English the American Way: A Fun ESL Guide to Language and Culture in the U.S. » Unit 6: Get Away from It All
You’ve spent all that time working out and getting into shape. You must be exhausted! It’s the perfect time for a vacation. There are vacation options for any style and to suit any pocketbook. Give me a five-star hotel in a fancy resort. But my buddy prefers a small tent and a backpack full of camping gear. (Eeew! Bugs!) Let’s take a look at some of the choices.
Maybe you’re on a tight budget. (Maybe you spent too much for that gym membership!) Or you may have a crazy schedule at work, and you can’t take too many days off, but you’d still like some R&R. There’s a perfect solution, and even a new word to describe it: staycation. Instead of going away, you stay right at home and do fun vacation things nearby. These day trips can be as much fun as a fancy vacation. Consider a trip to the art museum, or attend a concert. Pack up the kids, pack the car, and head to the beach for a day of sun, sand, and surf. Places like New York City have ferries you can ride for free. These boats will make you feel like you’re on a fancy cruise—well, a fancy cruise without waiters and fancy meals . . . ha! (In New York City, the ferry to Staten Island gives you a spectacular view of the Statue of Liberty, and it’s free!) Feeling seasick? Go to a nearby park where you can enjoy a nature hike through the woods. (Watch out for the skunks.) Many local parks have wilderness trails with signs that identify trees, plants, and animals you may see along your walk. For a day that’s a bit more expensive, you might try a kid-friendly place like the zoo, an amusement park, or a water park. Don’t forget the sunscreen!
ALAN: You have a sunburn, Lia. I think you enjoyed your vacation a little too much.
LIA: Actually, we just stayed home. We took day trips, and we discovered places we didn’t even know about right in the neighborhood. We even visited the zoo. It was great fun!
ALAN: Wow! What a great idea. I finished painting the house. It was not great fun.
LIA: I printed out some new recipes and cooked some interesting ethnic meals, too. After we cleaned up, we walked around the neighborhood and chatted with the neighbors. And one day we traveled to the beach and practiced our beach volleyball skills. I think that’s my new favorite sport. The whole week really was a fun staycation.
| Tip 1 | Watch out for hidden extras you may not have thought about. You may have to pay to park your car or pay to go on the beach in some places. |
| Tip 2 | Depending on how “‘wild”’ your wilderness trail is, you may have to keep an eye open for critters and bugs (eeew!). And we don’t even want to think about snakes. AAAACKKKK! |
| Tip 3 | If there’s a fun attraction near where you live, look into a season pass. This will allow you to go as many times as you want all year. It’s usually a pretty good deal. |
We love the simple past tense of regular verbs; just add the letters -ed. Can you find all the regular verbs in the dialogue?
You love adventure! You love the outdoors! You love cooking hot dogs over an open campfire! We have just the vacation for you: camping! Yes, for the brave soul who’s not afraid of critters, bad weather, and bad food, this is another fun vacation choice. Camping requires a lot of very careful advance planning. You’ll need to have gear for hot weather and cold, for rain and sunshine, and for grassy fields and rocky riverbanks. If you’re in the middle of nowhere, you’ll need to carry your own food for all your meals, pots to cook it in, plates to serve it on, and utensils to eat it with. That means a big (and heavy) knapsack. You’ll also need to carry around your own little hotel—a tent—and the equipment to put it up. Don’t forget a sleeping bag. I’m exhausted just thinking about it! People who love camping say there’s nothing as wonderful as sleeping under the stars. We don’t know about you, but we’re thinking that would make us bear bait. No, thanks! We don’t want a bear to eat us for a snack before we can even eat our own trail mix! People tell us that camping can be fun, but we’d rather stay at a fancy hotel.
LIA: Our camping trip was sure a surprise.
ALAN: Uh-oh. What happened?
LIA: Well, it started out fine. We planned the trip carefully and found exactly the right snacks. We packed all our stuff, and we bought brand-new hiking boots. We pitched our tent right beside a small lake.
ALAN: That sounds good.
LIA: It sounded good to us, too . . . until we finished our hike the first day. We forgot to break in the new boots! Our feet were sore and blistered. Then we noticed the big black clouds, and disaster struck! It poured all night. When we woke up in the morning, the tent was collapsed around us, and we were lying in a huge puddle.
ALAN: Ha, ha! I guess next time you’ll stay in a hotel!
| Tip 4 | Don’t overpack! Remember you’ll be toting that stuff for the whole trip! |
| Tip 5 | It’s very important to be careful with campfires. Thousands of acres of a World Heritage Site National Park in Chile burned when a tourist was careless with a campfire. |
| Tip 6 | If you bring it in, bring it out! Don’t leave any trash where you camp. |
Now we’re talking about our favorite vacation! Camping is fun if you like sleeping in a tent. In the rain. With bugs. But give us a high-class resort any day! These can be very expensive, but they’re fun to dream about even if we can’t go. The amenities at a five-star resort can make you feel like royalty, so even if the weather is bad, you’ll have a great time. An all-inclusive resort is perfect if you can’t be bothered keeping track of your expenses. The price includes all meals, drinks, and entertainment. Golf or tennis, the fitness center, and children’s activities are also included. The rooms are often larger, with king-sized beds. Some places have all suites, so you can really spread out. And the hotel usually has a concierge who can arrange many extra excursions in the local area, like chartering a boat to go deep-sea fishing, or planning a parasailing adventure. Be aware that these excursions are not included in the cost. Other amenities that may not be included are the spa, a salon, and other trips to nearby attractions. Be sure to know in advance exactly what fun activities are included. The downside to an all-inclusive plan is that you may decide not to explore the local town restaurants. After all, you’ve already paid for your meals at the hotel. On the other hand, if you’re in heaven, who wants to leave anyway?
ALAN: Wow, we had a great time on vacation!
LIA: Yeah, Susan told me you went to a really cool place.
ALAN: Yeah, it was an awesome, all-inclusive resort. We paid for the hotel, and everything we wanted to do was included.
LIA: Tell me more.
ALAN: Well, the kids spent lots of time in the arcade. Susan and I were happy because they had a beautiful golf course. And of course we spent hours on the beach. It was heaven—just sitting in beach chairs and watching the ocean.
LIA: What about water sports?
ALAN: Oh, it was so cool! We dove for shells one day and water-skied another day. The camp counselors taught the kids how to make paper boats—they thought it was awesome! We even brought some little boats home for souvenirs.
LIA: Wow. You were busy.
ALAN: Yeah, we sure were! But I think we ate and drank a little too much. It’s time for a diet.
| Tip 7 | Check to see if the gratuity is included in the cost. Tips could be a hidden extra! |
| Tip 8 | You can request in advance the type of bed you’d like. A room will usually have either one king-sized bed or two queen-sized. You can request a roll-away cot if you need an extra bed for the kids. |
Maybe they aren’t so lovable or easy, but “irregular” past tense verbs aren’t so bad, once you practice with them. How many irregular past tense verbs can you spot in the dialogue? (See appendix B for a list of some commonly used irregular verbs.)
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