TRAVELLING TRANSCRIPTION PART ONE Hi, welcome to the English balcony. Today we re going to talk about travelling. Do you like travelling? When was the last time you took a trip? Did you have a good journey? First of all, we ll see the difference between these three confusing words: travel, journey and trip. Travel is a verb and a noun. To travel means to make a journey, usually over a long distance. Let s see some examples: After winning the lottery, they spent a year travelling, mostly in South America. He travelled more than 1000 km to attend the funeral. I ve always loved travelling by car. As a noun, travel is a general word (air travel) that you won t use as frequently as journey or trip. A journey is when you travel from one place to another, especially in a vehicle. So, it mainly refers to the time you spend in a car or on a bus, train or plane to get to a place. It was a long journey to Morocco. It took us more than eleven hours to make the journey. To talk about the length of the route or the time it takes, we use the word journey. We broke our journey to Morocco. When you break a journey, it means that you stop for a short time before continuing travelling to your destination. You could also say to make a stopover to mean the same. I can t sleep a wink when I go on a journey. So, it s impossible for me to get to sleep on a car or train while I m travelling somewhere. Or I sleep like a log when I go on a coach journey. So, it s difficult to wake me up if I travel by coach.
We made the journey home by coach and it was really pleasant. You enjoyed it a lot, perhaps because of your travelling companions or the stopovers you made. What about a trip? A trip is a journey to somewhere, usually for a short time, and then you come back. The trip from Jaen to Madrid takes three and a half hours by train. There are different kinds of trips: school, business or shopping trips. You re supposed to return in a short time. She s away on a shopping trip. We re going on a school trip to Barcelona on Wednesday. You could travel or go on a journey or trip to anywhere by coach, train, plane and it s advisable to buy or book the tickets in advance if possible Notice that I ve said GO ON when talking about journeys or trips. We use this preposition for travelling. So you can go on a trip, a journey, a cruise (when you go on your holidays or hols on a ship) or a voyage (sailing long distances from one place to another).you could go on a guided tour when a guide tells you about the interesting things you can see when you get around a place) or a package holiday where everything is included in the price. Once we know the difference between travel, journey and trip let s go on a pleasure trip!!! PART TWO What is the first thing you need to go on a trip? TIMEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Perhaps you have some free time because you re on your summer holiday, there s a bank holiday to visit nearby places, a long weekend or you are on your honey moon. Make the most of your time!
The first thing to decide is your destination. What s going to be your destination? Large cities are usually very bustling (full of busy activity) and lively with a lot of places to go and things to do. You could spend your time getting around a city or area, going sightseeing to visit the most famous landmarks (buildings or places easy to recognize), and not only monuments, museums but traditional restaurants, squares and so on. Some people say that large cities are not welcoming at all and most of them are polluted, but I love that lifestyle, with their rush hour (although you get stuck in a traffic jam) and suddenly coming across (finding something by chance) peaceful and quiet parks where you could go for a walk or have a picnic if the weather is warm enough. Tiny villages with picturesque narrow streets could be the option for people who like a relaxing holiday. You might try some traditional dishes made with great care in every detail even in the most remote restaurants. Going hiking or cycling could be a good opportunity to keep fit. What about the coast? Perhaps you prefer enjoying the beautiful landscapes of abrupt cliffs in coastal areas, or sunbathing on sandy beaches. I d really like to get a suntan!! But with this clear skin, I need to be careful not to get sunburned. If you like lying on the beach, touristy beaches are always crowded at some times of the year, without room to put your towel down do you prefer a deserted and unspoiled beach? Do you like the whole seafront full of bars and cafés? So where do you prefer going? Have you already chosen your destination? If so, let s look for accommodation. You could stay in an expensive hotel with all kinds of facilities or a luxury seaside or ski resort. But if you can t afford them, there are lots of places to stay in: cheap hotels, family-run guesthouses, youth hostels where people, especially young people can stay cheaply for short periods when they are travelling, rented flats, cottages in rural areas or well-equipped campsites where you only have to set up your tent and enjoy the nature.
There are different arrangements for staying in a hotel: room only; bed and breakfast; half-board (bed, breakfast and one other meal) or fullboard (all meals). When you cook for yourself, a holiday is called selfcatering. You should take into account the place where your accommodation is and all you need to feel comfortable there. Is it within walking distance from the city centre or the main tourist attractions? If it is in the city centre, you ll probably have to put up with the noise of traffic at night, unless it is in a pedestrian area. Lively districts can be very attractive for young people, but be careful not to have bars or pubs downstairs. Look whether it has a garage or if there is a car park nearby. Are there underground stations or taxi ranks next to the hotel? If you travel with old people, check that the bathrooms have showers instead of baths. If you are an animal lover, are pets allowed in your room? If you want to bring some souvenirs back from your trip, there are some local markets with cheap and excellent local handicrafts. Don t forget any detail to have a pleasant stay!! It is better if you look for accommodation in advance and book a room to make sure you will have a place to stay in, especially in high season. Hotels in low season are cheaper and you can find good accommodation offers or even bargains if you surf patiently on the Internet. A bargain is something on sale at a lower price than its true value. There are many price comparison websites to help you find good value for money. But if you aren t keen on technology, a travel agency could help you out. Sometimes they offer package holidays in which transport, hotels and even meals are included in the price. You might call in at the travel agent s and pick up a few brochures on the way home. If you decide to travel abroad and you re going to the Tropics, most doctors will advise jabs to protect against malaria and even some vaccinations against different diseases may be compulsory. PART THREE
How will you get there? You could travel by car, coach, train or plane. If you have a lot of luggage to take, a car could be more convenient for the boot space, but it depends on the distance, time and money, how you choose one or another means of transport. Lots of people decide to hire a car when there are no tickets left for the place they wanted to visit. 0How long will it take to get there? To take: tardar It takes me two hours to study this lesson. Do you want to practice this structure? Let s do it! It took her one and a half hours to leave the city. It s taking my mother a long time to book the hotel room. It has taken us too long to arrive in Paris (or to get to Paris). It ll take Peter more than an hour to pack his bags. I m sure! Well, I ve thought about every detail EXCEPT MY PASSPORT!!!! Oh my God! When you travel abroad, be careful to take a current or valid passport if necessary. You should always take a copy of your identity card or passport with you, some photographs in case you need to get these documents on site and a money belt to keep your money safe. Try to get information about the currency and don t only take credit cards with you. I m sure you will need some cash for low-value purchases.