TRAVELLING AROUND THE UK

CULTURE NOTE: TRAVELLING AROUND THE UK

1. Answer the following questions.

– Have you ever been abroad? Where did you go and how did you get there? Was it on business or for pleasure? – What's the longest trip you have ever taken? – When travelling long distance, what is your preferred mode of transport & why? – If you could go on holiday anywhere in the world, where would you go? Why?

2. Read the travel blog by Adventurous Kate and check her tips on how to travel the UK.

Which tips do you find the most useful?

The UK is one of the most expensive countries in Europe – and if you’re planning a trip, you might be daunted by the cost of transportation within the UK. But it is very possible to travel the UK for cheap! Since settling in Chester, I’ve found a host of ways to save money on transportation. 1) It doesn’t matter whether you’re traveling by train, bus, or air – booking early will nearly always save you money, and booking last minute will always be exponentially more expensive. 2) Train travel in the UK is incredibly romantic, and you can easily watch the scenery go by for hours – bright green hills, sheep, newly plowed fields, tiny villages…it’s my favorite way to travel the UK. Most of the time, it’s also the easiest and fastest way to travel – though not the cheapest. If you’re not a UK resident and planning on travelling lots of long distances in the UK by train, look into a Britrail Pass. If you’re just booking occasional journeys, read on. Check the Megatrain and Virgin Train sites first for absurdly cheap train routes. These two sites tend to promote the same routes. Next, no matter which destination you choose, check out The Trainline’s Fare Finder – it will show you the cheapest tickets for various dates and times. Either way, booking on The Trainline is usually cheaper than other sites. What to know: Be flexible on stations. I was looking for ChesterEdinburgh round-trip fares and couldn’t find anything for less than an astounding £150. Then I found out that there are cheap fares on Megatrain from Warrington Bank Quay to Glasgow, a short trip from Edinburgh. I had never heard of Warrington Bank Quay, but it’s only a few stops away from Chester! I paid normal fares from Chester to Warrington and from Glasgow to Edinburgh – but from Warrington to Glasgow, the longest part of the journey, I found a super-cheap 9USD fare. 3) The thing about bus (or coach) travel is that you need to evaluate the positives and negatives. Yes, bus travel can be much cheaper than the train, but it can also take a lot longer, and most find it less pleasant. I usually book a coach when traveling from Chester to London. The fastest trip is five hours. To me, five hours on a bus is definitely doable, while 11 hours to Scotland is not worth it. First, check out Megabus for the cheapest fares of the bunch, and then check out National Express for cheap fares but more convenient times.

What to know: Again, book as early as possible, especially on Megabus – they even have £1 fares! Also, keep in mind that you must wear a seatbelt at all times – it’s a UK law.

Lesson 1 CULTURE

UNIT 6

Lesson 1 CULTURE

UNIT 6

4) I wouldn’t recommend air travel in the UK most of the time – the sheer act of flying requires so much more time and effort that it’s not worth it. But it can be useful for exceptionally large distances, like London to Aberdeen or Inverness. My go-to flight search engine is Kayak because it’s the best. Be sure to check airline sites as well for unpublished fares. Budget airline Easyjet has several domestic routes in the UK.

What to know: Budget airlines usually fly at inconvenient times from out-of-the-way airports. Take this into account and make sure you have someone to drive you, or you’ll be paying through the nose for airport parking. I’m lucky to have a friend who lives super-close to Heathrow so that Heathrow airport parking is never an issue for me. 5) None of these float your fancy? There are a few other options. Rideshare sites are growing more popular in the UK. My friend Dylan swears by hitchhiking. And you could also do Britain’s most intimidating walk: Land’s End to John O’Groats (also known as walking from Great Britain’s lower left corner to its upper right corner.) One thing that I’d love to do: rent a narrow boat in Chester and travel by the canals in the northwest, going through canal locks and everything!

3. Look at the words in bold and match them to their definitions.

1) to feel slightly frightened or worried about your ability 2) to achieve something 3) a big amount of something 4) a person who lives or has their home in a place 5) very surprising or shocking 6) it can be achieved or performed 7) one from a group of similar people or things 8) used to emphasize how very great, important, or powerful a quality or feeling is 9) to pay too much money for something

4. Write words to fill in the list below. Anything you think of is fine! Then use the list to complete the story. Don’t read the story first!

1) Country:____________________ 2) Verb:_______________________ 3) Name of person:______________ 4) Adjective:___________________ 5) Animal:_____________________ 6) Adjective:___________________ 7) Body part:___________________ 8) Food:_______________________ 9) Place:______________________ 10) Food:__________________________ 11) Verb (ends in –ing):________________ 12) Verb:__________________________ 13) Adjective:______________________ 14) Noun:_________________________ 15) Number:_______________________ 16) Verb:__________________________ 17) Verb:__________________________ 18) Your name:_____________________

Dear Mom and Dad,

I’m having a lot of fun in 1)____. There are so many things to 2)____! Yesterday, 3)_____ and I went to the zoo to see the rare and 4)_____________ Chinese 5)___. It was 6)____! It had the longest 7)____ I’d ever seen. Afterwards we ate 8)____ at a nearby 9)____. Our meal came with a bowl of fresh 10)____ – delicious.

Tomorrow we’re going 11)_____ and we will 12)___ some gifts to bring home. I know mom wanted a 13)____ dress and dad wanted me to look for a 14)___ for the living room.

I’ll be home in 15)___ days! I 16)___ you a lot. I can’t wait to come home and 17)___ you again.

Love, 18)____