English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate » Unit 31: Travel
| road | rail | air | sea |
| _____ | _____ | _____ |
Erik's Blog (24 June)
The flight from Huascal to Puerto Amlugo was s_____ delayed (six hours!). I was worried I'd get s_____ at the airport (and hoped that the airline would p_____ me u_____ in a nice hotel :) but anyway the flight wasn't c_____ and we finally took off. The weather was awful, and we experienced a lot of t_____. In fact, the flight was so b_____ that I got a_____ (very unpleasant!). But the c_____ c_____ were very friendly and helpful, which made me feel better. The l_____ was not so bad and soon we were at the t_____ collecting our baggage. I slept well last night - I think I’ve got over the j_____ I had after my 12-hour flight from Europe.
Mona's Blog (5 July)
I didn’t have a reservation for the Eurostar train from Paris to London, but they put me on s_____ and I got a s_____ on a later train. It was a good journey, everything ran s_____ and it arrived _____ time. In London, I enquired if there was a s_____ c_____ on the train to Scotland so I could travel overnight. The alternative was a hotel and the e_____ m_____ train at 6.30 am (too early for me!). When I get to Scotland I want to go to some of the islands. I hope the sea is c_____. I hate r_____ seas - I always get s_____!
Give answers that are true for you, and reasons.
| transport | kinds of vehicle | parts of vehicle | people working with it | associated words |
| road | car, bus, coach, tram, van, lorry | boot, steering wheel | driver, motorist, mechanic, chauffeur | petrol station, break down, breakdown service |
| rail | high-speed train, express | sleeping car, buffet, coach | ticket collector, conductor | platform, seat reservation |
| sea | liner, ferry, yacht | deck, bridge, gangway | captain, steward(ess) | port, cabin, cruise |
| air | aircraft, jumbo jet, helicopter | cockpit, wings, aisle /aɪjəl/ | ground staff, cabin crew, air traffic controller | duty-free shop, terminal, runway, security |
A trip is usually shorter than a journey. We had a long journey by coach from the north to the south of the country. We usually say business trip (NOT business journey). We took a trip / went on a trip to the beach last weekend. (Go on a trip suggests an organised short excursion, whereas take a trip or have a trip could be something you do yourselves in your own car.)
Travel is a general word. It is an uncountable noun and a verb. Travel broadens the mind. How did you travel round Australia? We hitch-hiked.
Voyage means a long journey usually by sea, though this use is quite formal. It is often used in other contexts with ‘discovery’. Learning English is a voyage of discovery!
ELENA: ‘My flight from New York to Tokyo was severely delayed1 because of bad weather, then later it was cancelled and I was stuck at2 the airport. The airline put me up3 in a hotel overnight, and they put me on stand by4 for the early morning flight the next day. Luckily, I managed to get a seat and the flight left on time5 at 7.00 am. There was quite a lot of turbulence6 during the flight, which was scary at times. When we finally got to Tokyo, the weather was bad and we had a bumpy landing7. Luckily, I don’t get airsick8 but I had terrible jetlag9 for days afterwards.’
1 delayed for a very long time
2 unable to move from
3 paid for me to stay
4 promised me a seat if one be became available
5 punctually
6 strong, sudden movements while the plane was in the air
7 we landed in a w ay that was not smooth
8 feel sick because of the movement of the plane; more formal = suffer from airsickness
9 had a feeling of tiredness caused by moving quickly from one time zone to another
Pieter: ‘I’d always wanted to sail across the Mediterranean, though I was worried I might get seasick. Anyway, I volunteered to work as a crew member on board a yacht and it was an amazing experience. Everything ran very smoothly, even when the sea was rough1, and I never suffered from seasickness2.’
1 opp = a calm sea
2 less formal = I never got seasick
We don’t say ‘a travel’. Travel is an uncountable noun.
After we left the airport, we had a long journey by car. (NOT we had a long travel)
Remember, we say on time, not in time when we mean ‘punctually’ .
The train arrived on time and I picked her up at the station. (NOT The train arrived in time)
The words you need to communicate with confidence. Vocabulary explanations and practice for elementary level (A2) learners of English. Perfect for both self-study and classroom activities. Quickly expand your vocabulary with 60 units of easy to understand explanations and practice exercises.
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The words you need to communicate with confidence. Vocabulary explanations and practice for advanced level (C1 to C2) learners of English. Perfect for both self-study and classroom activities. Quickly expand your vocabulary with over 100 units of easy to understand explanations and practice exercises.