the right up to the fourth floor. Turn left once you exit the elevator and your room will be on the left hand side. A bellboy will bring your bags up shortly. Guest: Great. Thanks. Hotel: Should you have any questions or requests, please dial 'O' from your room. Also, there is internet available in the lobby 24 hours a day. Guest: Ok, and what time is check-out? Hotel: At midday, sir. Guest: Ok, thanks. Hotel: My pleasure, sir. Have a wonderful stay at the Grand Woodward Hotel. 5
I d like to book a room. Receptionist: Good afternoon, Balmoral Hotel. Can I help you? Mrs Ryefield: Yes. Good afternoon. I d like to book a room. Receptionist: Certainly. When for, madam? Mrs Ryefield: The 23 rd of March. Receptionist: How long will you be staying? Mrs Ryefield: Three nights. Receptionist: What kind of room would you like, madam? Mrs Ryefield: Er... a double with en suite. I d like a room with a view of the park, if possible. Receptionist: Certainly, madam. I ll just check the availability... Yes, we have a room on the 4th floor with a really splendid view. Mrs Ryefield: Fine. How much is the cost per night? Receptionist: Would you like breakfast? Mrs Ryefield: No, thanks. Receptionist: It s eighty-four pounds ( 84) per night excluding VAT. Mrs Ryefield: That s fine. Receptionist: Who s the booking for, please? Mrs Ryefield: Mr and Mrs Ryefield, that s R-Y-E-F-I-E-L-D. Receptionist: Okay. That s a booking for Mr and Mrs Ryefield. A double room with en suite for March the 23rd, 24th and 25th. Is that correct? Mrs Ryefield: Yes it is. Thank you. Receptionist: Let me give you your confirmation number. It s: 7576385. I ll repeat that: 7576385. Thank you for choosing Balmoral Hotel. We look forward to welcoming you. Goodbye. Mrs Ryefield: Bye. 6
Destination Where can I take you? Where are you going? What's your destination? I don't know that place. Do you have a map? Can you show me on this map? Are you in a hurry? It is very close. It is pretty far away. It will take about 15 minutes. It takes about one hour to get there. It is faster to take the expressway but you have to pay the toll. Can I get a ride? How many people can you fit? How long will it take? Please wait for me. You can keep the meter running. Do you have a flat fee to the airport? I'm in a bit of a rush. Can we get there by 10 o'clock / noon / 4pm / etc? Could you slow down, please? Is this the quickest way? Do you take credit cards? Do you have change? Fare and fees The total price is $10. Keep the change. Thanks for the ride / lift. Thank you for the tip. No service Do you have smaller notes/bills? I don't have any change. The customer pays for the expressway, OK? You in a hurry? Take the expressway? There is a tollway fee. You pay the fee, ok? Sorry, that is out of my boundaries. I can't go there. I would have to come back without a fare. Sorry, I don't go to the airport. I'm all done for the day / night. I have to return the car on time. My car needs servicing. I'm sorry. Have a nice day. I can call another driver / company for you. 7
At the Travel Agency Dave: Hi, I d like to check on a flight. Travel Agent: Sure. What is your destination? Dave: London, England. Travel Agent: And is this one-way or round trip? Dave: Round trip. Travel Agent: When would you like to depart? Dave: January 12th, returning on January 26th. Travel Agent: Okay, one moment please.... Do you have an airline preference? Dave: No. Any airline will be fine. I m not picky. Travel Agent: And what class would you like? Economy, business class, or first class? Dave: Economy, please. Travel Agent: Okay, well there s a flight on the morning of the 12th, returning on the afternoon of the 26th. The cheapest we have is $1,400. Dave: Ouch! I was hoping to find something cheaper. My dates are flexible do you think you can find a cheaper flight on different dates? Travel Agent: Let me check. Just a moment.... There s a flight on the 10th, returning on the 25th, for $968. Dave: That s much better! Travel Agent: But you have to change planes twice once in New York, and again in Holland. And there s a 6-hour layover in Holland. Dave: Hmmm... Is that the best you can do? Travel Agent: I m afraid so. If you d like, I can reserve a seat now, and you don t need to pay right away. Dave: That would be great. Travel Agent: I just need your full name and passport number. Dave: Here you are. (Hands the travel agent his passport.) Travel Agent: Okay, one moment.... Alright! It s reserved. If you decide you want to purchase the ticket, you need to confirm before the end of the month. Dave: Great! You ve been very helpful. Thanks! Travel Agent: That s my job! Take care! 8
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