T R AV E L
LEVEL: BASIC 1
COUNTRY
Argentina
Australia
Brazil
Britain
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Cuba
Denmark
Egypt
England
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Korea
Mexico
Morocco
Peru
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Russia
Scotland
South Africa
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Thailand
The Czech Republic
The Netherlands
The USA / The United States
Turkey
Venezuela
NATIONALITY
Argentinian
Australian
Brazilian
British
Canadian
Chilean
Chinese
Colombian
Cuban
Danish
Egyptian
English
Finnish
French
German
Greek
Hungarian
Irish
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Mexican
Moroccan
Peruvian
Polish
Portuguese
Puerto Rican
Russian
Scottish
South African
Spanish
Swedish
Swiss
Thai
Czech
Dutch
American
Turkish
Venezuelan
LANGUAGE
Spanish
English
Portuguese
English
English/French
Spanish
Chinese
Spanish
Spanish
Danish
Arabic
English
Finnish
French
German
Greek
Hungarian
English / Irish Gaelic
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Spanish
Arabic/French
Spanish
Polish
Portuguese
Spanish/English
Russian
English
Afrikaans/English/etc.
Spanish
Swedish
French/German/Italian/Romansh
Thai
Czech
Dutch
English
Turkish
Spanish
 Continents, some countries and important cities:
Names of continents: Africa, America, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe.
Africa: Morocco (Marrakech), Egypt (Cairo), South Africa (Cape Town).
Indian ocean: the Seychelles, the Maldives, Mauritius.
America: Canada (Vancouver, Toronto), the United States (San Francisco, Las Vegas, Los
Angeles, Chicago, New York, Washington DC, Orlando, Miami), the Dominican Republic (Punta Cana,
Puerto Plata), Jamaica (Kingston), Mexico (Cancun, Mexico City), Brazil (Rio de Janeiro), Peru
(Lima), Chile (Santiago), Argentina (Buenos Aires)…
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T R AV E L
LEVEL: BASIC 1
Asia: China (Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong), India (Delhi), Thailand (Bangkok), Japan (Tokyo).
Australia: Australia (Sydney, Melbourne), New Zealand (Auckland, Christchurch).
Europe: Ireland (Dublin), Scotland (Edinburgh, Glasgow), England (London, Oxford, Cambridge,
the Lake District), Denmark (Copenhagen), Norway (Oslo), Sweden (Stockholm), Finland (Helsinki),
the Netherlands (Amsterdam, the Hague), Germany (Berlin, Munich), Belgium (Brussels, Bruges),
France (Paris), Switzerland (Zurich, Geneva), Austria (Vienna), the Czech Republic (Prague), Italy
(Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome), Portugal (Lisbon, Madeira), Spain (Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, the
Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands).
Describing your holidays:
When you go on holiday, you book a holiday: book a (flight, train, bus) ticket
and a room. You can book the hotel or flight ticket online.
1. Start by describing where you go, when and who with:
Every summer I go to La Gomera with my parents.
Verb expressions:
- Go abroad /əˈbrɔːd/ (= go to a foreign country) vs. go on holiday in your country.
- Go away for the weekend (e.g. to London for shopping, to the mountains for long walks).
- Go on holiday to a place: Every winter I go on holiday to Thailand.
- Go camping/ go skiing.
Expressions of place: go to (a place). It’s in the north/west/ southeast/ centre of… Spain. It’s
on the coast.
 Describing the place/s where you stay:
Adjectives to describe the town/city: beautiful/ugly, boring/interesting and exciting,
big/small, noisy/peaceful; friendly, lovely, historical, safe …
It is a … place/city/town: It is a beautiful city. It is quite small, very safe and friendly.
The nightlife is fantastic. The food is delicious and quite cheap.
Things the place has:
It has a population of …: It has a population of 300,000 people.
There is a festival/carnival/ a theme park… : There is a festival in June called Sao Joao.
There are… lots of narrow streets, lots of historical monuments, outdoor bars and restaurants.
It is full of … churches, museums, and (street) markets.
The biggest tourist attraction is …: The biggest tourist attraction in Porto is the river – people
go on a boat trip.
The best thing is/things are…: I think the best things about Porto are the people and the
atmosphere.
More about the place:
It’s famous for…: Porto is famous for port wine.
It’s great for…: It’s great for walking around.
- Adjectives to describe the people: They are friendly/unfriendly, helpful/
unhelpful.
- Adjectives to describe the food: It is delicious, fantastic. It is nothing
special/ disgusting: The food is delicious and quite cheap.
2. Type of holiday: what kind of holiday is it?
an adventure holiday (in the Himalayas, a safari in Africa)
a backpacking holiday (around Europe)
a camping holiday (in Australia)
a cultural holiday/ a sightseeing holiday (in Europe, in North America)
a cruise (in the Pacific Ocean)
a package holiday (to a holiday resort like the Canaries) vs. travel independently
a skiing holiday/ a climbing holiday/ a walking holiday (in Switzerland)
a beach/sea holiday (in the Greek islands, in the Caribbean, in the Mediterranean)
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T R AV E L
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Trips:
A business trip, a work trip, a school trip, a shopping trip…
3. Transport.
Public transport: travel by airplane/plane, boat, bus/coach, taxi/cab, ship,
train, tram, underground (BrE)/the tube (BrE)/ the subway (AmE).
Private transport: travel by bike/ bicycle, car, motorbike/ motorcycle…
You get a plane at an airport: you can buy the ticket at a travel agency or online. You can buy
a single or a return ticket. You can buy a first class or standard class ticket.
 What do you do at the airport? When you arrive at the airport, you go into the terminal
building. You check in for your flight at the check-in desk. You show your passport at passport
control and then go through security. If you have time, you can wait for your flight in the departure
lounge. When your flight is called, you go through the departure gate. The plane then takes off.
When the plane lands, you go to the baggage reclaim to collect your bags, then go through customs
and immigration, where they check your passport and your bags. You then go out into the arrivals
area.
You get a bus at a bus station or a bus stop. You can buy a ticket in advance or pay the driver.
You get a taxi at a taxi rank. People usually give the driver a tip.
You get a train at a station. You normally need to get a ticket first. Then, you need to find the
right platform.
4. Types of accommodation: Where do you stay?
To stay in a flat/an apartment (AmE), in a bed and breakfast (B&B), at a campsite, in a country
house, in a hotel, in a (beach/ ski) resort, in a hostel, in a youth hostel, with friends …
Adjectives to describe the accommodation: It is comfortable/uncomfortable; clean/ dirty;
luxurious/ basic. It is a 5-star luxury hotel. The hotel/apartment is in the centre of the city/ in the
mountains/ near the beach…
Areas in a hotel: the reception (you check in here), the lift/elevator (AmE), the bar, the
ground/first/second… floor.
Types of room: a single room (for one person), a double room (a bed for two people). The
rooms can be big, small, comfortable…
Facilities (in the hotel, hostel, etc.): there is full board (breakfast, lunch and dinner), half
board (breakfast and dinner) or only breakfast is included. There is a cafeteria/ a bar/ a restaurant
for meals. There is a kitchen where you can prepare your food. There is room service. There is a mini
bar. There is air conditioning/central heating. There is cable/satellite TV. There are sports facilities
(e.g. a gym, a swimming-pool, tennis courts…). There is a library, Internet access/connection, free
Wi-Fi access, free parking/ free car park, a TV room, a sauna, a spa…
5. How long are you there? For seven nights/ For two weeks.
6. What is the weather like?
 The weather can be:
- sunny/ good/ lovely/ great ≠ bad/terrible: The weather is great. It is always sunny.
- bright - when the sun shines strongly ≠ cloudy - when there are a lot of clouds in the sky
- dry - when it does not rain ≠ wet/ rainy - when there is a lot of rain.
 Weather adjectives: cloudy, foggy, snowy, sunny, windy, rainy, stormy (=there is strong
wind, heavy rain and dark clouds): It is cloudy and very windy.
 Temperature words: cold – cool – warm - hot
Expression: It is 25 degrees (Celsius) every day.
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T R AV E L
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7. Holiday activities: What do you do during the day? And at night?
 Travelling: to go by car/bus/plane/train to a place, hire/rent a car/ a motorcycle/ a bicycle/
a boat…
Notice: Rent = for a long period of time (rent a flat).
Hire = for a short time (hire skis, a bike).
 Sightseeing: to cruise (along a river), go on a coach/helicopter tour of (a place), go on a
cruise (on a river), go on a tour of (a castle/cathedral...), go on an excursion to (a place), go
sightseeing, visit (a place, a town), watch (something).
 Art and culture: to go to an art gallery, go to the theatre, go to a museum, go to an
exhibition of paintings/photographs/sculptures…, visit a castle/ a cathedral/ a church/ a monastery/
a palace/ a square/ a tower…
 Sports:
- GO … (+ing, with activities we can do alone): go cycling, fishing, hiking/trekking in the
mountains, horse riding, jogging, kayaking, mountain biking, mountain climbing, rafting, rock
climbing, running, sailing, scuba diving, skiing, snorkelling, snowboarding, surfing, swimming,
walking, water skiing, windsurfing…
- PLAY … (+ ball sports): play basketball, football, golf, handball, table tennis, tennis,
volleyball…
- DO … (+ gym sports and sports finished with -s): do aerobics, athletics, exercise,
gymnastics, sport, yoga, martial arts, weights…
 Shopping: buy souvenirs/ a guidebook/ a map, change money, go shopping, go to a
market/shopping centre, spend a lot of money…
 Culinary: eat out, go to restaurants, have a picnic, taste (food or a drink), try the local
specialities…
 Nightlife: go clubbing, go to a bar/pub, go to a concert, go to a (beach) party, go to the
cinema, go to a club/disco, go out at night, dance, sing karaoke…
 Other activities: go camping, go to the beach, go to a Spa, go to a zoo, spend time (doing
something), sunbathe (on the beach), meet friends, relax, take photographs, walk
around the town, walk in the mountains…
We always spend two hours swimming in the morning.
We go to the beach every day and sunbathe.
 You can describe:
- Your holiday destination every summer (use the present simple: I always go to…)
- Your last holiday destination (use the past simple. You will see this at the end of the first
year).
- Your future holidays (e.g. where you are going on holiday next summer): use future tenses
(you’ll see this in the second year of the basic level)
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