ACTIVE VOCABULARY

Unit 10. BUSINESS TRIPS. TRAVELLING

TRAVEL EXPRESSIONS

You go on holiday (GB) / vacation (US) or on business by ai / by train / by car etc.

You go on a journey / trip / excursion / outing / sight-seeing tour, on a cruise or on a business trip.

You see / do the sights with a guide, if you go on a conducted / guided tour.

You go on/take a cruise, i.e. on a passenger ship or sea-liner.

You go on a world trip / on a round-the-world tour.

If you do a round trip, you travel around a country and return to your starting point.

If you go touring, you travel around a country or countries by car or coach.

You may take a short break (holiday), i.e. for 3 or 4 days only.

A 'package holiday is a holiday booked through a travel agent which includes travel, accommodation, meals and often excursions.

You set off on a journey.

You may break the journey, i.e. stop somewhere for a short time or for some hours, you may travel non-stop or travel through.

You stop off / over (at / in a place), i.e. break the journey.

You may stay the night / stay overnight / make an overnight stop somewhere.

You may put up at a hotel, i.e. sleep and eat there.

You make a reservation / booking if you reserve a room in advance, i.e. by letter or telephone.

You travel / go / book first etc. class.

If you fly you have to check in al the airport and weigh in (your luggage).

When you leave or enter a country you have to go through customs.

You may book a domestic flight (i.e. inland) which is usually also a scheduled flight (with an airline working on a regular schedule).

A cheap flight booked for tourists on most holiday tours is a charter flight.

An APEX flight is a scheduled "advance purchase excursion” flight at a reduced rate.

FOCUS PHRASES

Flight AB 112 is boarding now.

This is the last call for flight 345 to Bombay.

The passengers are asked to go to Gate 7.

(Flight 837) has been cancelled due to (instrument malfunction)

(The aeroplane) has been delayed owing to (engine failure).

This is to announce the arrival of 12.45 service to Paddington.

The service to Petersborough is departing in 5 minutes from Platform 3.

(The train) is running late.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

We apologize for the delay.

We regret to announce the late arrival of …

PHRASAL VERBS

Break down – if a machine or vehicle breaks down, it stops working

Carry on – to continue going in the same direction

Check in – to register at a hotel or airport

Check out – to pay the bill before you leave the hotel

Come across – to meet someone, or to find something by chance

Drop off – to leave or set down at a particular place; unload.

Fill in (the tank) – to add petrol to the car tank, e.g. at a petrol / filling / gas station / garage

Flag down somebody / something or flag somebody / something down – to signal someone or something to stop by waving

Get away – to go somewhere different from where you live in order to have a rest or a holiday

Get back – to return

Hop on / off – Get on / off the bus

Get to some place – arrive at some place

Head for – to go in a particular direction

Hold up – to obstruct or delay

Look around – to look at what is near you, in your area

Look forward – to excited about something that is going to happen

Pick up – to go and meet someone or something that you have arranged to take somewhere in a vehicle

Put up (for the night) – to provide lodgings for

Run out of (petrol) – to have used up most of; to have no petrol left

See (smb) off – to go somewhere such as a station or airport with someone in order to say goodbye to them

Slow down – to decrease speed; to go slower. Please slow down. You are going too fast.

Set off – to start a journey, or to start going in a particular direction

Speed up – to go faster. Please speed up. We are late.

Stop over – to break one's journey, usually overnight or even longer. On our way to New York, we stopped over in Philadelphia for the night. That's a good place to stop over. There are some nice hotels in Philadelphia.

Take off – when an aircraft leaves and begins to fly

Touch down [for an airplane] – to come in contact with the ground; to land. Flight twelve is due to touch down at midnight. When will this plane touch down?

Turn back (from some place) – to stop one's journey and return. We turned back from the amusement park so we could go home and get the tickets we had forgotten. We turned back at the last minute.

IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS

The travel / sailing etc bug: a sudden strong interest in doing something (the slang word "bug" means an illness or a disease which is usually infectious. Please note that, the term "travel bug" itself does not have any negative connotations. In fact, it is usually a positive thing to catch the travel bug.

Backseat driver: a passenger in a car who gives unwanted advice to the driver? or an an annoying person who is fond of giving advice to the person performing a task or doing something, especially when the advice is either wrong or unwelcome.

Sunday driver: one who drives slowly and makes unexpected maneuvers

In the driver's seat If you are in the driver's seat, you are in charge of something or in control of a situation.

Fender bender: This expression refers to a minor car accident in which there is little damage and no injuries.

Get away from it all: to go somewhere completely different from what is usual Sometimes I want to get away from it all, and other times I want to know what's going on.

Red-eye flight: any flight departing late at night

In high gear: (USA) If something is in high gear, it is in a quick-paced mode.

Hit and run (accident): When the driver of a vehicle hits another vehicle without stopping to provide help, identification or insurance, and fails to report the accident to the police, the collision is called a hit-and-run accident.

Hit the road: When you hit the road, you begin a journey.

Itchy feet: A person who has itchy feet is someone who finds it difficult to stay in one place and likes travelling and discovering new places.

Jump the lights: If you continue driving when the traffic lights turn red, you jump the lights.

Live out of a suitcase: Someone who lives out of a suitcase travels a lot, moving from place to place, and is therefore restricted to the contents of their suitcase.

Make your way (to): If you make your way to a destination, you manage to go there without difficulty.

Road rage: Aggressive driving habits sometimes resulting in violence against other drivers.

Get the show on the road: If you manage to put a plan or idea into action, you get the show on the road.

Take someone for a ride: to cheat or deceive them.

Take for a test drive: If you take something for a test driver, you try something to see if you like it.

Off the track: If something puts or throws you off your track, it distracts you or keeps you from achieving what you want.

Off the beaten track: A place where few people go, far from any main roads and towns.

Travel light: When you travel light, you travel with as little luggage as possible.

Sail through something: If you sail through something, for example a test or an exam, you succeed in doing it without difficulty.

Shank's pony: If you go somewhere on Shank's pony, you have to walk rather than travel by bus, car, etc.

U-turn: 1. a turn made by a vehicle in the shape of a U, resulting in a reversal of direction; 2. a complete change in direction of political or other policy.