TRAVELLING

Topical Vocabulary

Travelling (general)

Travel, air/space/road/rail travel, travel season, journey, bus/train/car etc journey, trip, business/school/skiing trip, a day trip, flight, voyage, sail, discovery cruise, crossing, drive, ride, tour, guided tour, expedition, mountaineering, the underground, courtesy bus, travel agents/agencies, pedestrian, punctual, running late, sick, valid, frontier, destination, traveller, public transport, passenger, commuter, globetrotter, migrant, drifter, vagrant, offshore;

To travel (the world/abroad), to make travel arrangements, to travel by land/air/sea, to travel by boat/train/plane (=to travel in a boat, on a train/plane), to break one’s journey, to travel first/second/business class, to make a journey, to have a good/safe journey, to take a trip, to go/to be on a trip, to be on route, to be on the move, to be on tour, to chart a route, to drift, to wander around, to go overseas, to commute, to be on the way to, to be bound for, to go/to do (several miles), to cover (some distance), to drive, to fly, to sail, to go overland, to schedule, to reschedule, to reserve a seat, to arrive dead on time

Road travelling:

Busy road, along/down/up/across/over the road/ freeway/expressway, highway, motorway, high street, side street, one-way street, bypass, path, trail, track, lane, junction, crossroads, vehicle, bus, lorry, coach, trailer, car, bus station, traffic congestion (jam), rush-hours, driver, motor-cyclist, chauffeur, conductor; a spare tyre.

To cross the road, to hitch-hike, to go on foot, to ride a motor/bike, to go by/drive a car, to take/catch a taxi (bus), to rent/hire a car, to miss a bus, to get on/off a bus (bicycle), to get in a car, to overtake, to swerve, to be punctual (early, late), to be full up, to wait in a queuq, to give smb a lift/ride, to pay the fare/, to grind to a halt, to change gear.

Travelling by train:

Trunk line, Golden Ring, railway, long distance train, local train, fast train/express, through train, commuter traffic, common carrier, light/heavy-rail system, street car (tramway, trolley, cable car), shuttle train, compartment, non-smoker, smoking compartment, luggage van, sleeping car, dining-car, buffet, reserved seat, corner seat, berth, single ticket, return ticket, season ticket, railway station, transit system, booking-office, waiting-room, bookstall, indicator board, left luggage office, freight carrier, porter, driver, guard, ticket collector, attendant, passenger;

To catch/take (miss) a train, to change trains, to get on/off a train, to alight, to be due/timetabled to arrive, to be crowded, to book tickets, to make a reservation, to travel light (with a trunk, suitcase, hand luggage), to carry/wheel the luggage to the train, to push a truck, to queue up, to register the luggage.

Travelling by air:

boarding (landing)card, check-in desk, schedule, ticket machine, terminal, arrivals/departures board, turbulence, smooth flight, forced (rough) landing, departure lounge, terminal building, luggage reclaim, trolley, airplane, pilot's cabin, helicopter, captain, steward, airhostess, flight attendant, airline representative, ground staff, customs, duty free, jet lag;

to book a plane, to process a visa, to board, to get on/off the plane, to go through passport control/security, to scan, to depart, to take/be off, to fasten a seat belt, to cruise, to fly at some speed (altitude/height), to have poor (bad/good) visibility, to hit an air-pocket, to land/arrive, to stop/come to a halt, to travel at half fare, to pay a reduced fare, to be overweight/underweight, to pay excess baggage, to pass through customs (green — nothing to declare; red = goods to declare; blue = European Union citizens), to be on board a plane, to be airsick.

Travelling by sea:

vessels, hovercraft, steamer, liner, yacht, fishing/rowing boat, ferry, ship, life belt/buoy/boat, embarkation, crew, steward, maritime transport, waterways, terminal, navigable, seafaring skills, submarine, ferry, Channel Tunnel, naval; to board, to be on board a ship, to book a passage, to be not much of a sailor, to fall overboard, to sink/to drown, to come into a harbour, to call at a port, to float in the ocean, to be moored at, to disembark, to drop anchor, to be calm/smooth, to grow rough, to roll and pitch, to raise (to lower), to be caught in a storm.

Holidays:

motouring holiday, amusement park, landmark, museum, bespoke holiday, excursion, attractions, overseas visitors, landscape, hot spots, digs, luxury holiday, five-star hotel, package holiday, off season, flying visit, tour operators, holiday makers, scenery, tourist industry, 'local', nightlife, crowded/full of, cosmopolitan, touristy, accommodation, self-catering flat, guesthouse, youth hostel, holiday camp, time-share apartment, condominium, cuisine, lodgings, reservation, registration, check-in, check-out, room rates, room service, receptionist, camping, hospitable, pilgrim, godforsaken, easygoing, outing, hot spots;

to look round the shops, to get lost, to go out, to have a good/great time, to enjoy oneself, to do lazy things; то cancel a holiday, to stay the night, to go to hotels, to rent an apartment or villa, to sleep in a ten/at a campsite.

Idioms Proverbs Sayings

to go (run) on the rocks

to see rocks ahead

to push the boat out

to rock the boat

to miss the boat

to row in the same boat with

to on one’s last legs

to be all in the sea/at sea

to be in the cart

to trim one's sails to the wind

to put on all sail

to be/feel itchy feet

to be on the right track

to put the cart before the horse

to change horses in midstream

to hit the road

to keep pace with

in the long run

to get off on the wrong foot

to pave the road to hell with good intentions

The more haste the less speed.

A great ship asks deep waters.

Distance lends enchantment to the view.

Better to ask the way than to go astray.

Good company on a journey is worth a coach.

East or west, home is best.

Word study

Read the following texts, paying your attention to the words in bold type. Think of the Russian equivalents for them.

Air travel

When you arrive at the airport, you can look at the departures board which shows the flight numbers (e.g. BA735), departure times (e.g. 0840) and destinations (e.g. Venice). At the check-in desk they weigh your luggage. Usually you can take about 20 kilos. If it is more, you may have to pay excess baggage (= you pay extra). They also check your ticket and give you a boarding card for the plane with your seat number on it. Then you go through passport control where an official checks your passport, and into the departure lounge. Here, you can also buy things in the duty free, e.g. perfume or alcohol. About half an hour before take-off, you go to a gate number, e.g. gate 14, where you wait before you get on the plane. When you board (= get on) the plane, you find your seat. If you have hand luggage, you can put it under your seat or in the overhead locker above your seat. If there are no delays (= when you have to wait until a later time for some reason), the plane moves towards the runway. (= the area where planes take off and land). The captain (= the pilot) or cabin crew (= people who look after passengers) may say these things:

• Please fasten your seat belt and put your seat in the upright position.

• May we remind passengers that there is no smoking now until you are inside the terminal building.

• The cabin crew are now coming round with landing cards.

When the plane lands, you have to wait for it to stop. When the doors are open, you get off the plane and walk through the terminal building and go to the baggage reclaim. You go through customs (GREEN = nothing to declare; RED - goods to declare). At most airports, you can hire a car.

TRAINS

These are things train passengers often say or ask:

Single to Edinburgh, please. (= a ticket to Edinburgh)

Return to Bath, please. (= a ticket to Bath and back)

Does this train go to (= take me to) Oxford? Do I have to change? (= change to another train) Is it a fast train or a stopping train?

A: Which platform for Liverpool? B: Number three.

A: And when is the train due to arrive? (= timetabled to arrive)

BUSES

Sometimes buses are punctual (= arrive at the correct time), but not always. Where I live, buses should run (= travel/operate) every ten minutes, but sometimes I wait at the bus stop for half an hour in a queue (= line of people), and then three buses come together, and they're all full up. (= full of people) Other times the bus is early and I miss it. (= I don't catch it)

TAXIS

Taxis show what you have to pay on the meter. When you want the driver to stop, you can say this: Could you drop me here? (= Could you stop here?) People often give taxi drivers a tip (= extra money as well as the fare). For example, if the fare is £8.40, you can give the driver £9.

A SIGHTSEEING HOLIDAY IN THE CITY

Many people go on a sightseeing tour of a town (usually in a bus); they can also go on a tour of a castle, cathedral, etc. When you are sightseeing, it helps to buy a guidebook (= a book of information for tourists) and a map of the town you are visiting.