Traveling & Vacations – Fale tudo em ingles

Dear fellow English teachers,

The title of this unit is “Traveling & Vacations” (extracted from Let´s Talk about it! – The Ultimate ELT Conversation Book). The following Lesson Plan is intended for B2/A1 level students. Enjoy!

Pre-listening/reading questions:

Have you ever been abroad? What countries have you been to so far?
What country/countries would you like to visit? Why?
What would be your “dream vacation”?

Click the link below to listen to the dialogue “This feeling of wanderlust!”

SCROLL DOWN FOR DIALOGUE SCRIPT

This feeling of wanderlust – True, False or I don´t know?

Carla is not interested at all in traveling abroad. True ___ False ___ I don´t know ___
Ralph would rather travel alone than with friends. True ___ False ___ I don´t know _
Carla agrees with Ralph that visiting the unconventional places in a country makes the trip more exciting and unique. True ___ False ___ I don´t know ___
Carla has never traveled abroad before. True ___ False ___ I don´t know ___
Ralph is headed to the Philippines and Indonesia this time. True ___ False ___ I don´t know ___

Focus on Words & Expressions – Find words or expressions in the dialogue that mean the same as:

a. That you cannot forget _____________________
b. In advance; ahead of time ___________________
c. Pictures; photos (informal) __________________
d. Beginning a conversation ___________________
e. Useful piece of information or advice ___________
f. Initiate conversation to get to know people _________
g. Sad because you´re away from your home and family ___________
h. Famous buildings, monuments or places ____________
i. A strong desire to travel and see the world ____________
j. Are you going ___________________
k. Very important; basic _____________
l. Heard news that has been passed from one person to another ___________

Fill in the blanks below with a word or expression highlighted in the dialogue:

“I do feel _______________. I haven´t been back to my home town and seen my folks in a long time.”, Roger told a friend.
The Statue of Liberty is a famous __________________ in New York City.
Fred´s gregarious nature makes it easy for him to ________________ and get to know people at social events.
“I saw Karen´s vacation _____________. She seems to have had a great time in Cancun.”, Sharon told Linda.
“Visiting Tokyo was definitely an ____________________ experience.”, said Gregory to his friends.

Discussion & Conversation 1

What do you like to do when you visit a new country?
Do you like traveling alone? Who do you usually travel with?
In the dialogue Ralph says he likes to get into the culture of the countries he visits by tasting the local food and striking up a conversation with the locals. Do you try to do that yourself when you travel?
What do you usually do when you are on vacation? Do you have a favorite vacation spot?
Do you ever have a feeling of wanderlust? Explain your answer.

Traveling & Vacations – Additional Vocabulary & Expressions

Pack (a bag): put your clothes and/or other items into a bag in order to get ready to travel

Ex. “Our flight leaves at 7:00 am tomorrow so we´d better start packing (our bags) now.”, Dave told Elaine.

Hit the road: begin a journey, usually a road trip Ex. “Everything´s all set. Let´s hit the road!”, Nick told his friends.

Sightseeing: the activity of visiting the famous and interesting places of a city, especially by people on vacation. Ex. “We did a lot of sightseeing in Rome.”, said Ron to a friend.

Time zone: any of the 24 divisions of the globe within which the same standard time is used Ex. There are twenty four time zones in the world.

Jet lag: tiredness and sleep disturbance caused by crossing time zones during a long flight.

Ex. “I got terrible jet lag when I flew from New York to Japan.”, Howard told a friend.

Amusement park: a large commercially operated park that offers entertainment activities such as rides, games, etc. Ex. Roller coasters are popular rides at amusement parks.

Tourist trap: a establishment that takes advantage of tourists by overcharging for goods and services that are not necessarily of good value. Ex. “We´d better plan our trip in advance and avoid tourist traps.”, said Martha to her husband.

Booked solid: completely full Ex. “Most of the hotels are booked solid because of the convention.”, explained Mick.

Travel light: travel with little luggage Ex. “I like to travel light. I don´t really need a lot of clothes when I travel on vacation.”, said Jeff to a friend.

Fill in the sentences or short dialogues below with words or expressions presented in Additional Vocabulary & Expressions:

Danny: You cross eight ________________ when you go from San Francisco to London.
Sheila: Really? I guess that´s why the _______________ is so bad then.

Tom: Can you get us a room for the night please?
Front desk: I´m so sorry sir. Unfortunately we´re ____________________.

“They have all kinds of rides at that _________________________.That´s why I love going there.”, Jake told Brian.
Lucy: We´d better start _____________ now. We have to _____________ early tomorrow.
Mick: Sure, let´s do it!

“We´re planning to go on a ________________ tour tomorrow. There´s a lot to see in the city.”, said Michael to a friend over the phone.

Discussion & Conversation 2

How do you usually feel after a long flight? Do you have to take medicine so you can sleep on the plane?
Do you like to travel light or do you usually take a lot of luggage with you when you go on a trip?
Where did you spend your last vacation? What did you do?
Do you prefer summer or winter vacations? Why?
Would you rather go to an amusement park or to the beach? Explain why.

Choose the alternative that best explains the meaning of the words in bold in the sentences below.

“I always feel a little homesick when I have to spend a week or so away on business.”, said Michael to a coworker.

a) Michael wishes he didn´t have to travel on business at all.
b) Michael told a coworker he needs to travel on business for a week.
c) Michael would rather eat at home than in restaurants.
d) Michael misses his family when he´s not with them.

“I don´t need a car with a big trunk. I like to travel light.”, Nick told Carol.

a) Nick travels with little luggage.
b) Nick told Carol he would rather travel by himself.
c) Nick often rents big cars when he travels abroad.
d) Nick told Carol he doesn´t have a suitcase.

“I´m sorry ma´am. We have no more rooms available. We´re booked solid.” , the receptionist told Mrs. Shields.

a) Mrs. Shields has made a reservation.
b) The receptionist was rude to Mrs. Shields.
c) Mrs. Shields will have to look for another place to stay.
d) The receptionist told Mrs. Shields there´s a convention going on at the hotel.

“Jason´s wanderlust took him all over the world. He´s been to twenty-six countries so far.”, Roger told his friends.

a) Jason doesn´t feel like traveling abroad anymore.
b) Roger thinks Jason should stop traveling and settle down.
c) Roger is planning to travel abroad soon.
d) Jason has a deep urge to travel the world.

“I had the opportunity to see all the major landmarks in Paris since I lived there for about a year.”, said Stacey to a friend.

a) Stacy has taken a lot of pictures in Paris.
b) Stacy has done a lot of sightseeing in Paris.
c) Stacy wishes she could still live in Paris.
d) Stacy told a friend she´d rather live in Paris than anywhere else.

Complete the sentences below with your own words.

Traveling abroad is a great way to ……………………………………………………… .
I´d rather travel ……………………………… than ………………………………………. .
I´ve never been to ………………………………………………………………………… .
…………………………………………………………………………. on my last vacation.
I feel homesick when ………………………………………………………………………. .

Discussion & Conversation 3

Has anything unpleasant or unusual ever happened while you were traveling abroad or on vacation? If so, describe the experience.
What are you planning to do on your next vacation?
Are there any countries that you would rather not visit? Why?
Have you ever gone camping? If so, what was the experience like?
What are some popular tourist destinations in your country?

Dialogue Script: This feeling of wanderlust!

Carla: Hey Ralph, good to see you! I heard through the grapevine that you´re getting ready for another trip abroad. Is it really true?
Ralph: Yeah, you know, I´ve had a strong sense of wanderlust ever since I was a teenager.
Carla: Really? So, tell me, where are you headed this time?
Ralph: Asia. I want to get to know two countries, Thailand and Indonesia.
Carla: Thailand and Indonesia? Wow, sounds like they are so far away from here. You´ve been to so many different countries. I´ve never met anyone who´s traveled abroad as much as you. Don´t you ever feel homesick?
Ralph: I sometimes do a little. I miss my family and close friends mostly, but thanks to modern technology I can keep in touch with them through Skype and WhatsApp, so that really helps a lot. They often ask me to send them pictures of the places I´m visiting.
Carla: Cool! I just love seeing pics of new places. And what do you usually do when you go to a new country?
Ralph: I like to get into the culture of these new places. I really enjoy experiencing the way of life that´s unique to each country. That means tasting the local food, striking up a conversation with the locals and going to places where tourists don´t usually go. I mean, I have nothing against visiting the famous landmarks of a country, but there´s a lot more to it if you really want to make your trip productive and unforgettable.
Carla: That´s really cool! I guess going to the unconventional places makes all the difference, doesn´t it? Do you prepare beforehand for each trip?
Ralph: I do a lot of reading about the country I´m planning to visit. I also try to learn some key phrases in their native language so I can break the ice with the local people. You know, that usually opens doors. I´m actually learning some Indonesian right now.
Carla: Wow, you sound like you´re a professional traveler! My dream is to go to Venice and Milan one day. I´ll make sure I´ll talk to you before I start planning my trip to Italy. I´m sure you could give me some useful tips!
Ralph: Sure Carla, anytime! Just let me know. I´ll be glad to help.

Source: LET´S TALK ABOUT IT! – The Ultimate ELT Conversation Book by José Roberto A. Igreja

Available on the Amazon stores of the following countries:

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If you´re based in Brazil the paperback is available at a discount price on UICLAP!
240 pages – 31 QR-CODES for the audio tracks (dialogues) “even the paperback comes with built-in technology”

José Roberto A. Igreja is the author and co-author of several ELT books, including:

600 Phrasal Verbs (with Jonathan T. Hogan)

Talking Business

How do you say … in English?

Fluent Business English (with Robert C. Young)

What to say when …?

Fale Tudo em Inglês AVANÇADO

English for Job Interviews (with Robert C. Young)

Fale Tudo em Inglês!

Fale Tudo em Inglês – LIVRO DE ATIVIDADES

Fale Tudo em Inglês em VIAGENS!

Fale Tudo em Inglês nos NEGÓCIOS!