Trip

go on a trip

You need your parent’s permission if you want to go on the school trip.

afford a trip

A friend is going to lend me the money. Otherwise, I couldn’t afford the trip.

cancel a trip

Unfortunately, the trip’s been called off. It was canceled due to a lack of interest.

make a trip

I’ve made the same trip by car so often, I could do it with my eyes shut.

ruin a trip

Our camping trip was ruined by heavy rain. We ended up wet and miserable.

plan a trip

I hear you’re planning a shopping trip to France? Do you mind if I come?

a long trip

Children always get restless on long trips by car.

a free trip

There are three free trips to America to be won in today’s competition.

a good trip

Did you have a good trip? No, it was a disaster from start to finish.

a round trip

I have to go to Oxford and back. It’s about a 60-mile round trip.

a trip abroad/overseas

I’m planning my first trip abroad/overseas. I’m off to Greece in the summer.

the highlight of the trip

The highlight of our trip to India was the visit to the Taj Mahal.

the cost of the trip

The full cost of the trip, including insurance, will be around £600.

a souvenir of the trip

I have a piece of volcanic rock as a souvenir of my trip to Mount Vesuvius.

the length of the trip

I’m not very happy with the length of the trip. I think two weeks is long enough!

Notes   

Note the trip + verb collocations:

• The trip cost £1,200 and involved four flights. It also included an overnight stay in Singapore.

We name trips according to how we travel:

• It’s only a 30-minute bus trip.
• Do you fancy going on a boat trip this afternoon?

or according to the purpose of the rip:

• a fishing trip
• a camping trip
• a shopping trip
• a sightseeing trip
• a business trip

A ‘day trip’ is when you go somewhere and come back on the same day.

A ‘trip of a lifetime’ is the kind of trip most of us can only dream about.

Note these expressions:

• Thanks for posting that letter for me – it saved me a trip.
• I could have spared myself an unnecessary trip by phone to see if the library was open.

Note that ‘trip’ refers to traveling somewhere, staying there, and traveling back, whereas ‘journey’ refers only to traveling in one direction.

Holiday

spend a holiday

They always spend their summer holidays in the Canary Islands.

ruin your holiday

Our holidays were ruined by bad weather. It rained nearly every day.

take a holiday

The boss works all the time. He never takes a holiday.

enjoy your holiday

Well, enjoy your holiday. I hope you have a great time.

book a holiday

I don’t book my holiday till the last minute, in the hope of getting a bargain.

cancel your holiday

Always take out holiday insurance in case you have to cancel it.

a paid holiday

All permanent staff are entitled to fur week’s paid holiday each year.

a relaxing holiday

I spent a relaxing holiday on the beach, reading and sunbathing.

a dream holiday

A cruise around the world on a luxury liner would be my dream holiday.

a public holiday

The 1^st of May is now a public holiday in many countries.

a package holiday

We went on a cheap package holiday to Majorca.

a holiday job

I took a holiday job as a waiter when I was a student.

a holiday weekend

It’s a holiday weekend, so the roads will be crowded with holiday traffic.

a holiday resort

Rimini is a popular holiday resort on the Adriatic coast.

a holiday brochure

We plan our summer holidays in December by looking through all the holiday brochures.

Notes   

Note the multi-word verbs in the following sentences:

• I’m afraid Mr. Smith is away on holiday until the end of the week. Can I help you?
• Our holiday fell through at the last minute because the travel company went bankrupt.
• Give me a ring when you get back from holiday.
• We had to cut short our holiday because Richard became ill.

Note that we name holidays according to when we have them:

• Christmas
• Summer holidays;

and according to the type of holiday:

• a golfing holiday
• a walking holiday

A ‘bank holiday’ is when shops, businesses, and banks are closed. (US English: a national holiday)

Flight

catch a flight

We checked out of our hotel at 6 am in order to catch the early flight to Paris.

flights are called

When your flight is called, please make your way to the departure lounge.

flights get into airports

The flight leaves from Rome at 2 pm and gets into Boston at 6 am local time.

flights are delayed

Unfortunately, our flight to Minorca was delayed. We took off 4 hours late.

miss a flight

Get a move on! We need to hurry or we’ll miss our flight.

flights are canceled

All flights from Newcastle have been canceled, due to heavy snow. Meanwhile, all Newcastle-bound flights are being diverted to Edinburgh.

a long-haul

I’ve never been on a long-haul flight before. I’ve only flown in Europe.

a direct flight / a connecting flight

There’s no direct flight to Geneva, but you can fly to Luton and catch a connecting flight from there.

a short flight

It’s only a short flight from London to Paris.

a scheduled flight

Charter flights are generally much cheaper than scheduled flights.

a bumpy flight / a smooth flight

There was a lot of turbulence, so we had a pretty bumpy flight. It wasn’t quite as smooth as we had expected.

final/last call for the flight

This is the final call for flight Ej121 to Geneva.

the duration of the flight

Passengers are requested not to smoke for the duration of the flight.

arrival of the flight

Air France apologizes for the late arrival of this flight.

on standby for a flight

He was put on standby for the flight to New York because it was fully booked.

cancellation of the flight

British Airways regret to announce the cancellation of flight BA033 to London.

Notes   

‘Domestic flights’ are within a country; ‘international flights’ are between countries:

• The number of international flights has increased dramatically in recent years.
• There is no in-flight entertainment on our domestic flights.

Note these expressions:

• The Australian airline, Qantas, operates regular flights to the Far East.
• British Airways offers non-stop flights from London to Singapore.
• Many people suffer from jet lag after long flights.
• Flights T232 to Cairo is now boarding at Gate 15.

Delay and destination

expect a delay

Roadworks are causing heavy congestion in the city center, so long delays can be expected.

face delays

Air passengers face long delays this weekend due to the strike by air traffic controllers.

apologize for a delay

We apologize for the delay in getting your luggage to you, and for any inconvenience.

cause delays

The accident has caused some delays in train services in and out of York.

avoid a delay

Please check in early to avoid delays.

the reason for the delay

What’s the reason for the delay? We’ve been standing here for over 3 hours.

apologies for the delay

We would like to offer our apologies for the slight delay to your flight today.

a series of delays

After a series of delays, we finally reached our hotel two days late.

liability for the delay

The airline accepts no liability for delays caused by bad weather.

a popular destination

Spain is still the most popular holiday destination for the British.

your intended destination

At customs, you’ll be asked your intended destination and how long you plan to stay.

the top destination

Machu Picchu is the top tourist destination in Peru.

a new destination

Virgin Airlines are adding new destinations to their worldwide network.

an exotic destination

E-flight.com offers tickets to exotic destinations like Bali at great prices.

Notes   

Note the verbs in this sentence:

• According to the program, we should reach / arrive at / get to our destination about midday.

Note the following expressions with ‘delay’:

• My train should get in at eight o’clock if there are no unexpected delays.
• It should take me about an hour to get there, allowing for traffic delays.
• flights are subject to delay because of bad weather.
• Unnecessary delays are caused by passengers not appearing when their flights are called.

Passenger

passengers proceed to the gates

Flight LK03 is now boarding. Will passengers please proceed to gate 34.

passengers board (planes)

Passengers board the ferry at 7 am and disembark at Zeebrugge at 5 am.

passengers travel

Many passengers flying into London are traveling on to other destinations.

passengers can be killed

The driver and all four passengers were killed outright in the accident.

passengers can be stranded

Thousands of passengers were stranded at Orly Airport last night following a lightning strike by air traffic controllers.

an angry passenger

An angry passenger demanded to know why his flight had been overbooked.

a nervous passenger

The cabin crew smile frequently to reassure nervous passengers that all is well.

a terrified passenger

Terrified passengers held onto their seats as the plane hit some severe turbulence.

a business class passenger

Economy class passengers are packed in like sardines at the back of the plane, while the business class passengers at the front have fully reclining seats and lots of legroom.

a drunken passenger

The cabin crew is trained to restrain drunken passengers who become violent.

passengers are reminded

Passengers are reminded that smoking is not permitted on this aircraft at any time.

passengers are asked to

Due to increased security measures, passengers are asked to show their boarding passes as they enter the plane.

passengers requested to

Once the plane has landed, passengers are requested to remain seated until the plane has come to a complete standstill.

passengers are required to

To avoid delays, passengers are required to arrive at least two hours before their flight.

Notes   

Note the verbs we use to describe taking passengers somewhere:

• The ship carries both freight and passengers between Hong Kong and Singapore.
• The high-speed rail link transports air passengers to the city center in just 20 minutes.
• Passengers were ferried to the island in small boats.

Note the verbs we use with taxis and buses:

• The taxi picked up a passenger outside the hotel and dropped him (off) at the airport.
• The bus stopped to let a passenger off.
• Passengers must not get on or off the bus while it is moving.

Passport and visa

a passport expires / renew your passport

My passport expires this month. I’ll have to renew it before my holiday.

show your passport

You don’t have to show your passport at the border. We’re all in the EU.

steal a passport

If your passport is lost or stolen, inform your embassy immediately.

surrender your passport

He had to surrender his passport to the police to prevent him leaving the country.

stamp a passports

The immigration officer stamped my passport and handed it back to me.

a valid passport

Travelers are reminded that for a holiday abroad they need a valid passport.

a new passport

I need to get a new passport – my old one’s expired.

a forged passport

During the raid on the house, the police found drugs and forged passports.

extend your visa

I need to stay longer in the UK to finish my studies so I will need to extend my visa.

obtain a visa

There are long delays in obtaining visas to the region, so apply early.

a visa can expire

I have to leave the country by the end of June because my visa expires then.

overstay your visa

If you overstay your visa, you will be deported. You should make arrangements to have your visa renewed before it runs out.

refuse somebody a visa

He was refused an entry visa to the US because of his criminal record.

need a visa

You don’t need a visa to visit Japan for a stay of under six months.

Notes   

Note the following passport + noun collocations:

• You will need to provide a passport photo for your membership card.
• What a nightmare! It took us nearly two houses to get through passport control.

Note these expressions with ‘visa’:

• I entered the country on a tourist visa / on a study visa. It is valid for six months.
• You won’t be allowed to enter Tibet without a visa.

Luggage and fare

weigh your luggage

Please weigh your hand luggage and make sure it’s not more than 5kg.

lose your luggage

They were furious when they learned that the airline has lost their luggage.

screen luggage

X-ray machines are used at airports to screen luggage for weapons and bombs.

insure your luggage

Things often go missing, so we strongly recommend you insure your luggage.

pack your luggage

When flying, make sure you pack your luggage yourself.

search luggage

All our luggage was searched for illegal drugs.

full fare

You’ll have to pay the full fare. There’s no concessionary fare for students.

a return fare

The return fare depends on when you are coming back.

a flat fare

There’s a flat fare of £1 on all buses. You can go anywhere for that price.

half-fare

Children travel half-fare on all our trains.

the exact fare

Please have the exact fare ready when you enter the bus. No change is given.

fares go up

Starting next month, taxi fares will be going up.

fares rise

Bus fares are to rise by an average of 10 percent because of increased fuel costs.

fares are cut

A lot more people would use public transport if fares were cut.

fares are slashed

Airfares to the US have been slashed by a massive 50%.

fares shoot up

Due to increased running costs train fares have shot up by 30% in the last year.

Notes   

Note these expressions:

• Please do not leave your luggage unattended.
• Only one piece of hand luggage may be taken onto the aircraft.
• All hand luggage must be stowed under the seat in front or in the overhead lockers.

We use ‘baggage’ rather than ‘luggage’ in these expressions:

• You’ll have to pay extra if you exceed your baggage allowance.
• Excess baggage is charged at the rate of £20 per kilo.
• Baggage reclaim is the place at an airport where you collect your luggage after a flight.

Note these verb + fare collocations:

• I save on fares by walking to work.
• Ticket inspectors are necessary in order to stop people trying to dodge fares.

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