Travelling

a) journey/ trip...
• to make a journey to a place

• go on a journey : to make a long one

• to set off on/ embark on (formal) a journey: to start a long one

• to break your journey:

• to go on/ take/ make a trip to a place ( trip : AmE)

• to go on a:

package tour/ backpacking trip/ tailor-made holiday/ cruise (a holiday on a large ship)

• to make a voyage

b) Adjectives:
• an epic journey: very long and eventful

• a wasted journey: one that didn’t achieve the results you wanted.

• an arduous journey: to a place that is difficult to reach.

• a hazardous/ perilous journey: a dangerous one.

• phrase: a leg or stage of a journey

e.g: on the fifth day, we set off on the final leg of our journey.

c) to travel to :
• far-off (distant)/ far-flung (very distant)/ remote (isolated) places or destinations

• captivating holiday destinations/ resorts

D) other expressions

to go off the beaten track: to go somewhere far from any town or city

to have the travel bug (inf)

to have itchy feet (inf)

to be a globetrotter (inf)

to travel light: without a lot of luggage

E) Some activities on a trip or vacation

• to visit:

1. untouched destinations/ unexplored wilderness

2.world-class heritage sites

• to go trekking/ hiking: to do a long and difficult walk in a place far from towns and cities

• to go camping

• to go sightseeing

• to get tanned/ to sunbathe/ to do sunbathing

• to go on excursions (short trip with a group) ‫گردش تفریحی‬

F) Accommodations
To stay in/at a :

• five-star/ luxury hotel

• guesthouse/chalet/ hostel/ tent

• budget accommodation

G) travel arrangements

• to get a package deal/ last-minute deal

• to book your holiday in advance

• to book your flight and accommodations separately

• to get a flight on a low-cost airline

1. Describe a journey you enjoyed a lot

You should say:

• when and where it was

• how you got there and how long you stayed there

• what you did there

• and explain why it was so enjoyable

Well, I am a giant fan of travelling around the world and getting off the beaten track. Actually,
I'm an intrepid explorer and can hardly contain my excitement when it comes to visiting a place
I’ve never been to, so 10 years ago, I went on this one-week trip to Goa on my own for the first
time and I chose to go to one of the secluded islands because I preferred to enjoy the long
stretches of sandy beaches along the deep blue ocean. I spent my first day seeing the sights
and feasting my eyes on uninterrupted views I was surrounded by, but after a day or two I was
bored stiff and I wanted to see bustling markets and packed restaurants. I really appreciated
the rustic charm of that island but I was kind of feeling I was in the back of beyond, so I went
to this crowded island with lots of people everywhere, but then I ran into a big problem. I
couldn’t find a hotel to stay at. I explored every possibility to find a place to lodge in and finally
I made it, but it was nothing to write home about. To make the matter worse, my flight back
home was so bumpy that all the way I kept my fingers crossed to stay alive. After all, I think it
was worth it since I was green (inf, naive) back then and I got a lot out of that experience.

Vocabulary:

Off the beaten track: far away from buildings and other people

Intrepid: brave, fearless

To contain your excitement: control your excitement

Rustic: simple, old-fashioned, and not spoiled by modern developments

To be in the back of beyond: to be extremely remote

Nothing to write home about: something very typical

A bumpy flight OPP A smooth flight

To get sth out of sth: to get pleasure of benefit from sth.

2. What are the challenges of travelling?

3. What problems do you think students may face while studying abroad and why?

Well, in my opinion when you are determined to take on the challenge of getting out of your
comfort zone and starting fresh in another country you should keep your wits about you since
you may face various problems that can put you between a rock and a hard place. One of the
major problems that you may come across as an international student is managing your
finances. If you can’t manage to keep afloat, you may fail miserably. You should find a part-
time job to supplement your income because making a living in a foreign country is quite tough.
As soon as you find your job you ought to learn how to manage your time to maintain the
balance between your work and study or you will find yourself burning the candle at both ends.
In addition, finding affordable housing can be a pain in the neck and then once you find the
accommodation you wanted, finding a roommate comes into play. That’s another uphill
struggle you may face. But if you bide your time and sit tight and take it all in stride, it’ll be all
plain sailing afterwards.

Take on the challenge: accept the challenge

Keep your wits about you: be ready to think quickly and do what is necessary in difficult
situations

Keep afloat: have enough money to stay out of debt

Burn the candle at both ends: to feel tired because you try to do everything until very late at
night
Come into play: If something comes into play, it starts to have a use or an effect in a particular
situation

Uphill struggle: difficulty

Bide your time: wait until the right moment

Sit tight: to stay in the same situation and not change your mind and do sth new

Take sth in stride: not to let sth annoy or upset you

Plain sailing: very easy

Your culture vs. Western culture

To be honest, when it comes to drawing a comparison between my own culture and Western
culture, I’m all about Western culture. I tell you why. First off, I am quite musical and Western
culture has a lot to offer. Classical, jazz, blues, rock, to name but a few. I once wanted to try
my hand at playing the harmonica but I was up to my eyeballs in work back then so after some
time it totally slipped my mind. Now when I say I love western culture mainly because of their
music lots of folks blow up at me. They think our traditional music is something I should be
proud of but it bores me rigid to be honest. Apart from music, I appreciate the freedom and
lifestyle that they have. Their lifestyle is kind of relaxed there ,but on the contrary, it seems like
everybody is at the end of their tether here. Western culture is based on a certain code of
conduct that we lack here. Nobody judges you there, but it seems quite natural to judge a book
by its cover here. People find it easy to pass judgment on others. When all is said and done,
however, Iranians are friendlier and of course more emotional and in times of crisis we can be
trusted in, I guess.

Slipped my mind: forgot

To blow up at sb (inf): to be very angry with sb

folks: 1.people/ 2. friends and family (especially AmE)

Be at the end of your tether: be tired, worried and anxious

A Code of conduct: a set of rules, laws, or principals that tell people how to behave

When all is said and done: said when you are about to tell someone the
most important fact they should remember in a situation

Do you believe we need to learn a country’s culture when we’re learning their language?
Why?

Well, from my point of view, learning a language goes beyond memorizing words and basic
grammar rules. Just because you know how to say “lemon” and “glass” in French, doesn’t mean
you’ll be able to order a lemonade in a coffee shop in Paris. There’s more to building a
conversation with a native than what you read in a dictionary. That’s why you can’t try learning
a language outside of its cultural environment. Understanding culture is like having a context
that allows you to give the right meaning to each new word you learn. The more you know
about the cultural background, the easier it is to get involved and learn new words, expressions
and ways of speaking. Culture-free language learning process is lifeless and robotic, no matter
how well the speaker might learn to parrot the language. So I subscribe to the view that
language and culture go hand in hand.