English for travelling

Are you planning a trip abroad? 
Do you need English to communicate? 
Let's revise some vocabulary!

For many of us it's time for travelling, some are going abroad and need to revise some vocabulary and expressions...

In this post  I have just put together some resources about the basic English vocabulary for travelling. Surfing the Net, I have found some interesting videos that could be very useful for our students (or anyone else who is planning a trip).

Vocabulary about travel:

http://esl.about.com/library/vocabulary/blwordgroups_travel.htm

http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/vocabulary-lesson-travel.php#.U8P9M5R_utI

Talking about travel

Airport vocabulary:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/episode50/languagepoint.shtml

At the airport

Vocabulary and expressions about hotels, rooms and accomodation:

http://www.learn-english-today.com/vocabulary/hotel-rooms-vocabulary.html

At the hotel

Checking into a hotel

Vocabulary about restaurants and eating out:

http://www.esolcourses.com/content/topics/food/eating-out/at-the-restaurant.html

http://www.learnenglish.de/vocabulary/eatout.html

At the restaurant

Ordering at a restaurant

Vocabulary about shopping:

http://www.learnenglish.de/vocabulary/shopping.html

Going shopping

Vocabulary and expressions about directions:

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/words/asking_the_way_vocabulary.htm

http://it.talkenglish.com/LessonDetails.aspx?ALID=408

Asking for directions

London - let's make preparations for our journey!

Next July I am going  to London with some of my students. I would like to give them some information before leaving. Here there are some activities, videos, tips and a final webquest!

Top 10 Attractions of London

A brief history of London:
http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/a-brief-history-of-london

If you want to investigate the British history further:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/

A virtual tour

Now let's take a virtual tour of London! Click on the image above. You are on the London Eye and you have the whole city at your feet! Choose a place and click on it. You can take a virtual tour of each landmark and have all the information (clicking on "More Information") about its history. After visiting a place, click on "Back to London Eye" to go back in your capsule and choose another destination. Sometimes, while visiting a place, you will see the following button:

It redirects you to the website of that specific sight. Click on it to have more information.

The Tube

While visiting London, you can't help taking the Tube! It's the easiest way to get around the town. Visit the following site to learn more about the London underground, there are some useful tips for the travellers:

http://www.visitlondon.com/traveller-information/getting-around-london/london-tube

How to use the London Tube

The London tube is the oldest underground in the world. It was opened in 1890. Let's practise to use the tube map! Click on the following image and look for your destinations:

WEBQUEST

Now you are ready to complete this simple questionnaire I prepared for you about  London! Surf the sites I suggested above, watch the video you will find at the beginning of the webquest and answer the questions. Write your name and click on "send" at the end of the quiz. If your answers are right you are ready to leave!

See some other posts of mine about London.
London landmarks:
http://thetravellingteachers.blogspot.it/2013/09/london-august-2013.html
London museums:
http://thetravellingteachers.blogspot.it/2014/05/international-museum-day-may-18.html

It's time to travel: let's consult some maps... or create one!

Summer is usually holiday time and some of us are planning a journey. We often consult a map to decide which places we want to visit and to define our route. Using digital maps before, during and even after our journey, can be great fun! 

These are some free map tools that can make our trip more enjoyable and can also be very useful as summer tasks for our students!
(If we are not planning a trip, just imagining where we would like to go in the future could be very amusing and stimulating.)

BEFORE LEAVING

Before leaving let's have a look at the time zones. With the Time Zone Converter map you can easily convert a time in one location to the time in another location just with one click.

If you want to know how long your journey will take, you can use the Trip Calculator Map. Simply enter your average speed and start clicking. You can know how long your journey is and how long it will take to complete.

Now, a very useful tool to compare different cultures.
If you don't know exactly where to go, if you are wondering which country is right for you, try Ifitweremyhome.

If we were not born in our country, what would our life be like? 

This tool is a gateway to understand life outside our country. You can compare living conditions in your own country to those of another. 

Some examples:

http://www.ifitweremyhome.com/compare/GB/IT

http://www.ifitweremyhome.com/compare/IT/GB

DURING YOUR JOURNEY

Mapskip is a very original tool. The world is a canvas for your own stories and photos. You start from a map, you click on the place you like, you add your mark and write your story about that place. You can tell your adventures adding your pictures, links or videos. It could be great to update your journey in real time!

My example about the town where my school is located:

http://www.mapskip.com/stories.php?story=6681

AFTER YOUR JOURNEY

Tourbuilder is a fantastic tool! You have the whole world to put your stories on! It allows you to write your stories directly in the various countries of the world where they are set.

You will need to install the Google Earth Plugin (it only takes a couple of minutes), if you haven't already.

You can add your photos, videos or links to describe the places you visited.

Tour Builder takes track of all your movements on the map and this is the final result. Watch my brief example about my Cambridge experience! Choose "enter Street View" on the map to watch 3D the places I saw!

My example.

https://tourbuilder.withgoogle.com/builder#play/ahJzfmd3ZWItdG91cmJ1aWxkZXJyEQsSBFRvdXIYgICA8KrmkggM

The following is a very good site suggesting some other mapping tools for schools:

http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/Mapping+Tools

STUDENTS' TASK

Describe your real or imaginary journey using the above map tools. Write some information about the country you are going to visit, the time zones, the distances between a place and another and describe some cultural differences between this country and your own.

Then, with Mapskip or Tour Builder add some pictures, videos or links to all your destinations.

HAVE A NICE TRIP!

Tour Builder by Google - Storytelling with maps

 

Tour Builder is a free fantastic tool! You have the whole world to put your stories on! It allows you to create or explore stories directly in the various countries of the world where they are set.

You will need to install the Google Earth Plugin (it only takes a couple of minutes), if you haven't already.

You can take a 3D trip inside stories!

It could be very useful to study history, geography, literature and even storytelling.

If you want to create your story-trip  you have to 

• choose your destination on the Google map
• add your photos, videos, links
• describe the places, pictures, photos or videos you put in (you can give a general description in the "tell the story" box and you can also describe picture by picture)
• insert some links if you want people to get more information

Tour Builder takes track of all your movements on the map and this is the final result. Watch my brief example about my Cambridge experience! Choose "enter Street View" on the map to watch 3D the places I saw!

Some students' tasks:

1

Describe your last school (or family) trip. 

• Mark all the places you visited on the map
• Add some pictures or videos
• Describe the places you visited

2

Is there an esotic place in the world you would like to visit?

• Choose a destination
• Find some photos about that place on the Net and add them
• Invent a travel route 
• Add some links to give information about the places you would like to visit
• Write the reasons why you would like to go there

Let's go travelling!

Amsterdam ...and study tours!

Your travelling teachers went to Amsterdam this time!

We went there to attend a meeting about study tours.

What are study tours?

International study tours are a great opportunity for learners to combine an overseas travel and cultural experience with studies focusing on the language. Study tours emphasise experiential learning and allow students to explore new territories, cultures and people. They combine theory with real-life experience and cultural perspective.

Exploring the world can be life-changing!

 Studying abroad you will:

1. Meet new friends from around the world.
2. Gain new perspectives on things you normally wouldn't have.
3. Improve a foreign language and learn a few things you didn't already know.
4. Learn to be more independent.
5. Immerse yourself in a completely different culture.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    Studying English in the country where it's spoken is a unique experience! 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Many of the courses you can attend in the United Kingdom are recognized by the British Council.
   The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations.
   http://www.britishcouncil.org/ 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Would you like to have an experience like this?
    ... Pack up your things and leave!!