Travelling (Transport, travel and holidays)

Each day people all over the world go from one place to another, often to a place that is far away. They may traveleither on business or for pleasure, and a lot of people spend their holidays traveling. Traveling is always exciting because people may see other continents and countries, modern cities and the ruins of ancient towns, and it’s better to see ones than to hear many times. I wish I would have a chance to travel around the world or to fly by spacecraft in outer space. Such a travelling may be the greatest event in person’s life.

Modern travelling by means of a vehicle, aircraft, or ship offers people good opportunity to choose from being a driver or a passenger. We can travel by car, by bus, by bicycle, by train, by ship, by plain and even by spaceships. In recent years a number of non-governmental startup companies have sprung up, hoping to create a space tourism industry for commercial customers. Traveling is exiting and remarkable in all seasons and has much in common with camping and going on hikes. You have to consider all pros and cons for each journey to figure out which one would be the right choice for YOU.

Many lovers of nature spend their days-off in the country and prefer hikingwitha backpackorcycling. They can stop where they like and having a sweet country retirementenjoying fresh air, swimming in a cool river or a lake and having lunch under a shady tree. They needn’t keep any time-table or get tickets at the booking office. They don’t think of Traffic Regulations, road accidents and crashes, toll roads or strict traffic controllers. They don’t feel uncomfortable in the overcrowded transport. They don’t look for filling stationsandserviceswith parkingwheremotoristscan buy petrolorhave a meal though travelling by car also gives a golden opportunity to enjoy picturesqueplaces, to see ancient monuments and other places of interest.

Each kind of traveling has its advantagesanddisadvantages. Although flying by plane is very fast, it’s expensiveand has some inconveniences such as taking into account weather conditions, noise from airplane engines, turbulence, ever-shrinking seats without enough elbow- and legroom, time difference between the departure time to which a person is accustomed and the arrival time. A long journey across different time zones results in extreme tiredness and other physical effects felt by a person after a long-haul flight beyond six hours and more in length.

Besides traveling by plane passengers are to observe the airline’s flight schedule very attentively and arrive two hours ahead of the take-off time to catch their planes. Aboard the aircraft they are not allowed to use cellular phones and to move around at will until the captain turns the seatbelt sign off. Once up in the air, flight attendants will usually serve drinks and food to passengers and then people will ask you to let them get out, pass by your seat to the washroom and disturb your private space interrupting your sleep and relaxation. Your seatmateswill recline into your lap and shoulder.

Air travellers can’t enjoy spectacular scenery and are offered only nice view of the clouds unless it is the one over the wing! And last but not least surprising event at the airport is the moment when you are sitting in the departure lounge waiting until it is time for your flight to depart and hear the announcement: “Attention, please. The flight has been delayed. Passengers are requested to go to Exit 3.”

Rather than cramming yourself into an airplane seat or squinting at road signs trying to figure out where to make your next turn, many travelers boardthe train. It's one of the least stressful forms of travelling: someone else does the driving; you'll have more legroom than you would on an airplane, and you're watching your wallet. Trains are an increasingly cost-effective alternative to planes, particularly if you're going a relatively short distance or if you're travelling where train service is fast and frequent.

Travelling by train is usually chosen by people who have enough time to get to their final destination. They maketheirchoice in favour of both comfort and pleasure. Modern trains have very comfortable carriageswith compartments where passengers can have full rest on upper and lower berths. Anyway, on a train you can get up, stretch your legs, walk up and down the train cars. Restaurant carriages servemeals which make even the longest journeyvery pleasant. Passengers can look through the window watching nature and life, have tea chattering with neighbours and get off the carriage at railway stations to take a walk, look at new places and buy some souvenirs for their relatives and friends. As for me, I like the slow pace of land-based travel.

But tastes differ and some people prefer travelling by sea, especially if they don’t feel seasick. Luxury liners with five passenger decks look like white floating cities moving through sea water accompanied by the sea-gulls’ escort. Sea voyages always deeply impress people by spectacularsunrises, gold sunsets and the light of a full moon.

As for me I have always been enthusiasticabout travelling and some of my friends are also travel nuts. We often travel at the weekend with the solepurpose of enjoyment or just because the funniest things happen when we’re traveling. Usually we stay in a youth hostel турбаза, which provides cheap food and lodging for travelers. Some of my friends tried hitch-hiking and travelled by getting free lifts in passing vehicles but in some regions it’s a dangerous undertaking as well as driving-away is also a touch-and-go business.

When travellers get tired of relaxation, they become home-sick and feel like returning home. They realize that “East or West - home is best”.

When I hear the word ‘travelling’ I imagine a highway, a road, or a narrow forest path. I close my eyes and dream of scenery changing while riding a car or a train or, maybe, the breathtaking beauty of natureduring the walk. But in general I do not travel a lot and most of my travel routes I have done during my parents’ annual holidays and my vacation.

Subject List for “Housing / living Conditions” (Тематическая карточка)

Tasks

1. Tell your fellow students about your travel experience and plans for your holidays by answering the following questions:

What do you imagine when you hear the word travelling? (Use: to go camping, to go hiking, to go fishing, to go hunting, to go skiing, to go canoeing, to go mountaineering, to go sightseeing, to youth-hostelling, to go hitch-hiking)

What kind of travelling do you like best of all? (Use: To my mind the best way of traveling is by car. The advantages of this way of spending your holiday are that you don’t have to buy a ticket, you can stop whenever you wish, where there is something interesting to see.)

Do you enjoy active open-air holidays? Say whether you like to go swimming and sunbathing, to go skating and skiing, to go camping, to go hiking, to go fishing, to go hunting, to go skiing, to go canoeing, to go mountaineering, to go sightseeing, to youth-hostelling, to go hitch-hiking.

Does riding the rails allow travelers to forget air-travel headaches?

What do you think of seaside holidays?

Do you like to lie in the sun for hours?

Do you like to sit on crowded beaches?

What do you think of a holiday in a tent?

Have you made up your mind how to spend holidays this (next) year? (Use: to be looking forward to your trip)

Have you any definite plans for your winter holidays?

What is your idea of a perfect holiday? (Use: to meet people, to brand new places, to get a lot of impressions, to enjoy the picturesque scenery, to explore new places, to go sightseeing, to learn history, culture and traditions of different lands, to come to know more about music, art literature and famous people, to become more educated).

What is a cheap way of spending a holiday?

Can people be disappointed with their trips? (Use: a journey turns out a real disappointment, to get bored, bad weather, a rather dull company, to feel tired, in case the trip is not well organized, the place from which you expected much appears to be back of beyond)

2. Self-study tasks

Situations

1. Discuss with the group whether it is better to have a holiday in winter or in summer. Every student gives his/her reasoning.

2. Discuss with your group the advantages of active open-air holiday.

3. Your younger brother has never travelled by train on his own. Now he wants to spend his vacation with your grandparents who live in the other city. Help him to pay for his journey and buy the ticket. Then make clear the ticket info using the following diagram.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 2073