Free Time Activities

What do you do in your free time?

Go to the cinema - to see Hollywood blockbuster movies, Bollywood movies (from India), art films, animated films. You can also say go to the movies.

Some film categories are: Comedy, Drama, Horror, Thriller, Action, Science Fiction (Sci-Fi), Fantasy, Documentary, Musical.

Watch TV - Different types of television programs are: The News, Soap Operas, Criminal Investigation Dramas, Medical Dramas, Reality TV, Situation Comedies (Sit-Coms), Talk Shows, Documentaries, Cartoons, Game Shows, Sports programs, Movies, Political programs, Religious programs.

Spend time with family - You can do many things with your family. Usually, the fact that you are together is more important than the activity.

Go out with friends - You can also do many things with your friends, like go out to a bar, go dancing at a club, have dinner at a restaurant, play a sport, sit down and talk, go out for a coffee, have a barbecue, or any other activity that you all enjoy. Or sometimes when you don't do anything specific, you can say hang out with friends.

Surf the internet - On the internet, you can research a topic you are interested in using a search engine, visit your favourite websites, watch music videos, create your own video and upload it for other people to see, maintain contact with your friends using a social networking site, write your thoughts in a blog, learn what is happening in the world by reading news websites, etc.

Play a musical instrument - Learn to play the piano, guitar, violin, cello, flute, piano accordion, mouth organ, panpipes, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, etc. You can play on your own or with a group, such as a band or an orchestra.

Listen to music - Turn up the volume and listen to your favourite type of music, such as pop, rock, hip hop, rhythm & blues, blues, jazz, classical, soul, heavy metal.

Read - Many people love to read both fiction and non-fiction books and magazines. If you like fiction, you can read novels, short stories, crime fiction, romance, etc. If you like non-fiction, you can read biographies, autobiographies, or books on history, science, philosophy, religion, or any other topic you are interested in.

Write - Many people like to write in their diary. Another name for a diary is a journal. You can also write many other things, such as poetry, novels, letters, short stories, etc. (See under Read for more options).

Go to the park - You can go to the park alone, with family or with friends. You can take a picnic rug and a picnic basket and have a picnic. You can read, sleep, kick a football around, climb trees or play on the children's playground.

Go shopping - Many people like to go to shopping malls and areas of the city that are known for shopping to buy clothes or items for their houses and gardens.

Travel agency manager:

Travel agency managers work in retail travel outlets which promote and sell holidays and travel related products.

Travel agencies range from small independent businesses to large chains. Some specialise in business travel while others have detailed knowledge of specific locations or travel products.

Responsibilities for managers vary depending on the size of the organisation and the customer base, but will usually include:

sales development;

staff and financial management;

daily operational management.

Travel agency managers must be able to offer specialist, professional and competitive travel products to meet the demands of the travel market, which includes online bookings and tailor-made trips.

As the larger travel companies close more of their high street shops to cut costs and focus on online sales, there are possibilites for independents to fill the gap.

Typical work activities

All managers are responsible for developing strategies to hit or exceed sales targets, regardless of the size of the outlet or products offered. Depending on the size of the company and the specific managerial role, tasks could include:

promoting and marketing the business, sometimes to new or niche markets;

managing budgets and maintaining statistical/financial records;

selling travel products and tour packages;

sourcing products and destinations to meet consumer demands for bespoke travel and sustainable tourism;

taking part in familiarisation visits to new destinations to gather information on issues and amenities of interest to consumers;

liaising with travel partners, including airlines and hotels, to manage bookings and schedules, often one year in advance;

dealing with customer enquiries and aiming to meet their expectations;

overseeing the smooth, efficient running of the business.

While online bookings have opened up opportunities for home-based self-employment and can reduce the numbers of staff in retail outlets, the majority of managers still deal with staffing issues as a large part of their role.

Tasks concerning the management of travel agency staff typically involve:

constantly motivating the sales team to hit their targets and ensure company profitability;

meeting regularly with team leaders to give them sales figures and plan how they approach their work;

meeting company directors who advise on strategy and finding out about any local issues and future trends;

overseeing the recruitment, selection and retention of staff as well as payroll matters and staff training;

organising incentives, bonus schemes and competitions;

communicating with sales consultants and providing encouragement, help and advice;

dealing with disciplinary matters and customer complaints.

HOTEL SERVICE

Nowadays people travel on business and as tourists more than in the past. No businessman can avoid being a paying guest every now and then. In big cities there are a lot of good hotels. Accommodations as well as rates vary from hotel to hotel. There are deluxe hotels, the most luxurious and the most expensive, resort hotels used for entertainment or recreation. Still, if you do not want to get disappointed, it is advisable to book accommodation beforehand by fax or telephone, especially if you are visiting the town during the summer months. If you do not book accommodation beforehand, you may have to leave the hotel because it is fully booked up. That would be an unpleasant experience, especially if you arrived late at night.

Rooms in most hotels have all modern conveniences: central heating, air conditioning, bathroom, hairdryer, trouser press, telephone, satellite TV and others. Service is usually quite satisfactory. You can take a single room, a double room or a suite, charges varying accordingly. If you can't stand the noise of the street, do not take an outside room, ask for an inside one.

Service is supposed to begin at the door. When your taxi stops at the entrance to the hotel the doorman and the bellboy help you with the luggage. The doorman is very important during the reception procedure. He is stationed at the entrance to the hotel and assists the guests in and out of taxis and cars, calls for cabs. In the lobby of a hotel there is a registration or front desk where the guests check in and out, pick up and deposit keys and so on. The guest is given a registration card to fill out the name and permanent address. The desk clerk or receptionist enters the guest’s room number, the room rate, and the arrival and departure dates into the computer. Then he asks the guest to sign his or her name.

When the guests are through with the formalities, the bellboy takes them and their luggage up in the lift and shows them to their room. He shows them where the light switches are and explains the use of the room appliances, such as the television set, cooking facilities, if any, and the air conditioning. He can also run errands for you. Now that you have been settled in a hotel room and have been given the key of it, you become a regular hotel guest.

At the hotel you can get various services. If you want to have your suit pressed or dry cleaned, your shirt ironed, or your laundry done, you should ring for the maid and she will see to it that everything is done. You can also have your meals served in your room.

In the lobby of a hotel there are a lot of offices: a booking office, post and telegraph offices, an information desk supervised by the concierge. At the information desk you can enquire about the departures and arrivals of trains and flights, about telephone numbers and addresses of offices and private individuals and about a lot of other things. Concierges are always ready to help the guests and provide them with all kinds of useful information. Besides, there is a newsstand, a bookstall, a kiosk selling picture postcards and souvenirs. Cosmetics and liquor are sold too, but with a sales tax. At the airport you can buy them tax-free. At the booking office they can book for you seats at the theatre or on the plane, or hotel accommodation in another town.

In the same building there are also restaurants, bars, cafeterias, beauty parlours, saunas, steam rooms and massage rooms, along with fully equipped supervised gyms and swimming pools.

Sights of Almaty

Almaty is a sunny, immersed in the green city with wide streets, beautiful buildings, numerous parks, gardens and fountains. Magnificent city at the foot of the emerald ridges of the Tien Shan is called «garden city».

In spring, when the southern suburbs are full of blossoming apple, apricot and cherry orchards, the city becomes like a fairy tale. Luxurious green grass and magnificent mountains make Almaty unlike other cities. Gardens, groves, parks, boulevards, flower-beds occupy more than eight thousand hectares of urban area.

There are a plenty of attracting sights for visitors and guests in Almaty.

Koktobe is a hilly terrain bordering the city in the south. Koktobe reaches a height of 1,070 m. There is an observation deck at the top of Koktobe. Koktobe is the best place to review the city at night.

The 28 heroes-panfilovs park

The park located in front of the hotel Otrar.

Memorial park is famous for fame, Alley of Memory and the Eternal Flame. In the alley of memory there are 28 granite monument along the alley of memory with the names of 28 heroes Panfilovs, who died in the battle for Moscow during the World War II.

Zenkov Cathedral in Panfilov Park 28 heroes

Orthodox Cathedral was designed by local architect A. Zenkov. It was built without a single nail in 1940.
The Cathedral is one of nine unique monuments of wooden buildings in the world. Its wall paintings and interior decorations are impress visitors with its beauty and splendor.

Islamic Cultural Centre

In July 1999, in Almaty, opened a new central mosque.The Islamic Cultural Centre of Mubarak and the university.

Independence Monument

Truly unique construction, decorating the square of Republic, the Independence Monument created by ShotaValikhanov.

Museums

Large collections of the Central State Museum of Kazakhstan and the Museum of Fine Arts Kasteev attracts a lot of visitors. The Museum of Kazakh folk instruments represents unique and large collection of national instruments. There is a lot of gold and precious metals jewelry in the museum of the history of Kazakhstan. Almaty city also has many art galleries.

Medeo. The world-famous alpine Medeo ice rink was built in 1972 in a picturesque valley located at a distance of 15 km. from the city.

The mild climate, the optimal level of solar radiation, low pressure, favorable weather and ice made of crystal clear water make Medeo one of the best rinks in the world.
Chimbulak.

High-mountain ski resort located at an altitude of 2200-2500 m in the valley Chimbulak. The resort opened to tourists since 1954.

The resort equipped with modern facilities: there are cable cars, as well as skis and snowboards for rental.

Date: 2016-03-03; view: 1337