Eurorailing
The first step before you go is to choose one of the European schemes available. After that, there are a few tips to bear in mind before you leave. Budgeting always causes headaches and it’s worth finding out which are the ‘expensive’ and the ‘cheap’ countries. It’s sensible to take some cash, but you should take most of your money in traveller’s cheques. Choose a well-known brand and buy small denominations.
Your most important piece of equipment is your backpack, and it’s worth choosing one that’s comfortable and light, sits just above your hips and is ‘high’ rather than ‘wide’ when full. A daypack is useful for sightseeing. And a pair of comfortable walking shoes is vital, along with dark, hard-wearing clothes. As a general rule, put out everything you want to take – then halve it. Some things, however, should not be left behind. An alarm clock (so you don’t miss those early trains); a scarf to cover your shoulders or legs for visits to churches or mosques; photocopies of all your important documents – best packed separately or given to a travelling companion; toilet paper, soap and a universal plug, a Swiss army penknife, numerous plastic bags, a water bottle and a small first aid kit.
The fun really starts once you’re OUT there, of course – hunting for a hotel at 10 p.m., being ripped off by a taxi driver who claims there are no buses to your campsite or being turned away from a famous tourist attraction for wearing shorts. There are compensations for these frustrations (which make the best stories afterwards, anyway!), but many problems can be avoided if you’re aware of the potential pitfalls before you leave.
The golden rule is not to try to cram too much into the time available. Trying to see the whole of Europe in a month, by spending every night on a train and an afternoon in each capital city will result in an unsatisfactory blur of shadow impressions. It is also a recipe for disaster, as you will be tired, grumpy and unreceptive for most of your trip. Instead, try to vary your route, mixing visits to cities with relaxing spells on the beach or in the countryside.
Each year a few unlucky travellers have their valuables stolen. The best way to prevent this is to carry them with you at all times, preferably in a money belt or a neck pouch. This is especially important on night trains, where most thefts occur. Another sensible precaution is not to sleep rough – you’re just asking for trouble. Watch out for conmen at stations: they’ll try to persuade you to accept a room, tempting you with glamorous pictures of a hotel which turns out to be awful and whose price will have doubled by the time you reach it. Far better to go and see accommodation yourself before accepting it. And, if you’re on a tight budget, it’s always worth asking if they’ve got anything cheaper.
These ideas are really just common sense, but it’s amazing how often they’re overlooked. But the most important tip of all is – have fun!
1. When packing for a rail holiday, the writer advises students to
a) take everything they want.
b) take more than they think they’ll need.
c) take half of what they really want to take.
d) leave behind nothing they think they’ll need.
2. According to the writer, the best thing about bad experiences on holiday is that
a) you usually forget about them later.
b) you often receive compensation later.
c) you usually find them funny at first.
d) you can tell people about them later.
3. When planning a route, the writer advises students
a) to see as much as possible in the time they have.
b) to visit places but also rest from time to time.
c) to go sightseeing in the afternoons and travel by night.
d) to see everything in a month.
4. What should travellers do to prevent their valuables from being stolen?
a) They should keep them with them all the time.
b) They should not travel on trains at night.
c) They should not fall asleep on trains.
d) They should be especially careful at stations.
WRITING
Think of some travel tips of your own. Write 10 sentences saying why a foreign traveller in Russia should do the things you advise.
Here are some ideas to help you: accommodation, climate, clothing, customs, food, health, information, language, luggage, money, passport, visa, security, transport, fellow passengers, useful things to pack.
Compare your sentences with a classmate’s. Choose the best ideas. Then compare your ideas with the rest of the class.
LISTENING
Understanding Spoken English 2004 “Travel Tips” (p.3)
HAVE YOUR SAY
1. Are you an experienced traveller yourself?
If you are, what advice would you give to less experienced travellers planning to make a journey in this country today? Going abroad?
If you are not, do you happen to know people who are? Tell the class about them.
2. Read the article “Pack it up”.
Which of the packing tips are the most useful? (Choose 5 tips and explain your choice). Do you follow all or any of these recommendations? Why or why not?
PACK IT UP
tips to lighten your load on the road
(CNN) – Packing is a very personal experience. What you take on a trip depends largely on you… who you are, where you’re going, and what you’re going to do once you get there. But there are some general guidelines for packing – not requirements, mind you, but some handy hints that could make your trip a little less weighty.
· Use luggage that’s in decent condition, relatively lightweight but sturdy enough to take some punishment. Wheels (or a baggage caddy) will come in handy, and working locks are a must.
· Make a list of what you plan to take, and check it off as you pack. It’s best to keep your colour schemes to a minimum for maximum mix-and-match strategies. Keep the list, in case you need to file a lost luggage claim.
· Leave yourself a note by your car keys or on top of your luggage as a reminder of last-minute packing needs such as medication, hair dryer, hanging bags, etc.
· Pack lightly but tightly. Roll most items – they take up less space. Don’t pack more than one can handle.
· Wrinkle avoidance procedures: pack in plastic dry cleaner bags, fold backwards to prevent creases in the front, interweave (longer items draped over suitcase, ends outside, smaller items folded inside). Tissue between layers is also helpful.
· Stuff small items in the toes of shoes to prevent collapse.
· Bring extra underwear and socks. (Your mom was right).
· Pack miniature toiletries – sample sizes are good. DO NOT pack liquids in glass containers. Put any containers holding liquids in a sealable plastic bag. On your return home, refill the items you’ve used and the bag is ready for the next trip.
· Keep a bottle opener or corkscrew in your suitcase or toiletries bag.
· Pack a collapsible bag for new purchases, dirty clothes, etc.
· For air travel – baggage restrictions vary from airline to airline, so call first. Two bags per person is a good rule of thumb (airlines may charge for extra bags or if your bags exceed their size restrictions), and carry-on baggage is almost universally limited to two pieces that must fit in the overhead bins or beneath the seat. Keep in mind no two model airplanes are exactly the same, and what fit in a Boeing 767 may not pass muster in an MD-80.
· Most airline carry-on restrictions do not apply to purses, coats, diaper bags or camera bags. Restrictions usually do apply to briefcases. The flight attendant has the final word on whether or not a particular bag goes on board or must be checked. Don’t push it – restrictions are imposed not only for passenger comfort, but for safety as well.
· On many flights between two international cities, baggage is limited by weight rather than number of bags. Excess weight charges can be levied if your bags weigh too much, so be sure to check with the airline about each leg of your flight.
· When checking your bag with an airline, remove shoulder straps and other loose items that could get caught in conveyer belts. Be warned that wheels and handles can get broken off – you can file a claim with the airline, though you may not be reimbursed.
· Label your luggage inside and out with your name and a contact phone number.
· Wise move: when flying, put anything you may need in the first 24 hours (clothing, toiletries, etc.) into the carry-on bag in case your checked luggage is lost.
· Make sure you have $1 bills to tip skycaps, taxi drivers who help you with your luggage.
II
1. Read the story “All Aboard for Europe” by S. Leacock. Memorize the new vocabulary; study the notes. Retell the story.
2. Why do you think the traveller in the story did not enjoy his voyage?
All Aboard for Europe
Some Humble Advice for Travellers
by S. Leacock
Every summer thousands and thousands of our people in America go across to Europe.
Some of them go because they need a change of air; some to improve their minds; some because they were tired of making money; and others because they were tired of not making money. And some again go to see Europe, before it falls to pieces; and others go just simply and plainly for a vacation because they wanted for a few weeks to be really happy.
It is especially for this last class that these few words of advice are written. If you want to be happy when you start off on a sea voyage you have got to be prepared to face a lot of disillusionment. You are going to find all through the trip the most striking difference between travel as it is pictured in the Guide Book and travel as it is in fact.
The difference begins at the very moment of embarkation. Here is what is said in the attractive Steamship Guide Book.
“What,” asks the Guide Book, “is more delightful than the embarkation on an Atlantic voyage? The size of the great steamer, its spotless decks, its commodious cabins, its luxurious saloons and its cosy library thrill us with the sense of pleasure to come. As we step on board and look about us at the dancing waters of the harbour ruffled under the breeze from the open sea beyond, we feel that now at last we are entering on the realization of our dreams.”
Yes. Exactly. Only, unfortunately, my dear reader, it is just at the very moment of embarkation that you are certain to discover that your black valise is missing. Your steamer trunk is there all right in your state-room, and the brown valise and the paper parcel that your aunt has asked you to deliver in Aberdeen when you land at Liverpool. But the black valise apparently is clean gone.
The result is that you are fussing up and down for half an hour, and when at last the valise is found (in the next state-room, owing to the simple fact that you wrote the wrong number on it), you are already far out at sea and have never seen the embarkation at all.
Never mind, there’s lots of the trip left yet. After all, listen to what the Guide Book says about our first morning at sea: “There is an extraordinary exhilaration,” it prattles on, “about the first day at sea. From the lofty deck of the great liner our eyes sweep the limitless expanse. All about is the blue of the Atlantic. We walk the deck or stand gazing in dreamy reverie at the eternal ocean.”
Oh, we do, do we? But I guess not. On our first morning at sea we have too much else to think of, even in the calmest weather, than mere reverie on the ocean. What is troubling us is the question of deck-chairs, - how do we get one? are they free, or do we have to pay? – and if we pay now, do we have to tip the man? – and which man is it that gives out our chairs?
There is room enough in this problem to keep us busy all morning; and even when we have got it straight, we start all over again with the question of what we do to get the seat that we want at the table.
And you will find, alas my dear reader, that no matter what the Guide Book says about it, that kind of worries are going to haunt you all the way. When you have quite done with the valises and the deck-chairs and the seats at the table, you still have plenty of other problems to fret over, such as the English customs officers. What do they do? Do they examine everything? Will they say anything about those canvas slippers that your aunt has asked you to deliver to her cousin in Nottingham (close to London)? Travellers lie awake at night and think of that.
And along with that ―
At what hour will you land at Liverpool and will you be able to get the 11.30 train to London or will you have to wait for the 12.30? That’s an excellent one. Many travellers have thought so hard about that and talked so much about it on deck, that they never even noticed the blue of the sea, and the rush of the flying fish or the great dolphin that flopped up beside the ship.
But there is worse yet ―
The ocean is crossed, the trials are over, and the land is in sight. We are saying good-bye to the passengers – noble fellows they all seem now. But we have a queer sense of loss and disillusionment as if our voyage had not yet begun, and a strange longing that we might have it all over again and this time know enough not to spoil it with our poor meaningless worries.
VOCABULARY
deliver, v
1. (to) take (goods, letters, etc.) to people’s houses or places of work
e.g. Letters are delivered every day.
2. send or aim (a blow, kick, etc.) to the intended place
e.g. She delivered a hard kick to his knee.
3. speak or read aloud to people listening
e.g. deliver a lecture/ speech
4. help in the birth of
ðdeliver the baby (=help in giving birth)
e.g. The doctor delivered the woman (of twins).
5. (from) set free; rescue
e.g. They prayed to God to deliver them from danger.
6. (on) fulfill (a promise or hope) or produce (sth promised or hoped for)
e.g. Do you think the government will deliver on their election promises/ deliver the promised tax cuts?
deliverance, n (fml)
(from) the act of saving from harm or danger, or the state of being saved
e.g. deliverance from slavery
delivery, n
1. (to) the act of taking or giving sth to sb, or the things taken or given
e.g. a delivery van; The next delivery is at two o’clock.
2. the birth of a child
e.g. The mother had an easy delivery.
3. the manner or style of speaking in public: a good/ fast/ slow delivery
deliveryman, n
one who delivers goods to people who have bought or ordered them, usu locally
disillusionment, n
disillusion, v
free from an illusion (= a wrong idea); tell or show the (esp. unpleasant) truth to
e.g. I have to disillusion you, but he just wanted your money.
disillusioned, a
(at/ about/ with) feeling bitter and unhappy as a result of having learned the unpleasant truth about sb/ sth, esp. that one formerly admired or respected
e.g. disillusioned with the present government/ at the government’s handling of the economy
exhilarate, v
make (sb) cheerful and excited
e.g. This sea air is most exhilarating.
exhilaration, n
exhilaratingly, adv
gaze, v
look steadily, esp. for a long time and often without being conscious of what one is doing
e.g. She sat gazing at the fire.
Usage:
Cf.: gaze, stare and gape. Gaze is used when one looks steadily at sth, often with admiration or pleasure (e.g. gaze at the beautiful scenery). Stare is used when one keeps their eyes open and fixed on sth in wonder, fear, anger, or deep thought (e.g. He stared at me trying to remember who I was.). Gape means “look hard in surprise, esp. with the mouth open” (e.g. They gaped at me when I told them about the gold I’d found.).
gaze, n
a steady fixed look
e.g. He turned away, feeling too ashamed to meet her gaze.
Get sth straight
put in good order
fret, v
(cause to) be continually worried or dissatisfied about sth small or unnecessary
e.g. The old lady is always fretting about/ over something.
fret, n
an anxious, complaining state of mind
e.g. She gets in a fret whenever we are late.
fretful, a
complaining and anxious, esp. because of dissatisfaction or discomfort
e.g. The child was tired and fretful.
fretfulness, n
fretfully, adv
fuss, n
1. unnecessary, useless, or unwelcome expression of excitement, anger, impatience, etc.
e.g. Don’t make so much fuss over losing a pen.
2. an expression of annoyance, esp. for a good reason
e.g. I’m going to make a fuss (= complain) about the service in this restaurant. The local residents are kicking up a fuss about the plans for the new airport.
3. an anxious nervous condition
e.g. There is no need to get into a fuss.
ðmake a fuss of
to pay a lot of attention to, in order to please or to show liking for
e.g. Mary always makes a fuss of her nieces.
fuss, v
1. act or behave in a nervous, restless, and anxious way over small matters
e.g. Don’t fuss, we’ll get there on time.
2. make nervous
e.g. If you fuss him, he’ll make a lot of mistakes.
ðnot be fussed about (BrE) (infml)
not care greatly (about sth)
fuss over, v
pay too much attention to
e.g. The old lady fusses over her dog as if it were a sick child.
fusspot (also fussbudget), n (infml derog)
sb who gets anxious about small matters or is too concerned about unimportant details
e.g. Stop worrying, you old fusspot!
fussy, a
1. (usu. derog) (of a person) too concerned about details
e.g. a fussy eater; He’s too fussy about his food.
2. (derog) (of dress, furniture, etc.) having too much detailed decorations
e.g. a fussy hat
3. (usu. derog) (esp. of sb’s actions) nervous and excitable
e.g. small fussy movements of her hands
4. (about) (infml) (esp. BrE) (of a person) concerned; caring
e.g. Are you fussy what time we have dinner?
fussiness, n
fussily, adv
haunt, v
1. (often pass.) (of a spirit, esp. of a dead person) visit (a place), appearing in a strange form
e.g. a haunted house
2. (usu. pass.) (esp. of sth sad or strange) be always in the thoughts of (sb)
e.g. I was haunted by his last words.
3. (infml) visit (a place) regularly; frequent
haunt, n
a place where a particular person visits frequently
e.g. This pub is one of my favourite haunts.
haunting, a
strange in a pleasant or sad way and remaining in one’s thoughts
e.g. a haunting melody
In sight
where it can be seen
Syn.: within sight of sth
Opp.: out of sight
Owing to
because of
e.g. Our flight was delayed, owing to the bad weather.
prattle on, v (infml, often derog)
(about) talk continually in a childish or foolish way about matters of no importance
e.g. The children prattled on about their presents.
prattle, n (infml, often derog)
childish, unimportant, or meaningless talk
prattler, n
queer, a (rather old-fashioned)
1. strange or difficult to explain
e.g. What a queer story.
2. (infml) slightly unwell
3. (infml derog) homosexual
4. (infml) slightly mad
tip, n
a small amount of money given as a gift, usu. in addition to the official price, for a small service performed
e.g. Shall I leave a tip for the waiter?
tip, v
give a tip to
e.g. Did you remember to tip the driver?
tipper, n
e.g. She’s not a very good tipper (= does not give large tips).
NOTES
Aberdeen
a port in NE Scotland, which is the centre of the North Sea oil industry
alas, interj (lit)
a cry expressing sorrow or fear
Liverpool
the 3rd largest city in Britain in the NW of England. It was formerly a great port. Work in the port and in industry has decreased sharply and Liverpool has a serious unemployment problem. Liverpool has been important in the popular music world, esp. in the 1960s when the Beatles started there.
Nottingham
a city in Nottinghamshire, in central England. It has long been a centre for the making of lace.
FOCUS ON VOCABULARY
