A complaint

Click here and do the listening activity. You can read the script here.  

Problems at a hotel

Watch the video and fill in the chart. Check your answers in "comments".

Guest’s name: 

Guest’s room number:

Things she complains about:

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-         

-          

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A hotel room

Do this listening activity and learn some vocabulary about hotel rooms.  

The Guest House

Watch the video and take notes. Then you can click here to read the script and see some vocabulary about the lesson.

You've changed!

Click here to listen to a conversation between two friends who haven't met in a long time.

Indirect Questions

1. Watch a video about indirect questions.

2. Read the grammar explanation and try the exercises at the bottom of the page.

3. Listen to a programme about indirect questions.

Trips

1. A trip to Asia.  2. A trip to Egypt. 
3. Planning a holiday.

My ideal trip

Click here. Listen and read people talking about their ideal trips.

Transport and Travel

Click here. There are five video activities (two of them about the use of the present perfect). You'll also enjoy some London views.

Travelling vocabulary

1. Travel / Trip / Journey / Voyage ... Click here to learn the difference.
2. More about the differences with an exercise.
3. Exercise

Visiting the UK

Watch the video and answer the questions. Check your answers in 'comments'.

1.       How many people visit Snowdonia in Wales?

2.       What is Wales famous for?

3.       How long is the walk to the top of Cairngorm Mountain in Scotland?

4.       How high is the mountain?

5.       How long does it take by funicular?

6.       What formed the 40 thousand rock columns of The Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland?

7.       How tall are the tallest columns there?

The Lake District

Watch the video and fill in the gaps (check your answers in 'comments').

RICHARD: Welcome to Great Britain and the best of British countryside! This _____________ (1) is incredibly varied, from the sweeping coastlines to the rolling hills and majestic _____________ (2) and, with a _____________ (3) climate and plenty of _____________ (4), it really is a green and pleasant land that I’m about to explore. There are _____________ _____________ _____________ (5) in Great Britain, and one of the most beautiful is here in the Lake District. It’s the second largest national park in Britain and is full of scenic mountains and _____________ _____________ (6). In the heart of the Lake District is Lake Windermere - the largest natural lake in England. It’s over 18km long and around 66m _____________ (7)- so it’s fairly easy to find! This area is said to be one of the most beautiful in Great Britain. In the past, _____________ (8)transported slate, timber and wool across the lake, and fishing was really important here. Hiya. One ticket for the Windermere Lake cruise, please.

RICHARD: Hello, Jacqui.

JACQUI: Hello, Richard.

RICHARD: Jacqui O'Connor of Lake Windermere Cruises is giving me a _____________ _____________ (9) of the lake. Jacqui, this is lovely. How many people choose to see the lakes like this every year?

JACQUI: Richard, we carry on average _____________  _____________  (10) passengers on our boats.

 RICHARD: And why do you think so many people find this area appealing?

JACQUI: Oh, I think basically all you have to do is to look around you. Look at this absolutely stunning _____________(11). It's absolutely beautiful. They come to _____________ _____________(12), to enjoy peace and tranquility, to come to have a look at the _____________(13). It's also, Windermere Lake Cruises is one of the top tourist attractions in the north-west of England so when you come to this area, come and _____________(14) on the lake, definitely – it must be done!

RICHARD: And you obviously love coming out here and love being part of all of this?

JACQUI: I do. It's fantastic. It's just a beautiful area to live. Really nice, lovely, friendly, _____________(15). It's great.

Special backpack for sitting

Can you recall the feeling when your legs are tired but there is nowhere to sit? What if you could simply sit down on your backpack?

Students lost in Turkish mountains

Watch the video and take notes. Then read the script and check. 

Kiwi Adventure

Monica gives some tips on what to do when visiting her country.

Sightseeing in Town

Listen to the conversation and answer the questions. Then listen again and read the script. Have a look at the vocabulary.

Booking a holiday

Listen to the phone conversation between the travel agent and a customer and do the different tasks (follow the instructions).

Arranging a trip

Booking Holidays Online

Listen to the podcast and take notes. Then listen and read the script. 
Stephen and Alice talk about booking holidays online and the language used in advertising holidays on the internet.

The travel ads that are too good to be true

All too often fantastic sounding advertisements for deals on flights, hotels and holidays turn out to be misleading. It's an increasingly common complaint from travel consumers around the world.

Watch the video up to 3’12” and fill in the gaps. Answers in ‘comments’.

1.    According to the video, the travel industry fantastic sounding ads usually turn out to be ____________  ____________.

2.    Stephen Duck says that sometimes you see a great offer and when you start trying to book it, you see that is no longer ____________ or you have to ____________ ____________ ____________ ____________.

He also says that after making the emotional commitment there’s nothing worse than having to decide to either ____________ ____________ or ____________ ____________ ____________ than you anticipated.

3.    Frank Brehany speaks about a family who had booked their hotel about ____________  ____________  ____________ only to discover about ____________ ____________ ____________ that they can’t go to this hotel because it ____________ ____________ in ____________.

4.    Prof. Ang Peng Hwa speaks about a common practice in Asia which is called “the bate and switch”. People sign up for a holiday package and finally if there aren’t enough people they are ____________ to ____________  ____________ .

5.    Travel Zoo is a website that has ____________ ____________ around the world. They went through newspapers, magazines and online looking at  ____________ ____________. They say that ____________ of them didn’t pass their criteria: they were not ____________, the price was different, there were ____________  ____________ .

6.    Some airlines and tour operators had been forced to withdraw certain adverts. The rivalry between budget airlines has taken the form of objecting to each other marketing.

A newspaper ad showing a woman in ____________  ____________  sipping a cocktail and proclaiming ” ____________  ____________  ____________  ____________  now” was found to be misleading because the maximum temperatures in the ____________ ____________ ____________ on offer were between ____________ and ____________ degrees during the promotional period.

A trip to London

You will hear a man talking about a trip to London that he has just returned from. 

The best place

1. Listen to Sophie talking about the best place she's been to. Have a look at the vocabulary and then listen and fill in the gaps.
2. You are going to hear four stories about vacations. Answer these multiple choice questions about the recording. There are TWO questions for each story, eight in total.
3. Here you have twelve listening activities related to tourism.