ESL Taking a Trip Conversation

The two example ESL taking a trip conversations on this page show you how a natural conversation would happen. You can use them to see how a conversation should progress.

As well as being able to read the two example conversations you can watch them as cartoons. This is another way for you to try to learn the correct way of speaking, as the pictures in the cartoons will act as clues to help you understand. If you do not know any of the words used you can look at the ESL taking a trip vocabulary page that has definitions of many words.

Then after that there are three exercises for you to do. These will help you practice using the taking a trip vocabulary in example ESL taking a trip conversations. The exercises are as follows:

• Filling in the blanks in a conversation.
• Writing your own conversation.
• Conversation topics for you to talk about.

Conversation 1

Situation: Lucy and Andrew are talking about their end of year holiday.

Lucy: Where did you go on holiday?
Andrew: I went to Beijing with my parents.
Lucy: How was it? Did you have a good time?
Andrew: It was wonderful. Beijing is a great city with many historical landmarks.
Lucy: What did you see there?
Andrew: We saw the Great Wall and other interesting places such as old palaces, as well as pandas. They were really interesting!
Lucy: I have been to Beijing once to attend a conference, but I didn’t have time to travel around. 
Andrew: Too bad. You could have stayed longer. It’s not difficult to find cheap hotels in Beijing. 
Lucy: Really? Where did you stay, anyway?
Andrew: We stay at the Orange Hotel near the Palace Museum.
Lucy: Was it good?
Andrew: Yes, it was a great budget hotel. The room was clean and it offered free drinks, fruit and snacks every day. How about your holiday?
Lucy: I didn’t go out because I took a charity job as volunteer tutor.
Andrew: Oh, that’s good. I may want to try that on my next holiday.

Conversation 2

Situation: Jane and Patrick talk about Jane’s plan to take a vacation in San Francisco in the United States.

Jane: Guess what! I’m going to San Francisco!
Patrick: Really? When?
Jane: Tomorrow. I’m flying with Ocean Airlines.
Patrick: Do you need a ride to the airport?
Jane: No, thanks. I’m OK. I can get a taxi. Have you ever been to San Francisco?
Patrick: Yes. I have been there several times. There are many interesting places that you can visit, such as the Golden Gate Bridge.
Jane: What about Fisherman’s Wharf?
Patrick: Oh, that’s one of my favorites! There are lots of seafood restaurants you can sit at for lunch. Where are you going to stay?
Jane: I have booked a room at the Pacific Tradewinds Hostel. It is geared towards international travelers and it is close to Chinatown.
Patrick: How long are you going to be there?
Jane: Just three days.
Patrick: Why don’t you stay longer?
Jane: I plan to go to New York to see an old friend.
Patrick: Have you booked the flight?  
Jane: Yes, I have.

ESL Taking a Trip Conversation Exercises

Now you should do the following ESL taking a trip conversation exercises. You can use the example conversations from above a guidelines to help you.

Exercise 1 – Fill in the Blanks

The first ESL taking a trip conversation exercise is a fill in the blanks task. You need to decide which option (A-D) is the best to fill in each of the gaps in the following conversation. Once you have finished you can click the get score button to see how many you got correct.

Situation: Tui wants to book a flight to Bangkok.

Agent: Skyscanner Travel. How can I help you?
Tui: Yes. ___________(1)__________ London to Bangkok on September 20th. Can you find me the least expensive flight?
Agent: Would you prefer to leave from Gatwick or Heathrow Airport?
Tui: __________(2)__________ Gatwick Airport.
Agent: Let me see. Yes. I have a 5:30 flight on Thai Airways.
Tui: 5.30! What’s __________(3)__________?
Agent: One hour for economy class and thirty minutes for business class. Will you take that?
Tui: No. I won’t get to the airport in time. When will __________(4)__________?
Agent: There won’t be another direct flight on Saturday. There will be one on Friday at the same time.
Tui: I can’t leave before September 20th. What about from Heathrow Airport?
Agent: Just let me check. Oh, there is an 8:30 flight on British Airways.
Tui: How much will that be?
Agent: Economy class costs £386. 
Tui: Alright, let’s go with that.
Agent: How many seats would you like?
Tui: Just one. Does that include airport tax?
Agent: No, you have to add another £50 for the tax. Would you like __________(5)__________?
Tui: No, thanks. Can I book that, then?
Agent: Certainly. How would you like to pay?
Tui: Can I pay by credit card?
Agent: Sure. Could you give me your credit card number and expire date?

ESL Taking a Trip Conversation

Choose the best option (A-D) in the following five questions to fill in the blanks in the taking a trip conversation given above.

1) Which option is the best to fill in the first blank?

    A) I want a plane from
    B) Is there a voyage from
    C) Can you fly me from
    D) I need a flight from

2) Which option is the best to fill in the second blank?

    A) I want to fly out of
    B) I want to fly into
    C) I want to arrive from
    D) I want to come from

3) Which option is the best to fill in the third blank?

    A) the price
    B) the airline
    C) the check-in time
    D) the booking code

4) Which option is the best to fill in the fourth blank?

    A) the next flight leave
    B) you give a discount
    C) the flight be canceled
    D) the airport open the gate

5) Which option is the best to fill in the fifth blank?

    A) a cheaper ticket
    B) a return ticket
    C) a window seat or an aisle seat
    D) a boarding pass

Score =

Correct answers:

Exercise 2 – Writing a Conversation

For the second ESL taking a trip conversation task you need to write your own conversation. You should decide who is having the conversation, what they are talking about and where they are. Try to use as much of the vocabulary about taking a trip as possible. By using the vocabulary you will learn it better. Once you have finished writing your ESL taking a trip conversation you should find some friends and act it out so you get practice speaking.

Exercise 3 – Conversation Topics

For the third ESL taking a trip conversation you need to use the following sets of conversation topics to have a conversation with one of your friends. Each of you should take one set of questions, and then you should take turns asking the questions. Try to say as much as possible and give full long answers. At the end you can exchange questions and start again.

The questions have also been made into some conversation cards for you to download by clicking the picture.

For more conversation cards you can download my ‘80 ESL Conversation Cards’ ebook.

Questions set A

• Describe the last trip you took.
• How do you like to travel when going on a trip?
• Who do you like to take trips with?
• How often do you go on trips?
• What was the furthest you have ever travelled for a trip?

Questions set B 

• Why do you like to take trips?
• Where do you like to go when you take a trip?
• Have you ever been on a trip where you had to use an airplane?
• Do you get ill when travelling for a trip?
• What was the first trip that you remember taking?

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