Discuss the most / least comfortable means of transport with your partner. Give your reasons.

Recommend some other ways of travelling to your partner. Discuss their dis/advantages.

Reading

Read the article “ 7 Reasons You Should Travel While You’re Young ” by Sarah Hansen and choose the proper title for each paragraph from the list below:

1. We are never guaranteed old age, so enjoy life’s experiences now!

2. Traveling humbles you enough to realize it’s not all about you.

3. Traveling pushes your educational horizons.

4. Traveling changes the way you relate to others.

5. Traveling gives you empathy for global suffering.

6. Traveling changes the way you relate to the world.

7. Traveling empowers you to take on new challenges.

 

1. _____________________________________________________________

I grew up in a tiny rural town. If I hadn’t had the opportunity to travel when I was younger, I would have a difficult time envisioning much else outside my comfortable country bubble. When you travel to other countries and see the amazing beauty of sunsets over seas, eagles riding mountain currents, monkeys swinging through rain forests, grizzlies catching salmon in the rapids, majestic waterfalls spilling off vertical drops, and volcanoes smoking under their fiery breath, you realize the world is full of more beauty that you are capable of seeing in a lifetime. But, you still have the intense passion to try.

2. _____________________________________________________________

Unfortunately, the area I grew up in didn’t have much diversity. Everyone looked and acted basically the same. When I traveled, I learned about other cultures. I realized that my life could be enriched by developing friendships with people who didn’t look or act like me. Far from my hometown, I developed friendships with people who were nothing like me, but were exactly what I needed. This taught me to embrace, not fear, experiences and relationships that were outside my comfort zone. It also taught me the importance of communication skills.

3. _____________________________________________________________

The older I become, the more I realize I actually know very little about life. It seems the confidence of knowing it all is usually graced upon the young. However, the sooner that bubble bursts, the better; at least in my case. Traveling sometimes puts you in tough situations. You see that the world is so much bigger than your perspective on it. You soon realize the world doesn’t revolve around you.

4. _____________________________________________________________

Just as traveling is humbling, it is also empowering. You realize you can do things you never thought possible. For example, I have lived for the past two years in Grenada, West Indies. I have always enjoyed driving on the right side of nicely paved and open roads of the U.S. Here, I was thrown into driving on the left side of the road on twisty mountain passes down broken roads that aren’t much bigger than a one-lane driveway, yet they expect two-way traffic to freely meet around the blind corners.

5. _____________________________________________________________

When you travel, you learn how much you truly have that you take for granted. Many people live in poverty that is unfathomable to those who have never walked their streets and heard their stories. Watching the wars and famines on the news takes on a whole new meaning when you have a personal connection with the people there. You lose the callousness and egotistic attitude that can sometimes develop when you can’t relate to that region of the world. And, it compels you to help others and give back.

6. _____________________________________________________________

Sadly, I never liked history in school. Just reading the stories in books seemed so boring to me. However, when I visited the palace of Versailles in France, marveled at the architecture of basilicas in Africa, climbed the ruins of castles in Ireland, visited the White House, and walked the halls of the Louvre, I couldn’t help but get a new appreciation for history. Traveling makes history come alive. The stories are no longer pictures in a book, but tangible memories you remember much longer than anything you could study in school.

7. _____________________________________________________________

I think a lot of young people put off traveling because they want to be responsible, work hard, get married, have kids, and build up a life. However, I think it’s a mistake to put off traveling in exchange for the belief that you can do it when you retire and have more time. While I certainly plan to continue to travel after I retire, I also realize I am not guaranteed old age. If something happens and I don’t live to see my forties, fifties, or sixties, I will have no regrets. I have experienced the world to the best of my ability by taking every opportunity presented to me to see all of this gorgeous planet that I can. Traveling has made me the person that I am, and I’m so grateful that I have plenty of years left with this version of me to continue the adventure.

(Abridged from http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/7-reasons-you-should-travel-while-youre-young.html?utm_source=post&utm_medium=travelingchangesthewayyourelatetotheworld&utm_campaign=innerlink)

Post-Reading Tasks

Answer the questions on the text:

1) What natural beauties can you enjoy while traveling?

2) How did traveling change the author’s way of relating to other people?

3) What new challenges did the author take on in Grenada, West Indies?

4) What global sufferings does traveling give you empathy for?

5)  What tourist attractions gave the author a new appreciation for history?