miércoles, 17 de julio de 2013

Talking point: Travel and holidays

This week's talking point revolves around travel and holidays. Students at all levels are quite familiar with the topic, so we have introduced some variations so that we can talk about a traditional conversation topic in the English class while giving it a novel slant.

Before getting together with the members of your conversation group, go over the questions below, so that ideas flow more easily and you don't get stuck with vocabulary issues when the talking session comes.

Talk about your last holiday with the members of your conversation group. Try to find three things your last holiday had in common.

Look at the different types of holidays below. Which would you most like to go on? Try to agree on three.
•    A sightseeing holiday
•    A walking or cycling holiday
•    Hitchhiking around Europe
•    A safari
•    An extreme sports holiday
•    Hiking in the mountains
•    InterRail around Europe
•    A cruise
•    A beach holiday

Imagine you both have a week's holiday together. Try to agree on what type of holiday you would go on, where you would go and what you would do.

WHAT’S YOUR OPINION?
Discuss your opinion about the controversial statements below, all of which are holiday-related.
  • Tourism has more cons than pros.
  • Eco-tourism is a politically correct way of destroying unspoilt areas.
  • Mega-events like the Olympics or universal exhibitions are not beneficial for a country / region in the long run.
  • Volunteer tourism is a cheap way of travelling round the world.
  • It is impossible for communities to maintain their heritage and move with the times.
  • Medical tourism is completely unacceptable.
  • Budget backpackers shouldn’t be allowed into any country.
 picture from ELTPics in Flickr