VOCABULARY RELATED TO TOURISM

Have a look at the following text found on http://www.english-at-home.com/vocabulary/planning-a-holiday/. Do you know all the words in bold letter? Can you remember what they mean? Now read the text and look up the new vocabulary.

Many people take their main holiday in summer, and although some people choose a last-minute break, others plan their holiday months in advance.
The beginning of the year is a good time for people to start looking at holiday brochures. Tour operators (companies that organise holidays) as well as travel agents (the people that sell holidays) give lots of information about holiday destinations and types of holiday. Apart from the traditional two-week beach holiday, you can choose from a range of holidays: a cruise (holiday on a ship), an activity holiday (a holiday that involves walking, cycling, climbing or other sports), a city break (a weekend or a few days in a different city) and so on. A lot of people choose a package holiday, where flights and accommodation are included in the price. But many people prefer an independent holiday, where they make their own travel arrangements.
If you travel independently, you will need to book your flights or train tickets. Unless you have an onward destination, you will probably book a return journey. Then you will need to make a reservation at a hotel, or another place to stay, such as a campsite (if you are camping in a tent), or a caravan site (if you are staying in a caravan), or a B&B (a bed and breakfast).
For all types of foreign holidays, it is essential that you check you have all your travel documents. Make sure your passport hasn't expired, and that you have a visa if necessary. If you are travelling to some countries, you also need to make sure that all your vaccinations (protection against illness) are up to date. For some countries you might need a vaccination against hepatitis, or yellow fever, for example.
As your departure date gets nearer, you can start to plan the details of your journey. Perhaps it will be a good idea to buy a guide book, or a phrase book, if you don't speak much of the local language. Some people like to read up on (= get lots of background information) on where they are going, and find out about the places of interest and "must-see" sights. It's also fun to make a packing list, so you don't forget any vital clothes or toiletries.
It's also a good idea to buy local currency in advance, if your flight gets in (= arrives) in the middle of the night, when no banks are open. Most airlines also advise you to take out (=get) travel insurance just in case your flight is delayed or cancelled, or if you get ill and need to be repatriated (sent back to your country).
Don't forget to make arrangements for your pets and your house while you're away. Put your dog into kennels (a dog hotel), and leave a key with your neighbour just in case! Hopefully your neighbour will keep an eye on your house while you're on holiday! Finally, get to the airport with plenty of time to spare. Nowadays it can take much longer to get through security and onto the plane. Have a nice trip and send your neighbour a postcard!

READING COMPREHENSION

In order to improve your reading skills, I recommend you to visit the following websites.
1. Manchester
2. Tourist Industry
3. The Channel Tunnel
4. Angkor Wat
5. History of Tourism

TYPES OF HOLIDAY, DESTINATIONS, FESTIVALS, ETC.

If you really want to become a travel agent or work in the field of tourism, have a look at the following page. There you will find different types of holiday, different destinations, festivals and events, brochures and a lof of information about different places around the world.
You can travel around the world with only one click of the mouse.
Cox & Kings is the longest established travel company in the world.
http://www.coxandkings.co.uk/home.aspx

JOURNEY, TRAVEL, TRIP...

As you already know, to distinguish the differences among 'journey', 'travel', 'trip', 'voyage', 'excursion', 'outing', 'expedition', etc. is not easy. In order to practise a bit more, you can visit the following website, where you can test your knowledge about this topic.

I hope you enjoy the activity!http://www.usingenglish.com/handouts/58.html

If you still have some problems, go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv209.shtml

And now, I think you are ready to do the following crossword. Have fun!

TRAVEL, TRIP crossword puzzle game » crossword maker

TRAVEL DESTINATIONS WORLD MAP

Here you can see a world map with the most popular travel destinations. Try to find out some information about some of them, e.g. country in which they are situated, places to see, things to do, what to eat...
Which of these places would you like to visit? Why? How would you get there? Where would you stay? How long would you spend there?
World Map Showing Travel Destinations

WEB QUEST: GETTING TO KNOW POPULAR TOURIST DESTINATIONS

As you can see, this activity will take you to different parts of the world. Answer all the questions and you will know a little bit about some interesting places to visit.
Webquest Popular Destinations

TOURIST INFORMATION - COUNTRIES AND CITIES. TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

For this topic, I recommend you a very good website www.aviewoncities.com. Please, have a look, it's gr8! There are more than 30 cities, you can see their tourist attractions and you can also test yourself because there also some quizzes about maps and attractions.

If you want to practise countries and nationalities, you can also visit http://www.agendaweb.org/ and in 'vocabulary' you will see 'countries-nationalities'. Click on and you can do plenty of exercises.

Video Travel Agencies

Why do you want to study Tourism? Watch this video and have a look at the reasons some students give to work in this field. Are they the same as yours?

Freddie Laker

Do you know any low-cost ailines? Have you ever travelled with them? Did you know that for decades airlines operated a virtual monopoly and charged astronomical prices and that it was first challenged by Freddie Laker in the seventies with his budget Skytrain flights to the USA?
Who was this man? Find out more about him on the internet and answer the following questions.

1. Where was he from?


2. Did he have any titles? Why?


3. What did he found?


4. What was the first airline in the world to offer low international fares?


5. What is the name of the airport in which design and development he was involved?


6. When and where did he die?

César Manrique

Is César Manrique familiar to you? Why do you think he is important in the field of tourism?
Read the following questions and find the answers in his biography. http://www.cesarmanrique.com/biografia_i.htm

1. Where and when was César Manrique born?
2. How did he feel about the Spanish Civil War?
3. What and where did he study?
4. Where did he go after New York?
5. What was his job?
6. What place did he want to turn into one of the most beautiful places in the planet?
7. When and how did he die?
8. Find out on the internet a place in Madrid which was designed by him.