TRAVELLING

Unit 1. Travel Bug

Lead-in. 1a). Skim the following texts. What unites them? What question is answered?

►“This may sound like an odd one, but debt. Most people use debt as a reason not to travel, but for me, it was my get-up-and-go. My career working for GE Finance in the UK was going well. But every month, all my money was going towards bills, rent and credit cards. I wasn’t saving anything. So, I looked into working abroad and came across teaching in South Korea. Three months later, I was here – and whilst clearing my debt (halfway there!) I’ve managed to travel to Turkey, Taiwan, and all over Korea in the meantime. Later this year, I’m going to Germany and Morocco. Working in South Korea has meant that my debt is no longer controlling my ability to travel – although I have to use my limited holiday days wisely!” – Tom

►A few years ago I was going through the process of splitting up with my first serious girlfriend… I realized that I was dangerously close to losing my head. I biked over to my dad’s flat and emotionally blackmailed him into lending me enough cash to leave the country.

On that trip I learned something very important. Escape through travel works. Almost from the moment I boarded my flight, life in England became meaningless. Seat-belt signs lit up, problems switched off. Broken armrests took precedence over broken hearts. – A. Garland “The Beach.”

 1b) How would you answer the same question? Work with a partner: have you ever travelled for any of these reasons?

• to escape boredom

• to heal a broken heart

• to broaden your experience of the world

• to learn languages

• to get a suntan

• to live out your dreams

• to take a break from your career/study

• to visit historical sites or travel along the historical route

• to raise money for charity

Discuss other reasons to travel. Compare with other groups.

1C).What are the reasons for travelling in the following letters? Have you mentioned them? Guess the meaning of the words in italics.

►“I grew up pretty sheltered so wanted to see more of the world after I graduated college. After my first backpacking adventure I was hooked! Now I try to go on at least one big trip every year.” – Michael

►“To re-evaluate direction in life, make a career break, learn about the world and become better global citizens, bond as a family & “roadschool” the kids, and experience a stripped-down nomadic life to greater appreciate our regular non-travelling lives.” – Sara Lavender Smith

►“I have an insatiable appetite for new experiences – aka¹, I’m easily bored and have a short attention span. It is not enough for me to see pictures of monuments, natural wonders and new landscapes. I want to touch, breathe, smell, feel everything there is to experience in the world. I love how it opens my mind and how nothing is ever quite as it looked in the picture. I love new people too, and their stories.” – Penny.

1d) In groups of three answer the questions:

When did you last take a journey?

Where did you go?

What was the reason for your trip?

Ex. 2a) Complete the following text with the words from the word snake.

entertainmentcivilizationnamedexcitementcustomsworldpromises

Faraway places with strange-sounding names lure the traveller with a) __________ of enchantment, b) __________, diverse forms of c) _________, and tantalizing new kinds of food. The urge to travel is as old as d) _________. The great historian Herodotus roamed the ancient e) _________, examining the f) ________ of many lands before writing his famous ‘History'. Hundreds of years later a young man from Venice g) ________ Marco Polo set out with his father for China, and his writings opened the Far East to Europeans of his time. About the same time Ibn Battutah, an Islamic scholar, travelled about 75,000 miles (121,000 kilometers) and recorded his wanderings in the widely read ‘Rihlah' (Travels).

2B) Match the words in bold (write them in column b) with their definitions (column a) and synonyms (column c).

A	B	C
1. journeys from place to place, usually with no special purpose		a) craving
2. to leave a place and begin a journey.		b) to attract/persuade
3. a strong desire to do smth:		c) remote
4. (formal) a feeling of great pleasure; the state of being under a magic spell		d) travels
5. to walk or travel around an area without any definite aim or direction (~ through, around)		e) tempting
6. by a lot of people; in or to many places		f) to a large degree
7. distant from you or from a particular place		g) a mine of information
8. making you feel excited or hopeful about having smth you want, often smth that you never get		h) to wander
9. a person who knows a lot about a particular subject because they have studied it in detail:		i) spell
10. (disapproving) to persuade or trick smb to go somewhere or to do smth by promising them a reward		j) to start out

2c*) Complete the sentences below with the words from Ex. 2b). Use the appropriate form of the word. In some cases you’ll have to use not the verb but the corresponding noun or vice versa. Guess the meaning of the words in bold.

1. The trip in the Himalayas was going to be dangerous and our Sherpa __________ us to be cautious.

2. Many travellers are distinguished __________ in their fields.

3. I’d like to be a photographer and __________ the world with a camera.

4. They _______ on the last stage of their journey.

5. The ________ desert area is only accessible by helicopter.

6. He has travelled _________ in Asia.

7. It was a place of deep mystery and _________.

8. Few can resist the __________ of adventure.

9. His ___________ took him first to Africa.