Ep 7: Travel Tips
Welcome to another episode of B1 English Talks. This podcast is here to help you improve your English at the B1 level and feel more confident in your progress. Each episode, we'll dive into fun and real-life topics to help you sound more natural and practice your listening skills. Let's get started.
Today we're talking about traveling. Traveling is one of the most exciting experiences, and it also comes with situations that can be tricky to navigate. Whether you're catching a flight, checking into a hotel, or exploring a new destination, knowing how to talk about these situations in English can make your trip much easier.
Let's start with airports. Have you ever missed a flight? It's not a great feeling, I'll tell you. One time, I arrived at the airport late because I had woken up late. By the time I reached the gate, the plane had already taken off. Since then, I've always made sure to leave with extra time to get to the airport. I'm actually a little crazy with this. I usually show up to the airport 2-3 hours early and always have way too much time on my hands. But it's a lot better than missing a flight.
Another very common travel situation is checking in at a hotel. When you arrive, you usually need to show your passport or ID and give your reservation details. Sometimes, you might need to fill out a form or confirm your itinerary. Once, I had a reservation, but the hotel had canceled it by mistake. Luckily, I found another room in the same hotel.
Now, let's talk about once you're at your travel destination. When you're exploring a new city, it's helpful to ask for directions, or if you're really old school, use a map. If you're lost, you can ask one of the locals something like, "Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the nearest train station?" And you can ask this same question, just replace train station with where you want to go. I've gotten lost a lot of times while I was traveling and every time, someone has helped me find my way.
It's also a good tip to use an app like Duolingo to pick up a few words of the local language to make it easier if you're only going to be there for a little bit. If you're there sightseeing, there's so many things to do. You might visit landmarks or even try new food at a local restaurant. If you plan ahead, your trip will go way more smoothly. But even when plans fall through, traveling can still be an adventure.
I know I have set plans when I was in Buenos Aires, Argentina, traveling around to go to some museums or see some monuments. I remember one of the hotels, which was also a palace that's tourable—like you can go tour it—was closed that day for an event. They were closed that day for a business event. And I went there anyway with a buddy, and we ended up having lunch in their garden, which was available. And it was really nice. We got to enjoy the day, have a good conversation, and it ended up being worth the trek.
Let's take a quick look at some common phrasal verbs in travel situations and how you might use them or hear them in context. When you arrive at a hotel, you need to check in. Checking in is showing your ID and paying for your room or putting a card down on your room. Before leaving on a trip, you might set off early in the morning. So in this case, set off means to leave. But usually, this is in regard to a long trip. So we are assuming that you're taking a flight or a boat—you’re going somewhere far away.
If you rent a car, you'll need to pick it up at the rental office. This means going to get your car. When you're exploring a new city, you need to know how to get around by bus or train. So in this case, get around or getting around is referring to how you are moving around the city, how you're getting from one place to another.
Using these phrases in English will help make you sound much more natural and help you describe your travels more clearly to other natives. Some of the most fun stories to share are often travel stories. Think about this. Have you ever gotten lost in a foreign country? Or what's the most exciting place you've ever visited? These are great ways to start conversations about travel and get people to open up about their stories about life-changing events.
As I've mentioned in previous podcasts and in this episode, one of my favorite travel memories was recently when I visited Buenos Aires, Argentina. I had never been to such a welcoming and beautiful place. By the time I was done with my trip, I had explored a lot of beautiful spots and felt really refreshed and inspired by the trip and excited to continue working when I got back to the United States. That trip really had a huge impact on me, and it changed my perspective on the way I treat people, the way I look at culture, and the way I live my life today.
I highly recommend anyone who is considering traveling to make it happen. It is worth the trip.
So my final thoughts are, listen, travel can be full of surprises. Some of them good, some of them challenging, but it's always an adventure. Whether you're preparing for your next trip or just dreaming about your favorite destination, remember that even small travel situations can turn into great stories.
What's a travel situation you've experienced? Think about how you would describe it and maybe even practice telling someone about it in English. That would be fun, right?
Thanks for listening to today's episode of B1 English Talks. Remember, if you're ready to connect, feel free to reach out to me with your thoughts. What's your favorite travel memory or situation you've learned from? Let me know. Have a great day, and I'll see you next time.
