Welcome to Travel 2 English!

Dear students,


Welcome to the blog we will be using during this course! Here, you will find awesome exercises to practice your English at the same time that you will have a good time using your computer!

Don't forget to log in as often as you want because... LOGGING IN ONCE A DAY KEEPS STUDYING FAR AWAY!!

UNIT 1: Welcome on board!

Shall we start with the course?

In this unit you will learn all you need to know to travel around the world! Get ready to discover new places to visit and online resources to plan your ideal trip!

In this unit you will learn:

• Vocabulary related to travel
• How to use the Present Perfect Simple and used to

You'll be able to: 

• Talk about your travel experiences
• Arrange your ideal trip
• Listen to and understand conversations
• Write a postcard to a friend
• Read articles and advertisements about holidays

Listening I

1) Let's start with our first activity! Go to this link where you will find a video in which different people tell us their opinion and personal experience of some cities they have visited. 

Once you have listened to it, try to complete the following multiple-choice test:

1. Which cities can you hear?
     a. London, San Francisco and Madrid
     b. London, Hawaii and Paris
     c. San Francisco, London and Mallorca


2. Where is Sven from?
     a. Germany
     b. Spain
     c . England


3. According to Simonne, how is London described?
     a. Diverse, warm and expensive
     b. Diverse, busy and beautiful
     c. Beautiful, cold and noisy


4. In which city were they celebrating the Chinese New Year?
     a. Bangkok
     b. Accra
     c. San Francisco


5. Which two cities are said to have great food?
     a. Accra and Bangkok
     b. San Francisco and Accra
     c. Mallorca and Bangkok


6. To which continent should people travel at least once in life?
     a. America
     b. Europe
     c. Africa


7. Which of the following is the most expensive city?
     a. London
     b. Mallorca
     c. Bangkok


8. Which city is known for having very friendly people?
     a. London
     b. Bangkok
     c. Accra


9. Which city has an incredible landscape?
     a. San Francisco
     b. Tahiti
     c. Accra


10. What does "like heaven on earth" mean?
     a. You are having a good time
     b. Something is beautiful
     c. A very expensive city


In order to answer this activity, send to our email address (travel2english@gmail.com) a document with the right answers. 
What do you think about the video? Was it too difficult for you? Add your comments!!

Listening II

1) If you want to learn about interesting places to visit in London, watch the video from this link, in which a boy gives information about sightseeing, means of transport, culture and much more!


There you will find some questions and exercises about the video.  


You can answer the questions and check if they are right. Let us know if you found it difficult here in the comments! 
Good luck!

Speaking I

1) Josh, Anita and Jared had already talked about their favourite cities. Now, we want to know about your experiences! Think of all the cities that you have visited and tell us about your favourite one.


Here you have some questions that can help you for your speaking practice:
- What is your favourite city?
- When did you visit that city?
- How long did you stay?
- With whom did you go?
- What did you do there (holidays, sightseeing, visiting friends or family...)?
- Why did you like it (buildings, culture, nature, food, people...)?

To do it, click on this link (vocaroo) and record your voice. Then, send it to our email address (travel2english@gmail.com). We're looking forward to listening to your opinions!

Speaking II

1) Now that you have learned some vocabulary about travelling it's time to put it into practice. You must create a dialogue with two speakers (A and B) in which a client wants to book a room in a hotel.

This activity is individual and you will have to perform both parts of the dialogue (client and receptionist).
In order to do this, you must click on the following link and construct the dialogue according to the information shown in the pictures.

To do it, click on this link (vocaroo) and record your voice. Then, send it to our email address (travel2english@gmail.com). We're looking forward to listening to your dialogues!

Vocabulary I

1) Read the following texts and notice the words in bold. 

Ticket agent:   Good morning! Can I help you?

Customer:   I want to buy two train tickets.

T A:  Where are you going?

C:      I’m going to Manchester.

TA:   When are you going to make the journey?

C:     The 3^rd of May.

TA:   Will you return on the same day?

C:      Yes, it’s only a daytrip.

TA:    First or economy class?

C:      Is it very expensive to travel on first class?

TA:   There isn’t much difference.

C:      I want to buy two tickets for the 3^rd of May, first train in the morning and last in the evening. Can I take the luggage with me?

TA:   Yes, but you also have some space provided for leaving it.

C:      Ok. Can you tell me please which platform and carriage do I have to take?

TA:   That information will be shown on the screen at the train station.

C:     Thank you very much.

The crew was getting ready to take off when a flight attendant saw a nervous old lady standing with her backpack in the middle of the aisle. She didn’t know where to sit and she looked very anxious. The flight attendant approached her and asked her if everything was okay. The old lady answered that she had planned a city break to Manchester to visit her newborn grandson. It was the first time that she was flying and she wasn’t able to find her seat. The flight attendant told her that it was a budget airline so she could choose any available seat but… that was a flight to London! She had mistaken the gate! 


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Josh was sick and tired of his hometown: he was surrounded by farms, green lands and animals. He was graduated in business studies and dreamt of affluence, high buildings and crowded cities. One day, he decided to leave that world to start a new life. He went to the airport and bought a ticket to Chicago. As soon as he saw the cabin of his plane and the long runway of the airport, he felt very excited. He couldn’t believe that he was already in Chicago! Once he left the plane and he went through the customs, he realized that there was no return!

2) Now, click on this link and complete the wordsearch about travel. 

Let us know the time it took you in the comments below. Who is the fastest? Have fun!

Vocabulary II

1) Click on this link and listen to the conversation between a traveller and a receptionist. You only need to listen to the first 1:30 minutes. 

2) Look at the list of words from the extract and listen to the conversation again. 

3) Now, match the words with their correct meaning: 

a) Person who makes the necessary arrangements for travelers

b) Price asked

c) To arrive and register at a hotel or airport

d) Useful and desirable features of a building

e) Luxurious room

f) A returnable sum of money to cover possible loss or damage

g) A room next to another one

h) An arrangement whereby something has been reserved (Also: reservation)

i) Personal male attendant

j) A room for only one person

k) Registration and reception desk in a hotel

4) Put the following sentences in the correct order :

Don't forget to send your answers to our email address (travel2english@gmail.com)

Reading I

Do you like travelling?

In this article, you will find 100 reasons to travel and discover the world.

1) Click on the following link and read the first 15 reasons.


100 reasons to travel the world


2) Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)?


- Travelling can help you discover different civilizations and traditions.
- There are more than one thousand countries in the world. 
- When you travel, you will always find people that you like. 
- According to the author, gastronomy is one of the best pleasures in life. 
- Travelling is so much fun that you will never miss home.
- Tourists usually pay more for things than locals. 
- If you plan your trip in advance, you will never need to change it. 


3) Find a synonym of these words in the texts: 


a) Money (reason no. 8)
b) Holiday (reason no. 6)
c) Boring (reason no. 6)
d) Mobile phone (reason no. 10)
e) Delicious (reason no. 11)
f) (To) eliminate (reason no. 13)


4) Choose one of the reasons you have read and explain why it is the most important reason for you to travel. (2-3 sentences)


Don't forget to send your answers to our email address (travel2english@gmail.com) and feel free to add any comments below!  

Reading II

1) Read the following text:

2) Answer the questions below: 

1. If you don’t want to spend much money it’s better to look for:
        a) Economical accommodation
        b) Luxury accommodation
        c) Expensive hotels

2. The deposit is:
        a) Extra money that you pay for accommodation but it’s returned at the end of your stay.
        b) Extra money that you pay if you book in advance and it’s not returned. 

        c) Extra money that you pay for breakfast.

3. For long holidays abroad it is better to go:
        a) To Tourist Information Centres
        b) To travel agencies
        c) To information desks

4. When you go to a travel agency: 

        a) You choose when you want to travel.

        b) They tell you the date of your trip.
        c) They decide when you come back.
 5. Rafting and parachuting are appropriate activities for: 

       a) People who enjoy nature.

       b) People who don’t like taking risks.

       c) People who are attracted by city life. 

3) Now, read the following advertisements. Choose the one that you would like to do and explain why in a few sentences.

Send us your opinion and the answers to our email address (travel2english@gmail.com)!

Pronunciation I

1) Now it's time to practice your pronunciation!

We are going to work on some difficult sounds:  /ʌ/ and /ʊ/. For doing so, you need to click on the following link and follow the instructions.

1. Listen to some sentences with these two sounds, this will help you to identify these two phonemes
2. Listen to the words containing these sounds
3. Practice the pronunciation by repeating the words
4. Complete the quiz until you get all the right answers

Finally, go to vocaroo and record yourself repeating the sentences in step 1 and the list of words that appear in step 3.

In order to answer this activity, send to our email address (travel2english@gmail.com) a copy of your recording.

Pronunciation II

1) Let's continue practicing your pronunciation!


Now, we will do some exercises to improve your intonation. Again you need to click on this link and follow the instructions.


1. Listen to the sentences
2. Listen to the words focusing on the stressed syllable
3. Repeat the words
4. Carry out the quiz, in which you will have to click on the stressed syllable


To finish, record youselves using the following program: vocaroo.


Have you improved your pronunciation? Add comments with your opinions!

In order to answer this activity, send to our email address (travel2english@gmail.com) a copy of your recording.

Grammar: Present Perfect

Now, let's focus on grammar! The first point that we are going to see in this unit is Present Perfect. First, we must learn its use and form. To do so, you need to watch a video that you will find in the following link.

Once you know how and when to use it, you must carry out some exercises.

-To start with, complete the following test on Present Perfect. You must do the five exercises provided.

-Now complete this dialogue using the affirmative, negative and interrogative forms of Present Simple.

-Finally, you must produce sentences in exercises A, B and C.


In the three cases, you will have to check your answers in the same webpage after completing the exercises.

If you have any doubts about the use and form of Present Simple or if you don't understand why you got wrong answers in the exercises, send us an email to travel2english@gmail.com so that we can solve your doubts.

Grammar: Used to

Now, it's time to see our second grammatical point: Used to!

You will carry out four exercises to check if you have understood when to make use of Used to. But first, you will need to read the explanation of this point. For this, click on the following link.

Once you have gone through the explanation, complete the following exercises:

Exercise 1
Exercise 2
Exercise 3
Exercise 4




If you have any doubts about the use and form of Used to or if you don't understand why you got wrong answers in the exercises, send us an email to travel2english@gmail.com  so  that we can solve your doubts.

Extra grammar

Let's have fun with grammar!

Have you ever listened to the song I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For by the band U2? We are going to use this song to practice the main grammatical point of the unit: Present Perfect.

For doing so, you must listen to the song by clicking on this video.


1) Complete the gaps in the lyrics.

“I Still Ha­ven't Found What I'm Loo­king For” by U2      

I ________________________ the highest mountains         
I _______________ through the fields
Only to be with you


I __________, I ­­­__________________
I _________________ these city walls
These city walls
Only to be with you


But I __________________________________what I'm looking __________
I  ______________________ honey lips
________________ the healing of finger tips
It _______________ like fire
This burning ____________


I have spoke* with the _______ of angels (*correct form: "spo­ken")
I _____________the hand of the devil
It was _________in the night
I'm ___________________________ a stone
But I __________________________________what I'm _______________________


I _______________ in kingdom come
And all the colors __________________ into _______
Yes, I'm _________________________
You ____________ the bonds
You loosed* the _________________         (*correct form: "loosened")         
You __________________ the cross
Of my ________________
You know that I _________________________
But __________________________________________________________________

2) As you listen to the song, write down your answers to the following questions:

1. What exactly do you think the singer is “looking for”? 
2. Who is the “you” that he is singing to?
3. What exam­ples of imagery do you no­ti­ce?
4. What do you know about the Irish band U2?

In order to answer this activity, send to our email address (travel2english@gmail.com) a document with your answers.
What do you think about the song? Was it too difficult for you? Add your comments!!

Writing I

1) James is on holiday in India and he’s having a good time there.  Read the postcard that he has sent to his friend Tom to tell him about his trip:

2) Identify the following parts in the postcard:

-opening

-closing

-addressee

-sender

-address

3) Match the name of each part with its corresponding sentence and send your answers:

a) opening                  1) Tom Bradshaw

b) closing                    2) 12, Bradley Road

                                          PL4 7 BE

                                          Plymouth (England)

c) addresse                3) Dear Tom,

                                          How are you?

d) sender                   4) I can’t wait to see you!

                                          Love,

e) address                  5) James

4) Read again the postcard and choose the correct answer: 

1. What style is used in postcards?

 a) Formal                                                           b) Informal

2.  How many paragraphs do postcards usually have?

a) 1-2 paragraphs                                              b) As many paragraphs as you want

3. Which address is written in postcards?

a) The addressee address                                 b) The sender’s address

4. When do you usually send postcards?

a) On festivities, birthdays and parties.         b) When you are on holiday.

5. What do postcards usually talk about?

a) About how the holiday is going: places, weather, activities…

b) About your work and your daily routine.

5) Here you are some other expressions that you can also use when you write a postcard:

-Hi from Paris/London/Rome!

-I’m/We’re having a great time here!

-The weather has been great/lovely/bad/hot/cold.

-We have had sunny/cloudy/rainy/windy days.

-The landscape is amazing/majestic.

-The city is busy/noisy/lively.

-The streets are picturesque/crowded.

-See you in two days/one week!/We keep in touch./ I miss you!

-Take care./Your friend…….. .

6) Now, think of your last trip or imagine that you are on holiday. Think of what you tell a friend about your experiences (place, weather, activities…) and use the sentences above to write a postcard (100-120 words). For this, go to this link. There, you will find the necessary steps to create a postcard!

Remember to send it to our email address! travel2english@gmail.com